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Donald McKinney's book 'Celtic Angels'
What
are Celtic Angels?
You and Your Celtic Angels
Before You Start Your Angel Work
We Are All Surrounded By Spirit (book excerpt)
What
are Celtic Angels?
There is not a major people or world religion that does not accept the
existence of angels in some form or other. The Celts believed that we
are all surrounded by spirits. Every object, every plant, tree and animal
has spirits gathered around them. And we are no different. Among these
spirits however there are some who not only exist along side us but actually
want to work with us, to help us fulfill our potential. These are the
Celtic Angels.
Celtic Angels are their own agents. Like us they are people who once lived on the Earth. But, over many lifetimes, they learned the lessons that we are still learning. They came to understand that this material world, with all its beauty and pain, is but a distraction: a silken trap.
The Celtic Angels accompany us on our life's journey. They have knowledge and experience from their time on Earth that can help us not only to cope with the problems of life but also gain perspective. Among these angels there is one however who is special. This being desires a far more intense and demanding relationship: to be our best friend, counsellor and spiritual advisor all rolled into one. Imagine someone that is always there for you, always on your side. Always wanting you to win through. That is your anamchara, your soul-friend.
You
and Your Celtic Angels
Celtic Angels will come to you in the form that you find most comfortable.
In my case my anamchara appears as a thirty something adult male. Once
they have chosen that form, they will not change it. So before you start
any angel work you should consider what form the angels should choose
that would be most appropriate for you.
Celtic Angels are living proof that within everyone of us there is a Divine Spark, a soul. And this soul is eternal. Our Anamchara is such a Divine Spark. It seeks to communicate with the Divine Spark within us.
Do not expect your Celtic Angel to be omnipotent or perfect. In many ways they are still like us. Treat them like friends and, like friends, remember that you do not have to accept everything they say or advice. They may say, for example, that you should go today to a particular Sacred Site. But if you have to go to work, you will have to wait for a more appropriate time.
Only act
on their advice if it feels right to you. There are many stories of Celtic
Saints like St. Columba or St. David having furious rows with their angels.
If in doubt seek the advice of others before you do anything.
Before
You Start Your Angel Work
As with any spiritual work, you need to have an opening and closing ceremony.
This is so that you and your Celtic Angels know when you are doing spiritual
work and when you are not. For working with your angels, I suggest you
use a white candle. When you light it, say, "I call my Celtic Angels
to me." And when you blow it out, "Thank you for the light."
You also need to create an angel altar. This is a place which is special for you and your Celtic Angels. It empowers you by making it easier to channel your energies into contacting and working with the Celtic Angels.
To create this special place you need to bring together the four elements: earth, wind, fire and water. As a suggestion, some crystals could represent the earth; some nice light incense, the air; your candle could stand for fire and some water from your favourite part of the beach could complete the altar. For the Celts the presence of nature was also very important, so include some plants or flowers. And now, when you enter this world, you will make it complete. Now introduce some angelic images that you like. You also need at least three candles to form an equilateral triangle with the point facing away from you.
We
Are All Surrounded By Spirit
The village of Lastingham nestles in the southern edges of the Yorkshire
moors in Northern England. It is a beautiful gentle village graced with
a small traditional grey-stoned Spartan church which seems perched on
the top of a round mound of grass. In fact this is a very ancient holy
site dating back to druidic times. This church is remarkable not just
for its simple holiness. It has a barrel roofed crypt dedicated to St.
Cedd, a Celtic Saint of the seventh century. It is almost impossible to
express in words the calm serenity of that site. It has a sense of the
divine that is precious. Precious because it is a place where you feel
the spirits are at peace, content and smiling. To sit there on your own
with a single candle lit is to grasp not only the truth that we are all
surrounded by spirit, but to appreciate what that phrase actually means.
When you meditate in the crypt. you can feel the ancient powers all around you and you have a really strong sense of not being alone. Perhaps most surprisingly, as you sit there meditating, you begin to understand that a part of you is spirit as well. Somehow you feel a connection, an affinity with the spirits that are already there in the sanctuary. And it may be this that is the most remarkable aspect of this site.
For the Celts, the world of the spirits and our own world were interconnected, there was no there and here; no them and us. This is because they recognised that human kind can play a very special role in the world. We are probably one of the few, if not the only, beings on this planet that can be aware of our physical and spiritual bodies. In other words we are more than simply flesh and bone.
If our body is a car; then our mind is the driver and our soul, our Divine Spark, is the passenger. And like any driver, our mind can ignore the passenger or pay attention to it. But it is our soul that reaches out to the angels that surround us and so the more attention we pay to the Divine Spark, the easier and more fulfilling it is to work with the angels that surround us all the time.
Already in this book we have shown you many exercises that allow you to feel the opening up of your spirit and an awareness of its needs and desires as well as how it can inspire and enrich our lives. This has to be an ongoing process. We need that stimulation for us to be able to talk of a healthy soul; a fulfilled soul; a nourished soul.
A
Conversation With Our Soul:
Imagine if we could talk directly to our soul! We can't because it is
too integral a part of us. But what if we could. What would it say to
us?
Light a candle and say your invocation. Sit quietly and feel the tensions of the day slowly flow from you. Feel yourself relax. When you are ready look at the candle and watch the flame gently burning. This is how I visualise my own soul, a small flickering flame deep inside me, inside my heart. Close your eyes and try to see your own soul-flame.
Would it be large, pale golden-orange and healthy or would it be dim and deep red, barely visible in our day to day lives?
How do you feel when you look at that flame? Are you chastised for ignoring it, or do you feel appreciated and thanked for tending it with love and care? Does it feel eager to lead you on to new spiritual adventures or is it tired and apathetic. wanting only to be left to its own solitude?
What we are doing with this exercise is letting our innermost knowledge come forward to our own level of consciousness. Deep inside we know what we need to do. We know our own needs. It is only our conscious mind that gets in the way. We are, if you like, fooling our conscious mind. But it works. You will come to understand things that you realise with a start are true of you. Emotions you have suppressed, desires that you have ignored.
Listen to your soul. After all you can only have a conversation if both sides listen to each other!
When you are ready slowly withdraw from your contemplation of the flame and become once again of your surroundings. When you feel comfortable, do your closure ceremony.
(From Celtic Angels, by Donald McKinney, adapted)
