So I had a dream last night. At least I think it was a dream. It may have been something that happened in that murky in-between when you're not quite awake and you're not quite asleep. See, normally every night when I go to bed, I invoke the four archangels, and then I call the spirits of the earth, sea, and sky to protect and watch over us as we sleep.
I had a really bad day yesterday, and I was worn down and tired. By the time I got everything ready, I just sat there, fighting not to go to sleep. And that's when, I don't know if it was a dream or if it happened. but one by one, I saw the archangel Michael walk to my right, Gabriel to my left, Uriel before me, and Raphael behind me. The light of the Shekinah shone over my head.
I saw them hold hands with each other as the wings of the Divine Presence stretched out over top of me. They called the spirits of the earth, the sea, and the sky to protect and to watch over us as we slept and for all the days of our lives. And I don't know if I was so tired that I dreamed it or if it was a beautiful, blessed moment that I got to observe.
In all honesty, I really don't care which it is. Because this morning, when I woke up, I felt blessed, protected, and not alone. I felt like the connections that I had made with the cosmos and the life that I have lived actually interwove me into something greater and better than anything I could have ever been alone. I didn't feel alone or isolated, and that's one of the greatest gifts a person can receive.
So I choose to believe that it happened because there's no downside to being wrong. And I choose to be grateful and thankful. The spirits that I've asked for protection so many times throughout my life chose to demonstrate that protection and that loving-kindness when I needed it so badly.
I know that we are all capable of having relationships like that with the cosmos. The purpose of our work and our practice is to develop those relationships. I say it all the time: the work is relational, and this is what I'm talking about. We develop those relationships. We help to maintain and sustain them so that when we need them, they will help to maintain and sustain us.
So don't forget to say your prayers, do your rituals, and keep those relationships strong, because you never know when you're going to need them to do that for you.