After the Storm: An Angel Message

 

Late yesterday afternoon, a LOUD clap of thunder rumbled so hard, the house shook as I sat at my desk on my laptop by the window.  Soon a dynamic flash of lightning coincided in an explosion of light as I looked at the live-camera view of the bright noon-day sun rising in Fairbanks, Alaska! A place that I called home for two years in my 20's. I still like to peek in every now and then. And the Daily News Miner has a live cam set up for viewing.

Psalm 91 helps me to find peace in the midst of a storm. A comforting reminder that I am never outside of God's loving care because I abide in the Shelter of the Almighty.  We are always in the presence of God's angels who are here to watch over us, guide us and protect us in all of our ways. Always.

At dinner time, something wonderful happened... the sky was dark-gray everywhere except off to the west.  A glorious sunset colored the sky with a rosy pink hue-- a living portrait of graceful trees standing tall in the rain.  A touch of heaven.  And, I remembered a favorite quote: Every leaf on every tree perpetually declares God is Love.   

Love and peace,

Rae Karen 

Life Changes: An Angel Message

As I began to write at my desk just now, I happened to look up in time to see a flock of ibis flying in V-formation high above the treetops.  Moving in a new direction, a sign of the coming 2025.

 Many years ago, I found a little "prayer" card freely offered at a print shop where I'd gone to have color copies made of a vintage postcard of Christ knocking at the door. 

 It was one of those precious times when I felt the touch of  God's presence moving through my life.  I'd made a major life change earlier that year, leaving behind my old life and moving to a new state to work on an angel assignment in film production.  With that job now complete, and without the security of my former government salary for 20 years, in fear, I wondered, what was up next?  

 

The little prayer card was the perfect answer in that moment because I found peace as I read:

Do not look forward to the changes

and chances of this life in fear,

rather look to them with full hope that,

as they arise, God will deliver you

out of them.

He has taken care of you before.

Do hold fast to His dear hand,

and He will lead you safely through

all things; and, when you cannot stand,

He will bear you in His arms.

Do not look to what may happen tomorrow...

the same everlasting Father who cares for

you today will take care of you tomorrow

and every day.  Either He will shield you

from suffering, or He will give you

unfailing strength to bear it.

Be at peace then, and put aside all

anxious thoughts and imaginings.  

Amen.

--Author Unknown

It turned out more was going on than I realized.  God knew my pressing need.    Never am I alone, separated from the love of God nor are you.  To embrace this comforting Truth, the first step is to calm any anxious thoughts, and be still and feel the loving, peaceful Presence well up from within.  A way will open up, one step at a time in the now, but I must be willing to open the door and invite Him in.

Enjoy your day with the Angels, and watch for wonderful synchronicity to come your way.

Love and peace,

 

Rae Karen

On a Spiritual Journey: An Angel Message

Do you ever feel an overwhelming need to do something wild and crazy, to go with the moment, break the mold.  Just because...   

It happened last week at the grocery store. When I rolled my cart by a table of holiday gifts, I caught a glimpse of a giant pink flamingo under the table.  Something inside me lit up.  I'd been craving pink, but I had my list, and quickly moved on among the busy shoppers. Elliot and I had split up with our separate lists to speed up the trip. 

All went well until... our bags were finally loaded in the trunk, and we were leaving. An angel message tugged my sleeve. Go back and get that big pink flamingo.  You need it.

When I told Elliot, he gave me a look, like, really?  Then, he smiled and pulled out his wallet. I ran back inside and pulled that big giant bird out from under the table. My arms were full of pink feathery wings as I ran to self-checkout, wondering what I was doing, greeted by smiles.   As I approached the car holding Rosie, Elliot grinned, surprised by her size.    

Soon Rosie was at home on the loveseat in my office, bringing joy to my inner child, and everyone who enters.  

Curious, I looked up the spiritual meaning. A symbol of freedom, relaxation, and individuality.  Also a symbol of liberation from the material world, and the spiritual journey to find one's true self.  

A journey we're all on whether we realize it or not. And, how wonderful to be in the presence of our angels who lighten our load and brighten our day if we listen.

 This morning when I turned on my computer, I laughed. The computer-generated daily photo was a pink flamingo!  An angel confirmation that my hearing is good.

Flamingos glow with the color of the rose, an emblem of both human and divine love.  The color pink symbolizes compassion, mercy, love and charity.  May we have an abundance of these gifts of the spirit as we journey home. 

Love and peace,

Rae Karen 

Merry Christmas!

                           

"There were...shepherds abiding in the field,

keeping watch over their flock by night.

And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them,

and the glory of the Lord shone round about them,

and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them, "Fear not, for

behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy,

which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of

David, a savior, which is Christ the Lord."

                                                 Luke 2:8-11

Merry Christmas!

 (Artwork:  The Angels Appearing to the Shepherds by Thomas Cole)

Welcoming Archangel Gabriel and The Winter Solstice

 

 Today our cheerful amaryllis "trooper" trumpets in honor of Archangel Gabriel, who brings glad tidings of new life during the winter season.  This was the bedraggled flower that had done its best to bloom in a soil-less box that I blogged about earlier.  She definitely straightened out, greened up, and blossomed, a triumph to new life and the power of love in action.

Archangel Gabriel, the governor of the season, is named God is my strength. He announced to Mary the role she would play in the miraculous birth of the Christ child. Gabriel also appeared to Zechariah and called him by name, announcing God's plan for his barren elderly wife Elizabeth to conceive a baby. He would become John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ Jesus, The Light of the World. 

Archangel Gabriel as the angel of Love and Hope helps to stir a greater appreciation for the divinity within each of us.  The winter solstice is a time to kindle our inner light in spite of the outer darkness as the days grow shorter.  By spending quiet time in contemplation and meditation, we will awaken to our true divinity.

During this time of year, the angelic hierarchy draws closer to the earth, bathing the world in rays of divine love. This outpouring brings an expansion of consciousness beyond the physical world for those who still their minds and attune to the heavenly blessings.

Another great testimony to new life comes from this older Christmas cactus.  After blooming several years ago, I tucked it under a bush outside the porch, and let it be.  A few weeks ago an angel nudge prompted to give it a second try.  I revisited the plant all dried out in a pot. I'll admit that I didn't expect much.  It had been through two major hurricanes.   Once inside the house, nourished with love, it burst into bloom, with more promising buds.  It's never too late to have a new beginning. Keep doing your best with great faith.

Love and peace,

Rae Karen 

A Full Snow Moon Rarity

 Late in the evening on December 15th, I hurried outside to get a look at the final full moon of 2024, named the Cold Moon or Snow Moon by the Mohawk nation.  I wasn't disappointed.  Tall tree branches formed a lovely image of a nature Christmas wreath around the brightest moon I've seen.   This full moon also marked a lunar rarity.  One that occurs every 18.6 years. It happens when the moon reaches the extremes of its orbit around the earth.  It rises and sets at its most northerly and southerly positions on the horizon called a "major lunar standstill."

A favorite description of the moon comes from the class movie, It's A Wonderful Life. Jimmy Stewart  trying to strike up a romance with Donna Reed asks her what she would like.

Would you like the moon?   He offers to lasso it for her.  She smiles, and says, "I'll take it!  Then, what?"

"Well, then you can swallow it, and it'll dissolve, see... and the moonbeams would shoot out of your fingers, and your toes, and the ends of your hair..."

Have a light-filled holiday season.  The angels are with you now and always...in all ways.

Love and peace,

Rae Karen

One French Hen... New Beginnings - An Angel Message

 On Sunday,  a close encounter of the feathery-kind happened out-of-the-blue at a lake about 12 miles outside of town.  When an animal or bird makes a spectacle of itself, an angel message is in the wings. Sitting in the car with Elliot, looking out at the expansive lake, I turned my head in time to see a comical sight.  A pair of large bird feet strutting along the opposite side of a pick-up truck/boat trailer parked next to us!    

Look, Elliot! I pointed at the clawed feet.   I got the big picture when the most beautiful chicken bravely strutted over to my car window to greet me.  The striking bird seemed like a character in a children's story book, dressed in elegant finery that would put a Parisian model to shame. 

Where did she come from? A rural lonely stretch of the road to the lakeside park, I hadn't seen a farm house.  Friendly and animated, her soft clucks were a sign she enjoyed my compliments on her bright beautiful layers of red, rust, gold and green feathers as I snapped away. Even her leathery clawed feet were fashionable, scratching at the loose gray pebbles in the parking lot.    

Chicken synchronicity played a hand in the surprise visit.  Earlier that week, I'd sent a friend a vintage Alaskan postcard of an old town named Chicken for her upcoming vacation to Alaska. I remembered the fun we had learning to do the Chicken dance years ago at Mom's retirement home. That memory prompted a postcard of native Alaskans doing a dance to demonstrate their life story.  Mine would be The Chicken, I laughed, writing it out on the card.

And, here less than a week later, I'm face to face with a chicken.  Ha!  Thoughts are things. Don't chicken out.       

Curious, I found her breed on-line, a French Hen...  like in the carol The 12 Days of Christmas.  A French Wheaten Marans-- imported in the 1930's from France. More synchronicity as our oatmeal is stored in a French country rooster tin with fleur-dy-lis symbols.

Later, I learned that when a chicken appears, it's time to let in new beginnings in every part of your life, to react to strengths and weaknesses, to recognize change, and to accept the rules of the moment. Tell yourself "that's how it is" this moment, and try to grow and learn from it.  The only time that counts is now.  A pecking order is established by the flock--peck by peck boundaries are set, strengths tested.  Each member gains or loses rank depending on momentary strengths or weaknesses. So pay attention to your reactions.

Chickens are very alert, searching the ground for food, clucking loud with each finding, and missing almost nothing.  In your life pay attention not only to the inner changes, but what comes at you from outside.  Consider the applicability of every encounter, and do not forget to give your full attention to how it's expressed.  Proclaim your own perceptions, unaltered, and honestly.  All these perceptions then come together as a whole, creating new beginnings.  

 

I'm so grateful for all the inspired angel blessings that come to teach and guide the way in love. May I have ears to listen and learn wisdom.  

"For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.  They shall bear thee up in their hands lest thou dash thy foot against a stone."  Psalm 91-11-12

Love and peace,

Rae Karen

 

 

(Ref:  Animal-Messengers, An A-Z Guide to Signs and Omens in the Natural World, Regula Meyer)

Angel Vision

 

This year Mom's Christmas angel needed a new string of tiny lights on one wing.   Her grandson got creative. When threading the short strand of lights through her left wing, he ended up with one bright bulb crowning her halo. It seemed like a touch of Mom's humor.   I remember the day mom gifted the angel to us.  After her eye appointment, we had stopped by Big Lots near her doctor's office.  Strolling down the aisle with a shopping cart, I rolled by the tall angel standing on display.  Mom called me back to take a look.  "Would you like this angel?" she asked, surprised I'd miss it.  Even with dim eyesight Mom had angel-vision.  

"The footsteps of thought, rising above material standpoints, are slow and portend a long night to the traveller; but the angels of His presence--the spiritual intuitions that tell us when "the night is farspent, the day is at hand"--are our guardians..."                       (Science and Health, With Key to the Scripture)

 May the Light of Christmas gladden your heart and bring you peace and goodwill. May we embrace the angelic companions and recognize these dear unseen friends who brighten our way.

Love and peace,

Rae Karen

 

 

 

 

A Sweet Tooth Delivery at the Buttercup Bakery

 

Yesterday, on an errand run, Elliot and I spontaneously followed an angel nudge and took a detour.  We stopped by the The Buttercup Bakery to see the birds and fill a sweet tooth.  Several tall Wood Storks were waiting at the Drive Through service window. 

We ordered a delicious strawberry muffin and took a seat at the patio table but this animated Wood Stork took the cake.  His creative pose seemed like a set-up.   Two large pink feet firmly planted in the center of a colorful mosaic flower.  A picture of patience, I snapped away in the sunlight.  Then,  I got the angel message:  Bloom where you're planted.

Suddenly a kaleidoscope of blessings created one of those perfect moments to remember.  Overwhelmed by the beauty and simple joys of life, my eyes misted, catching me off guard as The First Noel played on the airwaves...  The First Noel, the angels did say...  

 It has been a hard year...but the past was over.    

Storks are all about delivery, new birth, new beginnings, and creativity.  When the sun is the brightest our shadow comes out to play.

The angels remind us to keep doing our best to shine in every situation. No self-doubts...put more faith in the spiritual than the material. A new beginning, a new birth is at hand.  Be spontaneous and give Love enough elbow room to make a way.  Angels are with you now and always in all ways.  Rejoice.  

Love and peace,

Rae Karen 

A Flower Apostle's Message of Hope

 

During the sudden cold snap this week, I was in for a surprise.  The flower apostles delivered

a wonderful message of hope.   A wild buttercup had strategically bloomed at the foot of our

tortoise statue in the mulch bed out-front.   I welcomed the hardy lesson, to keep on doing your best, moving forward, slow and steady, toward the goal to win the race. Don't get side-tracked. The

best is yet to be. 

 

Yellow is the color of faith and the little Buttercup had bloomed, shouting out a blessing during

a wintry blast. 

The angels offer encouragement, and guide us to have faith in things unseen.  The best is yet to

be as God intended through His beloved Son, the Light of the World.

Love and peace,

Rae Karen

Where's Santa? Seeking & Finding

 Yesterday an impromptu trip to the public library brought unexpected surprises.  At the Nest bookstore, the librarian invited me and Elliot to play a Santa game.  We were to search for a Santa Claus she had hidden in the book shop and the winner could pick out any book for free.  Pointing to the picture posted of Santa on the door, she said, "It's exactly like this one."  

I love a treasure hunt and no other customers were around as Elliot and I spread out.  I eagerly began to look for Santa using my logical mind, my eyes quickly scanned the rows of book cases.  It seemed an impossible task to find Santa.  But something caught me by surprise. A peaceful angel thought suggested,  Why not stand still in the room full of books, and quietly ask for guidance. A good idea as I'd forgotten to tune in and listen. I closed my eyes. If this is meant for me, show me the way. 

In the stillness, I happened to look up high turning my head to the right.  LOL! I caught a glimpse of Santa's toy bag sticking out from behind the Friends of the Library framed sign on top of the bookcase.   I reached up and grabbed jolly St. Nick returning him to the smiling librarian at the desk.

Now to find the prize, a free book of choice. The bigger the better...was my ego's first thought...but then a quiet inner voice suggested: Why not choose a memorable book, a reminder of the lesson you just learned about seeking and finding within.  In a matter of minutes, I found it. Lighthouse Psalms - God's Gift of Hope and Direction.  A beautiful collection of serene seascapes and psalms on guidance and direction.   

More was to come... it didn't occur to me how perfect the Lighthouse book selection was until later at home.  I opened the book randomly for guidance.  Directing Every Detail  popped up on a page:

The steps of a man are

established by the LORD;

And He delights in his way.

                         Psalm 37:25 NAS 

 

A picture of a golden sunset with Canadian geese in flight.

 

God arms me with strength

and makes my way perfect.

                         Psalm 18:32 God's Word 

 

A perfect gift from Santa. In the days to come, my hope is to take this angel lesson to heart, and go within before I go without when looking for guidance and hope.

Enjoy your day with the angels.

Love and peace,

Rae Karen

 

A Surprise in a Box: An Angel Message

 Unexpected surprises may come in ordinary packages.  Last week I got a big one, along with a powerful angel lesson on perseverance and resilience.

While shopping for a new bathroom light fixture, I was sold on a store display of Amaryllis kits. It brought back memories of eager time spent waiting for the Christmas flower to emerge out of an ugly brown onion shaped bulb in a pot.  Watching the slow progress through many stages,  finally the Amaryllis  bloomed in splendid beauty, heralding velvet-red trumpet flowers.

 I didn't assemble the kit right away, thinking to gift it to a garden friend instead, but an angel thought nudged, keep it.  I was glad I listened.  Christmas would have been too late...  Because when I popped open the carton... what a pitiful, yet amazing sight!  Somehow the Amaryllis had adapted, and managed to grow from a soil-less bulb.  I gasped at her plight. With no sunlight, her long crooked stem was white and so were her flattened leaves pressed together in the cramped box.  Yet inspite of her dire circumstances,  a swollen red bud had opened on her head, humbly bent down low.  

Immediately, I was touched by her resilience.  But to be honest, I had a fleeting thought to return the kit for a refund.  In my heart I knew this wasn't about money. It was about love. And, that's what this struggling flower needed most.  I talked to her softly, thanking her for the gift of endurance, and  encouraging her she would have a second chance.  Quickly, I mixed the packet of loamy soil, and placed "Little Mary" in a proper pot to bask in the sunlight,  along with our prayers for the angels to help her heal and grow strong and tall. 

It's been wonderful to watch the transformation. Each day, pale leaves and stem are turning green, raising up, growing straighter.  And, more red velvet blooms are opening toward the light. A testimony to the power of prayer, light, and love in action.

I learned the Greek word "amarysso" means "to sparkle".  And, "Little Mary" has added sparkle and joyful inspiration to our Christmas holidays.   

Turns out, Amaryllis represents female energy, resilience, and motherhood. The name "Mary" is planted in the name Amaryllis, and this amazing Christmas plant has connections to the Blessed Mother who brought the world a precious Gift of Light and Love.

Love and peace,

Rae Karen

Angels Rejoice at His Birth

 Following a friendly angel nudge opened an advent door on Saturday. On our way home, an ARROW pointed down the road to a garage sale. Loving a bargain, we set off in a new direction.  The signs soon disappeared, and just when about to quit, another bold ARROW soon popped up, turning us down an unfamiliar street. 

Driving along the rural road, passing a lake, we somehow bypassed the turn to the garage sale.  But all was in divine order.    Because suddenly we happened upon something spectacular.   A field full of life-size white-winged angels! Rows upon rows--they gathered in white satin gowns, with gold ribbon sashes.  Gazing at the heavenly scene, it was as if a portal had opened in the presence of holy angels. A soft breeze ruffled their long-flowing gowns enlivening their presence with a touch of the divine.    

A large banner, between two old oaks, joyously proclaimed the reason for the season. 

A multitude of Angels marveled at His birth.

The Savior is Born! 

 Excited, I hopped out of the car and thanked the two earth angels (putting up their decorations).  "Look at our license plate!" I laughed.  Both women smiled at ANGEL LOVE.  Turns out, there are 39 angels, each one a memorial for a departed loved one--family member, friends, and some angels were sponsored in partnership with their local church over the years. 

 We accepted their invitation to drive by that night to see the lovely vision. Shortly after sundown, the pink sunset gave way to a darkened sky over the cow pasture.  We made the short drive to visit the Christmas story.    

 

Nearing the property, I rolled down my window as we parked to take in the holy night.  The babe in the manger, Mary and Joseph, the three Magi, shepherds, and sheep.  And, all those lovely angels aglow in the still of the night stirred cherished memories of my loved ones-- friends and family-- no longer here to celebrate Christmas with us. A palpable presence of love welled up as I imagined my departed loved ones, angels in the heavenly realm standing tall with the others radiating love and peace. My eyes suddenly misted with overflowing gratitude for the many gifts shared together through all the years.  

Those angels we'd first seen in the daylight now took on a more meaningful and deeper perception at night.  It's when times are the darkest, angels appear to light our way in our hour of need.  During this season of the year, the nights are the longest, and angels bend down close to the earth to celebrate the wonder of the Christ child, the Light of the World, and to share God's Love. His precious gift of Life eternal to the world.  

Love and peace,

Rae Karen