Sophia

 Angels are descending from the cosmos to Earth everywhere it seems,  especially with the holidays approaching. These winged creatures of light appear in every catalog, store and magazine. What does this divine invasion mean? We are looking for divine inspiration in a personal form, thus Angels. Each of us, it is said, has a personal Angel, and this I believe is very true. It seems appropriate that this topic begins my career here as a columnist! The question I am often left with, though, is why are Angels usually called ÒheÓ?   Greetings (earthlings) I am Sophia, the newest member of emerging women. I am very flattered that I have been asked to be part of this column and I hope you enjoy reading this article as much as I have had fun writing it. I frequently help people to find their personal Angel, what I refer to as the holy guardian angel. In the course of my work, most people I encounter are seek to learn how  they can connect with their holy guardian angel, WHO this being is and how they can know the entity contacted really is their Angel. These are a few of the questions I get asked every time I run a workshop and the Winter Solstice seems the perfect time to discuss them!
  I have taught people overseas and from around the world and it is amazing to me that people everywhere, East and West, want to know the same things: what is our path in life? Who can help us? Many say that Angels are a fad and that they will be replaced by another fad, but Angels have always been with us through history in numerous cultures dating back to prehistory. Most religions in the past and present see that everyone is born with a special god or personal ally who helps them. How does the angel help you? By giving Truth. Lets look at some of the most important and serious questions I get about the Holy Guardian Angel (HGA). IÔll follow with some of the ideas I try to communicate in my workshops, especially to women:
 
1. WHAT IS THE HGA?

Cultures stretching back into prehistory have recognized that each person is born with a special spirit or personal god who speaks, guides and inspires them. The Sumerians called this god ÒILÒ and ancient Hebrew mystics called the personal  god ÒEL.Ó To the Greeks it was the ÒDaimonÓ or ÒGenius.Ó The ancient Vikings called it ÒWyrd,Ó the Egyptians called it the ÒKaÓ and to the Hindus it is still called ÒAtman.Ó The ancient Gnostics, Cabalists and then Christians called it the Holy Guardian Angel. In many ways it is an illogical idea, but a surprising number of people swear upon their personal Angels. It is curious that they were often refered to as feminine beings, it is only with Judeo Christianity that all divine messengers were refered to as male or as neuter.

2. HOW DOES THE HGA HELP YOU?

In the area of spiritual growth, it goes something like this:
When you reach an important point in your life or a moment of decision, the first thing you should do is psychically dispel all negativity and the second is to invoke your Guardian Angel to protect and guide you. She/He appears in a very personal form that is unique for you. She/He then helps you connect with images and feelings that show you what your True Will or Path is, the Right way for you to go. It is often not what we want to do but what we need to do. The HGA is communicating with us every day.  Every spiritual exercise, tool and creative act can be considered a call to and manifestation of the Holy Guardian Angel. An old Mystic Hebrew saying goes ÒGod is speaking to us all the time, we are just not listening.Ó Sometimes the communication is by thought, by symbol, by the words of another, by intuition, dreams or by Òcoincidence.Ó The information is personal, direct and always shocks and sometimes stuns. The Angel shows the pattern in these things. If you are not ready to understand or donÕt want to, you wonÕt.
 Is it the classical view of the angel we have seen in pictures escorting two little children who look frightened the Òreal angelÓ? Here we have the classic Guardian Angel as shown in Christian cultures: he is a beautiful being with blond flowing hair and robes hovering over the lost children with wings lifted to heaven. There is a star glowing over her head. I have seen this image on purses, paintings and T-shirts ( my husband has one). It is the first artistic rendition of an angel that I remember as a child only because it was in our living room, next to the crystal ball. I used to ask my grandma who that pretty lady with wings was. She said, ÒOh her? That is your angel who always is with you.Ò After that I used to look over my shoulder and ask the angel-lady to come to see me. When I was afraid, she would appear, but she never looked like the one in the painting. It was years later that I realized that Angels, especially that famous one, were considered to be male!
 This presupposes an interesting question, what does your angel look like? They seem to be individually tailored and unique, they have many forms and come to us as our innermost Self. Sometimes they appear as male or female and sometimes they have no sex at all. for everyone it is different and unique. It is a sad comment on our patriarchal culture that most women are programed to see their inner Self as Male, after all, all through life men control and guide, why not in the spiritual realm? Unfortunately, most images of spiritual teachers and divine beings in this culture are male. Jehovah, Jesus, Moses, Gabriel, Michael, and all the Biblical Angels. In actuality, the first angels were often winged Goddesses. Isis, Ishtar and many others who have been ÒmasculinizedÓ in the Bible. Aniel, for example, was an ancient Goddess! When we are viewing our HGA, Gender is a mask that our unconscious seems to impose. I always ÒseeÒ other peoples angels as white light that has no form or gender when I am giving a psychic reading.  Their form is a mystery only you can know, not me. And it can change its form, but never its truth and power. This truth about your Angel is also revealed by her to you in the form of secret names. Only you can really receive this information, and only with a strong will and an open heart. This does not mean that your Angel holds back information from you or that she is difficult to reach, in fact the truth is  quite the contrary. She wants to contact you and to have a relationship with you, but are YOU ready to accept the truth about your own divine Self? Many women have been so spiritually repressed by patriarchial cultures that it may be difficult for them at first. But, in my classes, once they make that contact, they take off!
  An ancient holy text states that ÒFor every step you take towards your Holy Guardian Angel, the Angel takes two steps towards you.Ó I recommend several practices to get direct communication with your angel and to know how to get closer to your angel. The easiest way is to find your own path and not to rely on someone else to find it for you. Of course this is  easier said then done, but some ways to practically do this are to meditate, do visualizations, create art, and to travel. It does not matter how you reach your angel, it is the trip involved that is the key to everything. One thing I stress to women is this: donÕt have any preconceived notions! If you get a vision that is a traditional male-oriented image, go past it and see what lies behind it! Yoiur Angel will surprise and excite you, she will not toss the same old male-oriented religious symbols at you, though she may change your view of them! In my classes, my students are the best teachers. We share our visions and inspirations some are very powerful. One women saw her angel as a beautiful hand and voice which told her of things that were to come true and that she would soon conceive a child (she did). Another saw  Jesus who then became a beautiful woman. A third man heard only a voice in darkness, one that revealed inner truths to him. Some see their Angel at first as a Mother, a Sister or a Friend, but soon this mask slips away and a more unique face appears, either with or without wings! And often, that form is feminine! All of these people never  before connected with their HGAs and though these stories seem dramatic, they werenÕt necessarily the most profound. I believe that everyone who sincerely calls out to their HGA will have a spiritual experience unlike any other.
 The job of every psychic and spiritual teacher is to help those who have already made some sort of contact with their HGA to ÒhearÓ and understand communications better so each can lead a more integrated and effective life. Your angel is always with you, your only sure guide from birth to death.  Although I call  these loving beings holy guardian angels, my grandparents called them Òspirit guidesÒ and I have heard them called Òhigher selvesÓ in many places. It does not matter what you call them, but when you DO call them it is important that you listen and act. Angels, as we noted,  appear in different forms and there is no wrong way or right way  for your angel to appear. How do you know it IS your angel? Contact with your angel brings peace, certainty, and centeredness. The Dalai Lama said that  true religion was Compassion; this is the force one feels in the presence of oneÕs angel, compassion and overwhelming love. Through your HGA you can find  true happiness and peace of mind, what a great gift to give yourself this holiday season!
  There are as many women as there are men on this planet and there are as many goddesses as there are gods as well! Angels are simply one way of viewing divine beings, why shouldnÕt they be female? History shows that many Angels in the Bible and in Buddhism were once Goddesses. Many became devils when the male-oriented religions spread, but many also became angels. Remember the Angel Aniel I mentioned earlier? Most of the people in my workshops have had contact with male angels and they rarely question why the gender is male. In one workshop one of my clients said that the image she got was that of of a beautiful women in a white robe and with yellow hair she felt that it was such a non-standard image that maybe it was not really true! It was not what she expected her angel to look like at all! When the veil of the inner mind is drawn back and the face of your higher Self is revealed, who can say what it will be like? The mask your HGA wears is in itself a lesson. Think about this. And most of all, because of our culture, it is important not to overlook the feminine side. One time in a group meditation my angel appeared to me as the glowing image of White Tara. Tara is a Tibetan buddhist deity that is an ancient moon mother goddess. The depths of the inner spirit are limitless and so too are the aspects that the divine may choose when revealing itself to us. Yes, angels are everywhere, yet they have always surrounded us. All you have to do is look into the eyes of the person next to you and you will meet another angel. At this time of year, let us never forget this; we are all angels of light seeking to grow and live and learn. With a little help, that is.