Praying to the Angels

I haven't ever been big on prayer.

We weren't a religious family growing up.  We are Catholics, did the whole Sunday school thing because that is what you did as a catholic kid, but rarely went to church on Sundays. Our Sunday school was actually on Saturday mornings, which made Sundays a non-issue.  Maybe that was the beginning of the end.  They did get smart though, and now Sunday school is back on Sundays.

I digress.

My point, we were what I like to call convenient Catholics.  Did it when we needed to, ignored it when we didn't.

Now this doesn't mean my family wasn't/isn't spiritual.  My mom read to me from the bible, we were taught that Christmas and Easter were about Jesus and not a big guy or a bunny.  We were encouraged to believe in god.  We just didn't do the whole church thing.

As I became older and the church became more separated from the spirituality, I became more spiritual.  When in times of struggle, I found myself calling upon spirits to help guide my decisions.  It was a knee jerk reaction, often done in a pleading and aggressive nature, but the underlying truth is that I did believe there was something out there that moving the pieces of the puzzle.

Since I've become a parent, I've relied on my spirituality in a different way.

My oldest has always talked about angles.  I don't know if he saw them when he was a baby, heard someone say something about them, or just learned about their existence through the stories that have been read to him, but he has always described a connection to them.

It was when our family dog died three years ago that angels really became a strong part of his beliefs.  He believed that our beloved Abbey was now his guardian angel.  His exact words were, "Now that Abbey is an angel, my angel can go keep another child safe.  Abbey will protect me."

 A year later, as I was drowning in Waldorf research, about to start my journey in to this wonderful life and education style, I came across many references to angels.  Namely praying to your child's guardian angel for help and guidance.

This is a practice I have started myself.  It is often the side of Steiner that people begin to feel uncomfortable with.  He had some pretty distinct thoughts on spirituality.  And it isn't for everyone.  Like everything I do, I take what I like and leave the rest (in case you missed it, I have issues, check out number three here ), and that probably won't ever change.

Praying to my children's guardian angels isn't so much a practice of looking for answers.  It is more a practice of looking to my heart for the right path to take.  A way to slow down, not jump in to a quick solution because I feel a solution needs to be found.

It is taking a moment of calm.  Taking a breath instead of continuing to talk.  A way for me to reflect and not react.  A time to let it sleep.  

In other words, it helps me to make better decisions instead of decisions in the heat of the moment.  Something that I work on on a daily basis.  And don't we as parents do that often?  We do or say something when we are frustrated or angry and then regret and worry and stress over it, wondering what damage we've done and how to repair it.  Taking a moment to say "I need to stop.  I can't make decisions right now," and then to listen to where your heart takes you once you have calmed down is not only a healthier option for us, it is a better thing for our children to see.

And anything that gets me to stop and breathe is something that is going to benefit everyone in my family.

 Try it out and see where it takes you!

Marina