Did George Washington ever see an angel?
- B.K. Sherer
There is a legend that says when George Washington was at Valley Forge during the winter of 1777, an angel appeared to him and revealed a prophetic vision of the future of America.
Many believe the story to be authentic, but most historians believe it is a legend, similar to the story of George Washington chopping down the cherry tree. Historians point out the story of the angelic vision was unknown during Washington’s life. It is first found in the writings of Charles Alexander (1836-1927) who wrote fictional “dream” stories about many famous Americans. Alexander wrote that in 1859, a 99-year-old man named Anthony Sherman, who claimed to have been an aide to George Washington, confided to the author, “I want to tell you an incident in Washington’s life, one which no one alive knows of except myself.” The records show that although Anthony Sherman served in the Continental Army, he wasn’t with Washington’s forces at Valley Forge during the winter of 1777-78. You can find more information Snopes.com on the authenticity of Washington’s vision.
To celebrate and honor President’s Day, read the full story:
• George Washington and the Angel
I am writing in reference to my niece's recurrent nightmare. My niece has had this dream on multiple occasions. She states she is unable to stop the dream once it starts. The dream takes place in her home, where a window breaks during a bad storm and an angel enters. The angel appears battered, bloody, and sad. My niece can see his wings and that he is extremely dirty and unkempt. The angel never speaks. In the dream, her German Shepherd is also with her, always protecting her.
My niece has become afraid of this dream and is asking for my assistance. She has mentioned that her and her brother were not raised religiously and they know little about God, faith, or the angels. She is distressed as to why an angel would be visiting her. Since I am not familiar with this type of dream and I always believe angels to be a good sign, I am unsure how to help other than to express my strong faith in God and angels. I believe they have always been close helping me through many situations in my life.
Have you ever heard of this type of dream before? What can help to make the dream stop? I believe there is more to this dream, in the sense of how this dream is taking place.
- Lisa J.
Here my own personal interpretation of your niece’s dream, though only your niece will know if the interpretation is correct or not: In my opinion, the storm symbolizes your niece’s struggle with something beneath the surface, in her subconscious. Your niece is troubled because she is not dealing with the issues that concern her, so her subconscious is trying to get her attention by breaking through the “window” to tell her to pay attention to the “storm” raging within her.
As in most dreams, the dreamer is the central character. Here, she is appears as an angel, symbolizing her beauty and worth as a person. Yet the angel appears battered, bloody, and sad, which represents the way your niece is feeling about herself. This is not how angels should be. Angels should be confident and happy and able to cope with what is going on. As for the German Shepherd, it is more than a dog; it is a symbol of God protecting her, ready to help her through the situation.
The message to your niece is that she is disappointed with her life, especially with some of the decisions she has made. The turmoil she feels is a result of her being aware that this is not who she was made to be. The dream is a call for her to make changes in her life to become the person she wants to be.
This recurring dream may end when she recognizes it is a powerful call for her to commit to making necessary changes in her life.
