Saturday, April 23, 2011

For He Shall Give his Angels Charge over Thee

Do you believe in angels?

I really don't know whether I do or not. I love the idea of having a guardian angel, and I often thought that one was watching over me in particular moments. As a child I loved the idea of little fat angels with long wavy hair sitting on clouds and making music. This is still a nice image with its own charm.

Sometime during my life I found my fascination with angels on cemeteries. And many of those angels I found on cemeteries in England - I love the cemeteries there, they're wild and kind of overgrown and nestled in the churchyard of these old old churches. It reminds me of "Woman in White" and other somber literature.


I found this particular angel in the churchyard of Guiting Power, a little honey colored village in the Cotswold Hills, one of my favorite areas in England. The picture I took of him is not very good, but with the help of the magic of Photoshop and one of Kim Klassen's textures/backgrounds the angel turned into something else. I was searching for a sentiment for a long time until Psalm 91, 11-12 came into my mind.

For He shall give his angels charge over thee,
that they shall protect thee in all the ways thou goest,
that their hands shall uphold and guide thee,
lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

This comes pretty close to my idea of angels.

"Angels" has been this week's challenge at Inspiration Avenue, where you can find many more beautiful and amazing angels.

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20 comments:

windrock studio said...

Oh, I absolutey love and believe in angels! I was told once during a Rekki session that there were seven angels around me! I always figured there were alot to have helped me get this far! Thanks for sharing your wonderful image, Carola.

Yvonne said...

Beautiful, Carola!

Kay L. Davies said...

Wonderful, Carola, both the improved photo and the psalm. I also love the idea of a guardian angel.
-- K

Kay, Alberta, Canada
An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel

Maria Ontiveros said...

Oh, I definitely believe in angels! I love what you have done with that picture. Have you found any good cemeteries here in the Bay Area? We have a couple of little ones here in town but not with big statuary.
Rinda

Unknown said...

This is wonderful Carola! I love the photograph and the textures you added. The psalm is beautiful, too.

Silvia(Barnie) said...

Wunderschön, gefällt mir sehr gut. Das war der Spruch, den Joana sich als Konfirmationsspruch ausgesucht hatte.
Die meisten Spruch-Stempel sind von Stampers Anonymous (so wie die auf den letzten Werken)

Judy Goddard said...

I most certainly do believe in angels! And your photo is a great!

Unknown said...

What a lovely post! I love what you have posted and your photo. The aged image and the photo give a warmth that I feel when I think of guardian angels. And the psalm you have added to it is perfect. Very wonderful artwork.

La Vie Quotidienne said...

What a wonderful picture...you do such amazing things with textures, I am still stuggling with using them. Have a joyous and wonderful Easter.

Unknown said...

I definitely believe in guardian angels- I'm pretty certain my brother has been watching over me since he passed in 1985. I love your piece and the lovely sentiments behind it. Such a beautiful angel with all those layers of texture and serenity- I LOVE this!
Happy Easter!

artangel said...

Ooh this is amazing Carola, I love it! The touches of colour and texture you've added really add something to the image. I love looking at old graves and statues in cemetaries too - I find decay and rust so beautiful!

gma said...

Beautiful stone angel. Love the way you altered colors. Very nice.
:-)

Maggie said...

This angel is stunningly beautiful, and adding the textures makes it even more interesting! I love your post also, the psalm is beautiful.

Lynn Cohen said...

Scientifically, no, I do not believe in angels...HOWEVER, there are definitely times in my life when I felt I was surely being watched over by an angel that got me through a rough time or made sure I stayed safe when I ventured into risky territory.

Love your photo and the words.

Kat W said...

I love what you've done with your photo. The texture and colouring is really effective and the text you've chosen is perfect. This would make a great greetings card for a variety of occasions - full of hope and comfort.

Kat X

Darla said...

Beautiful illustration of the psalm. I don't know anything about altering photos but the end result to have is wonderful

Darla

Ginnie Hart said...

Oh, YES, Carola. I'm like Susan, totally believing in angels. I actually saw one when I was 9, but that's a long story before a lengthy stretch of illness, including polio. I'll never forget it. It actually scared the sh** out of me but has always been a reminder that someone bigger than me is watching over me.

I also believe in guardian angels who have sometimes played double duty with me, saving me from danger more than once. One time one shoved me back onto the sidewalk when I dashed out in front of a car. Seriously. I was in college at the time!

And yes, when I went to the only psychic in my life, trying to make some major decisions in my life (2008), the lady told me she saw at least 5 angels/spirits around me, all of them telling her what to tell me. :) It was because of that, I made the decision to leave my ex-partner to be with Astrid. I have never been happier.

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

Not sure why I didn't see this earlier. This is a great angel.

Christine E-E said...

this is what I think angels look like! I've had an encounter with two angels so far...

Monica said...

I don't believe in angels but that doesn't stop me enjoying what you've done with this!