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by Tanya Carroll Richardson

(Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)

Have you ever heard the term earth angel? Maybe somebody once described your second-grade teacher, your mother's nurse—or you—as an earth angel. In my new book, Are You an Earth Angel?, I offer my take on earth angels, based on the earth angels I've been privileged to work with in thousands of intuitive readings over the years.

Earth angels are different from divine angels, but they share many character traits with their winged friends. Like divine angels, earth angels are very sensitive, compassionate, and giving. Earth angels are also generally nonjudgmental and optimistic—unless they are experiencing earth angel burnout. Earth angels love to help other people and be of service…so much so that they can over-give and deplete their reserves. When this happens, earth angels often don't feel very angelic at all. The following are some special self-care tips for earth angels, because giving back to yourself is the best way to insure you're well enough to give to others. And giving to others is not only what earth angels love to do—it's their divine soul mission.

1. 1. Get familiar with the signs of earth angel burnout. Are you a natural giver yet suddenly feeling resentful, pessimistic, and exhausted? Always connect with a healthcare professional to rule out other physical concerns first, but remember these are telltale signs of earth angel burnout. Catch it early and course-correct by temporarily limiting the amount you are giving to others so you can give more to yourself.

1. 1. Keep your lifestyle clean. Earth angels have sensitive psychic and nervous systems, and usually identify as both highly sensitive and empathic. Sometimes an earth angel's sensitive psychic and nervous systems come in the package of a sensitive physical body. Keep your diet clean and healthy, and avoid unnecessary chemicals in foods, personal hygiene products, and cleaning supplies. Take any supplements or medication you need regularly. Indulge in caffeine, sugar, and alcohol in moderation as you may feel the effects of these more strongly.

1. 1. Emphasize nourishing routines. An earth angel's sensitive system is hyper-perceptive, so it's more easily overstimulated by picking up on all the subtleties in the immediate physical environment as well as all the energies and emotions of others and even the collective energy of the larger world. Healthy routines—like waking up and going to bed at the same times, regular gentle exercise, and a harmoniously structured daily routine—are very soothing to the sensitive system.

1. 1. Find ways to give. Because earth angels love to be of service—to loved ones, clients, coworkers, friends, and the world in general—finding a way to give to others is excellent self-care for earth angels. Feeling aligned with your earth angel mission of service is deeply rewarding, and it's more about an attitude and intention you bring to anything you do rather than playing a specific role or having a specific career.

1. 1. Develop relationships where you are receiving. Since earth angels are wired to give, their default is to give very generously to anyone they are in relationship with. Don't forget to give people space and opportunity to give back to you—it's a gift to them. You may have to ask more assertively as people you've been in relationship with have gotten used to you being a giver. Practice setting firm yet loving boundaries with others and give them the chance to show up for you.

1. 1. Connect with divine angels. Earth angels have a unique connection to divine angels, since both are on a mission to help humans. Divine angels are also sensitive, compassionate, and nonjudgmental. Explore your relationship to guardian angels, archangels, and helper angels. Earth angels are usually gifted with a strong intuition and will be able to connect with divine angels intimately. Find out more in my book Angel Intuition.

1. 1. Learn about your special sensitivity. Navigating the world as a highly sensitive, empathic earth angel does require a roadmap. I love when I'm on the phone with a new client who tells me they already know a lot about the subject of sensitivity, and when I meet a client who doesn't I’m very eager to enlighten them. Being sensitive is an amazing trait, yet one that presents unique challenges as well as gifts. Learning about your sensitivity will help you stay more grounded, balanced, and empowered. Read up about highly sensitive and empathic people.

1. 1. Practice radical self-love. Because sensitive people are so attuned to the energies and emotions of others, they can also be very aware of the opinions of others. In addition to being sensitive, earth angels are wired to give, so they might struggle with feeling like they don't give enough even when they give so much! Find actionable ways to show yourself love every day, especially by being more gentle and loving toward yourself in your thoughts.

1. 1. Allow yourself to be hopeful, seeing life as meaningful, magical, and full of potential. Earth angels tend to see the cup as half-full and be naturally optimistic, unless they are in burnout. It's fine and even healthy to have loved ones who are more naturally pessimistic—it can add balance. But allow yourself to see life as meaningful, magical, and full of potential. You are not being naïve by being optimistic—just being yourself. That outlook is needed and part of why you're here. Remember to practice realistic optimism and keep your feet on the ground as you reach for the stars.

1. Nurture your friendships with other earth angels.It's wonderful to have friends with all different types of dispositions. Make sure you work a few earth angels into the mix, as having people around who just get you is inspiring and comforting. Don't know any other earth angels personally? Identify some in the public eye you can follow or look for online communities.

Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal. Copyright Llewellyn Worldwide, 2020. All rights reserved.

I dreamed that I was at my wedding and about to marry my husband, but then I realized that he wasn't there. I looked for his family and they weren't there either, so I picked up a white rose, and through my mind, I was talking to my husband. Then someone from his family called, saying he was dead. I was in front of a coffin with my husband in it, crying in my wedding dress. Then I touched his hand and it was hot; my hands were cold compared to his. I told everyone he was actually alive and that I had talked to him. He opened his eyes and then rescheduled the wedding. He ended up not being there again! He had gone up North. I called him and he said he totally forgot the date. I was crying. I left the wedding and went somewhere where I looked in a mirror and my sister said that I was beautiful and if he didn't want to marry me, then someone else out there would. My husband came down looking for me but I was hiding from him. He found me and I told him, If you don't want to marry me, then someone else will. He embraced me and just kept on repeating, I'm sorry. I love you. Then I woke up and started crying because all I could think about was my husband in a coffin.

Adileny

Susyn:

There is a theme running through this dream that contains important messages for you. I believe the entire dream is about you and some hidden fears you are carrying.

Typically, when a person dreams about a loved one dying, it implies that a change is needed. This does not mean a physical change, but speaks to an emotional or intellectual adjustment that needs to be made. This dream is not prophesizing the death of your husband. This is clear because he was mistakenly identified as having died in the dream, then you were able to feel the heat and life in his body, after which he opened his eyes and rescheduled the wedding.

Here your husband is serving as a catalyst for the doubt and fear this dream evoked within you. There may be a part of you deep in your subconscious that tells you that you are not lovable and do not deserve your husband. These issues come to light when he does not show up for the wedding, when he forgets about it after having failed to be there the first time, and when your sister tells you that if he does not marry you someone else will. These elements suggest a lack of self-confidence and fear that your relationship is out of balance.

The fact that you were wearing a wedding dress and prepared to be married twice during the dream also suggests that you feel some distance or some misunderstanding. While you are totally committed to the relationship, these scenarios indicate a possibility that he may be pulling back or acting distant. Depending on what is going on between you and your husband, this dream could represent a block in communication or the need to be more expressive in how you feel about one another.

Dreams like this remind us to appreciate the people we hold dearest in our hearts. People become so busy with the outside world that they often forget to acknowledge their loved ones. You may want to journal about how things are going with you and your husband to discover if some changes need to be made; perhaps you need to spend more time together or have a heart-to-heart talk.

The white rose in your dream represents the spiritual aspects of your marriage. With the rose in your hand, you were able to speak to your husband on a spiritual level even though he appeared to be dead. Take this as a sign to build on the soul connection between the two of you and as a reminder that prayer and meditation can ease the upset this dream created and enlighten you to what you need to do to improve the relationship.

*****

Mata:

I don't feel this dream has anything to do with your husband dying. Since dreams are generally symbolic, it may not even have anything to do with your marriage, but instead be about some other huge desire and your fears that you won't be able to bring it together, perhaps because some other party involved will cause it to die before it really gets going. If you can pinpoint some undertaking you are considering that you fear you will be unable to bring to fruition, you have your answer.

However, if the wedding were a metaphor for something else, you would tend to have other dreams about the same issue that employ different scenarios. For example, you might first dream of this as a thwarted wedding, then dream that you were trying to get to the airport for an important trip but the taxi driver you hired didn't show up, and when you called another taxi, that driver kept going the wrong way. Since the wedding metaphor remained consistent, odds are good that this is about your marriage.

I would not at all be surprised if you've been feeling a bit unfulfilled in this area of your life and perhaps even considering giving up on your marriage fulfilling all your dreams for love. All marriages go through ups and downs. In fact, I have never met someone married for any significant length of time who didn't at some point feel pretty frustrated or dissatisfied.

I feel you are working through some relationship issues in this dream. Here the white rose you used to communicate with your husband is a symbol of pure love; it is the true love you carry for each other that keeps you together despite the many challenges of marriage, that keeps you communicating even when it seems impossible to understand each other.

It's probably safe to assume that the reason you've not been completely happy in your marriage is because you don't feel your husband is as passionately committed and devoted to your relationship as you are, for in this dream, we see him failing to step up and be there for you when you really need him to be. This dream suggests that whether you are conscious of it or not, you want him to pay more attention to you, show up in your marriage, and make you a higher priority in his life.

Your sister represents a part of you that loves and believes in yourself. This healthy party of you is telling you not to give up on your dreams even if it means you have to rock the boat to get your husband to stop taking you and your devotion for granted.

Astrea:

Many times in life we hear, "You will always have what you NEED, but not necessarily what you WANT." Your spirit must have needed to experience the feeling of leaving your human body, and the suggestion in the next chapter of Sylvia Brown's book was all it took to get you there.

Even though you hadn't read it yet, your SOUL recognized the title of that chapter as something it had been seeking, and your soul, knowing that you had that reference to read after your experience, got with it and out you went!

While I don't usually recommend her books, Sylvia Brown has a wide reaching and powerful effect on lots of people. A Gemini like you would be able to relate easily to her writing and put it to good use. Synchronicity - you gotta love it!

I like your description of "getting caught." That's exactly what it feels like, isn't it? One minute you're free and hovering above the room, and the next minute, ZAP! back down into your corporeal form you go!

As a little kid, I loved that "feeling of return." With practice, most of the time we can control that event, but sometimes, when our physical ears hear a distracting noise or something else occurs to knock us back into reality, back we go. With practice you will be able to control your return better.

I find it interesting that you were visiting your mother-in-law and not someone in your own genetic family. Evidently, you and your husband got married for reasons that are even deeper than love. His family's interest in "psychic stuff" will nurture your children in such matters and help them to grow into their own abilities.

You'll never have to be concerned that when your daughter visits them, she'll be discouraged from exploring her own psychic life and power. My parents encouraged me to develop my psychic senses in a time when it wasn't nice to even discuss such things in public. Heck, it's STILL not considered a great topic at the dinner table in some families!

Your kids will get to talk about it ALL and ask questions and read and study. This is going to give them such an edge in life! Talk with your husband about how you want to present this to your kiddos, so that you are united in your approach and ready to tell them their experiences are all natural and okay.

A word or two of warning: Geminis often have difficulty staying grounded in REAL LIFE. Don't get so strung out on your ASTRAL life that you neglect what you're doing here on Earth.

You are at the beginning of a long journey to learn where your power really lies. Try to be patient with this process and take your time.