The Angel Within

What is an angel? Does anyone truly know? I’ve ideas, beliefs and images of what an angel should be. My mind conjures up an image of a being in human form with a halo over its head, with wings on its back, and decked out in white. It has a God-like innocence and is a messenger of love and righteousness. I could go on, but there really is no point.

What is important to recognize is that this is what my mind views as an angel. It has nothing to do with what I’ve experienced. Is this image truly that of an angel? The truth is, it’s simply my concept of an angel that I’ve learned over the years. It has developed from a wide source of materials: my religious training, stories I've read, paintings and movies I've seen. In each, the angel is depicted differently; yet, they are all very similar. They all help fabricate my idea, my image of an angel. And, of course, with each new depiction, the image I currently hold is continually built, modified and reinforced.

Would I still have the same beliefs if I were raised in an Indian, Hindu or Swahili culture? I think not. I think my image would change to that of the culture in which I was raised. This concept is similar to near death experiences. Scientists have discovered that people all over the world, with varying cultural beliefs, who have had near death experiences, have something in common. What they experience is totally dependent on the belief systems held within their culture. A Christian will experience angels based on beliefs found in the Christian faith. A Jew, on the other hand, will experience angels based on Judaism. A person who cherishes the family will see deceased family members, and so on. If you talk to people of different faiths, beliefs, cultures and races who have experienced angels, their angels will fulfill their beliefs.

The mind is a very powerful entity. The very concept of angels comes from the mind, and not from the being. What must be understood is that the mind is nothing more than a creation of one's culture. Angels, just as images of heaven and hell, are a result of one's conditioning. The mind then becomes a very powerful ally in maintaining the image created by one’s culture.

I don’t truly know what an angel looks like. I’ve never seen one. I’ve never seen a being in human form with wings. How can I say whether angels exist? I simply don’t know. Knowing comes from experiencing rather than learning or believing. Yet, knowing can be so drastically influenced and clouded by learning, that it becomes nearly impossible to separate the knowing from the learning. Does the mind create that which is; or is that which is, real, in spite of the learning? A scene from the movie Matrix is a perfect example. The hero goes to see a psychic. She tells him to watch out for the vase that he is going to break. Immediately after she said that, he turns and knocks over a vase and breaks it. The psychic then asks if he broke the vase as she said he would, or did he break the vase because she told him that he would?

Various members of New Age groups have told me that they were able to see several spirit guides around me. Others have told me that I had only one. Others have said I didn’t have any. Who was right? Were they all right? Were they different guides? Are guides the same as angels? Again, I don’t know because I’ve never experienced them. To those who have, they are real, but are they real because they’ve been told about angels or spirit guides or have they actually seen them? Understanding the difference between that which you perceive, that which you create out of the beliefs of your mind, and that which is real, is significant. It’s also critical for you to recognize that there are many dimensions and possibilities to what is reality. For you to hang onto anything as true or real is only your attempt to bring some type of order and meaning into your world. What reality is one moment will be fantasy the next. What is fantasy now will become reality tomorrow.

The one thing I do know is that we see and hear what we want. I’ve counselled with many people who have spoken to God, have seen angels or have had visions of the devil. What has been consistent is that they all create the image based on their religious and cultural beliefs. Please do not misunderstand me; I’m not saying that what they see or hear is not real. I’m not saying whether angels are real. What I’m saying is that the experience is always based on the person's cultural or religious upbringing. The Hindu talks to a Hindu God. The Buddhist talks to the Buddhist God. The Jew talks to a Jewish God. The Christian talks to a Christian God.

What is important to understand is that it’s insignificant whether angels exit. Whether you see one does not matter. Whether you believe in them is not important. What is important is to be able to see that which is within you. What is important is to be able to see the angel that exists inside you. It’s not the angel of the Bible, the Koran, the Vedas or the New Testament. No, it’s the angel of your own being.

What I can tell you is that I experience something that I call angelical, and if I can experience this, anyone can. All that is required is letting go of your mind. Allow yourself to be in a space of NOW. Instead of analyzing your feelings, simply be your feelings. When you experience NOW totally, you have the opportunity to see not only yourself as angelical, but you will see everyone around you the same way. Have you ever seen the glow, the energy, the godliness just oozing from another human being, another living creature? Have you ever looked at the universe, nature and existence, and known the glory of all that is? This is what is important. It’s not important whether angels exist. If they do, great. If you see angels, beautiful. However, the experience of the moment takes you beyond the mere concept of angels in a world in which descriptions reduce the experience to some insignificant mind game and into a world of being which defies any concept or description.

Your experiencing this angelical state can only happen when you are in this moment. It can only happen when you drop all your beliefs, desires and expectations. It can only happen when you are total, when you are the feminine receptive energy. Now, it’s not that which you see that is angelical, but it’s you. Now you project this beauty to all that is around you. You become the perfection of godliness. You are the angel within!

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