My brother once had a flat tire on the interstate in a very open area of fields and very few trees. Inside the car were his wife and their three small children, all under seven years of age. As he knelt to begin removing the flat tire, a voice next to him asked, “Do you need some help?” Hearing the unhappy sounds inside the car, my brother said, “Yes,” without looking up. He put bolts into waiting hands and together the two men finished the job.
When he looked up to say thank you, no one was there — no car, no one walking and no one visible in the fields on either side of the road. He asked his wife what happened to the man who was helping him and she said, “What man?” She had seen no one. My brother, who only believes what he can see or touch, later called the man an angel.
Angels are often depicted as human-like beings in robes with wings and halos about their heads. The sense imparted is one of benevolence, gentleness and a sort of benign softness. They are shown in drawings putting a hand on a shoulder or on an arm to guide someone from injury or harm. I have experienced that when an unseen hand turned my steering wheel, saving me from being broadsided in traffic.
Once, I sensed what an angel might look like. It took the form of a giant column of light emanating immense power and vibrating, sounding a lot like the light sabers in Star Wars. I never looked at angels the same after that. Now I perceive them as beings of incredible power and might, possessed of a grand majesty that defies definition: stalwart, protective and fiercely loving.
It is my belief that angels come in many forms and are all around us every day, whether we recognize them or not. I believe they can take the form of humans, as that is more palatable to our human perception of reality.
Angels appear, telling us we are beloved; we need do nothing but treat each other kindly and with compassion. They assist in times of prayer, despair, joy and crisis. Their role is to intercede on our behalf and to bring us to a greater awareness of our Divinity — our sacred nature. They inform, inspire and intervene. My concept of God/Spirit/Creator is one of such a Force that if we communicated directly with it, our “circuits” would blow, so to speak. Angels are a filter through which we are able to access the Divine and receive direct communication. Angels inspire us to do, say or act on small knowings.
There are angels for every situation. I call on angels of physical strength when facing a particularly grueling schedule or a task I don’t feel up to accomplishing. When I am shopping, I ask for retail angels to guide me to the best deals and to manifest sale items. Many a time I’ve found the very sale item somewhere in a store when none were in the area in which it belonged. I ask for help finding parking places and assisting loved ones in crisis.
Angels can also bring out the best in us. Once, while walking across a parking lot about to enter a store, a young man stopped me to ask directions. He was from out of town (in the era before smart phones). After I helped him, he got into his car. As I entered the store, I looked back. There was no sign of him or his car. It was just — gone. I believe he was an angel giving me a choice as to how I would treat him.
There have been times when I made the choice to be of assistance and some in which I did not. Note: I always “listen” to inner guidance about the situation before acting.
And, yes, I do have a guardian angel. She comes in the form of my maternal grandmother whose voice is the sweetest I know, reassuring me, comforting me, encouraging me and making me feel cared for and secure.
