He barely spoke English. I spoke no Italian. I couldn’t figure out why he’d been so head-over-heels for me and then turned into an ice cube so suddenly. I only had two more weeks in Italy, and it seemed such a waste to leave with a broken heart.
So I wrote a letter to his angel.
My colleague and I had a difficult conversation coming up – I knew she’d be disappointed by my decision. She had a tendency to unravel emotionally and become a basket case when things didn’t go her way. I was dreading the phone call, and I just didn’t have it in me to deal with the emotional fallout.
So I wrote a letter to her angel.
Our daughter’s bedtime drama was escalating every night. More shenanigans. More tears. More hours. More exhaustion for all of us. Mike and I didn’t know how to fix it and we’d had it.
So I wrote a letter to her angel.
I’m a big fan of direct, loving communication when it can be had. But sometimes you don’t speak the same language. Sometimes one of the parties doesn’t handle direct communication well, and you end up just taking care of them emotionally. And sometimes the person you need to communicate with barely speaks herself.
This is when the letter to the angel comes in.
It’s my go-to when I’ve done everything I can think of to do on the human plane and I need to call in the higher-ups.
If you’re a doer like me and there’s a situation that you don’t know what else to do about, it can feel absolutely awful.
Writing a letter to someone’s angel (or your own) is something that you can actually do on the earthly plane. And every time I’ve done it, it’s worked.
Now, I don’t know precisely why it works. Whether you’ve got the angels on speed dial or you’re reading this with an eyebrow raised, here’s the truth:
Knowing that we’ve done all we can in any given situation brings peace.
So, here’s what you do.
- Sit down with a pen and a piece of paper.
- Write the greeting. (I usually go with “Dear _________’s angel” for simplicity.)
- Thank the angel for all they’re already doing to support the person you’re needing some help with.
- Make a clear request for what you’d like help with in the situation. (I wrote that I’d love Penelope’s angel to help us have a calm, peaceful, quick bedtime ritual that is enjoyable for everyone.)
- Thank the angel again.
- Sign it. (I’d recommend with love.)
- Burn the letter.
That’s it. It satisfies the ego’s desire to do something while also connecting with that which we cannot see to get help. It’s equal parts active and passive, practical and mystical.
When I told my friend Kyle Gray who’s an angel expert about my letter to Penelope’s angel, he reminded me that part of why it worked is because I believed that the solution I was requesting was possible. So that’s another thing you’ll want to throw in there: belief.
I do not write letters to the angels every day (though I do chat with them regularly). I save the letter-writing practice for when I’m really stuck as to what to do about a situation, and for whatever reason just working it out with the other person doesn’t seem like the best solution.
I have literally never written a letter to someone’s angel and not had a beautiful outcome.
The Italian guy did a 180 within 24 hours, and the last two weeks of the holiday were a romantic heaven. (I did nothing other than write the letter.)
My colleague said the exact words on the phone I’d written in my letter to her angel. The call took about three minutes and it was no big deal.
Our baby girl went to sleep in five minutes and every bedtime since has been peaceful and enjoyable. (All my parents out there know that this is by far the biggest miracle of all!)
So, when you find yourself in a pickle and you’ve come up short in the realm of human solutions, try a letter to an angel. Can’t hurt. And I’ve found it always helps.
OVER TO YOU:
Do you ever connect with angels? Is the concept of writing a letter to an angel new to you? Tell me about you and angels in the comments. And, if you try writing a letter, please write in and tell me how it goes!
Kate Northrup is an entrepreneur, bestselling author, and mother who supports ambitious, motivated and successful women to light up the world without burning themselves out in the process. Committed to empowering women entrepreneurs to create their most successful businesses while navigating motherhood, Kate is the founder and CEO of Origin Collective, a monthly membership site where women all over the world gather to achieve more while doing less. Her first book, Money: A Love Story, has been published in 5 languages. Kate’s work has been featured by The Today Show, Yahoo! Finance, Women’s Health, Glamour, and The Huffington Post, and she’s spoken to audiences of thousands with Hay House, Wanderlust, USANA Health Sciences, and more. Kate lives with her husband and business partner, Mike, and their daughter Penelope in Maine. Find out more and receive your free copy of the 5 Simple and effective ways to get the results you want in your business at katenorthrup.com.
Image courtesy of Anastasiya Vragova.
