Love is already within each of us, and we don't need another person in our lives in order to feel loved. However, the expression of love from and to another person is deeply satisfying. That is why the angels are so interested in helping us attain and maintain a soulmate relationship. They also want to help us in other types of relationships, such as friendships and with our family members, as you'll read in the following chapter.

CHAPTER THREE.

Angel Blessings for Your Family

Just as the angels help us in our love relationships, they also heal our interactions with our children and other family members.

The Angels and the New Children of Light There is a new "breed" of humans among us, according to the angels. They are highly psychic, strong-willed, extremely imaginative, and they are here to usher in the new age of peace. These powerful and intuitive people have little tolerance for dishonesty, and they don't know how to cope with pointless discussions or meaningless tasks. After all, their souls elected to incarnate on Earth at this time so that they could teach others about the importance of speaking truthfully and living in harmony.

Who are these mystery people? They are frequently referred to as "Children of the Light," "Millennium Children," and "Indigo Children." They are individuals who were born in the 1980s and '90s so that they could reach adulthood by 2012, the predicted time of the new age of peace. An entire book, to which I am a contributing author, is available through Hay House on this topic. It is called Indigo Children, by Lee Carroll and Jan Tober.

The trouble is, these special children are growing up at the tail end of the old energy in which people still lie to each other, still compete because of a belief in limited resources, and still engage in meaningless activities. Without coping skills to deal with these residues of our soon-to-be-former civilization, these children feel raw and vulnerable.

For example, let's say that Bobby is a nine-year-old Child of the Light. As a youngster, he saw angels and communicated clearly with them. He often sees visions of the future, and he makes psychic predictions to friends and family members that prove accurate. Bobby is outspoken, and he doesn't mind sharing his opinion when he feels an injustice has occurred.

At school, Bobby has difficulty coping with what he perceives to be meaningless activities. He knows, deep in his soul, that the current educational system will be replaced with one more applicable to everyday living. Yet, he is living in the age of the current educational system, and he must find a way to cope. Fortunately, many of Bobby's peers feel exactly the same way, since they, too, are Children of the Light. So at least Bobby doesn't feel all alone.

Bobby intuitively knows that he has a great purpose to accomplish in this lifetime. He senses that he is going to help many people, yet he's not quite sure how that will happen. All he knows is that whenever he wakes up, he feels as if his soul has traveled to a faraway school where he's taught subjects that truly interest him and that seem highly meaningful-things such as the geometric basis of matter, the universal laws of cause and effect, and studies on the probable future of Earth and humankind.

In contrast, learning about Christopher Columbus and grammar seems inconsequential to him. He feels bored and restless, and his attention wanders. Finally, his teacher sends Bobby to the school psychologist, who refers him to a medical doctor for evaluation. The diagnosis is quick and swift: attention deficit disorder (ADD). His mother fills Bobby's Ritalin prescription on the way home.

Bobby does feel better while taking Ritalin. Things don't quite seem to matter to him as much when he's taking it. The drug makes Bobby feel less irritated by the fact that his homework a.s.signments are irrelevant to his life's purpose. In fact, Ritalin makes Bobby not care about a lot of things-such as talking to angels and engaging in soul travel at night. Thanks to his diagnosis and prescription, Bobby is now just a normal person who can't remember his mission in life.

It's All about Integrity The angels say that the years preceding and immediately following the millennium are devoted to helping us learn about integrity. In other words, our collective current life mission is to be true to ourselves. It also means being true to others, and that includes our children.

A decade or so ago, we psychologists warned parents not to confuse friendship with parenting. We lectured parents against having heart-to-heart discussions with their children lest they "parentify" their youngsters (meaning giving the children information that they were too young to handle).

Yet, the new millennium children require emotional and conversational intimacy with others. They thrive on honesty! If a Child of the Light feels that something is wrong, for example, in her parent's marriage, it's destructive for the parents to cover up this fact. It's so much healthier for parents to openly discuss (using terms and phrases that are age-appropriate to the child) the situation, than to have the child believe she is crazy for having feelings that run counter to what her parents are saying.

The angels have very strong opinions about these children, partly because the angels feel protective of them. Angels guard Children of the Light to ensure that their mission is completed. They say: "Listen well, parents of the '90s. You, too, have an exceedingly important mission to fulfill. You must ensure that your children remain intuitive and that they stay very close to nature. Don't push them to succeed at the expense of losing their soul purpose, for our purpose is our guiding force, and without direction, your children will feel lost, alone, and afraid.

"So much better for you parents to focus your children's attention on spiritual studies, as this is their true nourishment that will ensure their growth and survival. We angels are here to help you parent, and we won't interfere or get in the way. Simply allow us to cast a new light on difficult situations, a task we complete with joy in our hearts, simply by your open invitation for us to heal. Do not ever feel that G.o.d doesn't hear your prayers, for He sends us to your side the instant you call."

In the cases that follow, you'll see how the angels have strong and sure guidance for parents. They discuss every seeming aspect of child-rearing, from conception to dealing with adolescent behavior challenges. I believe that the angels are extra-concerned with our children. In a way, after all, our children are G.o.d's Earth angels who are here for an important mission.

Storks and Angels My own parents had a miraculous experience surrounding my conception, which is part of the reason why they immersed me in spiritual studies while I was growing up. Childless after several years of marriage, my parents desperately wanted to have a baby. Finally, my mother put in a prayer request to a New Thought church, asking that the parishioners pray for her to conceive. She became pregnant with me three weeks later.

Many of my clients and audience members ask questions about conception and childbirth. I'm frequently asked, "When will we have a child?" "What s.e.x will my newborn baby be?" and "Will my unborn child be born healthy?" As you'll read, the angels handle these questions with forthrightness and love.

Very often, I talk with the spirits of children who stay with their mother following a miscarriage or abortion. The children are happy and well adjusted and simply want to be with their mother to help and guide her. Or, if their mother gets pregnant again, they may have "first dibs" on inhabiting the new body and be born as a healthy baby. Those who don't have the opportunity to be reborn grow up on the other side, at about the same rate they would have if they had come to full-term births. Aborted children hold no grudges, by the way. Their souls are as intact as ever.

Angel Nannies The angels remind me of loving nursemaids and nannies. Like Mary Poppins, the angels take a firm but kind stance when it comes to how we raise our children (who are really G.o.d's children, in their eyes). The angels are blunt and direct but always loving. They love to be called upon for child-rearing questions and a.s.sistance!

Janet: I have two beautiful daughters, and I am pregnant with another child. I want to know if the angels can tell me how can I be a better mother spiritually to my children?

I was very sensitive as a child and talked to people on the ceiling until my own fears sent them away. My brother, who died when I was eight, came to me in my dreams. My oldest daughter is scared of the dark, talks in her sleep, and has nightmares that she never remembers in the morning. Is she afraid of spirits, angels, or some past-life memories? How can I encourage her to not be fearful? I think it is because she knows that there are always spirits and angels around, and maybe she can't see them but senses or hears them.

When I was her age, I was afraid of the voices I heard and blocked them out, and now I want them to come back because I am ready for them. My youngest daughter is just a light. She is happy, and I have a terrible fear periodically that she will be taken away from me. Can you please tell me how I can be a better mother to them?

Doreen: The angels say that you are a wonderful mom! They remind you that your intentions are the most important thing, and that you have very sincere intentions to be a great mom. That is all that counts-your sincere intentions!

Your children are definitely seeing and interacting with angels, and yes, that can be frightening for them at times. Just holding them, talking to them, and being there for them, plus always telling them your true feelings, is what is needed from you right now.

You are feeling a little drained and emotional because of your pregnancy, and this is making you feel a bit guilty. You feel as if you can't be everything to everyone right now, and it's true! This is a period of adjustment for all of you, a time to allow your children to grow up a bit so that you aren't always drained. This will help you feel more energized and cheerful, which is actually the gift your children most want from you.

Angels and Adolescent Issues G.o.d and the angels are brilliant helpers when it comes to the challenges presented by our adolescent children. All we have to do is ask and then follow their awesome advice, as my counseling student Jackie Saunders did: Jackie's teenage son had been having terrible problems at home and at school, and Jackie was so upset that she had become physically ill. In desperation, she turned to G.o.d for help. "I need a miracle, G.o.d," Jackie firmly said. "I need You to help me help my son right away."

A few minutes later, Jackie heard a distinct voice tell her, "Go to Danny's Family Car Wash right now." Jackie knew that Divine guidance sometimes comes in bizarre ways, but this seemed way over the top. "Danny's Family Car Wash?" she questioned. Then, in confirmation of what she had heard, the voice said, "Yes, go to Danny's Family Car Wash right now . . . and hurry!"

So Jackie hurried into her car, not quite sure why, but obediently following the voice's dictates. As soon as she pulled into the car wash, the attendant told her, "We are going to wax and detail your car for half price." Jackie argued that she didn't have enough time. The attendant said, "Yes, you do." So Jackie surrendered to the situation and allowed her car to be detailed.

As she sat waiting for her car, Jackie noticed a slumbering man in the corner with a pile of books lying on his belly. On closer look, Jackie saw that they were books on "adolescent psychology." Without thinking, Jackie woke the man up and asked him about his interest in teenage behavior.

The man shook himself awake and smiled as he explained how his own teenage son had once been a source of trouble. Then he discovered a psychologist who worked miracles with adolescent boys. Now his son was doing very well. These were books that the psychologist had recommended that the man read.

Jackie shook with excitement. "Please, please let me have the name of the psychologist!" she implored. As the man gave Jackie the psychologist's name and number, she felt that her prayer for help had been heard and answered. She drove home feeling peaceful, and planned to call the psychologist in the next couple of days to make an appointment for her son.

The next morning, Jackie woke up close to six A.M. She heard the inner voice that had counseled her to drive to the car wash. This time it said, "Call the doctor right now," referring to the adolescent psychologist.

"But it's only six in the morning!" Jackie argued.

"Call the doctor right now," the voice repeated. "She is leaving town very soon, and you need to call her now."

Trusting the guidance, Jackie called the psychologist and apologized for calling so early. Jackie could tell that she'd woken the doctor up, and feared alienating her. Then Jackie explained the reason for her call, "Please, I need to make an appointment for my son to see you."

"But I'm leaving to go out of town this afternoon," the doctor said. "Besides, I only work with five teenagers at a time, and I already have six in my case load."

Jackie knew that her Divine guidance wouldn't have led her to this doctor without reason, so she persisted. "I can't explain it," Jackie said, "but I know that it's very important that my son see you right away."

Something in Jackie's voice must have impressed the doctor, or perhaps the angels intervened. Regardless, Jackie breathed a sigh of relief when the doctor said, "Okay, I'll see your son this morning at 8:30. It's the only time I have before I leave for my one-week trip."

The doctor ended up taking Jackie's son as a client, and he thrived under the psychologist's care. Today, Jackie's son is happy and well adjusted, and she is grateful that G.o.d and the angels led her to Danny's Family Car Wash as an answer to her prayers!

Angelic Healings More than 300 well-doc.u.mented studies show that prayer has a statistically significant effect on healing our physical bodies. Researchers know that a placebo effect and wishful thinking don't explain this phenomenon. After all, many of the studies involve subjects who don't know they are being prayed for. This includes studies in which prayers showed positive effects on plants and infant babies, who may feel, but don't consciously know, when they are being prayed for.

Many of the prayer studies are "double-blind," meaning that the researchers and physicians-as well as the patients-don't know if they're being prayed for or not. Nevertheless, those who are prayed for generally live longer, heal faster, and require fewer medications than those who aren't prayed for.

I've received dozens of unsolicited testimonials from those who say that they, or their family members, have been healed because they prayed to have healing angels sent to them. In the following case study, my counseling student Karen Montano reported that her daughter Jourdan even saw the angel involved with her healing!

I'll let Karen tell you her story first-hand: My husband and I had to take our daughter Jourdan (age 6) to the hospital emergency room. She was running a fever of 104 and suffering from back and abdominal pain. Before the doctor came into the treatment room, I closed my eyes in prayer, calling Archangel Michael and all my daughter's angels to be in the room.

When I opened my eyes, I saw a family friend who had pa.s.sed away last year standing at the foot of the gurney toward her head! He seemed to be conducting some sort of hands-on healing work over her.

I then saw my aunt, whom I loved dearly and who just pa.s.sed over six weeks ago, at the doorway. She smiled at me and said, "Everything will be all right!" and then she turned her head. Then, as if she were directing traffic, I saw her waving her arms to the souls that were wandering in the hallway telling them, "Everything is all right! There is no need for you to be in this room. It's okay . . . just keep on going . . . keep on moving toward the light!" It was the most peaceful experience, and I knew everything was going to be fine.

Jourdan is home now, feeling fine. She says she clearly remembers my aunt working on her body and helping her to heal.

A Child's Eternal Love Some of my most heart-wrenching sessions involve talking to my clients' deceased children. I've conducted several sessions where children who died via suicide explained their reasons and delivered profuse apologies. I've talked to dozens of adolescents who died in tragic car accidents. And, I've helped parents of murdered children understand the sequence of events surrounding their child's death.

Often, these cases bring tears to my eyes. Here is a session that was particularly poignant, in which a deceased young man sends his love to his living mother.

Ginny: Do you see anything about my son who died?

Doreen: What is his name?

Ginny: Robert.

Doreen: Okay, Robert, Robert. [I say a person's name repeatedly to call them from the afterlife plane. After about two minutes of calling Robert, I saw a tall young man appear next to Ginny's side.] Was he tall?

Ginny: Yes.

Doreen: I'm seeing a tall young man step next to you right now. He's very gangly, with a youthful face. He also dresses kind of old-fashioned. His face is so youthful that it's tough to know how old he was. He could have been anywhere in the 18 to 25 bracket.

Ginny: Yes, that's him. He was 22 and mentally handicapped.

Doreen: He's next to your left side, although he's not always with you. Robert is very quiet and has a serene energy. He makes a motion that he's having a lot of fun on the other side. He's showing me an image of himself running. I don't know if you know much about the afterlife plane, but there are many different levels and layers. In some of the afterlife areas, it looks just like the most beautiful parts of Earth.

People in the afterlife plane create these images of Earthlike life from their mental images. Robert lives in a very rural type of area, and he's showing me himself running through a wheat field with his arms outstretched as if he's flying.

Ginny: He loved the farm.

Doreen: Well, he lives in a farmlike area in the afterlife plane, and he says that he feels very free. He says, "Mommy, don't be sad." He prints out a letter J, or is it I? Did Robert know how to write?

Ginny: He could write his name and a few simple words.

Doreen: Oh, okay, it is an I, and he's writing out, "I love you."

Changing Relationships and the Spiritual Path Obviously, the study of spirituality can change your life in many different ways. It opens you to new possibilities, miraculous interventions, and healings. It also shifts your relationships considerably.

The issue of relationships is probably the greatest concern of those on the spiritual path. You may worry, "Will my friends and family still relate to me, with my newfound interests and different perspectives on life?" You may find yourself losing interest in old friends and craving new friendships with like-minded people.

You might also be concerned with how your family will react to your spiritual path. Those raised in traditional religions may receive flack from family members who view metaphysics and nontraditional spirituality through fearful eyes.

Changes are inevitable when you open your mind, heart, and life to Spirit. These changes can be wondrous, beautiful experiences if you allow yourself to trust the process. They can also be frightening and painful if you grip tightly to attachments of how you think things should be, or if you fear losing people. Such fears often prove self-fulfilling.

Fortunately, the angels are available to guide you through these changes and to smooth the way.

Changing Mind-Sets, Changing Friendships "Through my spiritual studies, I made some decisions to change how I lived," an audience member named Celia explained to me. "First, I decided to stop gossiping and talking down about people. My spiritual studies made me aware that I was actually hurting myself every time I gossiped or put down someone else."

Celia was initially uncomfortable with this decision because she and her best friends regularly engaged in gossip as a group pastime. How would her friends react if she didn't join in? So, Celia asked for Divine guidance about how to handle the situation. What she received, through intuitive emotional feelings, was a true answer to her prayers.

"I knew that I was to help my friends learn that it's more fun not to gossip than it is to gossip!" Celia explained. "After all, we only did this because we thought it was the best way to have fun. So, I leveled with my friends one night and said, 'Look, this type of talk is really holding us all back. Let's stop it, and make a pact to say something if we ever hear one of us start to gossip.'

"So, whenever anyone in our group starts to talk negatively about someone or something, someone else in the group will speak up and say, 'Oops!' or something like that to call attention to the gossip. What we found is that gossip was a habit we'd all gotten into, and it took us some time to break that habit. All of us feel so much better now that we're sharing more positive things when we talk."

As Celia pointed out, when we go through behavioral transitions as a result of our spiritual path, it's an opportunity for us to be a way-shower or teacher to our friends and family. This is a tricky balancing act, however. n.o.body-especially our friends and family-wants to receive sermons or lectures. The best way to teach peace is to demonstrate it through our actions. If we scream at our friends or family, "Why can't you be as spiritual as I am?" they pay attention to our demeanor and discount our words.

Ask the angels to guide your actions and words so that you can be a truly effective teacher to others.

Chakras and the Law of Attraction True Divine guidance never speaks in terms of blame, guilt, or whether someone is right, wrong, good, or bad. So, your angels always seek out a win-win resolution to conflict. However, they may occasionally guide you away from relationships and help you close the door on a friendship whose purpose has been served.

Ending a relationship can feel frightening to anyone, but for those on the spiritual path, this process can elicit extra guilt. "I'm supposed to help people and be a loving person," you may worry. "Am I abandoning my friend if I choose to spend less time with her?"

The truth is that you may choose to spend less time with old friends, and more time with new people in your life. This does not mean that you are judging, criticizing, or abandoning anyone. You are not being a sn.o.b or isolating yourself. You are simply allowing yourself to be guided according to the spiritual law of attraction.

We are attracted to people whose mind-sets mirror our own. It's a matter of common interests creating friendships. As your lifestyle shifts, you will naturally look for people with whom you have things in common. On an even deeper and metaphysical level, your mind-set affects the energy centers in your body, which are called "chakras." Each chakra corresponds to a different life issue. Whatever issue we spend the most time thinking about determines which of our chakras are stimulated. Then, as if by radar, we attract and are attracted to people with similar mind-sets.

The angels explain that the chakras send out energy waves that bounce back like a sonar system. When we meet someone with a similar energy pattern, their chakra energy bounces back to us in a feel-good way. We are then attracted to them and are pleasantly surprised to find that we share mutual interests.

For instance, if you think about money and security most of the time, your first chakra will be affected. This is called the "root chakra," which is located at the base of the spine. Like a magnet, you will pull other people into your friendship circle who also have money and security concerns.

The second chakra, called the "sacral chakra," is concerned with body issues. This chakra is located midway between your navel and tailbone. People with physical challenges or obsessions surrounding weight, physical appet.i.tes, health, or addictions will have out-of-balance sacral chakras. You will tend to attract and be attracted to other people with body issues.

Issues that affect the third chakra, or "solar plexus," include fears or obsessions about power and control. This chakra is housed in our midsection, behind our navel. If these issues are on our mind a lot, we draw people to us with similar mind-sets.

The three lower chakras are concerned with Earthly matters. The fourth, or "heart chakra," is the first of a set of chakras concerned with higher issues. Not coincidentally, the spiritually centered chakras are located higher up in the body. The heart chakra, located in the chest, concerns itself with love. Those who are working on love issues, such as forgiveness, compa.s.sion, and soulmate relationships, are called "heart-centered." They tend to attract other loving people into their lives.

The fifth chakra, located in the Adam's apple area and called the "throat chakra," is concerned with creative expression and communication. Those involved with artistic or teaching projects-particularly of a spiritual nature-invoke the energy of their throat chakra. This chakra is especially stimulated by an integrity lifestyle, where you strive to always have your words and actions match your inner truth. By concentrating on these issues, you pull like-minded souls to you.

"The third eye" is the sixth chakra, which centers around spiritual sight and visions. If you have been visualizing and meditating, or if you are naturally clairvoyant, this chakra is opened. You will draw people of similar spiritual interests and abilities into your life.

"The ear chakras," located just above the eyebrows on the left and right side, deal with listening to Spirit. Those who silently meditate and tune in to the messages of heaven have stimulated their ear chakras and tend to attract other listeners.

On the inside of the top of the head is the "crown chakra," which is activated when a person realizes we are all one with G.o.d and each other. A person with this mind-set will naturally attract like-minded souls who share the spiritual path.

So, let's say that in the past, most of your thoughts were centered around Earthly matters such as money worries or s.e.xual obsessions. Your circle of friends shared similar beliefs. Then you had a spiritual awakening that led you to read and meditate about Divine topics. In doing so, your primary chakra energy moved upward. So, instead of operating out of your first (money-related) or second (s.e.x-related) chakra, you began living from the fourth (love-related) or fifth (truth-related) chakra.

As soon as this shift occurred, you would naturally lose the "pull" you once felt for people who live from your former chakra mind-set. You will either begin to desire, or start to attract, people who share your focus. Through the law of attraction-as long as you hold a positive expectation-new, like-minded friends will enter your life.

The Law of Attraction and Running into Friends A man named Charles related this story of synchronicity: I was Christmas shopping in a mall near Boston when my friend and I walked into a department store at the exact moment as a young woman who had attended college with us several years before. I was just talking about her earlier that morning, saying that I hadn't seen her in years and wouldn't it be nice if I could see her again soon?

Events such as the one above are validation that this is a Divinely ordered universe. Instead of worrying about how things will work out, we need to put our time and energy into holding positive thoughts about what we desire. Through the law of attraction, we will draw those situations and experiences into our lives.

Maria Stephenson, a spiritual counselor from Arizona, said that the following experience helped her know that she and her friends were being watched over-not only by the law of attraction, but by helpful angels as well.

A group of us from Phoenix were meeting at a hotel in Newport Beach for a conference. Several of us were sharing rooms to cut down on the expenses. Late on Friday, I arrived at the hotel and a.s.sumed that everyone in our group had already checked in, since the others were scheduled to arrive several hours before me. I checked to see if they were registered, and they weren't. So, I registered and went to the room to wait for the others to arrive. Time went by, and somewhere around 8:30, I fell asleep waiting.