Kevin, Angel of the Bush

The world is full of minds.

We are creatures of body and soul. We are not a meatsack with a pilot, but neither are we a spirit imprisoned in flesh. Our nature contains both body and soul, with neither dominant over the other. Our soul vivifies our body, and our body gives our soul a configuration.

On the side of our bodies, we are related to the apes, as near as we can tell. On the side of our souls, however, we are related not to animals, but to angels.

As creatures of both flesh and spirit, we straddle the visible and invisible worlds. Our actions have reverberations in both, and the climate of both worlds has an impact on us. Who has not felt the warmth of a group of friends or the chill of a fight about to break out? Who has not found joy in the word of God and the sacraments of His Church?

Just like the physical world, the invisible world, the world of mind and spirit, is dangerous. There are creatures there that are hungry, like animals, and others that wish to do us harm, like criminals. They prowl about like lions, looking for someone to devour. 

But also like the physical world, the spiritual world isn't that dangerous. There are kingdoms in the physical world, or nations, that have rulers that maintain order, ensuring that life is safe and prosperous enough that adults can go abroad without fear, and children can play undisturbed, so long as they mind their Ps and Qs. 

So too in the spiritual world. It is a kingdom not of this world, and there is a King, and His attendants maintain order so that citizens can go abroad safely.

A Kingdom at Peace

But just like in the physical world, not all of the attendants of the King are tasked with maintaining the peace. There are mailmen and sanitation workers and all the others who maintain the infrastructure, as well as police and firefighters. There are people who take care of logistics as well as direct combatants. 

Consider, therefore, the angel of lilac bushes. Let's call him Kevin. Kevin, although he spends his existence in service to Almighty God, worshipping Him without ceasing, as all angels do, is not conscripted in the war for human souls that rages day and night without rest. He is taking care of the lilac bushes, and repels demonic assaults against lilac bushes. This is not to call his task unworthy or unnecessary, for lilac bushes are a wonderful part of God's creation, and work to glorify Him. They are worth protecting, and the demons do not want them to exist, because, again, they glorify God. Still, Kevin is obviously not quite as directly involved in spiritual combat as, say, St. Michael the Archangel would be.

Nevertheless, Kevin, like all angels, is by nature infinitely more powerful and more wise than any human, or every human combined. Even without that, he is a being created by God, and provides a service that we benefit from. In the same way, therefore, that it is polite to greet the mailman or the person behind the counter at the supermarket, greet Kevin. 

This is what is meant by the Canticle of the Three Young Men that is recited at Lauds every Sunday. In the same way that on the highway, we refer to a car doing something, when we really mean the driver is doing something by means of the car, when we say (for instance):

"Bless the Lord, all rain and dew, sing praise to Him and highly exalt Him forever"

We mean:

"Bless the Lord, (angel who governs) all rain and dew, sing praise to Him and highly exalt Him forever."

It is also what is meant by our Lord's words: "if these remain silent, the very stones would cry out" 

The stones do not cry. But the angels who govern the stones do.

It is also what is meant by St Francis of Assisi's Canticle of the Sun:

"Praised be You my Lord with all Your creatures,
especially Sir Brother Sun,
Who is the day through whom You give us light.
And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendour,
Of You Most High, he bears the likeness.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars,
In the heavens you have made them bright, precious and fair."

By speaking of "Brother Sun" or "Sister Moon", we are speaking of the spiritual entities that govern the phenomena we see in the world that go by those names. And this is good to do, for by communally joining in praise with God's other creatures, we can begin now what we will (hopefully) do for all time: cry back and forth "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God of Hosts. Heaven and Earth are full of His glory. Hosanna in the Highest. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the Highest."

How to talk to Kevin safely

If you decide to speak to Kevin, or any angel besides your assigned guardian angel or the three angels named in Scripture¹, you are engaging in the spiritual world. There are safety concerns, since there are still demons prowling about. 

Just like in the physical world, your safety depends on not being a complete dumbass.

Don’t worship things that are not God.

Kevin is not God. No angel is God. Even if you are addressing the angel of a very powerful phenomenon, like the Sun, it is not God and does not want to be worshipped as God. There are two theories for what the old pagan gods are², and which one is true probably depends on the god in question. One of them is that they were indeed the angels of the object of which they were the “god,” and humans mistakenly saw the very powerful being and worshipped it as a god. Don’t do this. God is God, and no created thing, even an angel, can be compared to God.

Don't hang out around criminals, lest you be a victim.

In the spiritual world, this means not actively seeking out demons, nor those who seek them out. The other theory for what the old pagan gods are is that they are demons who are willfully attempting to deceive men out of malice. Don’t go towards beings who seem like that, beings of darkness and violence and pain. Stay away from shamans and shamanism.

Don't seek out illicit experiences.

In the physical world, these would be things like controlled substances and prostitutes. In the spiritual world, it includes things like knowledge of future events and miraculous powers. Divination and necromancy are both really bad ideas.

Don't be a soft target.

In the physical world, keep your head on a swivel, be physically strong, and train in a martial art. Looking like you are able to take care of yourself, without looking for trouble, will make the trouble think twice before picking you as a target.

In the spiritual world, the equivalent is being in a state of grace with a strong prayer life, well-developed virtues, and frequent use of the sacraments. If you project spiritual strength, then the demons won’t want to mess with you directly.³

Don’t leave home while you are ill. 

Any interaction with the spiritual world is mediated through grace, which is damaged or destroyed by sin. If you have an unconfessed mortal sin or have not confessed your venial sins recently (within the past month), you won't be of any benefit to anyone (including yourself) until you rectify this. Go to confession and leave the filth behind.

There are lots of 'don'ts,’ now what to do.

All the warnings out of the way, the practice itself is very simple. There is no ritual to perform, for, as previously mentioned, the angels should not be worshipped. All that must be done is to become aware of them and to say hello. Say it vocally if you want (and there is no one else around who might be scandalized by you apparently talking to a lilac bush). You can open a dialogue in this way, and over time, you can learn to hear the angel’s reply, usually in the form of unbidden inner prompting⁴, in a very similar way to how you can learn to hear the voice of God in prayer.

Since the angel you are addressing is just an acquaintance, don’t drag it out and make it deeply personal. Thank it for its role in creation. Praise and adore God together with it. Ask it to intercede with God for you. Say goodbye, and move on. Over time, you can build a deeper relationship with it, if you want, but it is also fine to just remain acquaintances.

In short, an angel is a person. Once you learn to listen, treat it like you would any other child of God, and befriend it as you would anyone else.

It’s fine if you want to stay home.

There is also no need to go out. It is perfectly acceptable to be a "spiritual introvert" and stay at home, playing metaphorical board games with your family and a few close friends, specifically the Holy Trinity, your guardian angel, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and a few patron saints.

In the spiritual world, as in the physical world, our deepest relationships are the most important, and the ones that should take precedence. But, just like in the physical world, it is good to go out if you can, on occasion. It can break you out of stale habits, and shine new light on aspects of your closer relationships by seeing them in the light of new relationships.

So go out, and say hi to Kevin. Bring your family and friends with you, and you may even make some new friends.

1. Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael

2. Besides, of course, the theory that they didn’t exist at all, which I hope anyone who read this far can dismiss as ridiculous reductionist materialism.

3. They’ll definitely want to bring you down longer term, though, as they desire the destruction of all the living.

4. These are not “hallucinations.” It is seen, heard, or felt in the mind, not in the body.