Sunday 24 January 2010

Sunday Salon - Do you believe in angels?

I am going completely away from my normal Sunday Salon chit chat in order to discuss a subject that I have been reading about and one I would really like to open it up for discussion.

I have been doing some research about angels this week, after reading this rather interesting little book called ' How to Hear Your Angels' by Doreen Virtue. It is a fascinating book that allows you to analyse whether or not you have had an angel encounter as well as to show you how to experience one.

Now I know many of you are aware, I am not very religious and tend to be a little skeptical about things like this, but this book really did get me thinking. I am actually now convinced that I have had an angel experience in my life and I thought I would see what you think.

Now as I said, I am not religious, I am very honest and I have no reason to lie to you, so what I will write is an experience I had which stills stays vividly in my mind and I can only describe it as some outside intervention into my life.

The year was 2006 and we as a family had been planning a rather expensive and once in life time holiday to Disney World, Florida. We were going to stay in The Grand Floridian and I pre-arranged lots of character meals and dinner shows including dinner with Shamu. This would be the first time our daughters had ever been and we were all so excited.

A week before we were to fly to America, we woke up to the news that a plan to bomb all planes flying to America from England had been foiled. The day the bombs were to explode was on the day we were to fly. We were sick with worry. I am not a great flyer anyway and have to take medication in order to fly. So as you can imagine, we were at a loss as to whether to go ahead with the holiday or not. We felt that we were putting the whole family at risk.

My husband and I went over the situation a hundred times and eventually my husband said he would ask his mum to help us make a decision. My husband's mother had passed away when he was eighteen.

The next day we were going to a restaurant with a friend we had visiting. Everyone was in the car except me; I locked up and walked along our garden path and happened to hear something fall to the ground. I looked around and noticed a coin on the floor. I picked it up and stood their completely shocked. In my hand, was an American quarter. There was no one around me at all, for them to drop it and we had not got any American currency out for the holiday. We only ever take traveller's cheques. I took this coin as a sign that we should fly and we did. I still have the coin and I held it all the way during the flight. I even made a scrap page all about it when I got back.



We went on to have the best holiday we ever had and our whole holiday had balanced on this coin which appeared out of nowhere.

What do you think? Was it divine intervention? Or can you explain my experience away? Have you had any similar experiences? Let me know what you think.

23 comments:

  1. I can't explain your experience at all, and I don't think that we are meant to explain those things. If this was divine intervention, I think is a matter of personal belief. I loved reading about it.

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  2. I love this story, Vivienne. I like to be open to all signs - the trick is to be able to recognize the signs :)

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  3. Hi, Vivienne! I always have a thing for angels. I do believe in them and that they're constantly watching us. I feel a certain affinity for the Angel Gabriel, since I was born on a Sunday and I think Gabriel is the Angel for people who were born on that day. Another thing why I like angels is that I was also christened in a church called San Miguel Church (The Church of Archangel Michael).

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  4. Vivienne this post gave me goosebumps. It really did. As you know from my ramblings over the past week I definitely do believe in signs and that my Mum who passed away when I was pregnant with Ruby is around me a lot. Would she count as an Angel, a Spirit, a Presence... I don't know. I totally believe that her Mum was in the room with us on the day she passed and was waiting for her. She had been unconcious for a couple of days at that point but all of a sudden, the night before she left us, clear as day she opened her eyes, looked at the corner of the room and said "hello Mum." Freak us out more than we already were? Yes. Comfort us somewhat? Also yes.

    Although I am not religious I do believe in the afterlife and past lives and all that sort of thing. I am only not religious in a sitting on the fence, don't know what to believe kind of way. (Someone told me once that that makes me Agnostic... I don't know if that's true or not!)

    For me your experience would definitely have been a sign from hubbys Mum but that would just be my own personal feelings.

    The book sounds so interesting - I may have to order it from the library. Thanks for sharing this with us :o)

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  5. I don't know if it was divine intervention or not, but it sure was rather eerie. I'm not particularly religious either, but when I was pregnant, I always felt like I had a guardian angel watching over me.

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  6. Oh Viv what an eerie but amazing story. I do believe that it was a sign from your husbands mother.

    I am not religious either, but I do believe in an afterlife of some sort.

    My brother passed away on Nov 13, 2009, and in the first 6 weeks after he passed, his wife (who is having a rough time) has 13 light bulbs go out in their home (2 were even the same ones). I believe this was a sign from my brother saying he was okay.????

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  7. The skeptical part of me doesn't believe in divine intervention, but I have those moments when I have doubts. I think I have more questions as I get older, go through more and lose people I love. I carry my mother and brother with me every day, but I'm not sure if that's an angel watching over me or just that they were such a part of my life. I'll have to see if I can find the book you are talking about. BTW, I love angels - have them all over the house. It's really not a religious thing - I think they are pretty - but in some ways they give me comfort.

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  8. Thankyou everyone for joining in and making me feel less like a total loon. I had huge doubts about posting this post, but it is nice to see that many of you have had similar feelings or incidents.

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  9. I keep thinking about your post;-). My parents were very religious, but didn't believe in divine intervention at all. On the other hand, I know people who believe in it at the drop of a hat. I think I'm somewhere in between. I guess I can't help but thinking where is the divine intervention for a place like Haiti? So many questions . . .

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  10. I don't believe in angels, but I do believe there is something out there - be that a collective unconscious or whatever - and I know there are things like that which happen and which we can't explain. I mean once, I was searching frantically for my debit card. It should have been in my wallet because I'd just used it at a store but it wasn't there. Jason and i went from one store to the next that we'd been at in the recent past, and we tore my wallet apart three times, and it just wasn't there. Dejected, we went home and planned to call the bank to cancel the card. I opened up my wallet one last time, and my debit card was right in the slot it was supposed to be, where it hadn't been the other three times the both of us looked.

    We can't explain it. It makes absolutely no sense, but it happened. I don't believe it was angels, but I do believe stuff like that happens for reasons we can't explain.

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  11. Well, I do think of myself as religious, although I am not particularly fond of organized religion. I think that spiritual communication (whether it be angels, or a voice from God - or whatever) is entirely possible if our hearts and minds are receptive to it.

    I won't pretend to say that this experience was indeed divine intervention - but I think it is an absolutely fabulous story and I am so glad that you chose to share it with us!

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  12. What a story! I believe in signs, too, although I don't characterize myself as religious...spiritual, perhaps?

    I love angels. I even collect them, along with all the other things I tend to gather around me.

    So maybe, in a way, I am subscribing to the "guardian angel" idea.

    Whatever works, right? So glad your trip went well.

    I don't enjoy flying either...lots of drinks needed to get me into the sky! Of course, they don't provide many on the plane, but a couple beforehand...LOL.

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  13. Ok, this may put me in an eccentric category, but yes, I do believe in angels. I know for sure since my parents have died, angel events have happened to me over and over. My sister and I both talk about this often. As for the coins, both my sister and I have had dimes appear out of nowhere when we need the support or help of our parents. I also have feathers appear, an object that clearly indicates my moms presence. I just can't say why on the Internet. I would tell you about these things off-blog, but I agree with you. Angels are around and among us. Guardian angels are truly here to help. Most people don't open themselves up to the possibility and miss the "divine intervention"

    I know I am alive today because angels protected me from a near fatal car accident. The car was an accordian, and I had not a scratch on me. I walked away after I fell asleep at the wheel, the car rolled and slid sideways into a ditch.

    I have angel cards and have read many of Doreens books. She has so much to say and spiritually it makes so much sense to me.

    Glad you have read this book. Angels are wonderful. :)

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  14. I think I remember either in Dear Abby or Ann Landers columns that people would find pennies on the ground minted in the year a dead loved one was born and believe that it was a message from that person. (Here's an example: http://www.uexpress.com/dearabby/?uc_full_date=20020331).

    I don't know what I believe, really. I don't think I believe in angels, but I do believe in miracles and things happening that we don't understand. I like it that way; I like to think there are still things that can cause wonder :-)

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  15. I do believe, I do believe!

    Loved your story, Vivienne, and I really do think that God sends angels to comfort us here on earth. There are too many people (myself included) who have experienced things like this for it not to be.

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  16. Great experience! And yes, I believe. Like you, I'm not religious, but I believe in the spiritual realm big time.

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  17. Oh wow, I just got goosebumps! I love stories like this. I don't consider myself very religious but I am very spiritual. I've had several "strange" things happen to me so yes, I do believe.

    I'll share a story... I've been driving back and forth between Austin and Dallas quite a bit since I go see my mom in Dallas. One time I was driving and I had heard a song that reminded me of my dad (he passed away 7 years ago) and I got a bit melancholy and I was saying to my dad that I wanted to know that he was watching me and taking care of me. Well, a few miles down I got a flat tire and just as I pulled off the highway the only building around for miles was a mechanics garage with a big "We fix tires" sign out front. The guys fixed my tired and I was on my way home in no time. So maybe that's silly but I guess I look at stuff like that as giving comfort when we need it.

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  18. To think that I almost missed reading this story!

    Divine intervention or not, the "sign" you saw--the American quarter--gave you the ability to go on your trip, and you had a fabulous and safe trip.

    I remember finding a dollar once when I was in college and needed a dollar to get into a party. I felt as if some force put it there for me.

    I think many of us have had similar experiences and in this unstable world of ours, we hold onto little things such as lucky coins or lucky articles of clothing which give us a sense of security.

    But I'm not sure about angels, although I like the idea of them. I have some angel books. :)

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  19. I love this post thanks !
    welcome to my space:links of london

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  20. I do believe in angels, and I think we all have our guardian angel. I also believe in signs, and I do think the american quarter was your sign to go for it!
    http://thebookworm07.blogspot.com/

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  21. what a great story--and it sounds like your vacation was a once-in-a-lifetime trip. i'm so happy you decided to go and that you felt the american quarter was a message.

    i've never really given much thought to to the idea of angels but sometimes strange things do happen to me and i wonder if it's some sort of a sign!

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Hiya, thanks for stopping by, it is always nice to hear what you have to say, so do leave a comment if you have time.