Angel & Guidance Archives

At the End of the Road
by Rosemary Cody

I now know that all of us--even at the peak of health--are
dancing at the edge of the abyss, a heart beat away from
the end of the road.

Homer, Alaska, is at the end of the road, virtually the dead end of the continent. On a clear day in Homer you can see age-old glaciers dipping in to the yawning gulf of Kachemak Bay. Eagles gracefully connect the worlds of earth and sky. On a day like this it is easy to believe that this is where earth and sky were formed, where primeval chaos must have scrambled enthusiastically, eager to create one of nature's most magnificent landscapes.

My husband Bill and I were there on such a sunny Sunday in January, working on our unfinished cabin, our own version of the Alaskan dream. At this place, as in most places in Alaska, there is a sense of being on the raw edge of creation/destruction. We saw no clue, however, that the metaphor of the abyss would touch us so personally that afternoon.

While friends Pam and Jon and I stabilized the ladder on the icy ground, Bill was two stories up, replacing the cabin's siding torn by recent winds. Uncharacteristically, Bill complained that he didn't feel well. Thoughts of the flu, which had been snaking its way through our community, crossed my mind. Ignoring our suggestion to stop working, Bill finished the job. Ten minutes later, down from the ladder, his complaints intensified as we broke camp. Though not alarmed, I was paying close attention.

Pam and Jon transported the ladder up the embankment and across the road, where our vehicles were parked. Our plan was to meet in town for lunch. But another plan still unknown to us--a drastically different plan--was unfolding. The angels were gathering.

My attention sharpened when Bill said that he thought he had strained his arm while hammering, and that he would be okay if he could just lie down in the snow for a few minutes. Ordering him not to lie down in the snow, I left him momentarily and ran up the embankment to tell Pam and Jon to wait, that I was concerned about Bill's heart. Before I could finish the sentence, the first pair of angels arrived on the scene. Tammy and Jim, whom we had met the previous evening, were friends of Pam and Jon's. "Just wanted to see your place," Tammy said as they stopped their car beside the road.

God must have known that we needed an angel -- and that one with credentials would expedite the journey. Tammy was an Emergency Medical Technician, with twelve years experience. She quickly assessed Bill's condition and knew that an emergency was in process, that indeed Bill's heart was in crisis. Calmly but firmly, knowing that every minute counts, she insisted that we head for the hospital NOW. Jon and Jim, experienced crab boat captains, masters at staying calm in a storm, assisted Bill up the embankment.

Tammy and Jim sped on ahead to alert the emergency room staff that a possible heart attack patient was en route to the hospital. We drove the nine miles to the hospital pushing the speed limit, but Bill's symptoms were accelerating even faster: chest pain; difficulty breathing; cold, clammy skin. He was heading toward myocardial infarction -- a full-blown heart attack. The ER team was waiting for us, wheelchair at the door, the designated IVs and EKG ready. Good team work, angels!

Other teams worked with precision. During the long night, the doctor and nurses at Homer's South Peninsula Hospital worked to stabilize Bill's heart. The next morning the upbeat and respectful air ambulance team transported Bill (his IVs and EKG undisturbed) to Providence Hospital in Anchorage. I sent a special tribute to the weather gods for clear skies!

Later, during the days at the Cardiac Critical Care Unit, we viewed the "before" photos showing a 90 to 95% blockage of the left coronary artery, the main lifeline into the heart. When you are hanging over the abyss, a five to ten percent opening is a pretty tenuous tether! A stent (a small metal coil or mesh tube used to improve blood flow to the heart) placed in the obstructed artery made for much safer "after" pictures. We left this experience with a keener appreciation of the place where modern medicine resides on the medicine wheel.

Since I started writing this article, my father, in his 97th year, has died. My husband is recovering well. I now know that all of us--even at the peak of health--are dancing at the edge of the abyss, a heart beat away from the end of the road. There is no guarantee for the next moment. As Carlos Casteneda wrote in A Journey to Ixtlan, "Death is the irreplaceable partner that sits next to you on the mat. Awareness of death provides the necessary potency, the necessary concentration that transforms one's ordinary time on earth into magical power."

Here at this edge, at this fine line between life and death, between yin and yang, light and dark, between stillness and motion, we have the power to live fully and magically. At the edge, on this side of the Cosmic Gate, vision sharpens. We can see that friends, with ordinary grace, are angels, messengers from God. We can catch a glimpse of that invisible web which connects all things.

In the rarefied air at the edge, we can breathe more easily. We know that we are all taking the same breath, from trees to humans to stars. We can walk more lightly on the Earth. We can discard the heavy trunks and carry a knapsack.

At this Gate, looking back over our shoulders to life on Earth, we can see that energy is the irreducible residue of everything. Distilled down to the basics, we can see the potential of transforming all energy into love. Acceptance of death makes us lighter.

My father, a few days before he died, told a friend that he knew his health was failing. Still, he told her, he wasn't really ready to die yet, for he was enjoying life so much. Reaching out to shake death's hand and looking it in the eye, we find the dense energy of fear dissipates. Love and joy move in. We can live fully to the end.

At the edge, at the end of the road, we love better. We choose words that heal. Our actions become impeccable. Every moment counts.

To quote Albert Einstein: "There are only two ways to live life. One is though nothing is a miracle. The other is though everything is a miracle."

At the edge, at the end of the road, with death only a heart beat away, we can see the miracles.

Rosemary Cody is a licensed acupuncturist in Anchorage. She can be reached at 563-0071.

Guidance:
The Presence of Spirit in Our Lives
by Nancy Lee-Evans

We are never alone.
We all have guides.
Many of them are angels.

Spiritual guidance is one of the more mysterious topics in the world of healing. This is because we live in a culture that is grounded in the scientific method. As a society, we learn to disregard information that does not come from a concrete, physical source. Yet, spiritual guidance has been part of the human experience for millennia. It is the inspiration for countless profound moments in history. While we may not be witness to a burning bush that speaks with the voice of God, or be inspired to write the Declaration of Independence, we can develop our own personal relationship with Spirit that will enrich our life and sooth our soul. This is our birthright.
We are never alone. We all have guides. Many of them are angels. Most of us have heard of the guardian angels that protect children as they sleep. Actually, the scope of service provided by angels is much larger. Personal guardian angels (most people have several) are available to assist us in achieving our life's purpose. They can provide help in endless material and immaterial ways. The trick is, they are bound to respect our free will. They cannot interfere with our life, no matter how miserable we have made it, unless we ask. If we are unconscious about guidance in our life, our angels may spend a lot of time sitting around reading comic books. With an actual request for help, however, they can really go to town.

Prayer is a form of request. That's why it is so effective. It doesn't matter who it's directed to; since angels answer God's prayers, it only matters that we ask. We may also call angels to assist us with special problems such as getting home safely on icy roads or finding something. It is important to know that we can make our urgency known in an authoritative way for a just purpose. In those panic stricken moments when one's child is suddenly out of sight in a potentially unsafe situation, we might say, "I need help and I need help right now! Send ten angels to surround my child and keep her safe. Lead me to her now!" This has always worked for me, with my little one found calm and happy. There are legions of angels waiting to be requested for service and we have the right to call on them.

Guides or spiritual helpers can present themselves in many forms. Angels are common. They bring with them a high clear energy and devotion to human service. Power animals represent a more earth-connected form of helper that can provide very sophisticated information and support. The natural strengths and habits of the animal are also available to be called on -- the vision and speed of the falcon, courage of the bear, or gentleness and grace of the deer. Spiritual teachers such as Jesus, Buddha or Mary can be called on for guidance. Sometimes ancestors or previously incarnated souls that have had particular skills in an area that we are developing may inspire us. All are the voice of Spirit. The relationship is ours to develop.

In my classes, I love to invoke the student's guides so that they can feel and experience some kind of contact with their spiritual helper. Sometimes we will request the guides to move one place to the left, so that we can feel how different someone else's guide feels. This helps to establish a sense of reality about the presence of guides.

Besides protection, many of us desire an active relationship with our guides in which we can ask for specific direction and guidance. Should I get married? Go to graduate school? Take this class? What is the source of this pain? How can I support the healing of this disease? Any question can be posed to our spiritual helpers, although inquiries about future outcomes can only reflect potential resolutions based on the energy of this moment. Free will can always be exercised to make new choices; new choices produce new outcomes.

The response to our questions can come in a myriad of forms depending on our individual gifts. Information will come through the channel that is most open. For example, sometimes guidance comes through the physical pain. When all else fails, pain will get our attention. It demands attention. Pain is our body's port of last resort. Many times I have treated people for pain and uncovered the deep emotional and spiritual issues that were held by the pain. It is wise not to ignore pain, for the next step is disease.

Emotions are present to inform us about our experience. Hatred lets us know that something is toxic for us, and we need to get away or set boundaries around it. Envy informs us that there is something that we want to create in our lives. We don't need to take it away from someone else. We simply need to create an expression of that vibration in our lives. Disappointment and betrayal tell us that something is about to end or change. Longing calls us to our life's purpose or the next step of our path. If we are present for our emotions and attune to their messages, we are following guidance.

Intuition is that vague feeling about where we should go and what we should do. It is quiet and often overlooked, yet is linked to the instincts that can save our lives. It requires attention and respect. Most of us are aware of the ways that subtle senses are utilized to receive guidance. We may hear a song fragment, a poem, a sound or a quiet voice respond to our prayer or question. How do we know that this voice is guidance and not our egos? Guides are never critical, nor will they put us down or advise us to hurt someone else. A simple litmus test is whether following the guidance makes our life better. If not, it's our inner critic, not our inner guide. The bottom line is that if we are not comfortable with the guidance we get, we always have the option to say goodbye and ask for a different guide.

Spirit communicates in symbols. If we develop an awareness of personal and archetypal symbols, including (for example) the meaning of colors, shapes and numbers, these symbols may become a mutual language between us and our guides. For those with subtle vision, information can come in both literal and symbolic forms. It is common for people to see colors and images. For some, a whole movie-like scene will unfold. A careful study of the image can reveal the message. Remember that one's personal interpretation of a symbol takes precedence over someone else's. In receiving guidance, our own experiences are our foundation.

A relationship with one's guides can be a source of comfort, peace and understanding. The opening that can develop with practice brings with it a wonderful sweetness and sense of rightful belonging, even companionship. With patience, it will become the work of a lifetime.

Nancy Lee-Evans is a healer and spiritual counselor in private practice in Anchorage. She offers groups and classes in energy healing and spiritual development. To contact her, please call 345-6760.