Angels as Nurturers

My first memory of angels is from the advent calendars that parents buy for their children for the weeks preceding Christmas. My calendar featured a manger scene, and my favourite picture was of an angel that hovered above the stall... it had an encrusted-gem silver lining on its large white wings, and it was (typically) female, with a look of regency combined with love that I somehow felt was intended for me.

Somehow, I sensed the nurturing of my mother through that image, I now see, and this has become an unconcious association I carry with me of angels. There is no mention of female angels in Biblical texts, but I wonder if in some way angels do express the feminine side of the creator. There are certainly many references to the masculine nature, but for some reason, angels have been depicted often as females.

As an adult, I no longer consciously believe in this image, but there is a part of me that seems to find comfort from images and music that recalls this "childish" notion.

As a musician, my creative force seems to resonate with this early longing, and I can sense it deep within driving my responses to the music I create.