I wasn't really sure what to expect when I picked this book up off of Amazon. I'd heard it was something about Otherkin, people who identify in some manner as elves, fey, animals or other nonhuman beings, but not using that term. I was a little leery when I saw that the author was a very popular, angels-are-all-sweetness-and-light New Age icon, but decided to give it a try anyway.
Talk about Otherkin Lite. "Earth Angels" are basically people who are reincarnated "elementals" (read: therianthropes, elves and fae Otherkin), angels (read: angelkin), starpeople (read: aliens), Wise Ones (read: people who worked magic in a past life) and walk-ins. Okay, that's not so very different from what a lot of Otherkin believe.
However, it's how she explains the phenomenon of people who were not human in other lives that ruins the book for me. First off, the way you determine what type of "Earth Angel" you are is basically a 30-question "Are you like this? How about this?" quiz that would fit in perfectly on Quizilla--samples of questions are whether you're overweight, if you dye your hair, if you're of Celtic ancestry, whether you're good at handling money or not, if you practice Reiki, or believe in magic. Supposedly these things tell you what type of Earth Angel you are (never mind that pretty much everything she asks about are things that are common among garden-variety humans, too).
Then, her information about each group is not only based on stereotyped behavior and belief patterns that are common among everyday humans as well as 'kin, but it's really, really, really white-light and saccharine. For example, she says that all incarnated elementals are major environmentalists, always happy (but prone to mood swings), and "physically robust". And as far as the whole Wise Ones thing goes, a lot of it plays right into the Atlantean thing--the whole "Oh, magic isn't for regular people--anyone who works magic must be at a higher vibrational level than everyone else!" thing as well as the Burning Times persecution complex. All walk-ins, on the other hand, supposedly walked in because they have some mission to fulfill.
And speaking of missions, according to this book, all Earth Angels are here for the purpose of Saving the World!
I don't doubt that the author ran into a lot of people who, were they in the Otherkin community, would be considered Otherkin. However, this book shows a distinct lack of skepticism and self-questioning, things that are common in the Otherkin community. Instead, it tells readers exactly what they want to hear--"You love nature, so you must be an Incarnated Elemental!" or "You love helping people and often find yourself in codependent relationships--you must be an Incarnated Angel!" While the end of each chapter on specific types of Earth Angels does have some tips on how to counteract the negative aspects of being whatever you are, it's assumed that by answering the spiffy little quiz at the beginning that you are an Earth Angel--there's nothing on questioning yourself further, only how to fulfill your God-given mission!
If you think being other than human is a great way to feel special, feel free to pick this up. However, for better information on Otherkin, check out www.otherkin.net.
~review by Lupa
Doreen Virtue
Hay House, September 30, 2002
176pp, $7.00
