A 1993 poll by Time magazine provided one of the most detailed looks at how Americans view angels. About two thirds of respondents reported that they believed in angels. Nearly half said they had a guardian angel. In fact, about a third declared that they had experiences with their angels. The great majority described the angel as a superior, non-human being -- the classic religious angel. But a minority, about 15 per cent, disagreed. They considered an angel to be a departed human being.
How can you tell if, as the popular TV show put it, you have been “touched by an angel?"
Well, you may literally have been touched. Some report physical contact. A South Carolina businessman accidentally fell overboard. The boat’s skipper realized some eight miles later that he was gone, executed a perfect 180-degree turn and miraculously found the victim in the ocean nearly an hour later, still treading water and floating – but at the end of his strength. As he sank, the businessman felt hands grip him, support him and propel him to the boat.
You might see a dazzling being of light – the angel in its native glory. A 9-year-old Iowa farm girl accidentally locked herself in her father’s refrigerated meat truck. Some time later, slowly freezing to death, she shut her eyes and prayed for God to “take" her to relieve her of the painful hypothermia. Through her closed eyelids, she noticed a light. When she opened her eyes, she saw two shimmering columns of light – beings of some sort – that glided to her side, levitated her and carried her to the locked door, which now opened by itself. She was deposited outside in the hot August sun.
You might hear voices calling to you. In 1989, after her plane took off, travel agent Shari Peterson prepared to loosen her seat belt and take a sleeping pill. But then she heard a voice whisper to her: “Fasten your seat belt. You’re in the for the ride of your life." Within minutes, an explosion tore a huge hole in the plane’s side – right next to her seat. She watched in horror as nine passengers were sucked out of the plane, but her belt, though strained, held her in place. The plane plunged 1500 feet per minute toward the ocean. Lights blacked out, and passengers screamed or quietly spoke final words to one another. Peterson prayed for help, and “in my mind’s eye," she said, “I saw this hand just swoop out of the clouds ... go almost under the side and bring the plane down gently." The violent descent stopped, and the plane limped back to safety in Honolulu amid the cheers of the passengers.
You may have a strong feeling to do or say something – even something that seems illogical at the time – which later turns out to be correct course of action. 10 nights in a row, Cincinnati office worker David Booth had nightmares of an American airlines jet flipping over and crashing down in a huge fireball. Every night booth woke up crying. The FAA took his dreams seriously and tried unsuccessfully to identify the particular jet – figuring it was either a Boeing 727 or a DC 10 from Booth’s description. Booth never had the nightmares again after May 25, 1979. On that day, actress Lindsay Wagner, TV’s Bionic Woman, had a strong negative premonition as she and her mother were about the board an American Airlines DC-10, Flight 191, at Chicago’s O’Hare airport. Wagner canceled the pair’s reservations. Seconds after takeoff, one of the jet’s engines broke off, the jet flipped over, and crashed, killing all 273 aboard in a horrible fireball.
There are other telltale signs, but perhaps the most common indication could be a meaningful coincidence or “synchronicity." In 1799, a suicidal William Cowper hailed a London taxi and asked to be taken to the Thames River, where he secretly planned to drown himself. In thick fog, the cabbie wandered aimlessly, finally giving up the task as hopeless. He confessed to Cowper that he was too lost to even get him back home. Cowper stepped out of the cab and suddenly realized he was right in front of his home! He went inside and composed a church hymn still often sung today: God Moves in Mysterious Ways His Wonders to Perform.
More at EverythingAboutAngels.com
John Ronner published his first magazine article at age 15. As a longtime newspaper reporter, John won awards from The Associated Press and other news organizations. Since the mid-1980s, John has spoken with hundreds of people about their experiences. He has discussed his findings in interviews with The Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly and other publications and in appearances on such national programs as The Phil Donahue Show, The Learning Channel, Sightings, and the NBC special Angels II. His 140,000-plus books are in print in three languages. More information at EverythingAboutAngels.com.
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