101 Ways to Meet Your Angels (2 page)

BE PREPARED TO MEET THE ANGELS

The ancients described angels as spiritual beings created by God before the world was created. The tasks of these celestial beings are to glorify God, minister to the Divine, and serve as messengers, healers, and guides. Angels, in what is perhaps the most simplistic view, are akin to interpreters, passing messages between the divine and humans.

You might think a belief in angels is a matter of faith, and that is true. But it is also true that Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all share a belief in angels. Anecdotal evidence supporting that belief can be extrapolated from the ancient Hebrew texts, the early Christian writings in the New Testament, sacred verses of the Qur’an, and the written and oral esoteric teachings of Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism based on symbolic interpretation of their scriptures).

If you believe in angels, you are not alone. National polls prove it. According to a 2008
Washington Times
poll, 55 percent of Americans believe in angels, while a
Fox News
poll from 2005 put the number at 79 percent. Additionally, a 2008
ABC News
poll noted that 55 percent of Americans believe that their lives are protected by guardian angels.

But even national polls seem lightweight positioned alongside the mammoth amount of angel lore, references, and imagery prevalent in the world’s cultures, religions, and spiritual traditions—a testament to ages-old belief in these celestial beings. Angel symbols and imagery have long permeated the world’s art, literature, and musical lyrics, as well as pop culture’s iconography. Both Harvard Divinity School and Boston College offer courses on angels, and books about angels such as
Angels in My Hair
, an international bestseller by Lorna Byrne and translated into twenty languages, and
Fallen
, by Lauren Kate have even made bestseller lists.

Perhaps you seek answers to your most burning questions, desire access to deeper spiritual truths, hope to contact a loved one who has passed on, seek a healing, or need protection. If so, consider following these ten tips as you embark on a special journey of contact with the angelic realm.

TEN STEPS TO PREPARE FOR YOUR MEETING

1. Read books; magazine and newspaper articles; blogs; and listen to/watch radio, television, and Internet broadcasts about angels, as well as follow the tweets of those who tweet about angels.

2. Keep an open mind about angelic forces around you.

3. Use periods of prayer, contemplation, meditation, and work through your dreams to make contact.

4. Try divination techniques, such as dousing, scrying, group meditations, and other modalities and methods, to access messages and information that may be obscured.

5. Maintain a journal of your efforts.

6. Form an angel support group to share ideas and experiences.

7. Take classes to learn more about angels from spiritual teachers in a variety of disciplines and traditions.

8. Pose questions for the angels and record responses.

9. Hone your instincts.

10. Be prepared to be amazed.

You don’t have to be psychically gifted to connect or communicate with angels. As messengers from God, they are here to serve all of humanity. Just affirm your desire to know the angels, and open your heart and mind to receive their messages.

For this lifetime, you have been given two gifts: free will and free choice. Whatever choices you make and however those choices play out, the angels are watching with unconditional love. If you ask for assistance, they are at the ready. However, they will not interfere in your life unless you ask them, with one exception—if your life is threatened and it is not your time to die. In that situation, your tutelary or guardian angels will do whatever it takes to save your life, in a scenario known as divine intervention.

It is widely believed that each person has at least two guardian angels assigned to him or her by God, and those guardian angels remain near you from the moment of birth to the time of death. In addition to guardian angels, there are other divine helpers as well. The following three-tiered hierarchy lists ministering angels in God’s divine order.

THE FIRST AND HIGHEST TIER

• Seraphim
are the highest order of God’s angelic servants and sit closest to the throne of God. These beings of pure light are so bright that humans have difficulty seeing them. Sometimes known as fiery serpents, they may appear with six wings and four heads. The seraphim choir or group includes Michael, Seraphiel, Jehoel, Kemuel, Metatron, Uriel, and Nathanael.

• Cherubim
are the guardians of the fixed stars, keepers of the heavenly records, and bestowers of knowledge. Angels of harmony, protection, and wisdom, they channel positive energy from the divine. In Judeo-Christian theology, cherubim guarded the entrance to the garden of Eden against Adam and Eve after God banished them. The cherubim choir consists of Gabriel, Cherubiel, Ophaniel, Raphael, and Zophiel.

• Thrones
bring God’s justice to Earth. These celestial beings create and send positive energy to the Earth and its inhabitants. The throne choir includes Orifiel, Zaphkiel, Zabkiel, Jolhiel (or Zophiel), and Raziel.

THE SECOND TIER

• Dominions
are the divine leaders who regulate the angels’ duties. They are themselves angels of intuition and wisdom who manifest God’s majesty. The dominion choir angels are Zadkiel, Hashmal, Zacharael, and Muriel.

• Virtues
are the “the miracle angels,” sent to Earth to help those who desire to make the impossible possible. They bring harmony and peace into the world and assist those called to serve. The virtues choir angels include Uzziel, Gabriel, Michael, Peliel, Barbiel, Sabriel, Haniel, Hamaliel, and Tarshish.

• Powers
defend and protect the world. They keep track of human history and are organizers of world religions. The powers choir includes Camael, Raphael, and Verchiel.

THE THIRD AND LOWEST TIER

• Principalities
are the protectors of politics and religion, providing assistance to those dealing with leadership problems and human rights. In the Principalities choir are Nisroc, Naniel, Requel, Cerviel, and Amael.

• Archangels
rule over all the angels and do not live in a reality of time and space. Therefore, they serve all of humanity—able to minister to an individual or the entire world simultaneously. They, too, interact with humans as messengers of the Divine. The archangels are Ariel, Azrael, Chamuel, Gabriel, Haniel, Jeremiel, Jophiel, Metatron, Michael, Raguel, Raphael, Raziel, Sandalphon, Ureil, and Zadkiel.

• Angels
comprise the bottom rank of the hierarchy. Angels are the celestial beings working the closest with humans. There are many different kinds of angels in this choir, including the guardian angels. The numbers are legion and their names too numerous and varied to list.

Ascended masters are not included in the angel hierarchy. But through special favor or dispensation of the Divine or having achieved enlightenment, these great teachers ascended into heaven and help those in need through miracles and healings. Among them are Blessed Mother Mary, Jesus, Quan Yin, Buddha, Moses, Mohammed, Serapis Bey, Saint Theresa, and Saint Francis. You may invite them into your life through prayers of veneration and supplication.

Finally, there are the fairies, also not mentioned in the angel hierarchy but nonetheless important because they are angels of nature. Becoming aware of the presence of the angels, fairies, and Ascended Masters requires setting aside skepticism, having an open mind, and desiring to see more than what physical eyes and senses may detect. Cultivating an open mind isn’t difficult—you just have to be eager, ready, and willing to have communication with the angels, letting go of any bias or prejudice that might block the signs and signals of angelic presence.

Have you ever seen flashes or sparkles of light around you? Or have you witnessed the shadow of someone or something in your peripheral vision? Have you experienced synchronicity, strange sequencing of numbers, or unexplained coincidences? All can be manifestations of angel presence around you.

Tuning in to the vibration of angels means you may first have to raise your own vibration to detect and attune to higher and subtler levels of energy vibrations. Beckon the fairies and your guardian angels to aid in clearing your own energy field, and to help you tune in to their energy. Because the energy vibration of such spiritual beings is aligned with the earth, you will find fairies in fields, woodlands, and other natural settings. According to the human endeavor to qualify an angel hierarchy, fairies are between angels and humans.

Smile even if you are having a bad day, and notice how your energy changes. With a simple flexing of facial muscles into a smile, you have raised your vibration. Soon, you will be able to “sense” many different types of energy, even another person’s life force. For example, someone who can sense higher vibrations will notice a faint energy or life force in the presence of someone who is ill or in a coma, versus a robust and vibrant energy force around a young, healthy person. Humans resonate energy between fear and love; angels vibrate the energy of pure love. To communicate with them, you will need to raise your vibration so that you can experience them with all of your senses.

The celestial vibration of angels becomes exceedingly important during a divine intervention. In such instances, angels can render assistance by superimposing their celestial energy upon another human being. The person chosen may be totally unaware that this is taking place and may act instinctively. So if you witness a person saving a life and being “in the right place at the right time,” you may actually be witnessing an angel performing a miracle.

Refine your sensitivity to subtle energy by first tuning in to your own soul vibration. A great way to do this is through meditation on the energy centers, or chakras, of your etheric body, which is made of subtle energy in the likeness of your physical body. In the etheric body, seven chakras (a Sanskrit word meaning “wheels”) ascend along the length of the spine from your tailbone to the crown of your head. By focusing your attention on these individual wheels or vortexes, you tune into the subtle vibrations of energy. The following exercises focus on the top four chakras.

CHAKRA MEDITATIONS TO RAISE YOUR VIBRATION

• Meditate on the
anahata
or heart chakra to see and merge your consciousness into the shining, effulgent light that is an aspect of the divine.

• Try some yoga breathing techniques (
pranayama
) to deepen meditation or raise your vibration (for example, practice rapid breathing for a short period followed by a period of quiet breathing).

• Meditate on the
vishuddha
chakra (at the throat center), where you use sound to communicate to the world. Meditate here to experience subtle sound vibration.

• Listen with attentive awareness to the ever-present cosmic vibration of the universe (AUM), and try to differentiate the subtle individual sounds within that current.

• Meditate on the
ajna
chakra (at the point between the eyebrows) to self-reflect and raise your conscious awareness of the subtle realms of the physical world.

• Breathe in and breathe out, saying your favorite name for God on the in breath and the counted number on the out breath.

• Meditate on the
sahasrara
chakra (located on the crown of your head), to connect your awareness to the pure and eternal divine consciousness.

Regular practice will raise your energy vibration closer to that of the angels and augment your communication efforts.

The strong intuition of a psychic, the ability to hear extremely high-pitched sounds, and the ability to sense pain or heal through touch are examples of gifts that some people might call paranormal abilities. While some individuals are born with those talents, others develop them through the study of yoga, meditation, and other disciplines in order to increase their receptiveness and sensitivity to paranormal phenomena. Paranormal phenomena and events cannot be explained by science, and therefore remain mysterious, often relegated to realms of a spiritual or religious nature.

Similarly, the meaning of vibration from the
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
is “a characteristic emanation, aura, or spirit that infuses or vitalizes someone or something and that can be instinctively sensed or experienced.” Meditation is one way to shift your vibration and expand your awareness of the paranormal. Meditation requires quieting of the mind and breath, for the two are intimately linked—when the breath slows, the mind becomes calm; conversely, when the breath is irregular or rapid, the thoughts in your mind jump around without focus or direction. In stillness, you find the gateway through which your consciousness, like a transmitter, can send messages and prayers or, like a receiver, accept divine inspiration, guidance, and love.