Bring the Magic of Angels
Into Your Life
by Margaret Neylon
Author of Open Your Heart to Angel Love and Angel Magic
Angels have been with us since pre-history, and their presence in our lives have been passed on through stories and legend for thousands of years. From ancient records we find that supernatural, winged creatures were existing in the time of Mesopotamia and Sumeria. 'Kabiru' (which later developed into the word 'cherub') is the Assyrian word for winged human forms which acted as 'guards' over Babylon and Sumeria. The Greeks and Romans had their own winged 'messenger of the gods' (Hermes to the Greeks, Mercury to the Romans). Four thousand years or so ago, in Persia and India, people were connecting with 'devas' (which means 'the shining ones') who were closely related to the elements of earth, fire, air and water, and the early texts of the Hindu (the Veda) also mention these devas. These shining ones, messengers from the gods, were therefore introduced into Judaism, then Christianity and later into Islam (where they are know as 'malaika').
I've always known that angels are here with us and I presumed everyone else knew they, too, had angels. Imagine my surprise when, in my twenties, I was assured that I must be crazy to ever think such a thing! Having a weak self-esteem in those days, I thought other people must be right, and consciously lost contact with my angelic helpers. (Mind you, a part of me often wondered how apparently 'sane' folk could mention angels in their church meetings, in their prayers, in their holy books and, of course, in Christmas carols, yet in the next breath deny they existed!) In the last decade things have changed or, more accurately, people have changed. Now angels are openly talked about and are represented in all sorts of media.
Because I lost touch with my angels I spent many years in the wilderness of not understanding and going down as many wrong paths as were offered to me! However, I did finally get back to my angels, out of sheer desperation. I began asking them for help when, on the 29th June, 1994, I was given a message which said 'Give a course called Talking With Angels'. I knew it was my angel's voice and as I'd asked for help and I did what the message told me to do and so I began giving workshops and courses of the same title all around Ireland. In the intervening years I have taken my angel courses to France, Australia and the UK. I have also written two books on angelic guidance and created meditative tapes to help others connect with them more easily. And so I began to change my life around. How? With the help of a little angel magic, and you can do the same!
The very word 'magic' can conjure up fearful images of darkness, fire, brimstone, hell, and other sinister things. This is because we tend not to understand what magic is and where it comes from. Just as the 'bogie man' was introduced to people of my age group to keep us close to home, countless generations have woven stories of ogres and werewolves, vampires, warlocks and witches into frightening dramas in order to keep us in awe of the storyteller. So rather than hide in the shadows of fear, let's empower ourselves with more understanding of what magic is all about.
Firstly, the word 'magic': Christians will be familiar with the word 'magi' from the coming of the three magi (aka the Three Wise Men) to the infant Jesus in Bethlehem. Magi is the plural of the word 'magos', a Persian/Greek word meaning 'sorcerer', someone who goes to the 'source' in order to empower things to happen. 'Magos' became 'magikos' as an adjective, which later became the Latin 'magica' and we now know it as 'magic'. The word 'spell' comes from the French 'espeler' which translates as 'to read out' or to 'name the letters of a word'. It has been known for many thousands of years that every word, especially when written, has enormous power. Now you know why they say 'Be careful of what you wish for, it may come true!'
Magic is all about using the power of your word, thought and deed in tandem with the gifts of Mother Nature and the gifts of God. You do not need to invest huge sums of money to do this, many things you need will already be within reach: a candle, incense, paper, pen, gold coloured ink, glitter, and angel figures or angel pictures. The more you intentionally bring angels into your daily life by drawing pictures of them or having angel figurines around your home or garden, the easier it will be to bring magic into your world. Have fun while doing so, and be spontaneous! The angels live in 'the now', they're not going to judge you even if you haven't contacted them for 30 or 50 years! A very simple daily ritual you can practise is to say each morning 'The Angel of Divine Love goes before me and prepares my way.' Once you do this, no matter what happens you will know that it is meant to happen so that you can grow from the experience. As the saying goes 'Failure isn't falling down. Failure is not getting up again'. So even if you have to face tremendous difficulties on your path, you know your angel is here to help you, but your angel cannot do the job for you, you must do it yourself.
Already we practise many rituals every year without even realising why we do so. As Christmas approaches (which of course is the time of the Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere) we bring sprigs of holly, ivy and a tree into our homes at this time. Why? The age-old reason is so that the 'sprites' of nature will enter our homes along with this greenery, in order to be protected from the cold and the frosts of winter. Because of this protection from the elements, it was believed that the beings of the devic kingdom (the angels who look after Nature) would then return to the outdoors in Spring, to look after our budding crops and gardens.
Amabael is the Angel of Winter, and it's important you don't neglect the garden at this time. Speak to Amabael even if the ground is under several feet of snow. There's lots of life going on down there, even though - like the angels - we can't always see its presence. As the Sun struggles to rise above the horizon on this, the shortest day of the year, it is vital that we all honour the living things in the world around us. They are all hiding deep down in the protection of the dark earth. We can encourage the tiny, wintering plants and bulbs to begin to waken up and begin their journey into the brightness again.
The following is a ritual for the time around the Winter Solstice (21st - 23rd December) which will help bring abundant growth back to your garden next Spring. You will need some cardboard/paper, scissors, 4 candles and some seeds. Draw a large circle around you. Make a symbol of the Sun and the Moon in cardboard or paper, and place them opposite each other, to the east and to the west, almost touching the circle. (East is where the Sun rises in the morning, West is where it sets at night). Put the candles at the four different directions, north/south/east/west. As you light the candles, ask the Angel Amabael and other members of the devic kingdom to come back to the land again and bring new life to the soil.
Close your eyes and imagine the Moon lighting up the earth around you at night-time, then its place is taken by the Sun and feel the warmth of the Sun's rays touching the soil and awakening it. Feel the Sun, know that it is returning to this place again as the weeks unfold. Imagine the Sun warming the earth. Imagine the growth underground wakening up and beginning to push towards the sunlight. Be that little seedling or bulb in your mind's eye. Unfold from hibernation and begin to seek the light above you. Know that there is a path to follow, there is light at the end of the struggle. Allow your heart to fill with joy as you finally push through to the light! Let the candles burn themselves out. As the seasons turn to Spring and Summer, watch your garden thrive as if by magic!
Margaret Neylon is based in Virginia, Ireland, and has been working in the holistic healing field for many years. She is a professional Psychic Consultant she is author of 'Open Your Heart to Angel Love' (Angelgate Publishing, 1996) and 'Angel Magic' (Thorsons, 2001). Margaret's website is http://www.geocities.com/mdneylon or email margaretneylon@eircom.net