How can I practice awareness of angels?

Do you recall ever meeting an angel? A rare few people encounter angels who fit a traditional description like Dante’s in Paradiso: “Their faces were living flame; their wings were gold; and for the rest their white was so intense, no snow can match the white they showed.” But don’t let this gloriously otherworldly guise blind you to the angels in our midst.

In the quiet of your heart, contemplate these poetic descriptions:

“Outside the open window
The morning air is all awash with angels.”
(Richard Wilbur, Love Calls Us to the Things of this World)

“The angels keep their ancient places -
Turn but a stone and start a wing!
‘Tis ye, ‘tis ye, your estranged faces
That miss the many-splendored thing.”
(Francis Thompson, The Kingdom of God)

“Everything we call a trial, a sorrow, or a duty;
Believe me, that Angel’s hand is there.”
(Fra Giovanni)

“Coincidence is God’s way of performing
a miracle anonymously.”
(source unknown)

Do these passages bring to mind an experience of your own? Perhaps you once saw a garden so lovingly lit by sunshine that you could swear a benevolent presence tended it. Perhaps in a hard time an unseen hand seemed to guide you, or you met a helper who showed up out of the blue and then mysteriously disappeared again. Or perhaps a startling coincidence woke you up to the marvelous interconnections between yourself and your circumstances.

Remember the goodness of that moment (or, if you’re fortunate, that flood of moments). In our workaday lives, it’s easy to discount angels near us. But when we pause to look and listen, we open ourselves to heavenly blessing in each and every moment. Be still for a few moments now, and remember.

Even if this practice merely kindles a longing in you that’s not yet been fulfilled, you may be touching an angel’s hem. Every glimpse of heaven among us is a gift beyond measure. Lay claim to it with gratitude. Write down a few words or draw a picture to remind you of it, and keep this reminder in a safe place such as your journal or a personal altar. Look at this treasure every so often to keep it fresh in your heart. To do so can be life changing.

One way to hear an angel’s message more clearly is to write it down. This allows you to inspire others as well as reinforce your own experience. In the Angels and Animals message board you’ll discover a wide variety of soul-stirring encounters. Let these entries serve as springboards for your own reflections.

We meet angels time and again in the warp and woof of each day’s weave. An angel of awakening attends the dawn; an angel of fervour and commitment renews our resolve at noon; an angel of peace comforts us in the evening.