Monday, December 24, 2018

Night of the Angels


Angel Blessings

Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love.”
Hamilton Wright Mabie

The themes of Christmas are universal—peace, hope, joy and love. This is Christmas eve, the night the angels sang of peace on earth, good will to men. In the words of Norman Vincent Peale, “Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold everything is softer and more beautiful.” And, Thomas Moore wrote in The Soul of Christmas, “we have a new opportunity now to make Christmas a deeper and more universal celebration of life's promise, thus making the season one of hope for everyone.”

We speak of peace as being the absence of war, knowing that we don't have it. But we can have peace of mind, which is the greatest gift of all. And, we do have love and joy in being with our families and friends. We find hope in the goodness of strangers, who take gifts to the poor, serve turkey and dressing at the homeless shelters, and send salutations to our service men and women everywhere. This time of year, the angels of kindness bless our lives in ways both large and small. It is as though the sweet little baby Jesus melts our hard hearts and makes us gentle like him. Wouldn't it be lovely if that were to last beyond Christmas.

There is a Christmas Blessing written by John O'Donohue that lists the blessings of various angels—the Angel of Awakening, of Healing, of Compassion, of Justice, and so forth. My favorite is the Angel of Wildness:

...May the Angel of Wildness disturb the places
where your life is domesticated and safe,
take you to the territories of true otherness
where all that is awkward in you
can fall into its own rhythm...”

So my wish for you this Christmas eve is that your wildness be stirred into action by angels so powerful you can't ignore them. May they take you to new places within yourself that you did not know existed, find all your unused gifts and set them free.

May all the angels be your shelter
and joyful guardians.” (O'Donohue)

                                                              In the Spirit,
                                                                  Jane

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