A Conversation About Optimism and Hope With Bestselling Author Lorna Byrne, of ‘Angels in My Hair’

To help someone else, that’s what life is about. You go down the road and you’re living life. If you see someone that needs help behind you with a shopping bag, give them a helping hand. Or if they need a smile or a hello, give them a smile and a hello or stop and ask them, “How was your day?” Just live life. Don’t think that life is just all about the material things and work because then you’re missing out on life.

I had the pleasure to interview Author Lorna Byrne. Lorna is an international, bestselling author (her last two books went straight to #1 on the UK Sunday Times Chart) with more than a million readers around the world. Her books, Angels in my Hair, Stairways to Heaven, A Message of Hope from the Angels and Love from Heaven have been translated into 30 languages. Since she was a baby, Lorna saw angels, but did not talk about what she was seeing until seven years ago. Very unusually, she sees angels physically, with as much clarity as the rest of us see people, and she sees them every day. This diminutive, soft-spoken, uneducated Irish woman says she has no idea why she can see angels when others can’t, adding that she is just an ordinary person.

Marina Kostina: Thank you so much for being here Lorna.

Lorna Byrne: Thank you so much for inviting me to do this interview with you and to spread the word of love, goodness, happiness, joy, peace and of course, the angels of spirituality. That’s some journey we all need to take — each and every one of us — and so important.

Marina: Please tell us about your incredible gift.

Lorna: There is one thing I would say to everybody: if you’re a doubter or a nonbeliever….it doesn’t matter what religion you are or whether you say to yourself, “I don’t believe in anything.” Every single person, good and bad, has a guardian angel. So many people have said, “Lorna, are you sure?” They have a guardian angel standing in front of me and I’d say, “Yes, you have a guardian angel right there with you.”

You’re never alone. They’re there to guide you through life, and to give you thoughts into your mind or feelings — all positive and good things. Your guardian angel is the gatekeeper of your soul. But your guardian angel calls in other angels to give you a helping hand. I know sometimes I might name these angels. One of them, which people right across the world love, are the “unemployed angels.” The unemployed angels help you with trivial things. Just say to yourself, “I could do with an unemployed angel today in my life,” and your guardian angel will have one there, before you even spoke the words, or the thought came into your mind. I hear from so many people that they find the day was easier than they thought it was going to be.

Angels are very good at helping cheer us up, as well. They guide us — they can’t do things for us — but they guide us. I know they can step over that free will that we have; but you always have the choice and just remember, you’re never, never alone. Your guardian angel is right there. I’ve heard from even children, teenagers, young adults, older adults, and they would say, “Why weren’t we told this long ago, that we all have a guardian angel? It would have made such a difference in my life.”

Marina: I read your book, Angels in My Hair. I loved how you described angels as different characters. Can you please talk about your experience with angels.

Lorna: I believe it will happen for everyone. Everyone in the world is in search of spirituality. We are starting to realize that we’re not just human beings, but spiritual beings as well. And we are so intertwined with our human self, and yes, I have to smile. It’s only when somebody says to me, “the angels have character” where I suppose, in one way, I never noticed that myself. Especially as a child, because they always told me to keep it a secret and not to tell anyone.

And being a child, I did exactly as they said. I never thought twice about it and all that happened. One time, I think maybe I was two or two and a half, I was sitting in front of the fire with my little brother. (I always called him my little brother, but he was older than me.) It was when our hands touched… his hand went into mine and mine went into his. There was such love. Sparks flew everywhere and it was that time that the angel said I must keep it a secret. I mustn’t tell anyone. It was at that time as well, they told me that my little brother had died before I was born. I never questioned that because he was about five, playing with me in front of the fire. They told me the fire wouldn’t burn him.

But you have to remember, I was only two, or two and a half. The young child doesn’t question. Sometimes when my mom was asleep in the armchair, and I would see him as an infant in her arms. That still moves me to this day. I still call him my little brother, but he was born before I was. I named my first child “Christopher” after him.

Angels, they do have characters, like Angel Hostess, whom I describe in the books. He would remind me, and still does today, of one of these masters in a college with his long cloak on him and a funny-shaped stash. Sometimes he would be carrying a book, like a scholar. At times he would be serious and other times, he would make me laugh. The angels would do something funny if I was feeling sad, they would make me laugh.

Even Angel Jimerson, the gatekeeper of the Earth, who is calling out to us about how much our planet is changing, and that we are forgetting it has been a gift. Sometimes when we get a gift, we mistreat it. I suppose that’s what we have been doing, but he’s always reminding us: take care of the Earth, do what you can, any little bit will always help in that way. The first time I was introduced to Angel Jimerson, he frightened the life out of me. He is such a massive angel and he had this, what I would call a staff, a big stick, and he tapped it on the Earth. I remember legging it into the house because I could feel the Earth vibrate under me! But he’s a wonderful angel.

There are so many who impress me, all the time. Every angel does, they’re all so different. And yet, in one way, they’re all angels. I never see a hierarchy, if that’s the word. I know lots of people talk about that, saying there’s a list, but the angels have never demonstrated that to me in any way. It’s not like, “You sit there if I say so.” Or, “I hold the rod,” or anything like that. And then of course, there’s Archangel Michael, and some of the other archangels, but especially Archangel Michael. Many times, I just call him Michael, just Michael. He’s such a friend. He’s in my life so, so much and yet he’s there for everyone.

And that I cannot explain. That I can’t give an answer to. I don’t know how an archangel can be with everyone at the same time, if he has to be. To me that is incredible, but Archangel Michael would often come and comfort me and bring messages to me and go for a walk. Many a time I’d set the table for a cup of tea, if they were all there. I would sit at the table and talk and they, of course, couldn’t drink tea, but I would be drinking tea, and the angels are real. Sometimes at a talk, there might be a priest, a bishop, a rabbi, or a minister, or there’s so many other faiths. One thing they always say is “Lorna, we love the way you talk about angels and that gives us permission to be here, because you bring God nice and quietly and with a twist.”

I have to smile at this. You know, the way that has happened. I talk about the angels, but I “bring God nice and quietly and with a twist.” It was maybe just a few years ago when it started to happen: a priest first asked me and then more started to ask me, “Lorna, is God real?” And I’d have to tell the listeners, “Yes, God is real. You have a soul.” Each of us has this beautiful soul that is pure love. It’s that spark of light, I call it. It’s so tiny, yet enormous. It fills every part of you and goes out as well, but it dwells within you. That’s why you have a guardian angel, and that is why your guardian angel is the gatekeeper of your soul.

I’ve never seen anybody in the world without a guardian angel. If I did that would mean they have no soul, so that has never ever happened; it doesn’t matter what religion they are, or whether they believe or not. I just have to smile because it’s so wonderful to see that. Your soul is pure love and sometimes we call that the inner child. We want to find ourselves; we want to get to know the spiritual part of us. Sometimes what different people are afraid of is the supernatural. That’s what your soul is. That’s what your guardian angel is. That’s what God is. No matter what your beliefs are, angels are real; I see them every day. You can’t see your guardian angel. On occasions I have been allowed to see mine on the screen, usually on the TV, but it’s very rare. It very seldom happens. But I know if I were in the same room with you, sitting across from you, or even if I peeked in the door and saw you talking to someone, I’d see your guardian angel.

Your guardian angel never leaves you. Not even for one second. You’re never alone. Some people say, “Even in the bathroom?” and I’d say, “Yes, no matter what you’re doing, your guardian angel is right there.” They don’t look upon us negatively. You are the most precious thing in the world to your guardian angel, to your guardian angel that loves you unconditionally. To your guardian angel, you are the most beautiful person in the world. You are unique. You are perfect.

You are everything to your guardian angel; it only has eyes for you, not for anyone else in the world. Just you. I think that is something so wonderful. I’ve had many teenagers coming up saying, “Lorna, that has given us hope. That helps me to feel good, that even if I’m not getting on with friends or I’ve been hurt, at least I know my guardian angel loves me, even if I was nasty.” If you weren’t so nice to your friend or your friend wasn’t so nice to you, your guardian angel never judges you whatsoever, just loves you.

Marina: That is incredible. Do you have any concrete tools about how we develop that connection and sensitivity?

Lorna: Yes, we do, and I think that is wonderful. I would say to people: become aware that you are a spiritual being and let your soul be free. Allow yourself to feel, allow yourself to see. I believe everyone can see. One exercise I have been giving people all around the world is to try and get a glimpse of the guardian angel.

I remember asking Archangel Michael, “How can I tell people how to do this?” And he just looked at me. And then I said to him, “nothing complicated please, because we want simple.” He gave me three things and they are fairly simple. One was, when you’re going to work or you’re passing a shop window or window in the house or whatever and you’re not looking at the window, but you catch a glimpse of your guardian angel in the window just for a second, and every time that happens, acknowledge, yes, I did catch a glimpse. The first time, you may not be even able to make out what you saw, but just acknowledge it. Acknowledge it to your human self and to your soul and ask for your soul to come forward and for you to be more open so that the next time you catch a glimpse, you acknowledge again and I believe that it gets clearer and stronger for people.

And the other one was, which I had to smile was, if there’s a puddle of water on the ground and you’re rushing for a bus or whatever, or you’re a teenager and you’re walking to school, in that way, you could catch a glimpse of your guardian angel in the puddle of water, just for a second.

The third one was in the wing mirror of a car. I remember saying, “Archangel Michael, there are lots of modern cars coming in” and these members turned around to me and said, “Lorna, there are lots of old cars in the world, still.” So that’ll work. If you’re going to work or going to school or you’re a mother, you’re going to the shops and you could catch a glimpse just by… you’re not looking, you just kind of go, Oh, did I see something? And again, it’s to acknowledge it.

I heard from this lady who said she was going to work, and she was conscious that maybe one day it would happen. She said to herself, if it happens, great. And she said she didn’t think of it after that. This morning, she was rushing to work, and of course, she did catch a glimpse of Archangel Willmar. She said, “I had gone past it. I was rushing for a bus [or whatever she was rushing for] and I was afraid I’d miss it, but I stopped after I had passed. I was so shocked. She said to herself, am I getting a glimpse of my guardian angel? She walked back to the wing mirror of the car that was there, looked into it and saw nothing. She looked all around to see, is the mirror picking up any reflection at all? and she saw that it wasn’t. She told me what she saw, and I just have to smile at this. She saw the tip of her guardian angel’s finger, the nail… she saw the shape of it, and she said it was just like gold, all of light. And it was so bright that she realized that when she got the glimpse at that moment, she didn’t really see the wing mirror because the light of the guardian angel’s finger took over the wing mirror. As she talked more, she was able to describe it more in detail.

If it can happen for her, it can happen for anyone. I said to her, “Hopefully, next time when it happens, your guardian angel will give you more of a glimpse then just the finger.” People all around the world would often say, “I know there was an angel there with me.” Or they would say, “I did get a glimpse of an angel.” Sometimes the elderly would say to me, “Lorna, I have seen an angel,” but they would say, “I’ll only tell you, because if I tell anyone in my family, they’re going to call me senile and put me into a nursing home.”

I think we have to be more open to the elderly. The younger have to be more open to absorb their wisdom that they can give us, as well. Like the grandmother passing on wisdom, for her not to sit and be afraid to say she saw an angel today.

We’ve got to make the children more and more aware. Another thing I love is, when I’m doing the blessing after a lecture and in the workshop, sometimes there’ll be a family there with a load of children. I will say to the younger ones, “Do you know the name of your guardian angel?” Most of them will say yes and they will tell me. The parents are standing there, shocked. We never knew they knew the name of the guardian angel, but children don’t see a reason why they should tell you. Parents should ask, “By the way, has your guardian angel told you its name?” And throughout the world now, another thing I ask was that when a mom is pregnant and the baby’s born, don’t just teach it “mama” and “dada.” Ask from the very beginning, “How is your soul? How is your guardian angel today?” Allow the child to be more open so that we can have a better world. We need it; we need a better world. Or wherever the moment is kind of topsy-turvy, there are lots of good and positive things there, I’m sure. Look at all the miracles that happen in my life. If miracles can happen in my life, they can happen in yours.

Marina: Speaking of a better world, you know that United States is rated number 18 on the World Happiness Report. Why do you think people are so unhappy?

Lorna: Well, I know you have read Angels in My Hair, but I think it’s in Stairways to Heaven… I talk about Americans gathering angels. You have been gathered from all over the world. You are the new race. You’re meant to grow spiritually quicker than the rest of the world. It’s up to you, and I guess that’s why my God is sending me to America, just to let people know: it’s your choice. I can’t force anything on you, but I believe the American people can do it. I have no doubt whatsoever. Every time I get off a plane, the atmosphere is so different in the sense of that. How can I describe it? It’s full of electricity of positive and good, so it’s kind of opened up and changed the world for the better. I know, at the moment in America, things are kind of up and down. I would just say: love each other. Don’t judge. When I’m doing a workshop, the angels will say to me, “Lorna, tell everyone to stand up and give everyone around them a hug. They don’t have to know them and say to them, ‘I love you.’” It’s one word that is so, so powerful and we don’t say it. We need to say more.

Marina: Absolutely. Thank you so much. I have two more question. I know you’re busy! My beat in Authority Magazine is about ‘Living with a Ravenous Thirst for Life’. For me, “ravenous living” is accepting life with all of it… ups and downs, and not only being concentrated on the positive side. Sometimes the negative gives us a lot of inspiration and transformation work. How do you live with a ravenous thirst for life and how can we accomplish it?

Lorna: Well, wow. What a question. I believe we all have that inside of us. Even when we’re down or sad, we still have that inside of us. I have seen it many times and it’s something we need to remind ourselves — to live life to the fullest, to enjoy every single moment. Even if it’s that someone is giving out to you, or when you’re down, or you haven’t won that race, but you must enjoy that race. It’s very important for us to enjoy everything. Even more so when we are cold or hungry, to feel that, to enjoy it. That feeling like the phrase, “ravenous for life.” It’s everything. As you said, it’s the positive and the negative, and we need both. They both help to guide us.

Some people would say to me, “Lorna, life is so hard on you.” I would never change one thing of my life because I wouldn’t be who I am today. Only for everything that I have gone through, we need to have that zest for life. That’s one thing I think in the world today: everywhere it’s lacking. People are giving up on things instead of saying, “Let me try this and see how I do.”

You have to remember that each and every one of us is unique. None of us can do something like someone else. I can’t be you and you can’t be me. In one sense, we’re not focused on living life, feeling life that ravenous way, that we’re just so focused on what someone else is doing and we think they’re successful. They do that better than me, but they don’t do better than you. The way you do it is completely unique. It’s full up of its own life and its own positiveness and I think we’re forgetting that.

It’s like loving your path. No one can love your path the way you love it. No one can grow that plant the way you grow that plant. Three other people could cook the same dish, but they’ll all taste different. They won’t taste the same because you’re putting your life into that, your “ravenous” into that, and you should never compare yourself to anyone else because you are unique. You’re perfect. Live life to the fullest. It’s like it’s raining out there and you feel like going out into the rain, stretching your arms out and just feeling yourself… getting yourself soaking wet. Enjoy it. Feel life!

We have even children who are not allowed to feel life. I remember a little story… a young man had been in a horrific accident and lost some of his limbs, lost so much of himself physically. He was fighting for that “ravenous life” to live, and why should we wait for something tragic to happen to live life? Go and live as you know, you go for a walk, enjoy that walk, take enough fresh air, you know, let it come in and go out and clear your mind. Clear everything within you. Just feel life. Even feel life with the air. We’ve forgotten. It’s as if lots of things haven’t been passed down. We kind of maybe feel we’re too intelligent or too bright and everything is to do with technology. But some of the futures I have seen, technology has nothing to do with the child that crosses the river without a bridge. I mean not walking in the water, cross it — that has nothing to do with technology.

It has to do with the intertwining of the body and soul of us, growing more spiritually, recognizing that we’re not just a human being. We’re true beings. We’re a spiritual being and a human being and we haven’t accepted one, and so many of us cry out. We want to know that in our child, or we want to know that loss we feel. We call it so many different things through generations and different religions, and all kinds of different things… but it’s the soul. It’s the spiritual part of us. It’s that supernatural part of us that we’re kind of still in denial.

It was one of the things I probably talk about too much. But that was one of the things that I, when I wrote the first book, was scared of. I was saying to Archangel Michael, “I’m dyslexic. I can’t read. I haven’t been educated. They are going to laugh at me and ridicule me,” and I was actually scared of that, you know? But now it doesn’t matter because it has done so much good for so many people, right across the world, of all religions. To help someone else, that’s what life is about. You go down the road and you’re living life. If you see someone that needs help behind you with a shopping bag, give them a helping hand. Or if they need a smile or a hello, give them a smile and a hello or stop and ask them, “How was your day?” Just live life. Don’t think that life is just all about the material things and work because then you’re missing out on life.

Marina: Absolutely. You mentioned that comparison is one of those things that separates us from really living with passion and a ravenous living, right? Another thing that separates us are insecurities and doubt. Looking at you, a successful person, nobody can ever imagine that you have moments of insecurity and doubt. Lorna, do you have those moments?

Lorna: Of course, I do. All the time. I can’t tell you what’s happening at the moment. It’s something I will write about. When my husband was alive, Archangel Michael said something to me, something particular and I took no notice of it. And then Joe died, and years have passed. The last couple of years, again, that same thing came back up and I’m in shock because it is incredible.

Don’t compare yourself to someone else and remember, miracles happen. I never asked God or the angels where I’m going. I know most people do, but I don’t. I just go down that road and it doesn’t matter if it’s full of potholes: I’ll climb into them; I’ll climb out of them. It doesn’t matter if everything falls apart when I get to the top, I’ll just keep walking again, you know? And I suppose that’s something the angels taught me from when I was a child. I would say to everyone, they taught me everything I know in nature. You know, not in a building. It was out in nature.

At times I just say to God and the angel, “You’re blowing my mind. Go away, leave me alone.” Where can I hide? I’m always looking for places to hide, and that’s one thing that God would say to me: “Lorna, why are you hiding? You can’t hide from me.” I wrote one of the stories, I think it’s in Stairways to Heaven, about God’s library. I was hiding behind this big, huge group, thinking he couldn’t see, God couldn’t see me, and of course he could. So that was it. I was caught.

Marina: Thank you so much. Can you tell us about any exciting new projects that you are working on?

Lorna: I suppose part of what’s unfolding at the moment, that I have already told in some workshops in America… I’m asking Mike to bring people over to Ireland to do workshops in Ireland with me. They will be completely different than what people understand.

I have to smile. So many people at the workshops responded and I just said, “I don’t know what the price of plane tickets are from America but start saving.” That’s the way I put it, because we need to grow spiritually more. We just need to. I want everyone to see the guardian angel. I want everyone to hear as clearly as I hear, I want them to hear the knock on the door and see the angel walk in. I’m no different than you. It’s just that I was severely dyslexic, and I still am, and way back then I was considered “retarded” as a child.

Nobody bothered with me, but then the angels did. God did, and I don’t like using this word, but they taught me this word from the time I was very small: I didn’t get contaminated by the world, and it’s maybe for us all to undo that.

I’m looking forward to that project unfolding in maybe a year and a half, and people coming over here. That story I told you about Archangel Michael, it all has to do with that, which is incredible.

Marina: Thank you so much for your beautiful heart and for your incredible ability to really inspire.

Lorna: I have to say, thank you very much for having me on your show. I think every American should remember you are all chosen to be part of the new race and that is why you come from all over the world. Let’s all hug and embrace each other. You are all Americans and you’re meant to be the ones that opened that case. I know God and the angels have been sending me over there and I know lots of you will come here to Ireland, where the whole world looks in on America. We look in on you, but I think you all have to start to look out as well. You’re a brilliant people and you are extremely spiritual. Maybe you don’t quite believe it; you’ve got to start to believe in yourselves. You are unique, you are beautiful, and you’re perfect in every way, and yes, we can change the world for the better.

Marina: Thank you so much. You’re wonderful.

Lorna: You’re welcome. God bless.