The Angel in Your Brain

When was the last time you asked for help? Perhaps it was for a job, a difficult decision, or advice on the right thing to say?

What if there was a way you could get help without asking for it? What if you had a built-in guide for your mind?

In the Jewish wisdom book known as the Talmud, the rabbis envision such a guide. Every thought we have—and every action we take—creates an angel. The function of that angel is to help us achieve the aim of our thought or deed.

Angels In Judaism

In Judaism, angels are messengers of God. As such they exist purely in the spiritual realm. They do not breathe and eat like human beings. They have no free will. They simply do God's bidding.

So why does the Talmud tell us our thoughts and deeds create angels? And what can they do for us?

First, the angels represent an energy created when we commit ourselves to something hard. Do you ever publicly say you will complete something difficult like a marathon or a book? Does that public statement makes you feel a bit more committed to doing it?

It is as if you are holding yourself accountable to something larger than yourself. And that sense of accountability creates an energy and momentum to achieve what you set out to do.

Perhaps the Talmud is telling us the angel serves in a similar capacity. We light the spark, and the angel harness and sustain our inner flame.

Think about the biblical Joseph. The Talmud tells us he was sustained throughout his early life—when he went from an Egyptian prison to becoming Pharaoh's second-in-command—by a vision of his father. He was Joseph's angel.

Names of Angels

One of the ways we harness the energy of angels is by knowing their names. In Judaism, the angels have names connected to their level of holiness.

This is a complicated concept to unpack, and the great medieval rabbi Maimonides devotes a lengthy discussion to it.

To put it simply, the relevant angel depends on the ultimate purpose of our words and deeds. Are they worldly or divinely inspired? Do they bring us closer to God or further away? Are they inspired by Torah or by our ego? Do they hurt or heal?

Asking these questions is part of looking at the angel and discovering their name. This process gives us greater clarity of our words and desires, and that knowledge itself helps us achieve our aim.

One important caveat—God empowers angels to guide us but not to do the work for us. We look for angels but do not rely on them.

In other words, angels can open our mouths, but the song must be in our own voice.