By Karen Berg
I had a wild childhood. I went to 13 public schools in 12 years. I didn’t learn how to read until I was in the eighth grade. I wore so many different clothes I didn’t always recognize that they were mine. I ran through so many lifetimes in those short years that at one point, I didn’t even know which body I fit into. The other kids, of course, made fun of me. In the fifth or sixth grade, they got really upset with me. They tied me up and threw me into a pit where I stayed the night. I was terrified. I was a kid. I didn’t know what to do.
But in that frightening darkness, I heard a voice say to me, “Don’t worry. You’re going to be doing great things in your life.”
Well, who the heck are you? I thought. What’s going on here?
Then I saw a figure. I felt him, too. It was an angel. He said, “My name is Michael. Don’t worry. The reason you have the life you have is so that you’ll be able to understand people. You will be put through many tests to see whether you can be the one to help others.”
We went on to have a whole conversation. “Nobody understands me,” I said. “Everybody thinks I’m weird. They think I’m crazy.”
“Just don’t worry,” Michael repeated.
“It won’t last forever.”
“So why do I have to stay here in this pit?” I asked.
Again he said, “Don’t worry. They’ll find you in the morning and you’ll be fine. Nothing is going to happen to you tonight. And anytime you need me, just close your eyes and ask. I’ll come to you.”
It was a most amazing experience and one of the most profound in my life. I don’t think an adult could have had an encounter like this, but children are more open, more connected to the Light. I’ve been through similar incidents since that time, but that was my all-important introduction to my angel, Michael. Today, I can sit by myself in a room, and it’s as if he’s standing there next to me. But I know that how he looks to me may not be how he looks to someone else he may visit.
Once, when I had my astrology chart done, the astrologer said to me, “I don’t know what it is that I’m seeing. It looks like you could run through fire and not get burned.” And I know that’s true because I have run through fire. But I’m here to tell this story, thanks to my friend, the archangel Michael.
What are Angels?
In every culture, we hear stories about ethereal beings. Some people call them angels. They are with us, within us, and around us. In fact, every human being has spiritual guides that can take many forms. So the question becomes: What are angels?
We could think of Angels as spiritual energies. Kabbalah teaches that the infrastructure of our universe is composed of billions of angels. Angels can enter into our bodies; indeed, they are part of our bodies. Although angels have the ability to take human shape, they may also appear with six massive wings. Or they can show up as minute bits of energy known as molecules.
Everything in this world is energy, and angels are no exception. Acknowledge their presence and they can enhance your life and understanding of the nature of our universe.
Karen Berg is the spiritual director of Kabbalah Centre International and a globally respected teacher of Kabbalah who has touched millions of lives around the world. Her goal is to provide people with spiritual tools based on Kabbalistic principles that can be applied to improve their lives, regardless of their religious beliefs, and by doing so, make the world better. She is the founder of Spirituality for Kids, a free on-line program that provides spiritual lessons for children —helping them develop a sense of purpose so they can make better choices; and Kids Creating Peace, the initiative that teaches spiritual skills to children who are caught in war-torn areas of the Middle East. She is author of God Wears Lipstick: Kabbalah for Women, and Simple Light, a collection of insights on Kabbalah. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband Rav Berg. For more visit: http://www.kabbalah.com/blogs/karen.
The above is an excerpt from TO BE CONTINUED by Karen Berg, reprinted with the express permission of Kabbalah Publishing.