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Have you ever crossed paths with an angel? Not the winged, haloed beings of Renaissance paintings, but a flesh-and-blood person whose presence makes the air feel lighter, brighter, and inexplicably divine? I have.
On September 23, 2025, deep within the towering cathedrals of Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park in northern California, the Cosmic Empress and I had been hiking all day under trees so tall they seemed to scrape the sky. We thought the trees themselves would be the pinnacle of magic that day—until we met him.
At the very end of the Grove of Titans trail, as we left the cul-de-sac that cradles some of the park’s most majestic trees, a young black man walked toward us. Mid-twenties, maybe. But what struck us first wasn’t his appearance—it was his energy. He radiated light. Pure, unfiltered positivity. It shimmered off him like sunlight off water.
He smiled as he passed and asked if we were enjoying the park. “It’s absolutely stunning,” we replied. He grinned wider, saying he felt the same. Even though his home state of Connecticut had its own natural beauty, he’d never seen anything like this. We spoke for a few minutes, and the entire time, his smile never dimmed, and his presence felt like standing in a beam of warm, living light.
Impressive, yes. But not the reason we think he was an angel.
Our Angel Mysteriously Reappeared
He continued walking into the Grove of Titans as the Empress and I turned to leave. We saw him round the corner into that cul-de-sac and disappear from sight. We took only a few dozen steps ourselves when—impossibly—there he was again. Ahead of us.
This time he was on the other side of the grove, chatting easily with another couple, as if they were old friends. Laughing, radiant, impossibly present. We passed by, waved, and continued, but neither the Empress or I spoke up about the phenomenon. Not yet.
It wasn’t until we were back in the car, winding along Howland Hill Road, that the Empress broke the silence. “Did you notice that man was ahead of us again back in the grove?” she asked. I knew instantly who she meant. “I did,” I said. “I’ve been thinking about it ever since.”
We both had. The only trail out of the grove was the one we were on. We’d seen him go in, yet there he was, somehow ahead of us—without passing by. The math didn’t add up. People don’t occupy two places at once. Unless, of course, they’re not quite people.
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I've Experienced Angels Before
Maybe he wasn’t of this realm. Maybe he was an angel—an emissary of light and love, placed there to lift the energy of everyone he met. His presence was so luminous, so unmistakably good, that even now I feel it echoing through me.
I’ve had experiences like this before. Enough to know what to watch for, how it feels when the veil thins and something otherworldly steps through. And on that trail, every one of my inner alarms was ringing.
If you’re reading this—radiant man from Connecticut—please know I’m sorry I didn’t ask your name. But thank you for sharing your light. And if you don’t mind, please let me know: are you an angel?
