Speaking In Hindsight:

It took a while to figure it out, but in our early efforts at operating a functional altar, many of the saints, the santos, we invoked to help us were – how can I put this? – simply not available, gone on to other assignments, retired, who knows? I do have to say, however, most of our santos y virgencitas, beloved virgins,are indeed quite active, responsive and ready to go. We could not have survived without them. This lesson, of course, led to another one.

In the early days of the altar, maybe I should have known that some santos were no longer available. We had gone into it with some blind faith, to do what we had seen other practitioners do, and we made people better. That’s why we didn’t know the santos were absent. In other words, we got results anyway, by invoking santos we only thought were active.

Many years passed before we learned about the retired santos, and a few more years before we could figure exactly what made things work if it wasn’t the unavailable santos. In “We Resisted But The Angels Proved Themselves” we talk about our reluctant belief in angels.

Angels, of course, are the answer, clearly. When we pray sincerely and intensely to a santo who has moved on; can other compassionate beings hear it and respond? Like many benevolent spirits, angels need to be asked or given permission to move in our lives, but sometimes the work you do, or the cause you fight, gives them that right, and they just show up when needed most. If you’re reading this, chances are they’ve been near you that way.

If any group of beings will treat you justly and fairly, angels are the ones. They are surely available for all of us. Ask one to help you

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