Review(s) for DVD: ANGELS - Jacky Newcomb & Shirley Chrichton

This is a beautifully-produced DVD which may well leave the viewer feeling very relaxed and loved, and perhaps, indeed, touched by angels. It might also leave some feeling sceptical, and if the viewer is at all unsure of whether they believe in the existence of angels prior to watching the dvd, the opening scenes of a male and female human clearly wearing imitation wings, kneeling to pray and walking in nature, may arouse a scornful or dismissive response, and some viewers may not watch further.

I personally found these introductory scenes too long and somewhat painful/embarrassing to watch. My apologies to the authors for such criticism, as clearly, this dvd is their personal interpretation of angels, but I have found it a rather uninspiring and disappointing dvd, although I was eager to receive and watch it, as there is much I’d like to learn about the world of angels, their purpose and presence in our lives.

This dvd is very much an introduction and the information provided is very basic. I feel the features described on the reverse of the dvd suggest far greater content will be covered than I feel is actually the case. I was particularly keen to learn of the 'History of Angels' but found the brief mention of angels in Renaissance Art and their presence in churches and religion, to have taught me nothing new, and I was disappointed by this. There is some lovely music, reproduced from Llewellyn’s 'Journey to the Angels' album, and whilst it was nice to 'meet' the composer by virtue of his brief interview on this dvd, his contribution on an 'angelic' experience might be queried or dismissed by some, or felt to be no different to any other sense of intuition or perhaps spirit guidance in everyday life.

I feel this is where the dvd is lacking; there is no explanation of any difference or similarity between messages from 'spirit' or from 'angels'. There is no reference to the belief many hold of angels being from a higher/ascended plane than the plane(s) occupied by our loved ones upon their passing, and no reference to the hierarchical realms many people on earth believe angels are categorised within. Whilst there is brief mention of four archangels, including Gabriel and Michael, I felt that very little information about angels was being presented in this film. There are a number of shots and references within the dvd to shops which sell angel statues and similar items, and there is a clip of one of the narrators doing what might be considered 'inspirational writing', which she attributes to being from her angel. As for the Angel Workshop Experience, this was a real disappointment, with the verbal responses of participants blanked out and only the narrators' comments heard. The Guided Meditation (in the Bonus Material), however, is a wonderful feature of this dvd. Whilst those who are experienced meditators may find the introduction to this un-necessary and too long, it is still a lovely meditation to enjoy, even though it follows a simple and well-known format of entering a garden upon which is a seat to sit on and welcome your angel. Without the Guided Meditation, I would not recommend this dvd, as I do not feel it is worth the asking price. A total novice, who knows nothing of simple angelic lore, such as finding a white feather or a shiny copper coin to symbolise an angel’s presence, may learn a little information from watching this dvd, and will no doubt very much enjoy the meditation. I don't expect to watch the informational content of the dvd again, but I will use the Guided Meditation.