Belief in angels is nearly universal. Christians, Jews. Hindus and Muslims all believe in angels. Most spiritual and "new age" beliefs acknowledge angels. Though different, these philosophies share the belief in these heavenly messengers.
Angel Duties
Angels have human qualities and human roles. Hebrews 2:7,16 describes them as having will and understanding, and being capable of disobeying. Yet they almost never do. With the rare exception of fallen angels, an angel's existence is dedicated to spreading love, joy and celebration. They are heavenly beings made to serve God through helping man. The Gospel of Mark describes angels as "ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation." In other words, their goal is to bring us closer to God and the love, faith and joy that is synonymous with the divine.
Different religious and spiritual traditions assign angels different roles. In Christianity and Hinduism they are messengers between God and man. This is the most common definition, according to JC Cooper's An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Traditional Symbols (1978, Thames and Hudson Ltd). In Islamic symbolism angels surround Allah's throne, and the Islamic holy text The Koran writes that each person has two angels assigned to them.
Sidebar: Angel Astrology
Jewish tradition connects angels with astrology. In the Jewish mystical book the Kabbalah, a presiding angel is assigned to each of the seven worlds. Each angel has different qualities, and you may call on them when you need these qualities.
1. El: Represents the realm of Jupiter. El represents strength, power and light.
2. Elohi: Represents the realm of Mars. Elohi bestows strength in times of war and affliction.
3. Tsebaoth: Represents the realm of the Sun and gives the Sun motion, brightness and heat.
4. Elion: Represents the realm of Mercury. Elion offers goodness, motion and intellect.
5. Adonai: Represents the realm of Venus. Adonai's qualities are majesty, mastery and ownership.
6. Shaddqi: Represents the sphere of the Moon. Offers change, especially increases and decreases.
7. Elohim: Represents Earth: Gives knowledge, understanding and wisdom.
Hearing your Angels
Focusing on angelic goodness connects us to universal goodwill. All levels and varieties of contact with angels are good, as long as we don't use them to replace God. Psychologist Doreen Virtue, PhD, is author of several books on angels including Angel Therapy (1997, Hay House). "The angels don't want us to worship them or make them into 'gods,'" she says. "They want all glory to go to God. So, we don't pray to angels. We only request their help and have conversations with them."
Hearing your angels requires deep inward listening. We all have a voice inside us that urges us to do what is in our own and other's best interest. This voice is likely an angel speaking to us. Hearing this inner voice involves relaxation and receptivity, and it is clearest when we are alone or apart from fast-paced society. An angel's counsel isn't always glamorous or impressive, not from an ego standpoint. The ego's messages are harsh and demanding. The ego seeks quantity instead of quality and status over spirituality. Angel's messages are patient, gentle and supportive. "You know that the guidance comes from angels when it is loving, focused, not hurtful to you or your family, and consistent," says Virtue.
Seeing your Angels
Calling on angels requires patience and humility. Jesus could summon angels at will. We are not Jesus. Terry Lynn Taylor, author of Messengers of Light (1993, H.J. Kramer) cautions: "Any being that you can summon at will probably isn't an Angel. Usually you meet your Angels through humble prayer and quiet seeking, but they can not be 'forced' to come. Angels will appear when God decides it is right to do so." Be encouraged though… just because we can't summon an angel at our leisure doesn't mean they won't appear as soon as we ask. Let this be a blessing, though, and not an expectation.
After you have called upon your angels you don't have to do anything. Just relax and await their arrival. According to Taylor, heightened sense of the colors blue and green is evidence of angels since angels are associated with these colors. Sweet, pleasant fragrances also suggest angels. "Guardian Angels radiate a fragrance that is sweeter than a flower garden in bloom," she says. "You'll feel a calm and peaceful serenity descending over you, even when the Angel is not seen." When seen, the angel could resemble the person next door, an adorable child, a beautiful man or handsome woman, or brilliant light.
Virtue agrees with Taylor that seeing blue or green light indicates an angel is near, even if this light is seen from the corner of your eye. "A glowing shadow moving so fast that you wonder if it's your imagination is another signal," reveals Virtue. Other experts on angels also state that light travels with angels. Denny Sargent , author of Your Guardian Angel and You (2004, Red Wheel/Weiser LLC) states that angels "almost always appear as beings of light. Sometimes they come as balls of light, sometimes as glowing bands of light."
Communicating with Your Angels
Sargent describes an angel hierarchy where Archangels are greater angels and Guardian Angels are lesser angels. Greater angels do the work of God and are given enormous power. Archangels, as s a rule, don't appear to humans. There are exceptions, like when Gabriel announced the birth of Jesus. Mostly though, only Guardian Angels are concerned with our daily matters. "When I refer to Guardian Angels," says Sargent. " I mean the divine spirits who help and protect each of us from the moment of birth until the day we leave this Earth. "
One of the first steps to communicating with your Guardian Angel, or any angel, is a belief in the unseen. "The first step in preparing yourself to meet your Guardian Angel is to change your expectations—change what you think you will experience," explains Sargent. "Cultivate a belief that your angel exists and that you will meet it if you simply shift your perceptions. When you do, you'll be halfway down the path to connecting with your Guardian Angel. "
Meditation is also an effective way to open ourselves to angels. In Your Guardian Angel and You, Sargent recommends that we start by focusing on our breath as we let our thoughts float by without attachment. Next visualize yourself surrounded by white light and then breathe it in. After a few minutes of this say to yourself on each inhale "Guardian Angel, come to me" and on exhale repeat "With love and will, so may it be." These affirmations are done for at least 5 minutes.
Sargent says that if done once daily, results will be seen within a week.
Virtue also recommends meditation as a tool for connecting with angels. In Angel Therapy, she writes: "In your meditations, ask the angels to give you a clear sign in answer to your prayers." The sign we receive, she states, will be unmistakable even if it isn't tangible. It may be a dream, a vision or intuition.
Although meditation is a wonderful way to usher in angels, it isn't the only way. Not by far. "You can communicate with angels in a variety of ways, including automatic writing, dreamwork, oracle cards, and intuitional or psychic communication," writes Virtue in Angel Therapy. "It's important to choose a communication style to which you are naturally drawn."
