We stand on the threshold of great change. The sands are shifting underfoot. Each step will leave its imprint in the unfolding shape of things, and so we are charged with stepping wisely. There are many seeking to offer aid and advice in these chaotic times of global upheaval and individual transformation. Yet in the chorus of doomsayers, prophets, and guides that thrums endlessly all around me, one voice stands out in my mind by being patient, kind, calm, and insightful. This voice belongs to my companion angel, Reverence, who seeks, humbly and clearly, to express the joyous, inexorable nature of the changes that are looming on the horizon. The angel does this by drawing a comparison to the symbolism of original sin, showing us how, at last, we are coming full circle and knocking at the gates of an Eden we never truly left.

Recently, during an evening walk, I was frozen in my tracks as a brilliant, fiery sunset came suddenly into view through a gap in the trees that elsewhere surrounded the road. The sky was aflame with gradient hues of orange and scarlet, flecked with wisps of cloud gilt brightly by the fading light. Cloud, sky, and Sun were enmeshed in a vibrant display of indestructible, yet fleeting, magnificence. Presently, a familiar voice sounded in my ear:

“Behold,” Reverence began, “how all things move as one, and how, in the dance of existence, order is written by a single hand.” These refulgent words had scarcely ceased to shimmer when the angel added, “Take your place in the dance; inherit the grace with which you are imbued. Let contentment be thy bread, and gratitude thy butter. Drink the wine of joy, and thou shalt have for thyself a kingly feast.” (When Reverence addresses me with such formal language, it’s an unambiguous sign that I had best pay careful attention!)