You’ve Got Friends in the “Cloud”
Part Three
You’re Never Alone — Meeting Your Spirit Guides
The Internet and the “cloud” are a vital part of living in today’s world. The Internet is a vast network that extends across the globe. Through the Internet, people can share and connect from anywhere with an Internet connection. The “cloud” refers to software and services that run on the Internet instead of locally on your computer. Your computer can run out of space, but the cloud will not. You can access the Internet and your data stored in the cloud anytime you want for just about any information you want to know.
There is another internet and its cloud. This mystical internet allows us to see and know what we need for our lives when we open it. It is best accessed in meditative prayer. That’s why Jesus did all that praying.
The Bible also refers to yet another kind of cloud — “We are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses” (Heb 12:1). The Greek word “cloud” refers to the seats high up in the sports stadiums of the day. We call them the “nosebleed” section today. In the letter to the Hebrews, you can find the names of some of heroes of the Jewish faith in that cloud, such as Abraham and Moses. Remember that Moses was one of Jesus’ spirit guides.
Contrary to the feeling that we sometimes have that we are alone in this world, we not only have friends in the cloud of witnesses, we have a crowd of them! Let’s look at some of the inhabitants that may be part of your cloud of witnesses and, in particular, your support team.
Spirit guides in the Bible
Let me say a word about the Bible before I dig into it again. The Bible is a mixed bag. I realize that for many people today, the Bible itself gives off mixed signals. It can be life-giving, a dangerous tool of abuse, or boring — all three. Jesus may have thought so too since he embraced parts of his bible, rejected parts, and ignored parts. I like Jesus’ approach, and a significant part of my spiritual journey has been learning which parts to embrace, which parts to reject, and which parts to ignore.
So, knowing some of my readers have found life in the Bible, some have been abused by the Bible, and some have been bored, I still want to invite you to adventure with me to look at the parts of the Bible I have found fascinating. There’s some good stuff in there! In this case, and in particular, the place of spirit guides in our lives.
The spirit guide most often seen in the Bible is called a “messenger” or angelos in biblical Greek. Unfortunately, since the fourth century, translators have chosen to translate the Greek word for messenger, angelos, as “angel.” The Greek word angelos can refer to a human messenger or a divine messenger. The 4th-century Latin Vulgate was the first translation that separated the word into whether they thought it referred to divine or human beings. They transliterated the Greek term αγγελος to create the Latin “angelus” for what they considered divine messengers and translating it appropriately as “messenger” for human messengers. These terms were then used throughout the biblical text, reading angelos back into Old Testament texts. Most Bible translations follow this tradition.
The problem is that the Hebrew and Greek texts do not do this – so the translators impose their theology on the text. Some, including myself, think the word should always be translated accurately – that is, as “messenger.” That leaves it up to the reader to decide if they even want to distinguish between heavenly or human messenger. And it leaves people like me who want to make clear that in the Bible, all these “angels” are simply messengers or “spirit guides” – human, divine — or both.
Another problem with the common understanding of these “angels” is that they are often pictured with wings. Of the 273 times that angels are mentioned in the Bible, not once are they said to have wings. The seraphim and cherubim with wings mentioned in the Old Testament are called by those names and not “angels” as such.
There are more than twenty interactions people have with spirit guides in the New Testament. Perhaps, we miss that experience in our lives because we are expecting someone with wings to appear to us. I see spiritual guides for others all the time, and only rarely do they have wings.
How did spirit guides grow wings?
Angels were not depicted with wings until the late fourth century. The wings eventually developed as a way for artists to differentiate whether they were painting a person or a spiritual being. In the late fourth century, Saint John Chrysostom explained the significance of angels’ wings: “They manifest a nature’s sublimity. That is why Gabriel is represented with wings. Not that angels have wings, but that you may know that they leave the heights and the most elevated dwelling to approach human nature. Accordingly, the wings attributed to these powers have no other meaning than to indicate the sublimity of their nature.”
This has seemed to be a successful visual metaphor that shows the truth of these spirit messengers despite their being invisible. Although these messengers never appeared in the Bible with wings, today, some still find it helpful to see them that way. In addition, wings may serve the artist’s purpose by portraying beauty, flight, and a sense of being beyond the physical.
Angel Pictures
My long-time friend, Marcia Fleischman, was a partner in pastoring our church in Kansas City for many years. She is a beautiful seer, artist, and author. She sees angels with wings and paints pictures of them, and writes books (Angels I Have Seen and Angels Everywhere) that include those pictures that bless many people. She adds her insights here, saying,
Friend with Angels - One of many by Marcia Fleischman she paints for others that includes the friend’s image
“The use of “wings” in artists’ renditions was to signify that people have seen angels moving, floating, so it was an imposition of a structural anatomical expression for their movement ability. I tend to experience angels differently from spirit guides. Angels would be more ethereal and not as heavily laden with personality and the left-overs of being human. Like Moses and Elijah, who had lived and served to guide Jesus while living beyond the veil, they still carry the ability to identify with human life, trials, experiences, emotions, and the history of relating with other people and living in community and its entanglements and complications. Whereas angels are a purer form of spirit being.”
The centuries of thinking angels were winged beings who had never been human may have created a “cosmic groove” in reality, and they are now a co-created reality. In addition to that, if you want your guides to have wings or be “angels,” they will probably connect with you in any form you like. That’s love for you!
Types of Beings of Love and Light in the Cloud of Witnesses
Our spirit guides are those beings of truth and compassion working on our behalf to guide our thoughts and energy to God and love. They are not physical beings and therefore are not limited by the natural laws of time and space of this world.
One spiritual teacher, writing about our primary spirit guides, says, “If you think of all humans as undergraduates in the school of life, think of spirit guides as tenured professors. It’s not something you can apply for on LinkedIn. A spirit guide is someone who has thoroughly mastered life’s lessons. So, while you don’t have to listen to the advice of your guides, life tends to go a whole lot smoother when you do.”
Some spirit companions have been with you for your entire life, even since before you were born. Others came on your support team as you needed them at different times in your life. You can always ask for more spirit friends and teachers.
Your particular team of spirit friends are those dedicated to you from among the “great cloud of witnesses” (Heb 12:1-2). These could include any or all of the following:
Most commonly, spirit messengers are sent to you by God, such we find throughout the Bible. They once lived on earth, significantly evolving spiritually, and now reside in their non-physical bodies. They have evolved even more in the spiritual realm and become mature enough to help us. These are your life-long friends.
These messengers can also be co-created by us and God as ethereal beings who have never lived on earth and often are seen having wings and referred to as angels.
Light beings are luminous beings of radiating white energy that seem to be only accessible in the enchanted magic of the subtle realm. When Jesus referred to himself as light and us as light, was he making a connection here?
For some, spirit animals appear as guides or comforting presences. This is especially common in shamanic traditions. Or they might be a pet you once had who passed away and is now part of your spiritual guidance squad. Spirit animals can also be those that have something to teach you, like a peacock teaching you the importance of beauty or a wolf showing you the importance of getting your survival needs met. Spirit animals can show up for the first time in a dream, in your backyard, or in a reflection in water.
Sometimes referred to as Ascended Masters, Jesus, Buddha, Mother Mary, and others were once human, living journeys of profound spiritual growth and influence. Now they have a special place as leaders in the spirit world and as guides and teachers to humans like us. Beyond the limitations of time and space, they can help a great many of us, all at the same time. Spiritual masters work together in harmony, no matter what culture or religion they were part of when they were alive.
Departed loved ones or family members may occasionally be one of your spirit guides and encourage you from the non-physical spirit realm. Remember that death does not instantly make a person spiritually mature. Still, ancestors are often initially more-easily experienced because we’re so familiar with the feeling of their presence in life.
What About Spirits that are not Beings of Love and Light
Your guides are always loving. However, that does not mean that all spirits are loving. Some “lesser” spirits are those seemingly trapped between heaven and earth, looking for someone to connect with for their own help. Some are simply immature and not wise or loving enough to be your guides. The easiest way to “discern the spirits” (1 Cor. 12:10) is to check with Jesus. He knows who fits for you and who does not. If your access to Jesus is hindered by past religious abuse, then ask, “Does this presence feel like love and light? If you have any hesitancy, then move on. There are so many guides that are full of love and light, so you don’t need even to consider one that is not.
You’re Never Alone!
When the slightest reality of the companionship and help offered to you by beings of light and love begins to seep into your life, you realize something amazing — you’re never alone! You have never been alone! And what’s more, you will never be alone!
Disasters and crises may come and go. But you are never alone in facing them. Being in touch with your friends in the spirit realm gives you strength in times of sorrow and pain. It gives you light in times of darkness. From Jesus to Mary and all of your spirit companions, you are not alone in your journey to become who you indeed are.
They understand what you’re going through because they have been there. They now see everything from beyond the limitations of space and time. You are always loved and cared for in the struggles of life.