Angels and “A Course in Miracles”

Reflections on angels and what these heavenly beings can offer

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Miracles One Day at a Time is a newsletter about A Course in Miracles, but it is also about inspiration and possibility. Globally, across diverse religions, beliefs systems and faiths, one of the most inspiring figures is that of the angels. Angels, those heavenly beings of goodness, light, positivity, and beauty are found in Christian, Islamic, and Judaic traditions. Buddhists traditions include the concept of tennins, heavenly figures that can serve as messengers.

Other traditions around the world also include the notion of ethereal, disincarnate figures who guide and support humanity, offer praise to the divine, and liaison between the needs of this world with the wisdom and peace of heaven. Angels are therefore conceived of as proactive and guided by an interest in advancing goodness and offering aid.  

For centuries, artists have depicted angels in myriad ways. Angels have been envisioned as baby cherubs that float in delight, or depicted as warriors in battle against the forces of darkness and evil. Their wings represent their divine nature, setting them apart from the mundane and terrestrial. The figure of the angel has functioned to offer solace in times of despair and challenge, to explain the metaphysical origin of evil (and the triumph of good over evil), and to offer hope.

Certainly, angels transcend the framework or dogma of any one tradition. Many who do not adhere to a particular tradition or those attuned to new age perspectives find the angelic to serve as a productive focal point in meditation and prayer. They have become part of the broader culture given their depiction and inclusion in countless books and movies. Pop songs make reference to angels and musicals as well as plays continue to include angels as central characters.  As such, the efficacy of the angelic seems to be largely in the ability to inspire, enlighten and even entertain. 

A Course in Miracles contains a few references to angels across its volumes. The text says,

Around you angels hover lovingly, to keep away all darkened thoughts of sin, and keep the light where it has entered in.

The workbook states,

Angels light the way, so that all darkness vanishes, and you are standing in a light so bright and clear that you can understand all things you see.

God's angels hover near and all about.

I do not believe that language, terms, or words in the Course are used arbitrarily. While the Course does not provide or give a definitive definition as to what angels are, it does suggest what they do and, as in the second quote, invokes their capacity to provide light, and to remain close to us and all about or around us. 

The closest, perhaps, that A Course in Miracles comes to providing a more exact explanation for angels may be found in workbook lesson 303.

Watch with me, angels, watch with me today. Let all God’s holy Thoughts surround me, and be still with me…

It could be that the phrase “God’s holy thoughts” is referring back to “angels” in the prior sentence. As such, angels may refer to, or be a way of understanding, “God’s holy Thoughts”. The invocation of angels is a calling out, a prayer, for thoughts of goodness, peace, joy, and love to surround us, to be one with us and to be still within us. The Course refers to God as a mind. Angels can thus be likened to the thoughts of God. 

It may be fair to say that the above passages suggest that angels are a powerful symbol and thought that is potent with goodness; angels are a thought that resonates with our true selves and cuts through the static of our egos, or loveless thoughts and false sense of self. Angels call us to attend to and reflect upon something beyond our immediate senses, beyond this world, and a focus upon that which transcends our immediate surroundings.

When we call to the angels, when we invoke their aid or assistance, we are then, in effect, calling upon the thoughts of God and asking for divine intercession in our daily lives. 

From the lens of the Course, the emphasis is one our thoughts, and thus the intersession takes place within the mind. The mind is the level of cause. Actions, events, circumstances, and the world around one is the level of effect. It is only by bringing change about at the causal level that we can experience changes at the level of effect. 

The passages in the Course referring to angels suggest that these are powerful figures with which to think with and reflect upon in order to become receptive to the holiness and peace that dwells within and that is our truth.   

Does this mean that a focus on angels is vital or critical to working with the Course or employing a Course perspective? No. I do not believe so. 

As shared, angels are not mentioned often in the more than 1,000 pages that constitute the Course. Yet perhaps they are mentioned in the Course because they transcend so many cultures and belief systems. Since ancient times, the notion of the angels has resonated with the human psyche; perhaps from a Jungian perspective, they function as an archetype to tap into our better natures. Angels become a means ( through prayer or meditation) to think the thoughts of heaven (and think with the thoughts of heaven) and enact these in our daily lives. 

Be they guardian angels, archangels, cherubs, thrones, dominions or seraphim, angels can offer a meditative focal point and assist us in letting go of loveless thoughts towards embracing thoughts of peace and joy.

What are your thoughts, reflections, and perspectives on angels? How do you view angels in relation to A Course in Miracles? Please feel free to share in the comments below. Also, if you enjoy this newsletter please use the share button and post to your social media. The support for this work has been gratifying and I thank my subscribers for their enthusiasm. If you have not subscribed please make sure to do so.

Have a great week everyone.