spirituality
Signs Your Angel Is Near
Each of us has a guardian angel… a spiritual being whose purpose it is to watch over us and guide us through life. But since our angels are (usually) invisible, and can come and go in a split second, how do we know when they are near?
Specific patterns are usually the most telltale sign. Do you keep seeing numeric patterns repeated, on license plates or billboards, for example? Are the same songs always playing in whatever public place you go to? Your angel is probably sending you a message. What does it mean to you? If you do not understand the message, try and determine the meaning through Numerology, getting an angel reading, or meditation.
Angels also have a way of communication with our subconscious, specifically through the world of dreams. Most, if not all of us have had at least one series of vivid, repeating dreams. This is also the work of the Divine, and holds meaning. Since dreams are not easily remembered, try keeping a dream journal, or learning techniques of lucid dreaming and dream recall.
The counterpart to subconscious dreams are clairvoyant visions, which we may experience while awake or in a meditative state. They are usually very vivid and real, and are often an urgent message from an angel, so it’s important to take note whenever they occur.
Listen To Your Guides And Angels
When life frustrates you, when people anger you, or the world puts you in a state of fear, stress or worry, take a few minutes to sit quiet and ask your guides and angels to take the weight off your shoulders. Ask them to bring you calm and to just simply let you know that it will be okay.
Your angels and guides are with you each and every day. They speak to you in the pit of your stomach, your gut feelings, your ‘intuition spot.’ Feel their presence around you and inside of you. Feel them tell you that they are surrounding you with white light and love.
Your spirit guides and angels aim to help, never to hinder. They are there to love you and keep your soul filled with loving energy. Feel them tell you that they are filling you with their overwhelming love and peace. And then simply allow them to relieve the negativity that is keeping you stuck.
I’m sure they shake their heads once in a while, and go ‘what the heck!’ But they do not judge you. Your guides and angels never chastise you. Only you tend to judge yourself, so allow that part of you to go as well. You are only to love yourself unconditionally, just as your guides and angels do. You are perfectly perfect as you are. This is a phrase I use often when talking to my clients. Your angels see you as perfect, so why can’t you?
You are always in a state of transition and growth. It is what makes us human and different from other species. A bird simply knows how to build a nest, lay eggs, hatch them. And when their offspring eventually leave the nest, they instinctively go and repeat the process all over again. They do not worry for anything. If they are hungry, they grab a worm out of the ground or a seed from a plant. If it is raining, they simply hunker down in a bush or tree. It is an inborn response.
The Magical Energy Of The Moon
The Moon has a powerful influence on our lives. Not only does it determine the tides of the ocean and how plants grow, but you may have noticed it also affects our mood! Connecting to the powerful phases of the Moon can bring enlightenment to your life by way of the moon’s cycles and movement. It can shape our lives and the choices we make. Being in tune with the Moon’s powerful energy can bring you greater awareness of body, mind and soul.
Depending how the Sun, Moon and Earth align on a particular day, only a part of the Moon is usually visible to us. The tracking of the Moon’s phases goes back thousands of year in various spiritual traditions and cultural customs. Traditionally, the New Moon is considered to be the start of the month and a good time to start anew. And the Full Moon is seen as a time of celebration, delight, and mystery.
A Full Moon occurs every 29.5 days, when the Earth is situated directly between the Sun and the Moon, making it appear to us on Earth as a complete circle… illuminated and breathtaking! Native Americans relied on the Moon to guide them in daily life. They gave symbolic names for each of the Full Moons, based on the unique events of each particular month of the year.
January – Wolf Moon
The January Moon is thus named due to the cold, snowy winters, when wolves would howl hungrily outside tribal villages, looking for food. January’s Full Moon is also known as ‘Old Moon’ and ‘Ice Moon.’
February – Snow Moon
February’s Full Moon is named for the abundant snow that usually occurs during the month. The snow made it hard to hunt, and food in the winter was scarce. Therefore it is also known as the ‘Hunger Moon.’
A Feather From Spirit
Our spirit guides, angels and ancestors communicate with us in many different ways, and send us various signs to remind us they are with us. They give us these signs in the way they know we will recognize them.
One of my favorite signs is finding a feather on the ground. If we think in our mind that we would love to see a feather show up, to let us know that we are on the right path, we will naturally be looking out for that sign and will find it. Knock and the door will be opened, ask and you shall receive, is something I strongly believe in.
When I ask for a visitation from a departed loved one, they will show up in some way, shape or form. For example, when I need my Grandpa or Grandma to guide me, by having a conversation with them in the astral realm, they often show up in my dreams at night.
If I need confirmation that a new endeavor I have embarked on is a good decision, and want to get a sign in the form of a feather, I usually receive it. Just this morning, while walking out to my car, there was a feather on the ground. It was lovely.
Leaving Your Spiritual Footprint
A footprint is an impression left behind by a human foot or shoe on the ground or some other surface. If you have ever been at the beach, you have probably noticed that this is the one place where a footprint is so easily and readily left behind. It I also not too difficult to determine if the impression was left by a an adult, or a small child. But have you gone any further than merely noticing those footprints? Have you ever wondered where does the person live who left that footprint? What is their education and career? What is their current relationship status? What is the life and legacy embedded in each of those imprints?
Human souls also leave behind their ‘metaphysical footprint’ by fulfilling their spiritual calling and soul purpose in their lifetime. The more exceptional or extraordinary ones are written about in our history books. They are great teachers, prophets and spiritual leaders that have left a discernible legacy behind when they departed from this world. When any person takes on a cause, with sometimes the most forceful opposition, to create an new and improved world for the common good, it is always an indicator that a spiritual footprint is being made.
Saint Teresa of Calcutta, simply known as Mother Theresa, for example, is certainly a spiritual icon that has left a well-established footprint of compassion, kindness and charity that continues to be recognized all over the world. We do not expect her to have been a perfect person, but the sincerity and love that she professed for some of the most spurned and downtrodden cannot be denied by anyone. It is to me abundantly clear that she indeed left a footprint of love, compassion and acceptance which equates at the end of the day to her being totally connected to and aligned with spirit.
Love Yourself, And Don’t Stop Believing
Recently, I had time to reflect on different aspects of my own life and where it was, or wasn’t going. I was starting to feel self-pity creeping up on me, and had to act to shift my energy out of that negative space, as it would trickle off into other areas of my life.
I was supposed to attend a celebration with family on a Wednesday, as well as a gathering with another group of relatives on the following Saturday. But I wasn’t prioritizing my own needs and well-being, and the Universe decided to put an end to my plans.
To cut a long story short, on the Wednesday, instead of going to the party, I landed in the local hospital emergency room, as my knee gave out and I could not walk. The Universe was telling me to rest – to sit down and get my priorities back in order.
My priorities have always been my children and grandchildren, and that hasn’t changed. However, my views on the recurring family drama, with regards who can go see who, and when, and where, and how, has significantly changed. I have decided to let go of always trying to keep the peace, and please everyone. I no longer wish to expose myself to the unnecessary stress and commotion of it all.
I let it go by simply asking my angels to deal on my behalf with all the stuff that I could no longer hold inside and carry, and take it off my shoulders. And yes, it took me a couple days to realize what was needed, but as soon as I did this, the need for walking with a cane started to disappear and the pain and swelling in my knee has been minimal the last couple of days.
The Spiritual Cleansing Of Negative Energies
Negative energies and dark entities are sometimes misunderstood and misused concepts in spirituality. The term ‘negative energy’ is typically thought of as an ‘evil force’ that is intending harm to you, or something sinister that lies hidden in your home. But this is often not the case. I have a somewhat different view of this.
I believe much of the modern day fear and superstition around ‘dark entities’ may be due to the misunderstanding of old texts scribed in a style that may be too cryptic for today’s language and worldview. There are many instances in both Christian and Buddhist religious literature, for example, in which ‘demons’ are mentioned, but in my opinion they are referring to these phenomena in a poetic manner, as a metaphor.
One clear example of this is the so-called ‘Noonday Demon,’ or ‘Midday Devil’ found in Psalm 90:6 of the Hebrew Bible. It is a demonic figure believed to be active around noon every day to make people restless, distracted and excitable, causing its victims to neglect their work or duties. Well, we all know that sluggish feeling we tend to get after a lunch hour. The digestive process takes quite a bit of our energy, and spikes in our insulin levels, as well as neurotransmitters like serotonin and melatonin, doesn´t help to keep our focus on a specific task.
The solution proposed in traditional texts for this ‘demonic activity’ does not, however, involve exorcisms with Holy Water or other radical metaphysical interventions. Instead what is recommend is mere tenacity and patience. It is evidently more of a normal, physical challenge that one has to overcome, instead of it being a ‘psychic attack by the devil.’