February 2011 Newsletter

This newsletter is published by the Mystical Order of the White Rose, a multi-faith devotional and spiritual support organization. We support-- and share information about-- mystical, monastic, contemplative and creative ways of living. We encourage prayer, the reading of sacred scripture(s), lectio divina, meditation, journaling, solitude, fasting, silence, sacred movement (dance, mudras, yoga), kindness, hospitality, worship, simplicity, creativity, active involvement in spiritual and religious communities, and loving service to others. You can view past issues here and you can subscribe to it here.
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Theme: Angels

Table of Contents

-- Video: Angels Forever

-- Assorted Thoughts About Angels by Cynthia Kiteley Lee

-- Article: History of Angels

-- Song: Video of Charlotte Church Singing Panis Angelicus

-- Links of Interest

-- Multi-Faith, Multi-Media Devotionals for February 2011

-- Additional Calendar and Holy Day Resources

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Angels Forever

The song and lyrics for this video were created by my friend Juan Loren Zerimar. It is a soaring, haunting, lovely song. I would like it to be played at my funeral. Click here to view it.

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Before the earth was,the angels were already created
Where were thou when I laid the foundations of the earth?
When the morning stars sang together,
and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

Job 38:1,4,7

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Assorted Thoughts About Angels

Have you ever seen an angel up close and personal? Have you felt an angel's presence near you? What about receiving one or more messages from angels?

If so, how did you know the spiritual being you perceived was an angel as opposed to a loving spirit guide, a dead relative in their gloriolus spirit body, or an other-dimensional, non-humanoid being, such as a so-called "alien"?

Many people assume that any sensing of, or interaction with, a positive spiritual being is angelic in nature. And, really, that's okay. It just probably isn't accurate. The important thing is that we feel guided and protected by loving, powerful spiritual beings, regardless of what we call them.

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I dislike the cute angel images that have flooded our consumer culture. Chubby-faced child-like ceramic angels with wings and freckles on their nose; drawings of cute angels; cute, red-lipped angel dolls wearing long white gowns and a gold metal halo. Cute just doesn't cut it for me when it comes to angels. When I think of angels, I think of glorious, beautiful, powerful beings. I would have the same problem with cheap plastic reproductions of the Taj Mahal. The plastic version is so much less than the original that it is misleading and insulting at the same time.

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I have felt an affinity for Archangel Michael (feast day September 29) for many years. When I deliberately call upon an angel, it is always Archangel Michael. Sometimes I invoke the four best known archangels (Michael, Gabriel, Uriel, Raphael) when I really want to call in the big guns in a big way in connection with prayer or meditation.

One time, long ago, I was given an intuitive consultation (sometimes called a psychic reading) by a lady who had trained with the Spiritualist Church. She remarked on her perception of Archangel Michael being connected with me and--for the first (and so far only) time--I received a visual impression of him. What I saw (with my spiritual vision rather than my phyiscal eyes) was a shaft of light. It was very long, it came in at an angle (from the left) and it was an intense brilliant blue.. Nothing like those pictures of Archangel Michael in human form, wearing armor and whacking away at Satan with a sword. Click here to view another unconventional image of Archangel Michael.

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I knew a Scottish woman, living in the U.S., who sought help for her addictions to tobacco and alcoholism through hypnotherapy. Later on, she also used hypnotherapy to do some past life regressions. She told me that in one of the past lives that came through, she experienced herself as an angel of death during the American Civil War. She would go to dying soldiers and help them to make their transition. The really strange part, to me, was that she appeared to the dying soldiers as their mother, sweetheart, or some other person they were very close to. Fascinating.

History of Angels

       The word angels is derived from the Greek word angelos, which means messenger. Malakh, the Hebrew word for angel, also means messenger, and both words nicely coincide with the Persian word for angel, angaros, similarly meaning a courier.

       The word "angel" can commonly be used to describe anyone who brings a message to another, whether a human being or a spirit. However, within some religions, angels are spirit messengers who bring messages of truth to aid mankind, while conversely, fallen angels bring forth messages of untruth to lead people astray and wreak havoc on Earth.

       Angels are then traditionally believed to be supernatural beings who act as mediators between man and god. It is taught that angels have authority over the natural world, being organized into classes or heirarchies.

       The origin of angels in history is quite complicated to figure out, due to angels or similar spirit beings being found within many cultures around the globe.

        Angels are found within three key religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Yet, angels, or divine helpers, were also found within Sumerian, Babylonian, Persian, Egyptian and Greek writings, as well, and played a major influence upon the ideas regarding angels within the key religions themselves. For example, it is well known that ancient Sumerian texts pre-dated the Hebrew book of Genesis, including the idea of the existence of angels. The Hebrew beliefs regarding angels were similarly shared with Christianity, and both Judaism's and Christianity's teachings of angels inspired the Islam beliefs concerning angels.

       A common description sometimes given of angels is that they are "beings of light," which are sometimes described as "fearful to behold" due to their tall stature, purity, and sheer power. Some will also describe angels as having wings and maybe even halos.

Yet, the western idea of wings and halos originated through ancient religions and mythology. Images of angels looking like human beings, but with wings, were an ancient idea that illustrated benevolant spirit beings as coming from a "higher place" or the "heavens." Wings were an easy way to convey the idea of angels crossing back and forth (or even up and down) from the spirit world to Earth and then back again.

Many ancient gods were often depicted as birds or as having wings (think Egyptian, for example). By the fourth century (AD), angels were widely perceived as having wings within western cultures, while wings were virtually non-existent within the Eastern religions. Many ancient cultures had placed wings upon their deities, creatures and heroes, so it was natural for Christian artists to look to pagan cultures for inspiration. Christian artisans were inspired to add wings to angels by looking at Greek art. Muslim artists looked to Persian renderings as their inspiration for wings upon angels.

During this same time, Christian painters also borrowed the idea of the halo from the Greeks and Romans who had used them prior. Today, most people with common sense can easily recognize that angels with wings and halos were an addition into religious art after much debate and eventual approval by the Roman Council of Nicaea after 325 AD.

However, many times in the bible, angels appear to be men and are described as such from Genesis (e.g. when Jacob wrestles an angel) to Revelation (e.g. the letters to each of the churches are addressed to the pastors, or angels of each church).

Even the name given to the archangel Gabriel means, "Man of God." Furthermore, Jesus was attributed as teaching (in the gospel of Matthew) that during the resurrection, those raised would be "as" (or like) the angels of God in heaven. This statement is further clarified by the similar passage found in Luke 20 which states, "for they (the resurrected) are angelic."

This very idea of the spirits of human beings after death being resurrected, or possibly "raised up" (spiritually speaking) as the spirit messengers we call angels, is echoed somewhat by the teachings of famed medium, Emanuel Swedenborg. Swedenborg called the spirits of dead humans, "angels," and claimed to visit with them often in the spirit world through trance states!

Today, many people look to angels for assistance or even intervention during crisis. A common modern-day description of angels are found in numerous stories of helpful, but mysterious strangers. These stories often tell of a person who seems to come to a person during a time of need, providing a word or help of some kind, then mysteriously disappearing quickly.

During these experiences, the messenger or helper is indiscernable as an angel, but appears as a loving, caring human being. Similarly, spirits who come to comfort and lead dying people through the transition from this world unto the light (heaven, promised land, etc), are often described as angels, but are sometimes discovered to be deceased family members or friends of the one about to pass.

Thus, angels seem to have a very close association with humans, maybe even closer than we might think, when one examines biblical descriptions along with accounts of personal experiences. Summing up angels described within religion and within personal experiences as a whole, we know they are benevolant spirit beings that bring messages, aiding mankind; angels appear in human form; and angels have been described specifically as the spirits of humans within the spirit realm. Perhaps the term angels is a word to universally describe disembodied, yet enlightened spirits of humans, who help other human beings on both sides of the grave.

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Video of Charlotte Church Singing Panis Angelicus

Please click here to view the video.

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Make yourself familiar with the angels
and behold them frequently in spirit;
for without being seen, they are present with you.

St. Francis De Sales

Praise ye him all his angels, praise ye him all his hosts(angels)
Let them praise the name of the Lord, for he commanded and they
were created.

Psalm l48:2,5

Links of Interest

Angel-Guide -- All About Angels

Online Classes About Angels

Angeles by Enya

Angelic Human Race

Archangel Michael Video

Archangel Gabriel

Nine Orders of Angels

Images of the 7 Archangels

Spirituality & Practice - Resources for the Spiritual Journey

New Monasticism Network

24/7 Prayer UK - Prayer, Mission & Justice

I am the Angel of the Sun
Whose flaming wheels began to run
When God 's almighty breath
Said to the darkness and the Night,
Let there be light! and there was light."

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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Daily Multi-faith, Multi-media Devotionals for February 2011

Each day we should expose ourselves to the inspiration of others. Thousands of saints and wise men and women have left us messages of hope and encouragement. Read what is honest. Read the scriptures and the commentaries. Read great literature and poetry. Read the psalms. Read that which expresses the anguish and the exhilaration of experience, and teaches us that we are not alone.

- John McQuiston II, p. 88, Always We Begin Again--The Benedictine Way of Living

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February 1

Imbolc (Wiccan, Pagan) St. Brigid's Day

February 2 Ground Hog Day (Secular), Candlemas (Christian), Presentation of Jesus at the Temple (Christian)

February 3 New Moon, Chinese New Year (Year of the Rabbit)

February 4

February 5 February 6 February 7

February 8

Vasant Panchami (Hindu ) Dedicated to Saraswati, the goddess of learning and Brahma's wife. The festival marks the beginning of Spring.

Parinirvana - Nirvana day (Buddhist ) Mahayana Buddhist festival marking the anniversary of Buddha's death. Pure Land Buddhists call the festival "Nirvana Day". Parinirvana is celebrated by some Buddhists on February 8th.

February 9 February 10

February 11 Our Lady of Lourdes (Christian - Catholic)

February 12 February 13

February 14

February 15

February 16

February 17

February 18

February 18 Full Moon

February 19

February 20

February 21

February 22

February 23

February 24

February 25

February 26

February 27

February 28

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Additional resources:

February is:

American Heart Month
American History Month
Black History Month
Children's Dental Health Month
International Friendship Month
National Cherry Month
National Embroidery Month
National Grapefruit Month
National Snack Food Month
National Wild Bird Feeding Month
Responsible Pet Owners' Month

Moon Phases for February 2011

Daily Celebrations Astronomy Picture of the Day

The Gnostic Calendar--A Mandala of Wholeness

Wilson's Almanac Book of Days

The Writer's Almanac:-- Poems, prose, and literary history every morning from Garrison Keillor direct to your inbox. Delivered daily.

Orthodox Calendar from Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America

Celtic Wheel of the Year Druidic Holy Days

Esoteric Christo-Pagan Calendar of Events and Observances

The Liturgical Calendar of the Celtic Catholic Church

Pagan Calendar The Goddess Lunar Calendar Islamic Holy Days & Calendar

Church of England Calendar of Saints

Calendar of the Church Year According to the Episcopal Church

Living in Season - “Living in Season” is for anyone who is weary of the frantic pace of modern life, who wants to slow down, connect with the natural world, and live a life filled with heart and meaning. Each season has its own flavor, captured in the folklore of seasonal holidays, preserved in rituals and recipes, ceremonies and songs. This quarterly “Living in Season” e-zine helps you connect with the seasons through our articles, online courses (with suggestions on spiritual practices and creative pursuits that match the energy of each season), books and e-books on time management and the seasons.