A very intrigueing, and facinating book - absolutly wonderful and hauntingly beautiful photographs. This one is hard to put down...MCB

A very intreging, and facinating book - absolutly wonderful and hauntingly beautiful photographs. This one is hard to put down...MCB

As soon as I found this book in a used book store, I knew I needed to buy it. I love all the images and reading through all the angel names. Whenever I feel like the world is rapidly becoming overwhelming, I sit down with "Visions of Angels" and it helps to restore my balance. I highly recommend it - a coffee table book, it is not!

A BOOK OF ANGELS is my favorite source of information on the subject of angels, because it contains the most dazzling array of myths and stories about angels one could ever hope to find in one book. I am equally delighted with its thrilling personal accounts of the way human poets, mystics and saints (such as Blake, Dante, Dostoyevski, Goethe, Milton, Poe, Rilke, Shakespeare and Swedenborg) have interacted with angels throughout history. Beautiful illustrations and quotes appear on almost every page, such as this lovely one from Saint Augustine, "Every visible thing in this world is put in the charge of an angel."

Author Sophy Burnham did not grow up believing in angels or miracles, yet when she was a young adult, she watched an angel save her life. "I saw him the way you see the words on this page: the colors, the magnificent leap of my heart on seeing him -- HOME! cried my soul as he scooped me out of the path of death."

Whether you talk to angels every day, or wonder whether it's possible that they could exist, A BOOK OF ANGELS is certain to become your favorite book for exploring the angelic realms!

I believe we have more than one epiphany in our lives, and this book was at the center of one of my greatest. I was given a burden which I believe is one of the heaviest God asks any of His children to carry, and this book helped set me on a spiritual path which ultimately saved my life and my sanity. This is not an easy or sweet look at God's messengers. It explores angels in history, in literature, in religions and throughout most cultures. I grew up in a religion which was very narrow and which didn't place emphasis on angels except as they ministered to great people. This book changed my mind and opened whole new doors and avenues for exploration. I've been on that journey of encouragement and hope for four years now, and because of it, I see traditional theology differently and MORE POSITIVELY. I believe the writing of this book was inspired and I can't thank Ms. Burnham enough for giving me this stepping stone. I've had many unexpected and beautiful experiences in the midst of a grief so profound it's at times physically painful, and this is one of the books which helped me accept those experiences and know that reality is much more than the confines of the world we see.

I bought this book several years ago, just after my beloved grandmother died. I was heartbroken, and on the way to her funeral saw this book (and another on angels) in the airport bookstore. I bought it on impulse, and found it to be the perfect thing to read on the way to her funeral.

The book is filled with stories of encounters with angels, stories that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up, stories that made me weep, stories that made me realize that despite death, all really was right in the world, and that we were always surrounded by those who loved us, guarded us, protected us, even if we couldn't see them. This book brought comfort to me in a time of great sorrow, and I'll always be glad I bought it.

This book is an outstanding source of inspiration and encouragement to writers of any age or at any stage of their writing career. Unlike many 'how to' books I've read, this one does not tell give tips on style, grammar or content. It does provide the reader with the incentive to continue writing and never give up. It makes one realize that we are not alone. Even the greatest of authors has suffered from Writers Block, despair and discouragement. At the age of five I said, "When I grow up, I'm going to be a writer." Well into my teens, I was an avid reader and dabbled in writing every spare moment I had. When it was time for college, I majored in Journalism and was active in writing for the school newspaper. However, as a young adult, I got caught up with 'the real world' and due to lack of inspiration, time constraints, and countless other excuses, I never realized my dream. Finally, in the Autumn of my years my first novel is well underway and I anticipate a completion date by the summer of 2000. Sophy Burnham's book has given me the inspiration to pursue my dream. My highest recommendation to ALL writers regardless of whether they are just beginning their endeavor or are already successful authors.

Not a how-to book but infinitely satisfying, Ms. Burnham deals with the emotional phases that writers share. She punctuates her experiences (written in brief stand-alone paragraphs, suitable to dipping into on any page) with quotes by other writers and artists. Uplifting, encouraging, helpful, I would recommend this book for every writer at any stage in his/her career.

I picked up this book at a time when I had not been writing for quite some time and felt I needed some guidance. This book was a great inspiration! I can open it to any page, read a few lines, and feel completely uplifted about my writing. She really shows the beauty and heartaches of the writing profession. A must for every writer of every kind!

This is a fairly short book filled with letters from readers of the author's previous book on angels describing their own mystical encounters. I think "mystical encounters letters" describes the contents better than angel letters because many of the letters have no direct relationships with angels as we usually picture them. While this is a good book that surely provides help and inspiration to many readers, I personally found several entries to be quite mundane and far from angel-related. Many of the wonders described come down to personal "feelings" and seemingly ordinary circumstances. I should say that, as we all know, God works in mysterious ways, and I am sure that some of His greatest miracles and inspirations are utterly mundane and uneventful to eyes viewing the scene externally. I do not mean to cast aspersions on any of the letters I read; I am only saying that the contents of some of them, while personally meaningful to the writers, will probably strike some readers as events of chance or coincidence.

It is important to say that this book is not "preachy." It addresses all sorts of believers and nonbelievers; there are quotes from the Bible, the Koran, and even non-theological writers interspersed in the margins throughout the book. Among those letters testifying to a certain faith, we find Jewish, Catholic, and even non-religious statements of faith. Clearly, this book can indeed provide motivation and comfort to an assortment of readers, no matter their religion. Since the topics covered range from death to emotional trauma to simple appreciation of the beauties of nature, I feel sure that everyone who reads this book will find at least one section that speaks to him/her personally and provides a measure of comfort, peace, or inspiration.

This book is a welcome addition to Burnham's collection of stories of encounters with angels. After the success of her first book, "A Book of Angels", the letters came pouring in, from all over, recounting even more angelic meetings.

I find reading both these books to be enormously comforting. The stories they tell, from real people who've had real experiences, reassure me that none of us is alone, that help is at hand, and that no one need have fear. A touching and encouraging follow up to her first book.

I read the hardcover edition of this book a couple of years ago while staying at a friend's mountain retreat. It was powerful & deeply moving far beyond words. Unlike so many of the books & articles which have appeared in response to the flood of popular interest about angels, ANGEL LETTERS recounts a number of truly supernatural experiences -- not merely the wonderful expression of goodness through kind human hearts, but goodness of another order of magnitude entirely. The letters come from people of widely diverse backgrounds, and are written with simplicity & heartfelt authenticity -- very little "religious" sugarcoating here. Their experiences range from the inspiring (in most cases) to the mundane, to frightening or mysterious; all are fascinating, and it is clear the writers of each of these letters experienced something unique & unforgettable. Thank you, Sophy Burnham, for sharing these jewels!

Was there a deeply spiritual transformation on Machu Picchu? Perhaps, but the account is clear about infidelity and the guilt of carryint it. It is also clear that the Englishman used his power to manipulate the mind of the author and destroy her life. Which is clear it has been an inferno since her divorce.

But one thing is clear reading this book is the need of religious understanding and more tolerance.

A good way to contrast this book is to read the following one:

THE STRAIGHT PATH: A Story of Healing and Transformation in Fiji by Richard Katz.

There should not be any doubt that goodness should be our only source of inspiration and this requires a complete transformation of ourselves.

Another important point is the path walked by the author to fill her sexual and spiritual needs which required her to destroy her family. And this somehow is very difficult to see it as inspired by GOODNESS.

Life is not perfect but to justify adultery using the spiritual power of goodness that not quite makes it right.

Reading this book gave me a sense of peace, because i recognised so many things that i kept on saying 'yes' almost on every page! So many familiar events, finally i can put aside my worries about 'weird' thoughts and feelings; it seems they're not weird at all! Just forgotten in this world where there is so little room for mystic and spiritual development. Thank you Sophy, for the 'homecoming' feeling your words gave me.

Written almost as a diary of her spiritual questioning, Sophy Burnham outlines the various written records of faiths to describe illumination for those who have never felt it. This is an outward teaching to give context for an inner awakening. It gave her the courage to end her marriage in a loving way and find a new way of being. From a wife, a mother and a daughter, she grew to be a successful writer by relying on her spiritual insight, to become an award-winning author of 10 books including two New York Times best sellers -- The Art Crowd and A Book of Angels. This book can inspire hope for those wishing to change their lives. The illumination, the direction, will have to come from within.

This book is wonderful! I'm enjoying it so much, I wanted to write a review before I was done to let people know it's well worth it. Obviously well researched and well written. I do not agree with any bad reviews about this book because I think it is an honest appraisal of the time period. Why would the Roman Catholic Church stand against the Cathars? What "friction" could there have been that would have caused them to turn against the Good Men and Women? Well, there is only one answer to that...because they were a threat to the Roman Catholic hold over the majority of society. I am not anti Roman Catholic, quite the opposite, I am Roman Catholic...I'm just trying to be honest about how the Church of that period operated. Any religion other than the "True Church of Rome" was considered heretical and therefore, a threat to the establishment. This book shows that in an unbiased manner, in my opinion, and it's well written and enthralling to boot! Pick this one up. You won't be disappointed.

I agree completely with the Publishers Weekly review.

I wish I had been the agent to sell this book! I loved every page of this book and recommended it to all of my friends and clients. Not only is it an incredible story, but it is also a fantastic example of historical fiction. The history is accurate down to such items as what the people ate, how they lit their houses, whether they had chimneys. . . It is so full of information, but in addtition, I was swept up by the tragic story of the massacre at Montsegur, which is well known in France and has hardly been heard about in the United States. This is a true story. A lost treasure, the search for God by both Catholic and Cathar followers of Christ, and the resultant righteous persecution of one group by another makes this a very timely book. I disagree completely with the one-star review above. The inquisition was terrible and my research shows that Sophy Burnham is very accurate in her depiction of the times. It will take me a long time to forget the haunting heroine Jeanne. You have to read this book!

I have read this book for a book report at school. I thaught it was a good book and I would love to read it again and one reson is because this book is about dogs and I love dogs alot. I do recommened this book to others.

I read this book in middle school for a book report. And it has stuck in my head since then. I was looking for a copy to refresh my memory. Good read for young adults.

Sophy Burnham's "ecstatic journey" traces every twist and turn of the mystical path, from the divine revelations received by biblical figures and medieval saints to the cosmic experiences of ordinary contemporary people and her own transformative moment at Machu Picchu in Peru. Some of these are well-known stories and some come from letters that Burnham has received from her readers. These mysteries, known and unknown, describe the fiery light of God's love, the flash of complete understanding that cannot be put into words, the melding of self with every part of creation. Their stories alternately fill me with awe and discouragement. Awe, because these experiences prove for me that God is more wonderful than anything I can imagine. Discouragement, because these tales stir up those old longings for divine revelation which I thought I had replaced with contentment and inner peace. For those of us who are on the quiet mystical path, Burnham assures us that we are in good companpy. When she interviewed the Dalai Lama, asking him if he was enlightened, he replied: "'Me? No, no, no,' and broke out laughing. 'I personally have no experience of the Awakening Mind,' he confided happily." I found this to be one of the most reassuring passages in the book, along with Burnham's observation that "A mystical experience does not always come as a vision of light or an ecstasy or sense of union. Sometimes it is marked by the most fragile 'knowing,' like a ripple on the surface of a lake." In her description of what the Buddhists call "emptiness" or "luminosity of mind," Burnham says, "This is the state in which you hear music as if the notes were falling stars. Then everything and everyone around you is seen as holy, and nothing exists except the holiness, the sacred gound. Nothing is dirty anymore, or despicable." Perhaps I don't need to experience this holy state firsthand. I can read passages like this and catch a glimpse of the world through the eyes of the person who has experienced it. THE ECSTATIC JOURNEY is one of those books that induces a deep awareness of the sanctity of all Creation. --Emily L. VanLaeys, author of DREAMWEAVING: USING DREAM GUIDANCE TO CREATE LIFE'S TAPESTRY

In this fairly well researched and documented book, Burnham offers evidence and hope for mystical experiences. She offers concrete suggestions for increasing one's spirituality and balances them with humble quotes from gurus like the Dali Lama so as to keep things in perspective. At times she's a bit dogmatic and draws conclusions based more on emotion than intellect, and in parts, it seems like the book was written more for her own therapy, so it would be to one's benefit to read other books of this nature and not view this one alone as an authoratative work on this subject.

This is a book I am most impressed by, because never have I seen such an impressive description of the pathways of great and lesser-known mystics over the years.
Sophy Burnham writes from an intensely personal perspective, focusing heavily on her own experiences throughout, and the way in which she writes is touching to me even though I find it impossible to imagine what occurs in the lives of mystics except as a dream. Sophy shows throughout that she can characterise the mystical way with remarkable clarity throughout, always using real-life examples that she has read about herself, from times before the birth of Christ right up until this very day. She shows clearly the simplicity and beauty in the lives of the mystics that is so touching and intriguing in today's world. And Sophy Burnham is far better than anyone I have read at expressing the work done by these mystical figures when in action, as opposed to prayer.
At the same time, Sophy Burnham shows clearly what guideline are needed to develop this pathway and is exceptionally effective at demonstrating the qualities a mystic must have. Given the intense focus on her own life, it is not surprising that she can relate these msytical experience to everyday life perfectly.
This is a perfect book to read if you want your first insight into the lives of great spiritual figues past and present.