Article March 8, 2004 Issue

Angels on Mt. Diavolezza

By Marion Harding

Are there such things as angels? Can they really appear to us anywhere—even in the middle of a ski run? I'd have to say yes. I've had their help on more than one occasion. But there's a particular experience that remains vivid in my memory.

My concept of angels has been inspired by this assessment of them as: "God's thoughts passing to man; spiritual intuitions, pure and perfect" (Science and Health, p. 581). Because God is always present, so are His thoughts, or His angels. He gives the ideas and intuitions everyone needs to find protection, inspiration, guidance. Angels can appear in many forms.

I saw an example of this one time when I was with a small group of people making a day-skiing trip from our base in Austria, across the Swiss border to the Diavolezza, a mountain of over 9,000 feet. We rode up the mountain in a cable car to where the ski runs began. It was open country, high above the tree line. Only three of us, including the leader, had skiing experience, and we were looking forward to a good long downhill run. As we began, our leader assured us the run was easy. Then he shot off ahead, leaving us far behind.