Hello Everyone,
Right now we are having another horrible heat wave, and I am relaxing, enjoying drinking nice ice cold
water, with lemon slices in it and having a nice chat with family members and letting others do the work around me, getting things for me, making me comfortable, putting up the shade umbrellas etc.
Right now we are taking a break while the men
folk do their manly duties and offer up “burnt offerings” to the “Propane Gods” also known as bar-be-quing. And a fire extinguisher is near-by with
Pizza delivery on speed dial for just in case the propane gods are not happy, I
and my adult nieces do not take any chances.
But before the bar-be-que ritual got started we chatted
about an interesting question because I’ve had people ask me both here on the
blog and among family and friends, “Why do you suggest to petition a saint or
pray to a saint for help?”
The answer is easy, because there are times when we need all
the help we can get.
Sometimes to petition or to pray to a Saint that has or
governs certain aspects or situations, helps the petitioner focus their energy
on getting either the answers or help and lots of times both, it helps to draw
towards you what you need to get something done.
Or in other situations to banish or get rid of that which
you don’t want.
But if you are not familiar with the Saint, or are of a
different belief it can be strange or uncomfortable to do that. As my granny use to say “That is not a
problem. Introduce yourself.”
Yes, introduce yourself, or have your guardian angel
introduce you to the particular Saint you feel will help. We all have guardian angels even if you’re
not Christian, we all have them, even when they are unknown to us.
Now guardian angels are different from Spirit Guides, they
are a different phylum or species, I know that it sounds like I’m referring to
different animals or plants but you have to take in that we, as Homo Sapiens,
are different from Neanderthal but are in the same major over-all grouping,
like all animals all are mammals but not all mammals are the same, like whales
and dolphins are mammals but they are different from the horse, or cow.
It’s the same with Guardian Angels and Spirit Guides. Guardian Angels were created directly from
God, but have never been incarnated as a living being on earth, they help with
higher spiritual matters, Spirit Guides although their souls are created
directly from God, were created to incarnate on earth and live at least one
earthly life and help with direct more earthly spiritual matters, both were
created to assist us in our life learning.
Doreen Virtue has a wonderful article about angels and
spirit guides and if you are interested in understanding them further I’ve
provided you with this link:
Guardian angels will give “letters of introduction” to the
Saint in question on your behalf. Yes,
I know that sounds so very Victorian but that is how it works--- from very
early civilization when a form of writing was created to a little past the mid
20th century, a letter of introduction was usually written by
someone who would know you to give to someone who doesn’t know you but knows
the person who wrote the letter, an early Victorian form of “networking”. Now it’s done by Credit Karma, and Facebook,
it does lose a certain elegance and grace done that way.
To do a proper “letter of introduction” it’s best to first find out all you can about
the particular Saint you want to work with,
with the older saints a current,
updated copy of “Butler’s Lives of the Saint’s” or at least the concise edition
will help but unfortunately only takes us up to 1991. Given how often Pope John Paul the II was canonizing
saints, I’m sure there are a lot more since then. But the concise edition will give you an idea
who might work best for your petition and you can do a quick look up on the
internet.
Once you have an idea which saint will work best with you,
write out a petition (aka letter) to your guardian angel asking them to speak
to that Saint to introduce you to them.
Light a glass enclosed Guardian Angel candle, you can find them in
Supermarkets or Drug stores in their candle section if you don’t have time to
go to an occult or metaphysical shop (I have to admit I am a bargain shopper,
sometimes you’ll find them in the Dollar Stores).
Once you light the candle place your letter in front of it.
Next you pray---now I’ve had people ask me “How do I pray?” Wiki How http://www.wikihow.com/Pray-for-Your-Guardian-Angel gives
these excellent steps on how to pray and I’ll reproduce it here in text (those
remarks within these brackets are mine):
First ---Be grounded and focused. Be relaxed, sit in a
comfortable chair and pray at a time when you will not be disturbed. Focus on
communicating with your guardian angel.
2
Breathe. Breathe from your belly if you are able to - this
way you can focus on the breathing and relaxation will come easier. Focus on
the prayer you want to make. If there are any thoughts that are popping up in your
head, let them go and focus back on the prayer.
3
Visualize. Visualize that there is a white light surrounding
you - with you. It banishes all negative thoughts and behaviors. Breathe in the
light in until you feel that you are completely at peace with yourself.
4
Relax and meditate. Relax and meditate for a couple of
minutes. If you have any thoughts, let them go and continue with the
meditation. When you feel like you're ready, say: Guardian angel, come to me.
Exhale slowly and say to yourself: With love and joy, so let it be.
5
Pause. Pause and repeat this breathing exercise for as long
as you like, then let it fade away. Continue breathing and set yourself open to
your guardian angel. No matter what you see or feel, stay relaxed and centered. (it is at this moment that you offer up your
petition or prayer, pray it out loud and then carefully burn your letter or
petition, light it from the flame of the candle and allow it to burn out in a
fire proof dish or pot.)
6
Give Thanks. Thank
the divine for this gift and experience.
7
Watch the light fade. When you are done, again see yourself
surrounded by white light and see it disperse or fade into Mother Earth. Slowly
come back to the physical world. (Do not stand up immediately as you could be
slightly dizzy, start to breathe more normally, drink a glass of water to help
ground you further, this glass of water is separate from what you offer on your
altar)
These steps are also excellent when you are petitioning the
Saints or the Divine Presence, even if you are petitioning the Christian
aspects of the Orisha’s or Loa’s. I say
that because you have to start somewhere.
For the next few days watch how the guardian angel candle
burns, take notes, write it down, observe the flame, how it acts, if smoke is coming
from it, what direction the flame leans or where the smoke drifts, observe any
soot in the glass, and any wax remaining.
If you are burning a free standing candle watch what images forms, and the candle either glass enclosed or free
standing should be white and burning in a safe location away from little
fingers, curious pets and flammable curtains, cloths or objects.
If you are not sure what direction the smoke is drifting
besides left-right-towards you-away from you, get a cheap toy compass from a
toy store and place it near the candle with the needle of the compass pointing
towards magnetic North, that will give you an idea and help interpret the
readings even better.
After 5 days to a week you will have your answer if the
Saint wants to really work with you all the time or if it’s the right Saint for
your situation.
Now I have said to different folks who have asked questions
or comments to petition for their situation to either St. Expedite, St. Joseph,
St. Martha, St. Clara, etc. well they
will help you especially for an immediate cause or situation, but the more you
work with them, the Saints in general, the more you may need those “letters of
introduction”.
When I was a child (too many years ago) Granny had me do a
letter of introduction to my guardian angel before I received my first
communion (I’m Catholic) and she said for me to write in my letter to have my
guardian angel let all the Saints know that I would be “calling upon them” at
different times for different situations.
Eventually before confirmation (some 7 years later) I would know who
would be my Guardian Saint, through signs and inclinations.
And it was hard because two of them showed up, which one to
choose, both were perfect. My Uncle who
was also my God Father, said “We’ll toss a silver coin into the air and the two
Saints can decide” so a sliver dollar
was tossed with heads being one saint and tails being the other, it had to be
silver to avoid any influence by any negative energies. And that was my primary Guardian Saint but
my secondary Saint helps me out as well from time to time.
So if you want to be on the safe side because you are not
sure which Saint you may want to call upon, then do a general “letter of
introduction” and then observe the
candle and also listen as well, not only as to how the candle and flame talks
but also for any other signs.
Just remember they will never turn you down, they may say
either no or yes but more often like “Well here is something that would work
better for you.”
I will, from time to time post about different Saints that
one works with the most frequently in doing “the work”.
Now I must go, it seems that the “Propane Gods” were happy and
dinner is about to be served.
Bright Blessings,
Ms. Q
No comments:
Post a Comment