|
Do each of us have a guardian angel? And if we do, what is the purpose of this celestial being? It could simply be to save us from falling off cliffs, or protect us on our nation's highways. Or it could be something much grander - to provide us spiritual guidance and advice. Or both.
Bookstore shelves are littered with books on Angels throughout history that have visited people and helped them. And, of course, the greatest book of all, the Bible, mentions angels over 250 times starting in Genesis with an angel guarding the Garden of Eden all the way though to Revelations with mighty winged angels descending from heaven. It's difficult, if not impossible, to believe in the Bible, and not believe in angels.
Most of the books written lately deal with an angel, or angels, helping people avoid death or injury. And while protection is a wonderful thing, this isn't the only purpose of angels. In addition to helping us on the physical paths we take, they can also help us on our spiritual path.
Fr. Thomas Francis, a Cistercian Monk-Priest of Conyers GA, in his booklet "Angels: From Body-guards to Spirit Directors," writes that Angels have a broad goal of not just guarding, but guiding. He quotes a prayer he learned as a child especially noting the two verbs to light (to enlighten) and to guide.
"Angel of God, my guardian dear,
To whom God's love commits me here,
Ever this day be at my side,
To light, to guard, to rule, and to guide.
Amen
Psalms 91:11 states "For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways." Not to keep thee in thy physical body, but to keep thee in ALL thy ways. We are much more than just these bodies we occupy. I think it rather presumptuous of us to think that angels would only be here to protect our physical selves, and ignore our spiritual selves. After all, in the grand scheme of things, it's our spiritual selves that are so important. The body dies, but the spirit lives on.
In a wonderful gesture, Fr. Thomas Francis named his angel Sophia, knowing this was the Greek word for Wisdom. I wasn't so magnanimous with Sam, but with the amount of wisdom Sam has passed on, I'm sure he forgives me.
Now, before you think I'm either loony, or profess to be some righteous guru that has regular conversations with spiritual beings, I want to let you know that these conversations with Sam didn't actually happen as they're written. I've taken some liberties with the time and place. After all, I figure what's the use of having a literary license, if I'm not going to use it. I won't discount the fact that I may be a tad loony, but I'm not so sure that's a bad thing. You decide.
Nevertheless, I do believe that a guiding force has helped me grow spiritually and come closer to God. Whether that's a guardian angel named Sam, my spirit or soul, God within me, or God in the heavens, I'm not quite sure. At least not right now. As I travel further along this spiritual path, perhaps I'll learn, but for now I'm just happy to know that the guidance is available.
Sometimes this guidance comes in the form of intuition. I simply know this is the right thing to do. I can't explain it in logical terms, I just know. Of course, I haven't always followed this intuition but have sometimes put together massive lists of pros and cons and weighed out all possibilities finally coming to the conclusion that my heart was wrong. Inevitably though, life has taught me valuable lessons and I've learned that my heart is right. It has a knowledge that transcends logic. My biggest challenge is tuning in and listening.
Other times, this guidance comes in the form of simple gut feelings. As I contemplate one course of action, I can feel my gut tensing up, gearing up for a fight. Quite simply, this is not the road for me. I know it. Again, I've occasionally gone down that road anyway, but rarely end up with the results I desire.
Of course, any discussion of spiritual guidance would be incomplete without mentioning meditation. Meditation is one of the most sacred ways of tuning into the knowledge of God. By quieting the mind and listening to the silence, we are able to make ourselves so much more accessible to our spiritual guides. You can't read a book and watch TV at the same time; something will suffer. Likewise, you can't hear the voice of God if all you're listening to is the voice of the world.
Many people hear their angel, their spirit, or their God, in their dreams. They pose a problem to God and sleep, and in their dreams they are provided the answers, sometimes symbolic and requiring interpretation, and other times quite literal. For me, my dreams don't often provide any flashes of wisdom. Instead, seeds of wisdom are planted in my dreams, ready to bloom with spiritual clarity when I'm ready to understand them.
The most wonderful method of tuning into God's wisdom is doing what we love doing. I love to write. As I write, I learn. I ask questions and seek answers. A thought drifts in, lands on paper, and invites another. Soon the concepts that are written aren't from the simple knowledge I have stored in my head, but are converted to a much wider wisdom I have in my heart.
Such is the story of Sam. I do what I love and I connect. Many chapters were begun with me sitting at the keyboard and simply typing "what can you tell me about love" or "what can you tell me about prayer." And Sam has always had answers. Writing becomes a form of meditation where I'm engulfed in the process and emerge perhaps hours later, saying "Wow, look what I ended up with here."
Who knows. Sam may be an angel sharing my seat with me. He may be the holy spirit inspiring me. He may be my higher self struggling to be heard. He may be the God within each of us. No matter who he is though, the words on the following pages impart some basic wisdoms and I didn't come to this knowledge on my own without spiritual guidance. As you read them, ask your spiritual advisor to help you understand with your heart, and not just your head.
- Darril R. Gibson
|
|
Get your own Free Home Page