Spiritual Guides: Ten Lessons I Learned From the Angels
By Doreen Virtue, Ph.D
Spiritual Guides
The more I talk to my angels, the more I learn. Here are ten lessons they have taught me that have changed my life.
1. Live in integrity. The angels said to me, "Spend your time doing activities that match your highest intentions. Let go of things that your intuition prompts you to surrender. Those things may then either become healed so that you enjoy them, or else the activity will easily drop away." The angels urged me to trust my heart. They assured me that I would be safe to turn down work that didn't match my true interests. I quickly found that the angels were right!
2. There is only now. "You are complete and whole now. Don't cast your eyes on what tomorrow may bring - this implies you are imperfect or lacking now, and that you will be whole when something external comes into your life in the future." When the angels said this, I realized that I had been living for the future. My focus was on what tomorrow would bring me, instead of my present blessings. I now make a mental "gratitude list" each night.
3. All conflict is inside your mind. "Any conflict you see or experience in the outside world is a projection of your ego. In truth, the world is completely at peace and you project your fear or peace onto the world. You don't want to resolve your inner conflict, but you do want to get it away from yourself. So you project it onto other people and think that 'they' are the ones who are causing you discomfort. Other people are neutral, blank slates and you color them with your own meaning and definitions. Then, you react to them as if these colorations and definitions were real. Other people, in turn, treat you in the way that you expect, in a self-fulfilling prophecy." As the angels explained this, I realized how often I had allowed fear to create miserable times for me. But always, I had the power to choose the thoughts and feelings I ascribed to all situations.
4. Purify your diet. "All food has vibration, and you want to vibrate as high and fine as you feel attuned to. Eat a diet of fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, and whole grains, which have the highest vibrational frequencies. Avoid meats, dairy, alcohol, sugar, chocolate, and caffeine, which have the lowest vibrations. And remember that the essence of all foods you eat affects you long after the food is digested and gone." At the time that the angels told me Lesson #4, my diet was already quite healthful. I had given up meats, fowl, and alcohol. Still, there was room for improvement so I followed my guardian angel's dietary advice and adopted a Vegan approach to eating. The improvement in my energy and outlook was drastic and immediate! Instead of feeling deprived, choosing healthful foods felt easy and natural.
5. Don't give in order to get. "Let go of outlining the results that you expect from giving. You will get results from giving; that is the universal law. But it is not up to you how the cause and effect will be circulated. Plus, if you expect something in return, you haven't truly given away anything. Instead, you're holding it in consciousness, expecting to get something first before you fully release it." Once again, I felt embarrassed as the angels saw into the depths of my soul. They knew that I was a giving person. Yet, I had to admit that I'd sometimes given with expectations of receiving something in return. With full trust in my guardian angels, I decided to let go of all strings attached to my gifts to others. Almost immediately, I began receiving surprising rewards, such as new business opportunities and wonderful experiences with friends.
6. Spend time alone in nature. "Sounds and smells of nature are invisible, so they take your mind to the invisible realm of spirit, where things vibrate higher and faster than matter. There are healing properties in nature. Also, there are very real nature angels. You can ask these nature angels to heal you. Being in nature helps you to adapt to the natural rhythm of the earth, and since timing and cycles are a part of everything, you become more in sync with the rhythm of life." At the angels' urging, I ventured away from my desk more and began spending my lunch hour outdoors. The fresh air, sunshine, and fragrance of flowers all help me to meditate on deeper levels. I sit outside and ask the nature angels to surround me.
7. Detach from matter. "When you are attached to matter in thought, you stay attached to the products of the ego mind, and thus stay attached to the ego. There is no way of escaping this law. Mind upon matter is the ego mind." My guardian angels made it clear that there is nothing wrong with material items. Matter is neutral, according to the angels. They also realize that we humans have material needs, such as food, clothing, and shelter. However, when we overly contemplate material items - such as continuously thinking about money or possessions - we are focused on our lower-self nature, instead of our higher self.
8. Judge not. "You judge others as a way of protecting yourself, to keep them away from you so you won't get close to them and get hurt. But we have told you that you don't need to think about your safety. You are safe, and an overwhelming thought pattern of concern about your safety can bring the very thing you fear into your life." The angels explained that we draw to us whatever we think about. If I obsessively think about physical or emotional danger, I create a climate in which my worst fears come true. With practice, I began noticing the moment when I'd judge other people. I began releasing my fears to the angels, and felt my judgmental habits gradually disappear.
9. You live where your consciousness is focused. "If you think an unloving thought or a thought devoid of love such as competition, envy, or worry, you feel pain. You ARE your consciousness and you feel the effects of where your consciousness is focused. You do not want pain. Therefore, choose to give your unloving thoughts to the light." At first, this lesson was painful for me to face. I'd always thought that my outer circumstances influenced my happiness. Yet, the angels insisted that this was backwards, and that my thoughts colored my world. They told me that my happiness didn't hinge upon what I had, but instead upon what I thought.
10. In all things, give glory to God. "Seek not glory for yourself. In essence, though, when you give glory to God, you are giving glory to that part of yourself that is one with God. By giving glory to God, you stay out of your ego state, and stay centered in your higher self consciousness." Initially, my lesson humbled me. But before I could slip into feelings of shame, my angels boosted me with the reminder that - since my true self is one with God - I was praising the real me every time I gave glory to God.
The ten lessons are now ingrained and permanent parts of my daily living. When my clients compliment me about the crisp clarity of the Divine guidance I receive during our sessions, I say, "Thank you, but all credit goes to God and the angels. They taught me how to receive the Divine guidance. I deserve credit merely for following that guidance, because - thanks to them - I'm now a very good listener."
Doreen Virtue is a spiritual psychologist who holds Ph.D., M.A. and B.A. degrees in Counseling Psychology from Chapman University, a leading private university in Orange, California. She is the author of twenty-two books about mind-body-spirit issues. Read more at: http://angeltherapy.com
