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From deep antiquity to the present, the world over, people have reported encounters with beings thought to be messengers or agents of God. Such beings, commonly called angels in Western culture, figure prominently in the traditions of many religions, including Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Islam and Christianity, and are usually said to concern themselves with the well-being of humans and the relationship between humans and God. The Sanskrit term deva, adopted from the East in contemporary New Age philosophy, connotes not only angels but also a host of similar (often smaller) beings thought to concern themselves with the well-being of kingdoms of nature other than the human.

Rarely has the existence of angels been more widely accepted than it is today in the United States. Although "alien abductions" get more media attention, recent polls suggest that angelic encounters may be far more numerous. Whereas some 10% of adult Americans believe they have seen a UFO, and a smaller group (the number is uncertain) believe they've encountered an alien, fully 32% of U.S. adults say they have felt an angelic presence.

Some researchers believe there is a strong similarity and overlap between reported alien and angelic encounters, but there are important and consistant differences as well. Reports of angelic encounter typically make no reference to any kind of technology, whereas alien encounters almost always include some technology. Compared with presumed aliens, angels seem to be markedly non-intrusive and to have only the human's well-being in mind. Leaving aside the comparatively rare reports of negative or "fallen" angels (which some religiously oriented researchers equate with so-called "gray" aliens), most encounters with angels are said to leave a profoundly positive impression, almost always signalling a change for the better in the life of the human experiencer.

Generally, angels seem to have four main functions in human lives:

1. delivering messages or instructions
2. providing comfort or encouragement in hard times
3. providing protection or deliverance from danger
4. providing direct physical healing

Examples of each of these functions are given in the cases below.

Belief in angels no doubt persists in part because of long-standing religious tradition. But a major -- and perhaps the main -- factor in today's resurgence of belief is the fact that many people are reporting profoundly impressive encounters. No matter what angels "really" are, millions of human lives in the U.S. alone have apparently been changed for the better by someone, or something, that was experienced as an angel. For this reason alone, angels deserve to be taken seriously.

Nonetheless, it is fair to ask: Are angels real? And if so, what are they, really? Angel researcher -- and devout believer -- Eileen Elias Freeman, author of the best-selling book "Touched by Angels," says: "Angels are another race of sentient, intelligent beings, different from humans, far more ancient and powerful, wiser and more evolved...created by God to serve the divine, not only in...worship...but in helping to form and keep in existence our world and other heavenly bodies. Angels have their own society and values, hierarchy and activities. They have consciousness and will and purpose." But, Freeman continues, "Angels are not a society of glorified human beings....The ancient writings are clear that angels are a separate species, one that predates the appearance of the human race... We and the angels are on parallel tracks as far as our development is concerned."

Interestingly, a CNN/Time magazine poll taken in December of 1993 indicated that 55% of U.S. adults essentially agree with Freeman's ideas. Another 15% said they considered angels to be spirits of departed humans. Only 25% of U.S. adults considered angels to be merely symbolic or imaginary. Of course, in matters this mysterious, the majority is not necessarily correct -- but no one has yet explained how symbolic or imaginary angels could make such a big difference in so many human lives.

And why are angelic encounters evidently more numerous now than in the past? Is it only because the stress of modern life calls forth more extravagant fantasies, as countless humans reach the limit of endurance and pin their last hopes on divine intervention? Some psychologists say so. But many angel experiencers reply that it is only when the human heart calls out for help that the angels -- literally -- make their presence known.

• Devas Guide the Creation of a Fabulous Garden
  Peter and Eileen Caddy and Dorothy MacLean were co-managers of a large hotel in England in the mid-1960s. But after an inexplicable series of troubling incidents cut into the business, they were asked to leave and found themselves unable to secure other work. About that time, Eileen Caddy began having extraordinary meditations in which she felt she was receiving messages directly from God. Her husband Peter, already at wits' end, decided he would do whatever God instructed. As a result, the group moved hastily and with almost no resources to the northern Scottish village of Findhorn.

  Their lot did not improve in Findhorn, however. There was no work to be found, food was scarce, and they were almost destitute. They took up residence in a ramshackle trailer caravan outside of town, near the sea. Then Eileen got a message that would change their lives entirely: start a garden.

  Peter Caddy was a man of great energy and enthusiasm. Having agreed to follow the messages, he immediately started a garden. It wasn't easy in the cold climate and sandy soil of that area -- plus, he knew nothing about gardening. But with a great deal of effort, he and Dorothy managed to get some things growing.

  

  Then, one day, Dorothy was contemplating a sweetpea plant, when she thought she heard a voice. Looking around and seeing no one, she turned back to the sweetpea plant. The voice sounded again, and she realized it was coming from the plant itself.

  In short order, the voice identitied itself as the deva of sweetpeas -- that is, a spirit being whose task was to watch over the well-being of the sweetpea species. Dorothy soon learned that this deva wanted to instruct her in the proper way to grow sweetpeas. More than that, this deva informed Dorothy that other devas, associated with other plants in the garden, also wanted to offer advice.

  Just as Eileen Caddy seemed particularly tuned to messages from God, Dorothy MacLean found she was able to communicate with the realm of devas. Though Peter Caddy had no such special gifts, he did have the energy and willingness to undertake anything the devas requested. Soon, instructions were coming thick and fast. Certain species had affinity for certain others and should be arranged in the garden accordingly. Each required tending in a special way. Very precise amounts of fertilizer and other soil additives were prescribed for each species. And certain areas of the garden were to be left wild, for the particular use of the devas.

  Following the very specific advice of the devas, Peter and Dorothy created a garden that quickly became world famous. Horticulturalists came from far and wide to see for themselves how these people could grow 8 pound tomatoes, make roses bloom in the snow and do all sorts of other incredible things. Peter, the spokesman for the group, always gave one simple explantation: the devas were showing them how to do it. Peter assured everyone that he knew nothing about gardening and could never have done this on his own.

  The spectacular events at Findhorn soon attracted hundreds of people who came not only to help in the garden but also to build a spiritual community which thrives to this day. The garden is not so spectacular now, though still very productive -- it is said that the devas wanted to make a point with visible miracles in the garden, then let the Findhorn people move on to more important spiritual tasks. Many who have visited Findhorn over the years say the place still teems with angelic energy, and miracles happen every day. (Source: "The Magic of Findhorn" by Paul Hawken)

  A Dying Man Receives Peace of Mind

  Melissa Deal Forth, a filmmaker in Atlanta, will never forget the day her husband Chris Deal died. It was exactly one year after he had been diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia. The last months had been gruesome: treatments that could not save him, nights when she could not sleep. But she was sleeping soundly at his hospital bedside on the morning of January 4, 1983 when Chris managed, somehow, without being seen or heard, to maneuver himself and his portable IV pole around her, out of the room and past the nurse's station with its 360 degrees view of the ward. All Melissa remembers is being shaken awake at 3 a.m. by a frantic nurse who was saying something about not being able to find Chris.

  Melissa hit the floor running. As she approached the elevator she happened to glance toward the chapel, where she glimpsed Chris sitting with a man she had never seen before. Frightened and furious, she burst through the door, firing off questions. "Where have you been? Are you okay?"

  Chris just smiled. "It's fine," he told her, "I'm all right." His companion remained quiet, his eyes on the floor as though not wanting to be noticed. He was tall, dressed rather like Chris usually did, in a flannel shirt, new Levis and lace-up workboots that appeared as if they, too, had just been taken off the shelf. "There was no real age to him," Melissa says. "No wrinkles. Just this perfectly smooth and pale, white, white skin and ice blue eyes. I've never seen that color blue on any human before. They were more the blue like some of those Husky dogs have. I'll never forget the eyes."

  

  Chris seemed to want to be left alone, and so she reluctantly agreed to leave. When he came back to his room, she says, "He was lit up, just vibrant. Smiling. I could see his big dimples. I hadn't seen them in so long. He didn't have the air of a terminally ill and very weak man anymore."

  "Who was that guy?" she asked.

  "You're not going to believe me."

  "Yes, I will."

  "He was an angel. My guardian angel."

  Melissa did believe him. "All I had to do was to look at him to know something extraordinary, something supernatural had happened." She searched the hospital to find the man. There was no one around, and the security guards hadn't seen anyone come or go. "After the visit, Chris told me his prayers had been answered. I worried for a while that he thought the angel had cured his cancer. I realize now it wasn't the cure, it was the blessing he brought with him. It was the peace of mind." Chris died two days later.

  In the years since Chris's death, Melissa says not a day has gone by when she has not thought about the angel and what he did for her husband. "Chris's life could not be saved, but the fear and pain were taken from him," she says. "I know what I saw, and I know it changes lives. Never, never will anyone be able to convince me that angels don't exist." (source: "Angels Among Us," by Nancy Gibbs, in Time magazine, December 29, 1993)

  A Woman Is Saved From a Possible Mugging

  Eileen Freeman, author of the book "Touched by Angels," tells that when she was attending Barnard College in New York City in 1970, she walked one day to visit a friend at his apartment on 121st Street near Broadway. She was about to walk up the front steps of the apartment building when she felt a strong hand on her left shoulder, which made her stop. She looked around, but saw no one nearby. Puzzled, she put her foot down on the first step, intending to climb the stairs, when the strong hand again brought her to a full stop. Whirling around, she still saw no one. But then she heard a clear voice: "It would not be wise for you to go in there just now."

  

  As a young child, Eileen had had a memorable encounter in her room at home with a being she believed was her guardian angel. At that time, the being had spoken with her; and now, sixteen years later, she remembered the voice perfectly. She says her heart jumped and she looked around anxiously, hoping to see the angel again. But she saw nothing.

  Eileen was torn. Her friend Victor was expecting her, but the angel's warning seemed serious. She decided to take a few minutes and visit the Corpus Christi Church, just across the street. Sitting quietly in one of the pews, she puzzled over the strange encounter for the next fifteen minutes. Then she began to hear sirens in the distance, coming closer.

  Going back outside, Eileen was shocked to see a number of police cars and emergency vehicles parked in front of Victor's building, lights flashing. Police officers were running up the stairs, guns drawn. Eileen ran toward the building but was stopped by an officer, who told her there was an emergency and she must leave at once. She turned and ran all the way back to her dormitory. More police were still arriving as she ran away.

  Eileen was confused and shaken. She had no idea what had happened, and when she tried to call Victor, he didn't answer his phone. It wasn't until hours later that she managed to reach him. She began by apologizing for missing their meeting. Victor jumped in: "I didn't think you would have been able to get in. You saw all the cop cars. Well, there was a woman murdered in the elevator, stabbed to death by a drug dealer. It was awful."

  He kept talking, but Eileen's mind was now whirling with other thoughts. She sat down hard on her bed. The murder had occurred only moments after she first reached Victor's apartment, in the same elevator she would have taken. It could have been her -- it probably would have been her, she thought. She got down on her knees and gave thanks.

  This story raises a disturbing question: if Eileen was actually saved by an angel, why did the other woman have to die? Are angels partial to certain humans -- does even God play favorites? Throughout history, similar stories have raised this question time and again, and there has never been an answer that satisfies everyone. But Eileen Freeman is sure of one thing: her guardian angel was at her side that day in New York City. (Source: "Touched By Angels," by Eileen Elias Freeman)

  A Woman's Terminal Cancer Disappears

  Ann Cannady recalls the day in July 1977 when a third test result confirmed she had advanced uterine cancer. Her husband Gary, a retired Air Force master sergeant, had lost his first wife to the same type of cancer and did not know whether he had the strength to go through it again. "We spent the next eight weeks scared and praying, praying and scared," says Ann. "I kept begging God, saying, 'Please, if I'm going to die, let me die quickly. I don't want Gary to have to face this again.'"

  Ann is convinced that her prayers were heard. One morning, three days before she was to enter the hospital for surgery, Gary answered the doorbell. Standing on the step was a large man, a good inch taller than her 6-ft. 5-in. husband. "He was the blackest black I've ever seen," Ann says, "and his eyes were a deep, deep azure blue." The stranger introduced himself simply as Thomas. And then he told her that her cancer was gone.

  

  "How do you know my name, and how did you know I have cancer?'' Ann stammered. Then she turned to her husband and asked, "What do we do, Gary? Should we ask him in?"

  Thomas came inside and again told them she could stop worrying. Ann, still confused, looked at the man and demanded, "Who are you?"

  "I am Thomas. I am sent by God."

  Next, Ann recalls, "He held up his right hand, palm facing me, and leaned toward me, though he didn't touch me. I'm telling you, the heat coming from that hand was incredible. Suddenly I felt my legs go out from under me, and I fell to the floor. As I lay there, a strong white light, like one of those searchlights, traveled through my body. It started at my feet and worked its way up. I knew then, with every part of me -- my body, my mind and my heart -- that something supernatural had happened."

  She passed out. When she awoke, her husband was leaning over her asking, "Ann, are you alive?" and pleading for her to speak to him. Thomas was gone. Ann, still weak from the encounter, crawled over to the telephone and called her doctor's office, demanding to speak to him right that minute. "I told him something had happened, and I was cured, and I didn't need surgery. He told me stress and fear were causing me to say things I didn't mean."

  In the end they reached a compromise. Ann would show up at the hospital as scheduled, but before the operation, the surgeons would do another biopsy. They would keep her on the operating table at the ready. If the preliminary test came back positive, they would proceed as planned.

  When Ann woke up, she was in a regular hospital room, the doctor at her bedside. "I don't understand what's happened," he said, "but your test came back clean. We've sent the sample off to the lab for further testing. For now, though, you appear to be in the clear."

  There has been no recurrence of the cancer. At first Ann was hesitant to talk about it for fear that people, including her children, would think she'd "lost it." They didn't. Even her doctor, she says, acknowledged at one point that he'd "witnessed a medical miracle." (source: "Angels Among Us," by Nancy Gibbs, in Time magazine, December 29, 1993)

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