British acclaimed author and facilitator, Chrissie Astell has written this inspiring article to remind you that you are never alone. There is always an Angel by your side.

I am so lucky!

I have been blessed with a wonderful job that takes me into places with groups small and large, all over the country. I travel throughout England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales (and sometimes into Europe too…) where I spend my time meeting wonderful people and hearing their stories, all about angels. I have met amazing people, made scores of good friendships and developed a role that serves others whilst teaching me how to develop my own angelic connection. As I learn to deepen my own spiritual practices I’m also helping others to discover their own. Without angelic guidance I would not be doing this.

You could say my career in ‘mid-life’ was inevitable, and it has certainly been seen in my astrology by clever people who study the stars. But since my mother channels messages, and has seen fairies, angels and spirit beings since her childhood … and as my father was a healer and is still deeply spiritual and ‘knows things’ … and as my great grand-father was a Methodist preacher, you might say it is in the genes!

But it was following a painful marriage separation in 1997, and which I fondly refer to as becoming ‘young, free and single’ again that I took up the career which would lead me deeper into an irreversible spiritual journey.

It was while I was nursing in a residential nursing home in Essex that my angel work really started in earnest.

Most of my spare time, when I wasn’t working in the hospice, was taken up with angel ‘parties’. These were evening talks and sessions in people’s houses, introducing angels and guided meditation, and selling a few books and gifts of angels in all shapes and sizes.
I lived on the top floor of the Bryant & May match factory building in Bow, east London and my car was in the basement. Every morning as I waited for the automatic garage doors to rise I would call in each of seven Archangels to be with me and bestow their gifts of blessing on me in every aspect of my day. It became a ritual, and soon developed into a prayer which I would say every time I left the building. By the time I reached the high road I would be glowing, and calm.

I would call upon Michael for protection, Gabriel for wisdom and guidance, Chamuel for love and self esteem, Zadkiel for joy, Jophiel for enlightenment, Uriel for strength and peace, and Raphael for healing.

One of the angels I have always asked to be with me and bless each interaction throughout my day is Raphael, the great healer. I would ask Raphael to use me in any appropriate way to bring healing; whether it be through a smile, gentle touch or by simply using the right words to bring comfort to anyone I might meet during the day.

Raphael has been a great influence on my life over the past years. He is not only the great healing archangel but also works with the ascended masters in scientific discovery and uncovering universal truths about the workings of the cosmos, our beautiful plane Earth. Raphael guides us in medicinal cures and works closely with anyone who has chosen to serve in caring and healing professions. Not surprisingly he is also the guardian of travel and self discovery, helping us to discover truths about our selves along our spiritual journey.

I had already done a short course in healing (with the angels) and combining this with my nursing was very compatible. However, I was always aware of an unwritten universal law that guided me away from ‘giving’ healing to anyone who had not asked, but just to be available as a conduit, or vessel, for healing energy should the situation arise. Time after time I became aware of opportunities to serve in this way.

One particular day a friend in Guernsey fell and badly broke his elbow. Already in his sixties the doctor told him that the healing process would be a lengthy one and that his plaster would be removed in six weeks to check on the progress, but that it would likely take a further six weeks to heal. I asked him if he would like some daily ‘spiritual’ healing and he readily agreed.

I meditated on my friend, his fracture and asked Archangel Raphael to help mend the arm. I decided to enlist another healer friend and the three of us agreed a time of midday – every day. As we two called our angels closer and connected in mind (wherever we were at the time) at midday we concentrated our thoughts and attention on sending loving healing to my Guernsey friend’s arm whilst he, at the same time, stopped and concentrated his thoughts on loving healing light and energy surrounding and healing the broken bone and tissue.

Six weeks later the plaster came off. The consultant was very surprised that for ‘a man of his age’ his arm had healed so quickly. X-rays showed that the bone had completely knitted and instead of reapplying the plaster for another six weeks, all he needed was some physiotherapy to strengthen the muscle surrounding the fracture. Of course, my friend was over the moon! And I had my confirmation that even distant healing, especially combined with the magical power of three, really do work.

In all my excitement of constant new spiritual discoveries, coincidences and synchronistic meetings at that time I was keen to prove the angelic healing techniques to myself whenever possible. I needed to establish that this healing gift was not actually ‘of’ me but ‘through’ me in close connection to the healing angels. Those who have trained in spiritual healing – in whatever form – will understand my lack of confidence, and the need to continually test myself and the energy flowing through me until I gained total trust.

When you are nursing and working with the elderly and dying it is impossible not to develop a fondness for some of the long term residents and patients.

One of my particular favourite ladies had been a spiritualist medium in her younger days and was always making me laugh with messages for me from beyond the veil.

One day as I walked into her room to massage her legs and give her the morning medication she amused me by saying “ Ah, I knew were here today dear, … the angels have just shown me a vision of you riding tandem with a lovely young man…. He was at the front peddling, and you were sat on the back with your feet stretched out to the sides shouting for him to stop going so fast!”

Then another time she said “As you walked through my doorway I saw a huge gift above your head, beautifully wrapped in lovely paper and tied with a big bright red ribbon. It’s from the angels… you have been given a wonderful gift dear, I know you will have a good life ahead of you”. I asked her what was in the box, and laughed out loud when she scoffed “Oh they don’t tell me what it is dear…they won’t tell me that!  It’s only for you to know!”

Vera was lovely, but crippled with arthritis and could only walk from her chair to the bathroom with a frame. Everywhere else she had to be taken by wheelchair.

I had often confided in Vera, and she knew all about my work with the angels. One morning I asked her to take part in a little experiment with me, which she happily agreed to do. I explained that I was going to call on healing angels to help with her pain and asked her to do the same.

So I sat down in front of her on a little foot stool and I massaged her legs and knees with her prescribed cream as I did every shift, and this time I said a prayer. I silently invited the Archangel Raphael to be with me in this exercise and for God to send his angels to help me relieve Vera’s pain. I asked that I may be used as a channel for healing energy and that this would go to wherever it was needed in Vera’s body, and for however long.

I closed my eyes. The light in the room seemed to turn green. Within a split second I felt a surge of energy run down my arms like electricity. My hands were resting on Vera’s knees and they felt very hot. My entire body felt light, as if I was floating somehow and I had a sense of complete love – Bliss.

Within what seemed like only a few moments I could hear my name being called and knew I must finish the exercise and return to the unit where clearly, as I was in charge, someone needed my attention.

I thanked the angels and opened my eyes. The room was full of sunshine but there were four green lights somehow dancing around Vera’s head.
There before me Vera had changed.
Of course she was still the same old lady, with lines and bent body, but she was so beautiful, so calm, and so serene. It was very moving.

As Vera opened her eyes she smiled. “That was so beautiful dear.
There were two enormous angels standing at your sides, both with a hand on  your shoulder and around my head there were four tiny winged angels all glowing in a bright green light… almost like fairies.”

That day Vera walked all the way from her room along a lengthy corridor to the dining room for lunch, with only a frame and one carer by her side.

Now, I’m not stating that the exercise took away Vera’s arthritis, or indeed that she was cured of the pain. But something happened that day, for the whole day, and it dramatically changed things for her. Whether the angels had completely taken away her pain, or whether it was the power of prayer, or even just her strong faith, we’ll never know… but it had a profound impact on my trust in the angels and their ability to heal, from that point on.

By Chrissie Astell © 2009

www.angellight.co.uk