Earth Angels
by Jesse Wolf Hardin • Reserve, NM

When times get hard, personally or with society as a whole, we may turn to the specter of angels for consolation, salvation or support. Indeed, from childhood on our souls are appropriately shaped less by a fear of demons than the hope of intervention by the fairy-hearted, gossamer winged. It’s easy to envision these mystical guardians watching over us in our sleep at the end of a long, long day, or preventing bad things from happening to us when our mother is called away.

The most accessible of these speak not from some distant galaxy or otherworldly dimension, but from close at hand – through the spirits and beings of this magical planet, and the aperture of our deeply feeling hearts. The word itself derives from the Latin “angelus,” meaning literally “messengers.” Angels thus function not as intermediaries between us and the experience of spirit, but as communicative conduits, as connective tissue helping link us to the rest of the miraculous and informative whole. Even the most ethereal or metamorphic angels are integral extensions of, or relatives of the spirit and this inspirited living earth, expressing the will and grace of a clearly purposeful universe.

Like it or not, such angels aren’t necessarily here to make things easier. They’re neither vacation directors, cosmic crosswalk guards, providers of convenient parking spaces, nor pillows waiting to catch us if we fall. As extensions of spirit and agents of truth, they’d be loathe to save us from the very mistakes that temper our strength and provide us with our necessary lessons. If they allow us to stumble it is not out of indifference or neglect, but out of deep noticing, unequaled empathy and caring. No ally would deny us an opportunity to grow stronger in the face of struggle, or deprive us of the chance for significance, distinction and nobility that comes from our doing the right thing with no certainty of assistance or success. If dovish wings are spread it is not to shelter us, as that might block access to the sky. Any wings would be intended to keep even the mellowest angels moving... and thus remind us that we, too, can fly.

The most beneficial angels encourage in us resolution more than relief. Relief is sweet in the short term but can easily result in a lulling of the senses, in decreased awareness of the dynamics and implications of the world unfolding around us. Resolution, on the other hand, is a perfect mix of clarity and action, completion and satisfaction. It is a level of contentment dependent less on accomplishment and success than on knowing we’ve done all we can... plus our gracious acceptance of any rewards. Their blessing is not to comfort the angst or aggrieved, so much as to to awaken and alert us to our responsibility, our opportunities to give, manifest and excel... aiding our heroic reconnection with our authentic selves, the rest of the natural world, and our most meaningful purpose.

There are embodied angels all around us as well: the infant who climbs onto our laps at work, insisting we stop to play. The cook who makes sure we notice and taste our food, by threatening to take our muffin away. The compassionate and kind as well as the sparkling river, rescuing us from a loud and busied mind. And those who love us faithfully, as well as they who provoke us to stretch, to deepen and change. What makes them angels is not how brightly they glow, but the way they open up so that each person’s light can shine through. And sometimes the most important message they can impart is: “Sister – or brother – it’s up to you!”

Angels are reminders more than guides, helping us recall (call back!) our missing parts, our unquenched desires and needs, our unfulfilled dreams. Reminding us of the importance of authenticity, mission and honor. Reminding us to fully live before we die! And the cottonwood tree shakes its leaves, to remind us to get out of our minds and back into present time. Their shared message is to “feel deeply, respond sincerely, give much, and accept all gifts.”

In whatever guise or incarnation, our earth angels help reunite us with our sacred, with responsive anima, our creature beings and magical selves, inspiring us to seek affirmation, direction and advice first from our own angelic hearts.

Jesse Wolf Hardin and partners teach empowering online Medicine Woman, Shaman Path and Path of Heart correspondence courses, and host wilderness retreats, quests and events at their river canyon sanctuary and ancient place of power: Animá Learning & Retreat Center, Box 688, Reserve, NM 87830, www.animacenter.org, animacenter.org/blog.