In Woodstock, VT, across the Connecticut river from us, December brings the town’s wonderful, quirky version of a parade.

Because Woodstock is horse country as much as it is ski country, their parade is composed of

big horses

and little ponies,

horses in garlands

and ponies dressed for warmth,

horses pulling carriages

of one sort or another,

horses carrying princesses

and fairies

and elves

and snowmen.

The sartorial splendour of the crowd is no less impressive.

Even the dogs are dressed to the nines.

It’s a perfect parade

from its opening moments

to the very end when the gentleman in top hat and tails picks up the parade’s manure and returns the streets to the cars.

It is hard not to notice how Angels have become passe in commercial America. A few years back, every store seemed to be crammed with all things Angels. Now, Angels have taken a back seat to new fads. I asked the Angels, specifically the Angels of Communication and those Angels working with America’s spiritual mission, about this and got their perspective on what appears to be waning interest in Angels.

Angels of Communication: Greetings beloveds. We are so glad to have this conversation . First, know this apparent waning interest in Angels is not what it appears. When remembrance of us was pushed to the forefront of your consciousness with books, art, workshops, music, and other love messages from us, it was a time of seeds sown.

It was important for humanity to loosen the chains of your binding notions of separation, and in the case of the United States, your binding notions of “doing it alone.” The exposure to all things Angels was, in part, to broaden your understanding of consciousness, as well as to help people better understand the spiritual matrix unifying all material form.

Molly: As Meher Baba said, “You and I are not we but one.”

Angels of Communication: Yes, exactly. The blanketing of America in Angelic imagery was a bit like broadcasting seed on a ready field. The notion of “doing it alone” had reached its natural conclusion and people were thirsty for new word of our eternal presence and support.

As culture moves on from this time of seeding information about Angels and we appear relegated to the occasional outpost, it reflects that the seeds have been sown and now, the Angelic kingdom must step back and wait to see what germinates.

Dispensations are given for certain spiritual information to be released at certain times, for certain vibrations to be broadcast, and for certain emanations of divine love to be showered on earth and all humanity. The Time of Angels marked such a dispensation.

Now a different time begins. The solutions to your problems cannot be enforced upon you by us Angels or creation would become a mockery of free will. We sowed seeds of oneness. As they germinate and grow in your hearts, it will be a time for you to see yourself more clearly as divine beings in an ocean of divinity, and to act from your full divinity, all the while knowing you are not alone.

We do not go silent on you, we merely pause to let you respond to our shower of love. It is a divine dance in perfect order. From your place of free will, humans can rise up in a response of love, of open hearted communion with us and each other, and an embrace of our gifts.

We await your response with full measures of confidence, love, and joy.

To think of this transit another way, what fun is a dance if the same partner always drags the other around the dance floor as one moves a mop?

No, as we begin a new part of the dance with humanity, we look to you to lead us.

We hope that during the time of Angels we were beguiling. We hope that you felt us pull you into the dance and that you enjoyed this opening gambit as much as we did. We hope that you will now dance with us of your own volition, grounded in your divinity, clear of your equality with us as partners in creation, and certain of your eternal definition as the beloved of the beloved.

Molly: That was lovely. Thank you. Since I have you here conversing with me, I would like to ask a more pedestrian question about cell phones. Can you give me a spiritual perspective on them? I find them both a blessing and a curse and wonder how to understand where they are taking us.

Angels of Communication: First of all, we are always with you. In fact, we are you, so you can always ask for our insight into anything at any time. As far as cell phones go, hold fast to the truth that everything is a part of the journey to oneness. Cell phones may feel like “too much” right now, but they are taking you towards balance. Actually, they are taking you somewhere quieter as well, but that is getting ahead of events. If you find them over stimulating, step back and know that all is well and that greater harmony will arise out of this cacophony.

Remember telepathy and that you can send all messages without equipment. Your cell phones are like training wheels on a bicycle. Soon you will not need them. You see, we have told you where this is going. The quiet is coming.

Molly: Thank you for that calming message. Is there anything else you want to share?

Angels of Communication: In a dance of partners, the partner leading needs a partner following. In the Time of Angels we led the dance, but we needed you to receive our gifts. Now you will lead the dance and we will be steady with you, helping you sow your blessings. Both then and now, it is one dance and we are all in this together whether we lead or follow. It is all one. And this dance is good. All good.

Us humans have been an agricultural people a lot longer than we have been a shopping people.

Up until a generation or two ago, this time of year would naturally have been a time of quieting down and resting. The root cellar would be full. The canning would be done. The fields would sport a stubble of winter grass or simply lie fallow. We might have barn chores to do, but our daily work would not require the same amount of effort as during high summer or harvest time. The shorter days would mean more sleep or longer evenings by the fire. More rest of one sort or another.

Nowadays, no one and nothing supports us in a slow down effort, except maybe our animals.
The animals haven’t lost track of the natural order of things and know exactly what we are meant to be up to during this dark time of year.

Nothing much.

We see how the animals enjoy this season of quiet, but we get cattle prodded by the world’s media to get out of our nice warm beds and get shopping.

From all I heard and read, no sooner were we to wash and dry the last Thanksgiving dish than we to join the throngs of people shopping from predawn to midnight on Black Friday.

My mind boggled at the idea of going to Kohl’s the day after Thanksgiving at 4 am to beat the 5 am rush. I truly feel like I am from a different planet a lot of the time. One where people are asleep at 4 am.
And being a hobbit/ luddite /curmugeon, I am doing everything I can to follow the animals’ example, instead of doing what the ads on TV are telling me to do.

The more messages I get to speed up and do more, the more I try to slow down. On these cold dark nights, after William finishes his homework, Jim reads aloud from our current read aloud book, “The Golden Compass.” If we get restless from inactivity, William and I crack pecans while Jim reads. There is lots of satisfaction in de-shelling pecans and it is just enough of an activity to keep my inner “do more” voice silent.

So, as I head into a weekend in which I will not be going to any mall, I send you my best hopes that you too are finding some peace and quiet during this time of darkness, and my best wishes that you too are finding some of the restorative stillness our agrarian ancestors had in such abundance and that our bodies and souls still crave.

If you are looking for moral support for slowing down, I have a few animals happy to advertise the pleasures of doing less. I am sure they will be very happy to give pointers to one and all about the virtue of naps. Come to think of it, there are some people about willing to advertise this as well.