Kamisaka Sekka
Kesa
(late Edo period (1789–1868), early 19th century)

"I ascribe that recovery to the presence of Angeli…"

As for angels, they seem the most mysterious presences. They are said to exist without much in the way of physical evidence. They’ve received ample literary mention over the centuries without leaving foot or fingerprints. They might most often appear when really needed, bringing with them some form of salvation. Their biggest gig was the night Jesus was said to have been born, rousing shepherds and encouraging otherwise skeptical wisemen. They managed a physical presence in that mythical manger, and glory really shone around, according to eyewitness testimony. Otherwise, they regularly appear in statuary and classical paintings, inevitably wearing halos. Popes and potentates have traditionally insisted that their decorators employ Angeli to lend a sense of divine association. Generally speaking, the more terrible the king, the more they relied upon Angeli images to sanctify their tyranny.

An early twenty-first-century person might never encounter an angel, even in passing. Since we tend to enjoy unprecedented levels of health and well-being, we generally lack the preconditions historically necessary to reliably attract the Angeli. I suppose those parts of our world experiencing calamity, of which there’s never been a shortage over the centuries, might experience a fair traffic in Angeli, even in those places where local beliefs don’t usually lean in a friendly direction when mentioning Angeli. I, for instance, firmly believe in the Angeli franchise, and have convinced myself that they’re always hanging near, though usually without any actual confirmation of that presence. I figure it’s enough to ascribe any odd good fortune to their presence. Who could such a conviction hurt? The Muse and I have Angeli statuary guarding the main entrances to The Villa Vatta Schmaltz, as if to prevent evil from entering, but that’s just a standard, probably self-serving belief working its magic. Evil never enters our Villa.

One fairly certain Angeli attractor, though, appears in the form of most any standard misfortune. Break both of your ankles, for instance, and Angeli suddenly appear. People who seemed simply the regular kind just before the accident transform into Angel form, as if by magic, once even a minor tragedy occurs. It’s either ironic or, maybe, tragic that it seems to require some calamity for people like you or me to spontaneously transform into Angeli, but it sure seems to reliably occur. Ten thousand blessings might rain down on a parade without a single angel appearing, but let a run-of-the-mill catastrophe occur, and the joint’s suddenly seemingly overrun with ‘em. Not that I would wish The Muse’s fate on anyone, for it’s been truly terrible if not entirely unrecoverable, for her to break both ankles. Her condition has necessitated certain compensations. The call went out for convalescent crap, and it appeared, more or less like that, apparently delivered by angels. We needed goons to wrestle her carcass into the place when we returned her from her surgery, and angels appeared in the place of the goons she’d ordered.

The word spreads by the local jungle telegraph, I suspect. Social media has undoubtedly improved our modern Angeli’s ability to appear in a timely manner. They’re apparently connected to all the more popular social media, even BackDoor®, or whatever that neighborhood whisper monger’s called. A hint at need, and another angel appears. Yesterday, I put a particularly beefy angel on retainer. The son of a friend, he has the body of a football player. He easily guides The Muse up and down the back deck stairs in ways I could never match. I’ve been warned to mind my back, since caregivers notoriously tend to throw out their backs when tending to their wards. Fortunately, The Muse turns out to be part monkey and refuses most of my proffered tending. She quickly managed to remove her prosthetic boot, and even put it back on unaided when her nap was over. She still allows me to fix her breakfast, lunch, and supper, though she’s probably capable of doing even that herself. Discretion might be close to ninety percent of any truly effective infirmity. One must sense when to allow the Angeli to intervene or suffer the sorry consequences of experiencing no Angeli visiting.

I will not propose this discovery as the recipe for attracting and retaining Angeli in anyone’s life. As near as I can tell, the Angeli come and go according to something akin to divine inspiration. They appear to follow no regulating schedule. They come and go as they please but don’t seem to be above or below occasionally humbling themselves. It might be fair to propose that the Angeli work exclusively on retainer, the compensation being some sincere form of neediness. The Muse has strict rules insisting upon her self-reliance. Accepting assistance comes at a real cost for her, creating a debt she’s always been dead set against incurring. It’s rare that she ever resorts to asking. The Angeli seem to appear by something more akin to intuition. They just seem to know when. The Muse seems to understand that even Angeli compassion proves fleeting. The X-ray attendant she visited yesterday remarked that she seemed far more recovered than were most of her patients a scant week after surgery. I ascribe that recovery to the presence of Angeli; she to self-reliance.

©2026 by David A. Schmaltz - all rights reserved

Tags: #Prosperity, #PureSchmaltz