My Rescue Angel was in the birdbath this morning, she moved from the woodshed, where she was yesterday. I’ve always believed in angels, but in recent months, I’ve been trying to figure out just what their place is in my life and the lives of other humans.

The definition of an angel is fluid, there is no one single consensus about just what they are or what they do.

The Bible mentions angels 273 times and suggests that we humans are a “little lower” than angels. Theologians believe that angels were meant to be intermediaries between God and human beings.

In ancient times, it was unthinkable that humans could communicate directly with God, angels were believed able to carry messages back and forth.

The angels of the New Testament are powerful and wise, they are not omnipotent. That Bible forbids the worship of angels.

According to Christian theology, Satan was once an angel but he disobeyed God and was tossed out of heaven, a lot of angels left with him.

In Judaism, angels are supernatural beings that appear frequently through Jewish literature. The Hebrew word for angel, mal’ach, means messenger, and the angels in early biblical writings were sent to deliver very specific messages.

In the Torah, an angel stops Abraham from killing his son Isaac, and another appears to Moses and gives advice and instructions to the Israelites as they wandered in the desert after fleeing Egypt.

In Jewish history, angels have been warriors, messengers, teachers, and guides. They were believed to step into the lives of hapless humans without their knowledge and save them from trouble.

In Islam, angels are celestial beings, created from a luminous origin by God. They have different functions, including praising God in heavens, interacting with the ordinary lives of humans, and carrying and translating the laws of Nature.  Belief in angels is one of the six articles of faith in Islam.

The Kabbalah expanded greatly on the concept of angels, entrusting them with saving the environment, promoting love, celebrating sex, dispensing wisdom and punishing the greedy or the hateful.

Angels and cherubs were often sent by God to sting the cheeks of polluters and those who mistreated the poor.

Angels are mostly considered in the abstract and have been pushed to the fringes of most religious communities.

What is the meaning of angels for me, and for my Rescue Angel, purchased for $5 hours before she was headed for the dump. I think when you rescue something, there is a bond created.

I think my angel is keeping an eye on me.

I imagine her to be loyal and generous, but also grouchy and impatient. She has no time for bullshit or dissembling.

I notice Flo has no fear of her, which is revealing. I don’t get clear messages from her, other than a general feeling she wants me to keep moving forward and not to fear change.

I like the Kabbalah idea of the angel, generally strong spirits (women mostly, in my head) who appear when they are needed and disappear when they are not.

I think she has no patience for people who binge Netflix shows all day, or who complain about their difficult lives but refuse to change them. I would not think of whining around her or talking poorly of my life.  Perhaps I’m just projecting.

I think there’s a reason why my modest little angel called me to her and came to enter my life. I think she has something to say to me. And since I am often in trouble, I know I could use an angel around.

When she has clearer messages, she’ll let me know what they are.