Angelic Lightwork, by Alana Fairchild

About the Author Alana Fairchild is a world-renowned spiritual teacher and bestselling author, inspiring a devoted following of fans. Alana’s highly original body of work includes oracle decks and books as well as DVDs and albums of guided meditations and sacred music. Alana has also created a unique and powerful online healer training program—Soul Guidance and Sacred Mentoring™—and an in-person initiation program into channelling the divine feminine called The Kuan Yin Transmission™.

Alana has touched the hearts of hundreds of thousands of people around the globe, and she continues to create stunning new offerings to awaken the spirit and heal the soul. She is a unique and well-established figure in the metaphysical movement, dedicated from the heart to assist humanity in moving forward on the spiritual path with authenticity, grace, and a sense of humor.

To Write to the Author If you wish to contact the author or would like more information about this book, please write to the author in care of Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd. and we will forward your request.

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Angelic Lightwork: Magic & Manifestation with the Angels © 2020 by Alana Fairchild. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, including internet usage, without written permission from Llewellyn Publications, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

First Edition First Printing, 2020 Book design by Sammy Penn Cover design by Shira Atakpu Cover painting by Annael Llewellyn Publications is a registered trademark of Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Fairchild, Alana, author.

Title: Angelic lightwork : magic & manifestation with the angels / by Alana Fairchild.

Description: First edition. | Woodbury, MN : Llewellyn Publications, a division of Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd., [2020] | Summary: “Learn how to attract angelic energy and create magic, healing, love, and light. Recover your heart connection with the angels, awaken your inner healing channel, and transform your life with loving spiritual energy”—Provided by publisher.

Identifiers: LCCN 2020031699 | ISBN 9780738762692 (paperback) Subjects: LCSH: Angels—Miscellanea. | Magic.

Classification: LCC BF1623.A53 F35 2020 | DDC 202/.15—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020031699 Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd. does not participate in, endorse, or have any authority or responsibility concerning private business transactions between our authors and the public.

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Llewellyn Publications A Division of Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd. 2143 Wooddale Drive Woodbury, MN 55125-2989 www.llewellyn.com Printed in the United States of America

Other Books by Alana Fairchild The 3 Cs 11.11 Oracle 55 Keys 333 Oracle of Heart Wisdom Crystal Angels 444 Crystal Goddesses 888 Crystal Masters 333 Crystal Stars 11.11 The Kuan Yin Transmission Love Your Inner Goddess Magic of Isis Messages in the Numbers What to Do When You Don’t Know What to Do Wisdom of Kuan Yin

Forthcoming Books by Alana Fairchild Crystal Gods 555 Crystal Saints & Sages 777

For a full list of Alana’s books, oracle decks, and music and meditation albums and DVDs, please visit www.alanafairchild.com.

Dedicated to the beautiful hearts that want to heal and create a positive contribution to our planet.

Contents List of Practices xiii Introduction 1

Part One

— Angel Basics — 1: What Angels Are Really Like 13 2: The Different Types of Celestial Angels 37 3: Some of the Angels Who Want to Help You 63 4: Simple Practices to Connect with Angels 103 5: Preparing for Archangel Work 131

Contents

Part Two

— Angelic Lightwork — with Archangels 6: Working with Archangel Michael 151 7: Working with Archangel Raphael 175 8: Working with Archangel Gabriel 199 9: Working with Archangel Uriel 223 Conclusion 247

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Practices Chapter 6 Breaking through Negative Energy, Habits, or Thoughts 159 Overcoming Gossip and Bullying in Any Form 159 Healing Addictions 160 Healing through Divorce (Or the End of Any Relationship) 162 Aligning Your Life with Ease and Grace for Smooth Flow in All Ways 163 Protection for Lost Souls or Those Who Have Crossed Over 164 When You Know You Need a Prayer but You Are Not Sure What to Pray For 165 When You Need to Find the Best Place to Live or Are Moving (And for the Homeless in Need of Shelter) 166

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Practices

Connecting to Your Authentic Life Path and Higher Purpose 168 Protection for a Vulnerable Person, Including a Child 169 Healing for Paternal Issues 170 Chapter 7 Breaking Free from Abusive Relationships or Abusive Situations 182 Finding Freedom and Healing for All Souls Bearing the Effects of Suicide 183 Relief from Eating Disorders 184 Healing from Self-Harm, Including Body-Shaming and Self-Hatred 185 Prayers for Good Health, Medical Care, Well-Being, and Fitness 186 Healing Physical Illness or Disease from a Spiritual Perspective 188 Undergoing Surgery (For Before, During, and/or After Surgery) 189 Healing Depression, Chronic Pain, or Any Violence of Mind or Spirit 189 Safely and Lovingly Empowering Your Natural Healing Channel 190 Healing of Past Life Issues 192 Healing the Heart for All Matters of Love and Forgiveness 193 xiv

Practices

Chapter 8 Radiating Inner and Outer Beauty 205 Hearing Authentic Spiritual Guidance 206 Comfort for Emotional Healing 208 Protection for All Involved in the Loss of a Relationship with a Beloved Animal 209 Protection for All Involved in the Loss of a Relationship with a Loved One 210 Healing for Any Being Experiencing Extreme Suffering or Abuse 211 Healing for All Involved in the Death of a Child (or Other Beloved Being) 213 Opening Your Psychic Abilities Safely and Naturally 214 Releasing Vows from This or Other Lifetimes that Are Blocking Your Progress 216 Healing Issues Around Twin Flames and/or Soul Mates 217 Attracting Healthy Soul Mate Connections 218 Chapter 9 Fixing Problems with Technology 230 Blessing All Food (Especially When Prepared in Unknown Circumstances) 231 Blessing a Place and Space—Clearing to Remove Negative Energies 232 Blessing a Journey 233 xv

Practices

Dedicating and Charging a Crystal, Altar, or Other Sacred Object for a Specific Purpose 234 Overcoming Unworthiness 234 Healing Financial Fears and Opening to Abundance 235 Manifesting Money and All the Resources You Need for Peace and Progress 237 Protection for Animals 238 Protection for Our Planet 239 Healing Maternal Issues 241

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Introduction

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our heart knows how to attract and connect with angelic energy. Through your heart connection to the angels, you can create magic, healing, love, and light.

Angelic lightwork is a beautiful healing practice that creates uplifting changes in yourself and your life, bringing more positive energy into our world. It happens through consciously connecting with your heart, opening your heart to the angels, and completing positive, sacred practices of lightwork. Lightwork is healing and beneficial for everyone. The practice of lightwork uses certain words, intentions, visualisations, and movements to manifest your dreams and awaken positive energy.The practice of angelic lightwork connects you with the goodness, grace, and power of the angels.

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Introduction

Angels are the spiritual bridge between the realms of light and the physical world. When we work with the angels, we can experience beautiful, loving energy and also increase our ability to manifest. Angels will help you heal and create the improvements in your life that you wish to experience whilst becoming a light in our world.

Sometimes we attract and manifest things in our lives that don’t turn out as we had hoped. We believed we wanted and needed something, only to later discover that it wasn’t the best path for us after all. It was as though we put our efforts into climbing the wrong mountain. Angels help us become wiser in our choices. They help us align with our hearts and discover our true life path and purpose. By connecting with angels, we are guided to the best and most joyful path in life.

This book opens up the pathway into the powerful practices of angelic lightwork. Even an absolute beginner can connect with the angels and awaken their inner healing channel and ability to transform their lives with the loving spiritual energy of the angels. This book will teach you how to access your inner spiritual power to connect with the angels. You will understand how to channel angelic energy consciously so you can improve your life in the ways that you desire. You will learn about the different types of angels that exist, how they can help you, and how to attract and manifest what you want and need

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with angelic energy so that your happiness and well-being increase.

This book is the beginning of your journey to a conscious relationship with the angels. It begins with exploration of what angels are really like, what they look like, how they are different than humans, how they can connect with and help human beings, and how it feels to connect with an angel. Angels have existed in many cultural traditions, and we will explore where angels “pop up” all over the world, wanting to help all beings, no matter what religious path someone may or may not have. I love to make spirituality very practical and relevant to our daily lives, so we will also look at what signs of angelic connection may be. I will also provide you with some real-life examples of how the angels can get messages through to you.

When we explore the different types of angels that exist, we will also learn some spiritual teachings from those angels —from the seraphim, who teach us how to use our voices to create energies we want in our lives, to the cherubim, who teach us that it is okay to trust the Universe, even if we cannot always understand why things are the way that they are. The angels known as thrones teach us about the higher wisdom of the Universe to keep things moving and give us hope when it may seem as though there is just one terrible thing after another taking place in our world. Dominions teach us not to put too much faith in

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the appearances of the world and instead to trust in the power of spirit to create healing, even if healing doesn’t seem logical or possible from our human perspective. The group of angels known as virtues teach us how to find our courage and the group known as powers teach us how to cross thresholds in our lives and deal intelligently with negative energies. The angels known as principalities help us learn how to be spiritually mature guardians and leaders in our families and communities.

There are two other types of angels: archangels and (simply) angels. These two groups are very interested in human affairs and help us in many ways. We will meet thirteen of the most well-known and helpful angels from these two groups and learn the specific ways in which they can assist us. These particular thirteen angels have special lessons and gifts that are relevant to every human life. For example, Angel Barachiel helps us shift from always struggling in life to living with more ease and grace; Jeghudiel helps us discover what our life path is and how to manifest it; Raguel helps us trust in karma to work things out when something seems unfair; Camael helps us find our inner badass so we can be courageous and bold of heart.

Once we meet those angels, we then learn general practices that can be used to connect with any angel, including your own guardian angel. (Yes, you have one of those!)

From using your voice to say the angelic names, to having

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conversations (or prayers) with the angels, to writing letters and creating sacred spaces and altars, you will have fun discovering the ways that you can engage with the positive energies of these loving and powerful spiritual beings.

I have included guidance so you can explore your natural inner-healing ability and facilitate an intuitive crystal healing for yourself and others.You can also learn how to send distant healing to a person or place in need with your angel’s help.

Part 1 finishes with a nondenominational sacred practice to Mother Mary, who is known as the Queen of Angels. Any person can complete this practice. She is a beautiful, protective divine mother to all hearts that seek her assistance. She can help our connection to the angels become even more powerful, and she offers us spiritual shelter from the storms of life through her divine feminine blessings of protection, help, and guidance.

In the second part of the book, we will explore magic and manifestation with four of the most recognised archangels that are found in multiple spiritual and religious traditions: Michael, Raphael, Uriel, and Gabriel. I describe the only kind of magic that I teach, which is white magic.

White magic is a form of lightwork. It is a sacred practice using light, intention, and action to create desired outcomes that will benefit you personally and, in doing so, bring spiritual benefit to all hearts in need. White magic

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helps us to grow spiritually and fulfil our divine potential whilst we are listening to our hearts and creating what brings us joy in our lives. The lightwork of white magic is a beautiful spiritual path for healing and happiness. The practice of this art has increased my own conscious connection with the universal, loving, divine presence of spirit and has brought me and my clients many blessings. I am so delighted to share it with you in this book.

You’ll learn how to set up a sacred space and how to prepare your energy field for magical work. I will share an energy exercise called “spiritual dressing” that you can use to protect your energy field on a daily basis so external energies do not negatively influence your mood and state of mind as you go about your life. You’ll be guided in simple magical practices such as casting the circle of sacred space; using the power of your voice for invocation of loving, divine, angelic energies; raising the energy to build some “spiritual juice” for your magic to manifest; and how to direct your energy through prayers and intentions.You’ll also learn the most effective attitudes to cultivate for best results.

I have included forty-four specific magical practices to work with the four major archangels.These practices cover a variety of everyday concerns. Those include matters like conquering bad habits, deflecting gossip and dealing with bullies, healing from divorce or loss of a loved one, finding

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Introduction

a home, helping spirits who have crossed over, providing protection for a vulnerable animal or child, healing issues related to your mother or father, gaining relief from abusive relationships, healing suicidal thoughts to be able to accept and embrace life, having a safe and healing experience of surgery, overcoming chronic pain, healing issues that have to do with twin flames and soul mates, blessing food, having a safe journey, clearing spaces from negativity, healing financial problems and unworthiness, and providing healing for our planet—just to give some examples.

Writing these practices took me into a very deep, heartfelt space as I experienced the loving wisdom of the angels pouring through, wanting to help us with all of the challenges that we face as humans. It was a powerful and humbling experience for me, and I hope that those who can benefit from these practices have the courage to explore and enjoy them. They will bring you closer to the sacred heart of the divine.

In the simple-yet-powerful practices that invoke Michael, Raphael, Uriel, and Gabriel, you’ll experience a stronger connection not only to the beautiful energies of the angels, but also to your own inner spiritual being, known as your higher self or soul.

As your connection to your higher self is strengthened, you become more aware of yourself at a deeper level.Your emotional and spiritual intelligence increase, your intuition

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Introduction

and psychic ability develop, you are able to instinctively discern truth, and you cast aside negativities that could sabotage or disrupt the fulfilment of your authentic life path. You begin to understand not only who you are, but your purpose in life and how to move forward on your authentic, unique, and sacred life path.

As you journey through this book, your relationship with the angels and your own higher self will improve.

So will your awareness of how much power you have within you to create love and peace in your life and our world. My hope is that through working with this book, your mindset and heart shift into a state of grace, love, and empowerment, for the spiritual benefit of all beings.

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Angel Basics

Part One

The first part of this book will give you a basic understanding of angels. In chapter 1 you will learn all about angels—who they are, what they look like, and how they operate in and beyond numerous religious and cultural traditions. You will learn about fallen angels and dealing with negative energies without needing to be afraid. I will teach you how often to call upon angels, what they can and cannot do, and why human beings have free will.

You’ll discover your unique personal connection to the angels and how they communicate with you in many loving ways.

In chapter 2 we explore the different types of angels as well as the angelic hierarchy and how each type of angel helps us in different ways. We learn some of the helpful and encouraging spiritual lessons from the angels and how they can help us to live happier lives.

In chapter 3 we meet thirteen very special angels who love humanity and are especially relevant to us, bringing us healing in our daily lives in many useful ways. We will learn about the personality, gifts, and lessons of each angel and how they can help us.

In chapter 4 we begin exploring simple and effective practices to connect with any angel of your choosing. We learn about the power of a name, how to speak or pray to angels in a way that is not necessarily religious yet still effective, and some examples of prayers you can

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use. I discuss writing letters to your angels and channelling a response. I share information on creating your own sacred space and angelic altar to attract healing energies and manifest your heart’s desires in an ultimately helpful way. This chapter also outlines an exercise and a guided meditation to connect you with your guardian angel for protection. You are shown how to do an intuitive, angelic crystal healing for yourself and for others, and you will learn how to do a distant healing for people or places far away using loving angelic energy. I have also created a simple and beautiful practice to connect with Mother Mary, the Queen of Angels, to heal and empower your connection not only to the angels, but to the love of the divine feminine.

In chapter 5 we explore the basis of white magic and the powerful law of attraction so that we can use our magical work to heal and shift our own vibration. Any positive changes that occur in our lives are then sustained more effortlessly. We learn about receiving and flowing, rather than fearing and forcing. We look at practical tips for setting up your sacred space and preparing yourself energetically for healing and magical practice, including how to get “spiritually dressed” every day. You will then be ready to journey into the practical techniques outlined in part 2.

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CHAPTER 1 What Angels Are Really Like

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his is my fifth book about angels, and I still feel that there is far more to know about angels than could fit into an entire library, let alone a single book. I wanted to share that with you to encourage you, not to overwhelm you. As you read about angels here, it is an invitation to open your heart and mind to what your personal experience of angels will be. That is not limited by what is in a book, nor by what others have experienced (although sometimes hearing of another person’s experience can open your heart to your own personal connection with the angels).

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I have had experiences of angels that have been powerful, others that have been gentle, and still others that were so subtle I didn’t recognise angelic intervention until a long time after the fact. I’ve connected with angels in dreams, in meditations, and through signs such as white feathers at my front door. I have felt angels standing beside me and others, and sometimes even sensed them in the back seat of my car playing a game called “corners” (leaning toward one side, laughing, every time I took a fast turn—and being something of a lead foot, that happened quite often).

Angels are serious, playful, powerful, and gentle. They are effective but not intrusive. They are with us, and if we are ready to see them, they will send us whatever vision or sign we need, but they will not startle us or make us fearful if such encounters would be too much for our hearts or minds to handle. Nonetheless, they will always help those who ask for it—even if that help needs to happen somewhat “invisibly” for whatever reason.

This book has been created for those who want to experience spiritual friendship and support with the powerful angelic beings that love humanity unconditionally.

Angels are divine beings, and they are also very practical.

I call on my angels for help on a regular basis. From parking spaces (the parking angels are wonderful!) to successfully navigating challenges in health or business, for

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What Angels Are Really Like

example, the angels are able to help us, and they want to do so.

It may seem obvious as to why an angel would want to help you or a loved one heal emotionally, for example, but why would an angel want to help you resolve a financial concern or help you find the best nutritional plan for your health? I once asked the angelic beings that question. In response, I experienced a loving warmth in my heart and words running through my mind. Their answer was that when my own life ran more smoothly, instead of giving my energy over to worry, I could use my energies to be loving, creative, kind, and helpful. In other words, when we allow ourselves to be spiritually supported, we can handle our earthly life in a more loving way, which serves the highest divine purpose. I believe that the highest divine purpose is to increase love in our hearts—and in our world—to heal and help all beings.

When we connect with angels, we increase love in our hearts, our lives, and on our planet. Love feels good, overcomes pain and negativity, and opens us up to the full experience of life’s mystery and gifts. Love heals, empowers, awakens, and inspires. Love is compassion and it is wisdom. Every being benefits when more love enters our world. Connecting with angels is not only good for you, it’s good for everyone.

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Angels Know You Already, and They Love You Unconditionally Angels are clever. They know that there is a higher love that is able to soothe, heal, and assist every human heart.

They also know that as humans, we sometimes make things more complicated than they need to be. We can get caught up in our belief systems about life, about what it means to be a good person, in our religious upbringing (whether that was a positive or negative experience for us), and in our emotionally complicated relationship with the Universe or with a higher power (whatever we believe him or her to be, if we believe in a higher power at all). They understand that being human is an extraordinary experience, but it is not always an easy one. Our fears confuse us. Our attachment to past pain can make it difficult to trust that life is going to work out and we are going to be okay. Angels have figured out ways to reach us, to get our attention away from focusing on the negative and to open our hearts to possibilities for healing. We’ll explore some signs of angelic connection at the end of this chapter.

Angels never judge us, and they always love us. They are our friends and guardians. Even when we make a mistake (or perhaps, if you are like me, repeat the same mistake many times before you figure out that it’s really not working for you!), they do not turn away. They are always 16

What Angels Are Really Like

encouraging and guiding, with endless patience and a kind sense of humour that helps us learn to be more forgiving toward others and toward ourselves.

Angels help us in so many ways, yet they do not take away our power. If it is in our best interest to learn something for ourselves, then our angels are not helping us if they step in and prevent us from having a necessary learning experience. Sometimes we may have to be pushed out of the nest of our comfort zone to realise that we have the wings to fly. We discover our own capabilities, talents, and strength through such testing moments in our lives. Connecting with angels strengthens our connection to our true self and to the courage within our hearts. With their support, we learn more about our true inner self, and we can move through challenges with more confidence.

Angels Always Respect Our Free Will Angels encourage us to take the leaps of faith we need to grow and fulfil our inner spiritual potential. They know what we are here to do, that there is a deep meaning and sacred purpose to our lives, and how we can fulfil that inner purpose in the best ways. They know, even if we are still figuring it out!

That knowledge empowers them as guides that can nudge us in the most helpful direction on our life path, and they can protect us from a path that wouldn’t suit us

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or fulfil our spiritual purpose. Angels recognise that the right path for someone else might not be the right path for you or me. So they show us signs and help us understand what choices will work out best for us without ever taking away our human free will.

Our free will is an important spiritual gift. It is the right of every human to choose how we live our lives, and angels respect that. They know that as humans, we often grow by doing things one way and then realising that there might be a better way. We often call such learning experiences “making mistakes,” but angels never judge a human being.

Is it Safe to Call on Angels?

What About Fallen Angels?

It is safe to call on angels, but it is good to know which angels to call upon. In this book you’ll learn the names and practices to connect with the loving angels that can support you in the most beautiful, powerful, and helpful ways.

In some traditions, such as Islam, there is a belief that an angel is, by definition, a completely pure being. Therefore there can be no such thing as a fallen angel. In other traditions, such as Judaism and Christianity, there is a belief in fallen angels, those who have rebelled against the divine and been cast out of heaven.They are believed to be roam-

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ing about, basically causing trouble and bringing out the worst in humanity. In Eastern spiritual traditions, there are beliefs in many kinds of spiritual beings—some are helpful and loving while others are less spiritually advanced and prefer to cause mischief.

No matter which of these belief systems resonate for you, there is a helpful truth that applies to all of them— you get to choose to call upon only the enlightened, loving, and wise spiritual beings that will truly assist you and bring spiritual benefit to all others in doing so. Even if you do believe that there are beings such as fallen angels that may want to obstruct rather than support your life’s journey, you do not need to be afraid. You can have peace in your heart and know that because of your gift of free will, you always get to choose whether or not to allow negativity to influence you. The source of negativity—whether you believe it is coming from a human or other being, or even your own mind—is far less important than the realisation that we have the free will and inner power to choose how much we allow it to influence us.

One of my Tibetan spiritual teachers once shared a story that during his dreams he was being harassed by some very annoying, persistent spirits that didn’t have anything good to say. He did his best to ignore them and eventually, like any bully, they grew tired of not getting a response out of him and left him alone.

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We can notice when negative energy is around us or within us, and we choose how we wish to respond to it. Sometimes the best possible response is simply to put our focus back on to the things we are grateful for, shifting our energy to a more positive vibration. That is not about denying problems in our lives. It is about being in a state of mind where we can more readily create and recognise solutions rather than dwelling upon—and possibly increasing—negativity.

There is a folk story from the Native American tradition about a grandfather who was talking to his grandson about two wolves that existed within his heart. One wolf was angry, filled with hate and fear. The other was loving, filled with peace and goodwill. They were at war with each other. The boy asked his grandfather which wolf would win the war, and the grandfather’s reply was, “The one that I choose to feed.”

Even if you do believe in fallen angels or mischiefmaking spirits, or simply in the dark side of human nature, there is no need to become fearful. There is a need to be aware, and to know that we need to make a choice to nourish our higher nature. Angels can help us do that by amplifying, feeding, and strengthening the purity, love, and light within our hearts.

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You Already Have the Inner Spiritual Ability to Call In Angelic Assistance In chapter 4 we will explore loving, creative techniques to consciously open our hearts to angelic assistance so that we can use our free will in ways that actually help, heal, and make us happy. It’s amazing how often we humans can use our power of choice to do the opposite! Angels help us break negative patterns and establish more positive energy in our minds, our hearts, and our world.

You might think that you need extraordinary powers to call on angels, but as you’ll learn in this book, that’s not the case at all. You already have the innate spiritual ability to attract loving spiritual assistance. It is part of our gift of free will as human beings. We can choose to hang with a crowd that brings out the best—or the worst—in us.

It is our power of choice to choose to call on spiritual assistance that helps and heals us, or to ignore the spiritual path altogether. We can call upon angels so easily—simply by saying their names! However, I will show you some fun ways to heal with angels using simple techniques in this book too.

Whether we use our free will in a positive way or not often depends on our confidence and our sense of selfworth. The angels love you and want to help you. The question is not whether they are around or whether they are capable of assisting you; the question is whether you 21

Chapter 1

believe that you are worthy of that help and willing to have the self-love, courage, and confidence to ask for it.

It can be helpful to remember that when you bring more love and healing into your life, it is not a selfish act. A happy, healed, empowered, kind, and loving person can do much good in our world. More love in your heart actually benefits everyone.

If I Ask for Help from Angels Every Day, Is That Too Much?

Angels are vast beings, and they are powerful enough to help billions and billions of people all at once. You will never deprive anyone of anything by asking for angelic assistance. It is not as if Archangel Michael will be busy helping you and not able to deal with someone else’s more pressing need too. I know of people who do not ask for divine assistance because they feel that there are others worse off on the planet who deserve it more. This is misguided. It denies the reality that when we have more love within us, we more positively affect those around us. We are all connected! This mindset also shows a need to heal a misplaced sense of guilt for having needs, and a misunderstanding of the capacity of divine beings.

Divine beings operate somewhat differently than human beings. Humans have limits on how much time, attention, and energy we can offer at any given moment. Divine beings

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What Angels Are Really Like

are not limited in such ways. There are images of divine beings in the spiritual traditions of Buddhism and Hinduism that depict them with multiple arms, eyes, and sometimes faces. Those depictions are symbolic of the divine ability to see and be active across many dimensions for the needs of many beings at once.

Such representations are meant to encourage us to have faith in divine power; remember that divinity is not subject to limitation, and it is certainly not limited to what a human assumes is possible. It is something like the spiritual equivalent of the mother driving a car with her children in the back seat, declaring that she has eyes in the back of her head so that they don’t get up to too much trouble. It is the divine saying to us, “Even if you think I cannot see you, or that my help is not possible for you to receive, I have my loving eye upon you, and I am looking out for you always.�

If the Angels Love Us and Can Help Us, Why Is There Pain in Our World?

Many people wonder why there is any suffering in the world at all, if the divine is unlimited in power and angels want to assist everyone. Some go so far as to believe that divinity must not exist at all because they are so heartbroken by the suffering in the world. They wonder how a loving God or Goddess, and his or her loving angels, could allow such a thing.

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The answer to that comes back to human free will.

The world as we know it is a world that we are creating together as human beings. We have to be careful that we do not deny our spiritual responsibility for the choices we make as human beings and the repercussions of those choices. Some of us want to live from the heart and heal ourselves and our planet. Others are so caught up in fear that they become consumed by the belief that they must survive at all costs and that only their life matters. Often we are a mixture of both of those desires. That collective human creation has led to some inspiring demonstrations of kindness, healing, courage, heroism, wisdom, and love.

Sadly, we humans have cocreated some terrible manifestations too, such as abuse toward other living creatures and our environment. Shortsighted human greed has not served humanity, or our planet, well. Angels are here to help us become wiser in our expression of free will, not to take it away from us.

It can be hard to understand why free will exists, given that humans aren’t always known for being the kindest or wisest creatures (though, undoubtedly, there are many good and excellent humans with humble, powerful hearts).

To help create some peace and understanding about this topic, I asked my spiritual guides about human free will and why we have it at all. They described being human as being on a creative spiritual life path. They compared

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What Angels Are Really Like

it to being in an art class, learning how to develop one’s creativity and self-expression. If there was only one way to do things, no freedom to choose, and strict rules, there could be no development of the creative ability. It is true that when the student was given freedom to do as he or she wished, there would be messes and mistakes, but it also opened the way for inspired ideas, uplifting expression, and something truly wonderful and powerful to emerge. It was the only way that it could happen.

Personally, I believe that the divine has more than enough patience, power, wisdom, and grace to guide us humans in such a way that more and more of us choose to exercise our free will—our particularly human creative power of choice—in increasingly loving, wise, and helpful ways. I have met so many humans from all around the world that want to make our world a more beautiful place for all. We might not always be skilful in our attempts, but the angels are there for us: to inspire, guide, and encourage us to rely upon our higher nature, trust our hearts, and find our way together. One gift that angels give us that is so necessary for us to continue on our life path with courage, optimism, and creativity is that of hope. Hope encourages us to keep going, to believe in good things ahead, and to dare to dream and cocreate a more loving and healed reality for ourselves and future generations.

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Angels in Different Spiritual Traditions and Cultures The descriptions and understandings of angels vary across spiritual and cultural traditions. In Celtic folk traditions, there are nature angels that we might refer to as faeries.

These are the spirit angels that watch over the animals and plants. I have written four books that describe the different crystal angels that connect with each crystal on the planet, helping us to receive and heal through crystal vibrations.

In this book, we will be focusing on the celestial or heavenly angels, which will include your guardian angel.

That may seem to be a more religious perspective, but although I respect that a religious path works for certain people at certain times on their life journey, I do not believe that you need to be religious—or have any particular spiritual belief at all—in order to connect with angels.

If your heart is willing, that is enough. Angels will bring love into your life no matter what your path or attitude to religion may be.

Our modern view of angels likely stems from the Middle East, from one of the oldest religions that worshipped a single god as the ultimate divine being, known as Zoroastrianism. That religion recognises classes of divine beings that honour the supreme being. Angels in that tradition are considered benevolent immortals—kind, powerful guardians to humanity and life on Earth. Prac26

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titioners of that religion would select an angelic protector and devote themselves to their relationship with that being. Our modern-day equivalent is the guardian angel.

That being doesn’t usurp the place that a supreme being or higher loving intelligence has in our hearts, but rather becomes the bridge to help us move closer to it.

Jewish and Christian beliefs about angels are similar in many ways, placing much emphasis upon angelic beings as keys to staying close to the light and true to our most authentic path in life.The love of angels is a way for people to empower themselves spiritually and directly. Rather than needing a rabbi or priest to be the only intermediary between themselves and the divine, an angel provides a direct, personal connection.

I believe that this is part of why angels are loved by so many people today. They are spiritually empowering in an era when our trust of religious leaders and authority figures has been somewhat eroded by the discovery that religious figures, even if they are powerful souls with great devotion to a higher calling, are actually also human beings with human failings.

In Islam, a belief in angels is one of the key tenets of the faith. It is taught that we cannot fully comprehend these divine beings, yet we can trust in them to guide our spiritual path to be closer to the divine. In Islam (as in Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, and Buddhism), angels are

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recognised as belonging to different classes or categories and serving different purposes. They are of an unknown and unlimited number, many of whom work on matters beyond human concerns and many that are especially available and dedicated to the particular needs of human beings.

In the Hindu and Buddhist traditions, angels are called devas, which translates as “shining ones.” They have bodies of light rather than flesh. Like angels in other religious traditions, they do not need to eat or drink. This is one sign that they are different than a human being. In numerous traditions, angels also have wings—another symbol of their completely spiritual nature. In Tibet, the devas are also protectors of spiritual law, assisting the pure of heart to find the sacred truths that they need. Angels help us find and stay in the light.

In the Bahai faith, it is believed that the human soul has the potential to become angelic. You may have heard of the New Age teaching of “Earth angels,” those souls on Earth that are so purehearted, kind, and genuinely selfless that they are experienced by those lucky enough to know them as being their angel on Earth. Such humans are perhaps, in the Bahai view, on their way toward shifting from human to angel. There are stories in Christian and Jewish traditions of humans that were chosen to become angels. (The two angels that are said to have been human

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before their spiritual transformation—Metatron and Sandalphon—we will meet in chapter 3.) We can take this literally or interpret it symbolically, but either way, what I love about such teachings is that they show the beautiful potential of our human hearts and how worthwhile it is to take a spiritual path in life.

What Do Angels Look Like?

You don’t have to see an angel to know that they are with you. It is enough to trust that when you ask, they are there with you. However, sometimes we just want to know if the pictures we see of angels are realistic. I have described the different kinds of angels in chapter 2, and some of the descriptions are not at all like those that we first think of when imagining an angel.

Nonetheless, the most commonly accepted images of angels are of a humanlike being with wings and a halo. It is taught in numerous spiritual traditions from many different cultures that divine beings like angels will assume different forms as needed.

I remember a beautiful story about a woman who had a strong connection with Archangel Michael. She was at a party and had been led by one of the partygoers down some stairs. She thought everything was okay until they ended up in a dark basement away from everyone else.

Recognising that she had been put in a position that she

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didn’t want to be in, she felt some fear and prayed to Archangel Michael to help her. Suddenly there was a banging at the door at the top of the stairs, and a police officer walked down the stairs, asking what was going on. The young woman gratefully took the chance to talk to the police officer and allowed him to escort her upstairs to safety. Shaken and grateful, she noted the name on his badge and went straight home. The next morning, she wanted to thank the officer who had assisted her so unexpectedly, and so she called the police station. She was stunned when she was informed that they had no Officer Michael working on the force. At least there was no human Officer Michael— they obviously had an angel on their team!

If a person needs to see a vision, perhaps in a dream, then that will happen. If they need to feel something in their hearts, then that will happen. If they need a physical intervention of some kind, that will happen. If you want a vision in waking life, but would be frightened by it, then that won’t happen! Loving divine beings communicate with us and appear to us in ways that are helpful; they want to increase love rather than fear or confusion.

Signs of Angelic Connection You might dream of an angel, or notice a picture or statue of an angelic being, and feel a connection to angels in that moment. How do you know if it’s just coincidence or a

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sign? Your mind may doubt, but when a sign is genuine, your heart will let you know in that split second before your mind might begin analysing, as minds tend to do.You may think, “This isn’t special or dramatic enough to be a sign. It could have happened to anyone.” This isn’t true.

When the Universe is communicating to us, it does so through our hearts. We recognise signs by how we feel in the moment. It is a different kind of knowing—a cardiac gnosis, or heart wisdom. You cannot fake it and you cannot deny it. If you want to be more open to perceiving signs from the angels, you’ll need to practice trusting your heart and not allowing your intellect to invalidate your intuition.

Some people call upon angels and feel the angelic response as a peaceful feeling in their hearts. Others see a vision of a divine being. When you call on angels, you might sense a colour in your mind’s eye or feel an emotion of love, comfort, or peace. Some people see white feathers, which are generally recognised as a sign that your angels are with you, have heard your prayers, and are looking out for you and reminding you that everything is going to be okay. Yet others might not see or sense anything in particular when they ask for angelic help. If they have the gift of faith in their hearts, then their prayers will be said anyway, and angelic assistance will flow for them just as much

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as it does for those who have the ability to sense spiritual energy more readily.

Many years ago, I embarked upon my first work tour as a healer and teacher. I was flying often and would get a bit nervous at the endless safety demonstrations in case of a plane crash. Did we really need to use the power of our minds as a collective to imagine a crash and how to deal with it? I understood the practical side of it, but to counteract the negative thoughts, I would ask for the plane to be surrounded by angels. On the numerous flights I took on that tour, I sensed a playful game between myself and the angels. When the flight hosts would introduce the various crew members to the passengers over the PA system, somehow a crew member always bore an angelic name.

The captain’s name was often some version of the name Michael … Michaels, Michaelson, or sometimes, just plain Michael! I was amazed, entertained, and reassured. I felt a sense that I was being told that there was protection and everything would be all right. Which it was.

Some years later, I was travelling on my own to teach at a conference being held in Turkey. I had booked an apartment to rent for my time there. I had not visited the country before and was very excited to see it, but once I arrived, I felt some concern about the safety of the particular area where I would be living for a time. It was in a

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back street that had seemed fine on the booking website, but felt a lot more shady in person.

I called on the angels to protect me and help me be street-smart and sensible as I travelled as a young woman, on my own, through a country with an unfamiliar culture. As I followed the winding cobblestone street, leading me further and further away from the bustle of populated areas, I located the entrance to the apartment I had rented.

I ascended the several floors of stairs, dragging my suitcases along with me. At each landing artwork had been hung featuring local cultural treasures—whirling dervishes, iconic mosques, and chestnuts that seemed to be constantly roasting at street-side vendor stalls, sweetly scenting the air of Istanbul. Up and up I went, until I reached the landing at the top floor and came face-to-face with a picture of Archangel Michael! It was wholly unexpected and, perhaps because of that, in an instant I recognised it as a sign of protection. I left Istanbul without any issue, and I felt both blessed and saddened to hear that almost immediately after my departure date, riots had erupted in the city.

I have heard stories where people have been praying to the angels for help and suddenly notice the number four everywhere. The number four—especially in multiples like 444, 44.44, or 440 for example—is considered to be a numerical sign from the angels. I remember a story about

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a woman who was worried about her finances because she was in need of some funds to cover a sudden and unpredictable expense. She prayed to the angels and noticed her bank balance was $444.44! Additional money came in from an unexpected source soon after and she had enough to meet her needs.

Some years ago, another woman told me her story. She was dwelling on a problem that she didn’t know how to solve, so she asked the angels for a sign. She was driving her car, which had an older-style CD stacker in the boot.

It was filled with CDs of different kinds of music. On her drive, something unusual happened. She heard the same song play on repeat. Not just a couple of times, but seven times in a row! That got her attention. She listened to the lyrics more carefully. She found that in those lyrics was the answer to her problem. Seven is another deeply spiritual number which can remind us that we have the innate ability to attract higher guidance and channel healing energy in our lives, to heal and resolve any difficulty.

All of this is to say:  Your personal experience of angelic connection will be uniquely your own. There is no right or wrong way to see, feel, or sense an angel. In chapter 4 we will explore creative ways to connect with your angels so that you can open your heart to these beautiful beings in your life.

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If you find it challenging to trust in the reliability of your intuitive or psychic senses, then you might wonder if you are making it all up, and you might not really know if you can trust that anything is happening. Don’t worry if that is the case. In time, as you practice repeating the angelic names, you will get to know the feeling of that being and their presence will become more beautiful, real, and strong for you. It’s like knowing that you have a sacred friend who is with you always.

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Body, Mind & Spirit / Angels

Receive Divine Blessings, Sacred Guidance & Healing Energy from the Angels Learn how to attract angelic energy and create magic, healing, love, and light. Join bestselling author Alana Fairchild as she shows how to connect with the powerful and beautiful sacred practices of angelic lightwork. Even if you’re an absolute beginner, you can recover your heart connection with the angels, awaken your inner healing channel, and transform your life with loving spiritual energy.

Angelic Lightwork explores the types of angels and reveals how to use special words, intentions, prayers, visualizations, and movements to manifest your heart’s desires. You will also discover simple practices for protection and connecting with Mother Mary, the Queen of Angels, so you can awaken positive energy that brings benefits to all. Now is the time to invite the angels to empower your sacred creativity as a healing light in our world.

© ELIZABETH ALLNUT

Alana Fairchild is a world-renowned spiritual teacher and author. She is the cocreator of bestselling oracle decks such as the Lightworker Oracle, Kuan Yin Oracle, and Kali Oracle. Alana’s highly original body of work includes sacred music and guided meditations in addition to online and in-person training programs. Alana lives in Australia. Visit her online at www.AlanaFairchild.com.

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