There are many contemporary ways by which we have come to know about angels on a day to day basis. If you are just starting out on the “angel path” and want to learn more, I suggest beginning with angel cards, angelic websites, and exploring angelic correspondences, such as through astrology. And of course, all around you is artwork depicting angels–in paintings, in churches, and in statuary. Become attuned to the angelic realm, and you will be more conscious of the angels in your life.
Today there are many beautifully illustrated decks of angel cards that you can find online or in bookstores. They usually consist of forty to fifty cards depicting colorful illustrations of an angel on each one and a small saying or affirmation. I use these at the end of my readings for clients who are spiritual and who love angels. You can shuffle the deck and pick one card to help and guide you for your day ahead, and usually these picks are very accurate. Angel cards can also be used in altar-work where you select an angel card for the problem in hand. Place the card on the altar alongside crystals, flowers, and so on; this will give your prayer much more atmosphere and devotion. If you want to connect with a particular angel in dream work, you can place one of the cards under your pillow at night, or you might prefer to use one in your meditation.
There are numerous websites that are dedicated to angels, and a wealth of information is out there for those who care to look. The websites connected to angel art are wonderful and all totally unique. When I have time, I like to look at the pictures. Today's artists seem to have a better understanding of the angel frequency and their esoteric grace. Some of the old style painters from centuries past did not exactly do these wonderful beings justice; so some of them are in fact downright clichéd! I find this particularly so with some of the paintings of Cherubs.
Some of the most important angels can be linked to the signs of the zodiac. These angels are from the Book of Hours, a devotional book made popular in the Middle Ages. This list will give you a starting point to see which angelic characteristics relate to your astrological sun sign.
This gargantuan structure of an angel is located in the North of England, at the head of the Team Valley, near Gateshead. It took five months to construct and it was completed in February, 1998; it is the largest angel construction known in the world today. This imposing sculpture is by renowned artist, Anthony Gormley OBE. Many of his other creations can be seen in Australia, the United States, Japan, Norway, and Ireland.
The grassy hilltop that it stands upon represents a megalithic mound, and for 200 years since the 1720s, the ground beneath was mined for coal. Anthony Gormley remarked that the men of the north toiled beneath the surface in the darkness for so many years, so by creating his angel in the light, this was a celebration of their hard work and industry. The site was carefully chosen for the maximum impact. The angel stands 65 feet (20 meters) high, about the same as a five-story building, and the wingspan is 175 feet (54 meters) wide. This is nearly the same width as the wingspan of a large Boeing airplane. Each wing is reported to weigh almost 50 tons and the body perhaps 100 tons. The whole construction is of Cor-Ten steel and it has been made to last for a hundred years. Special ingredients were added to the steel to make it an interesting rusty copper color, and it can withstand squalls and gales of up to 100 miles an hour.
More than 90,000 people a day drive by this angel–33 million people a year. They marvel at its austerity and grandeur. Mysteriously, the angel has no facial features. Many have said that as the light and weather changes, they can perceive changes of expression on the angel's face, so this is truly a living sculpture. The artist remarked that he wanted to create a feeling of alertness and space from his creation, as a focus for our hopes and fears. The angel is catalyst for gatherings on New Year's Eve, pre-wedding ceremonies, and also eclipses. It seems that this congregational site represents a link between the sky and the earth, to connect us with the unknown and the known, and to remind us of our own mortality.
Many have criticized the sculpture, especially the media, as being stark and ugly and the vast amount of money spent on it wasteful, especially since the bulk of the cash was from the English National Lottery. Others love its simplicity and think it beautiful. I believe in this secular era it has been brought in to being to remind us angels are here to stay, and perhaps because of it, a new consciousness will come into the world.
Some of my clients, who have been fortunate enough to see a real angel, have often remarked how large they are, often as tall as 30 to 50 feet. So it does not surprise me that Anthony Gormley has chosen to represent his steel angel in this way.