Be aware that sometimes spirits have something to do with psychic abilities, helping or hindering. Guides are very useful when developing your psychic abilities. They are attracted to humans who are trying to hone their skills and abilities in intuitive areas. You'll want to make sure that you pick only friendly spirits to work with, the more evolved the better. "Elementals" are disturbing nature spirits who are fine in their own environment, but disruptive in human circles. Some entities are disoriented and haven't realized they have died yet and cannot connect with the human world anymore. Some entities who have recently discovered that they are free in the astral worlds without the human body are enjoying their newfound abilities to play pranks and jokes on the living. They are not malicious, but they are not useful for spiritual endeavors concerning psychic abilities. Of course, there are malevolent spirits who you should refrain from participating with at all in the beginning stages. Later, as you gain more skill, you may be able to help them, but as a beginner you should stay away from dark spirits. See the UMS course on Channeling Skills for more information on handling disembodied spirits.