Angelic Visitations

Millions of spiritual creatures walk the earth 
Unseen, both when we wake and when we sleep.

-John Milton, Paradise Lost-

Each one of us has a personal angel for a friend, that special soul friend who  watches over us all the time. In Celtic spiritual tradition this soul friend is called your Anam Cara. According to the late John O'Donahue, an Irish poet, philosopher and Catholic priest, "You are joined in an ancient and eternal union with humanity that cuts across all barriers of time, convention, philosophy and definition. When you are blessed with an Anam Cara, the Irish believe, you have arrived at that most sacred place: home." They look after us, heal us, and comfort us. They protect us on a day-to-day basis. Do you believe in angels? Have you ever seen your angels?  I have.

The golden moments in the stream of life rush past us and we see nothing but sand; the angels come to visit us, and we only know them when they are gone.

-George Elliot-

When I was young I suffered from bouts of tonsillitis.  Each time I came down with an infection, the doctor would say, "Next time we are going to take them out", but next time never came, each time the same thing was said, and, needless to say, I still have my tonsils. Today, at the most, they appear to be the culprit behind the dreadful tickles I still get in my throat, but, fortunately, the infections no longer come.  They stopped when I hit my early twenties. 

I remember one bout that occurred when  I was about 16 years old.  It was about 90 degrees, yet I was cold as could be. Mom was having a cookout, and I was lying on one of the lawn chairs, covered with a quilt, yet still trembling.  Finally, I just had to give up and go get into bed.  It was somewhere in the wee hours of the morning when I woke up, my mouth parched, but too weak and sick to walk to the kitchen for a drink.  She came to me then, this beautiful, gentle woman, and asked if I needed help.  I responded that I really needed some water, and she went to fetch me a glass.  She brought it back, helped me to prop myself up on the bed, and then held the glass to my mouth.  Afterwards, she sat silently on my bed.  

When I awoke the next morning,  the half-filled glass of water still sat on my night stand, but the woman had disappeared.  When I told my mom about the, she said that I had probably been delirious.  No mystery ghost woman had brought my water; I'd probably done so myself and not remembered doing so. After all, I was very sick, wasn't I?  My mom was never a believer.

Another incident occurred when I was in my thirties.  At the time, I was suffering from sleep apnea. For any of you who suffer from it, you know how frightening it can be. Many a night I would awaken, not breathing, and sit bolt upright in bed struggling to find my breath. One night it was especially bad, and I was sure this was going to be my physical end. My breath would just not come.  It was then that I saw her, a beautiful figure dressed dressed in white, standing at my doorway.  A strange thing happened then.  My breath began to return, and as it did, she gradually faded away.... I never again suffered from an episode of apnea.

Angelic visitation or imagination?  I believe in angels.  I believe that they are always there for us, cheering us on, and willing to step in and help us, if only we ask.  I believe in magic. Nobody ever took that away from me.

Angels, in the early morning

May be seen the Dews among,

Stooping—plucking—smiling—flying—

Do the Buds to them belong?

Angels, when the sun is hottest

May be seen the sands among,

Stooping—plucking—sighing—flying—

Parched the flowers they bear along.

Emily Dickinson