[brorwargy]

You find your special place, open the door, and your spirit guide isn't there? That may simply mean that, at that moment, your lesson lay elsewhere.

If I go to see my guide, and her door isn't glowing, I explore to see who/what may be there to instruct me, instead. As Laura says, we have many guides, and there are limitless numbers of advanced entities who are willing and often eager to help educate us.

And yes, if you become too dependent on your guide he/she will step back. Mine went to the extreme of displaying her usual self as floating limp and seemingly asleep in her quarters. I was so confused and disoriented and I didn't know what to do. At that point, I was 'summoned' by another entity, who asked me questions and hinted at past lives... and then finally asked if I knew who she was. When I said no, she told me that she was my spirit guide, but that I had become so dependent on the image I had of her that she had chosen to appear in another form. She then pointed out that the feelings I had for this second form were different than the love I felt for the original form. I was then warned about becoming overly attached and dependent on anyone, in spirit form or human.

Be patient, and explore. Wondrous things await us all.