If you’ve ever watched Aladdin and fantasized about how amazing it would be to have your own personal genie to fulfill your every wish (well, three wishes, but still), then you’re going to want to sit down to receive some great news: It turns out, you kind of do have one—or rather, several. But instead of genies that have to be coaxed from magic lamps, they’re spirit guides.

Rebecca Campbell, spiritual teacher and author of Light Is the New Black, describes spirit guides as beings specifically chosen for you. Their number-one purpose is to support you and guide you. “Many have had lifetimes here on Earth,” Campbell says, adding that there is quite a spectrum of types of spirit guides (angels, ancestors, gods, and goddesses, for example), and each offers its own unique blend of skills and wisdom to share.

Wondering how to find your spirit guide? The cool thing here is you don’t need to have special powers or possess any other prerequisite spiritual skill in order to find your spirit guide. “I believe that we are all intuitive and that we can all receive guidance,” Campbell says. “It’s just about relaxing your conscious mind and getting out of your own way so the connection can happen.”

Most people, she adds, have an entourage of about six guides, and each is useful in different ways and called upon for different purposes. For example, you might have a spirit guide that protects you, another that brings you healing, and another that supports you in achieving a goal. You can also tap new guides with specific specialties depending on your needs.

Ready to chat with your spirit-guide posse? Below, Campbell shares her easy two-step process for contacting spirits.

How to find your spirit guide team

1. Invoke your guides

Start by setting the spiritual scene, Campbell says. You can light a candle, say a prayer, surround yourself with crystals, or perform some kind of sacred ritual that will help you connect with the spiritual realm.

Once you’re tapped in, make sure that you protect yourself and invite only high-vibe spirits. “Affirm that you are only calling on genuine guides of the highest realms for the benefit of all.” Campbell suggests not connecting with any earthbound spirits.

2. Put in your request

Your spirit guides respect your boundaries, so in order to receive their loving support, first ask for it as a means of giving them the green light to step in. Once that happens, Campbell says your spirit guides can help you with truly anything in your life—big task or small.

Need help finding your keys? Ask your spirit guides for some clues. Not sure what your life purpose is? Request some guidance from your spirit guides. Want to call in your soul mate? Your spirit guides can help with that, too. Really, whatever you need, they theoretically have your back.

If you’ve made your request but aren’t sure whether if your spirit guides heard you loud and clear, Campbell recommends asking for a sign as verification. Pick a specific item or symbol to represent your sign. This could be anything—a sunflower, an emoji, a matcha latte. Then just wait for it to pop onto your path for a sign that your spirit guides have heard you and are with you.

But really, how do you know for sure if you’ve connected with your spirit guides?

Campbell recommends not putting pressure on yourself to have some sort of otherworldly experience when it comes to calling upon your spirit guides. “We feel that if we don’t see a vision appearing to us in our living room or hear a booming voice speaking to us, like in the movies, then it somehow doesn’t count,” she says “Of course, this is not true.”

While some people may very well have a movie-like experience, most will just receive guidance in a way more subtle way, Campbell says. You might see a billboard emblazoned with an answer to a question you just asked or you might coincidentally meet the right person who can assist you with an issue at hand.

“In many cases, the communication will just arrive as an internal knowing. If the guidance you receive doesn’t seem to make sense, that’s usually a sign that it’s genuine.” —Rebecca Campbell, spiritual teacher

“In many cases, the communication will just arrive as an internal knowing,” Campbell says. “This internal knowing is your indication that the communication is real and not just your imagination. If the guidance you receive doesn’t seem to make sense, that’s usually a sign that it’s genuine.”

So if you’re debating whether or not to treat yourself to a beachy vacay this summer, and you feel a resounding yes gut feeling wash over you, there’s your guidance.

Some extra tips for how to find your spirit guide posse.

1. Carve out time for your spirit guides

Just like learning how to tap into your intuition, connecting with your spirit guides takes practice. “What will make it easier to connect is carving out regular time—I call it soul time—where you listen to the whispers of your soul,” Campbell says. “Spirit guides are like other relationships in your life. The more time you spend with your guides, the deeper the connection will get and the more easily you will recognize them when they are communicating with you.”

2. Practice intuitive writing

If nothing seems to be happening, despite your requests, Campbell suggests doing some intuitive writing to strengthen the connection. “You will need two pens,” she says. “One for you and one for your spirit guides to answer. Start by writing a question that you have for your spirit guides. Then pick up the second pen and allow your hand to intuitively move across the page.”

3. Ask your spirit guides their names

Although you don’t need to know the names of your spirit guides in order to connect with them and request their help, asking for their names can help you build a relationship with them. “When a guide shares their name with you, the purpose is actually just to help strengthen your connection by grounding your experience of them,” Campbell says. “If you don’t receive a name for your guide, you can choose one to use for them for the time being. Sharing a name is really just for our benefit.”