Now it’s time to get back to some storytelling. While my last few posts did not stray from my theme, this blog is primarily about sharing stories on how my everyday experiences contain some light. I am excited to share another true story with you. It’s about angels and me. So once upon a time……

But first,  here’s a little background –

Early Influences – My childhood was not filled with angels , except for the movies and one angel story. Glinda from The Wizard of Oz was an angelic archetype for me, as was The fairy godmother from Cinderella . I longed for both of them to enter my life. Perhaps those figures fueled my interest in shows like Touched By An Angel and films like City of Angels.  Once my father told me a story about Gabriel and how we come into this life.

This version was taken from http://sangabrielshorn.com/history.htmhttp://sangabrielshorn.com/history.htm

There is a tradition that Gabriel is the Angel of Birth. It is said that he carefully spends the nine months of the pregnancy watching over each unborn child and instructing that child on the necessary knowledge of Heaven that is an inherent part of all people. Just before birth, though, Gabriel touches each baby on the upper lip to make the child unable to remember all of the information about Heaven until the child returns to the spiritual state at death. The sign of Gabriel’s Touch is the cleft just below the nose.

I remember wondering how this process actually works and became very curious about life before and after we incarnate. It was a pleasant memory of religion for me amidst a typically fearful religious atmosphere laden with guilt, rigidity, obedience, and tradition for tradition’s sake. This particular  story contained mystery and magic, which is probably why it has stayed with me throughout the years.

Watch – A few years ago my watch stopped working and I was told that I could no longer replace the battery. So I looked for replacement right away.  I found an inexpensive but delightful bracelet watch which was part of a holiday collection. I liked the fact that it stretched to fit my small wrist and that it was mostly copper in color, making it neutral. It had the most lovely assortment of charms.

The bracelet had lovely angelic figures alongside stars and engraved sections displaying peace, hope, love, bliss, etc. What seemed to be unusual about this watch was the reaction I got wherever I wore it:  coworkers, neighbors, passengers on the train,  strangers in elevators , medical technicians: everyone would grab me and ask ” Where did you get this watch? ” I figured  it must be the angels. I will never forget the time I went to Pendle Hill for a Quaker gathering. One evening we stood in a circle holding hands. I heard a noise, looked down, and then noticed my watch had scattered into pieces all over the floor!  I felt the sadness of this loss and wanted to find a way to turn it around. Instead of getting it repaired  I decided to honor its unraveling by giving away some of the angels. I gave away some of the charms to special women while at Pendle Hill. Later I gave away a few more to other significant angels in my circle  This process was very powerful and transformative. It showed me that the energy associated with the watch can live on in a different form.  I still have a few pieces of the watch.

 See below:

Automotive Angels –

About a month ago, I took my car in for an oil change. The car is reliable but old and well-lived. The shop mechanic said the car was excessively leaking oil and transmission fluid.  I did not have the money to pay for major repairs. The car had been making odd noises while in reverse, which I chose to overlook. I’m feeling pretty lousy and frustrated since I have put plenty of money into the car and recalled past experiences with failed engines and transmissions. As I am about to leave, a man calls over to me . I had not seen him  before, either in the waiting area or in the garage until this moment. He looks like someone straight out of Central casting: A balding hefty guy with big glasses smoking on a cigar. He looks over at me and says ” Sometimes an excessive oil leak is not what it sounds like. You can just check for oil.” Than the mechanic comes out and says ” We can tap off the oil for free anytime you come by.” Then the cigar dude says ” See what he said.” and he grinned at me. A few days later I go to a transmission center for a free transmission check. I  tell the manager what happened and I describe the odd noise the car makes in reverse. As I hand him the remote, I mention that the keys have begun to fall off the chain because the remote has broken. A few minutes later the manager calls me over to look over the vehicle. Apparently the brakes were making that noise signaling the need for repair. He also said that there are some leaks but that the transmission is not in need of any repair at this time. The noise was gone after he repaired the brakes and he also fixed my key remote!

I believe the broken remote is symbolic and the restoration  of the key remote represents a healing:

According to http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2010/01/19/the-symbolism-of-the-key-7787842/

Both physically and magically, a key can both unlock and lock things. This ability to be on both sides of the same argument is sometimes called ‘antagonistic’ and you come across it quite a bit in magic. You can see it in the saying ‘under lock and key’, which when you think about it is rather overstating things; why not just ‘under lock,’ or ‘under key’? But the presence of lock AND key shows the antagonistic side of keys… we turn the key in the lock one way, and deprive someone of their liberty. Turn it the other way and we set them free. The lock doesn’t work without its key, and vice versa.

The Roman god Janus (the month January is named after him) was, amongst other things, a god of doors and beginnings, and was often shown holding a staff and a key. In Christianity the iconography of the key is almost always associated with the Apostle Peter, since he was supposed to be the keeper of the gates of heaven. Sometimes the key is shown in double form.

If you hand over a key then you are granting someone power. Granting someone the freedom of a city is an example – giving them a key to the gates means they can come and go as they wish.

In the same way, when young people celebrate their 21st birthday they are often given a symbolic key ‘the key of the door’ although what door exactly is rarely ever specified. What I think it means is that when they reach 21 they used to be considered an adult – and the key symbolised their newfound power to access the world of adults and all that it entails. At least, that’s my theory!

This might also explain why keys can symbolise being initiated – the key gives you access to knowledge that was previously hidden. So when we say something like, ‘The key to inner happiness…’ (or winning the lottery, or the key to success) we’re unconsciously drawing on the key symbolising arcane knowledge. And knowledge is power.

In my case, the concept of initiation really resonates for me. As I reflected on the chain of events, getting the oil change alerted me to the need to get the transmission checked. Having the transmission checked resulted in fixing my brakes, which potentially saved my life and the lives of others. Meeting both the man with the cigar and the transmission shop manager helped restore hope in my heart, access knowledge, and reclaim my power.

I wondered if the man with the cigar was real. Could he have been an angel? He certainly showed me kindness during a challenging time and appeared virtually out of the ethers. His intervention helped me find the strength to get the transmission checked. What about the transmission manager who fixed the brakes , fixed the remote, and solved the mystery of the odd car noise? He fixed the remote without prompting and free of charge. He also gave me a discount on my bill, which was substantially smaller than major transmission work would cost.

There is no neat resolution to this story. The car will require frequent fluid checks to assess a need for major repairs. I am still unable to afford a new car. Yet I learned so much about my assumptions about cause and effect. I also was gifted with another round of synchronicity, which tells me I may hold the key to something larger than 3D reality.

Finally, this saga is in need of a soundtrack. I am providing the music for the closing credits. I am open to suggestions for more musical accompaniment as well as reactions to this tale.

Who are the angels? Glinda, Gabriel, The bracelet watch, The folks who received the charms,  Cigar dude?

 paintings by Josephine Wall 

related reading on mystical mechanics –http://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/856599-way-of-the-peaceful-warrior

related post – https://lindalitebeing.wordpress.com/2013/02/24/litebeings-guide-to-the-movies/