Do you believe in angels? Are
guardian angels real? Do you have an angel watching over you? John
Ronner offers five ways you can tell whether you have an angel
looking after your well-being.
How to Know if You Have a
Guardian Angel
by John Ronner
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 nine-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 safety restraint and take a sleeping
pill. But then she heard a voice whisper to her: "Fasten your seat
belt. You're in 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.
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
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