What is an Angel?

• A being who act as intermediaries between God and the world. They are either purely spiritual beings, or spirits endowed with ethereal or airy bodies. They act as God ministers, messengers, guardians, steering the course of the stars, giving effect to his laws, protecting his elect and so on, and are ranked in hierarchies of seven orders, nine choirs or three triads. The Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite develops the most elaborate and mystical theories about them in his Celestial Hierarchy.

Celestial Hierarchy

• First– Seraphs– Cherubs– Thrones

• Middle– Dominations– Virtues– Powers

• Third– Principalities– Archangels– Angels

Seraphs

A seraph is one of a class of divine creatures or celestial beings. The root word comes from the Hebrew verb saraph ("to burn") or Hebrew noun saraph ("a fiery flying serpent"). With reference to the serpents encountered in the wilderness on the old testament. It has often been understood to refer to "fiery serpents." From this it has also often been proposed that the seraphim were serpentine in form and in some sense "fiery" creatures or associated with fire.

Seraphim are described as very tall, generally having the figures of men, with six wings and four heads (one for each of the cardinal directions). One pair of wings are for flying, one for covering their eyes (for even they may not look directly at God), and one for covering their feet.

Seraphim serve and are in the direct presence of God. It is said that whoever lays eyes on a seraph would be instantly incinerated due to their immense brightness. [Do you remember the final scene in "Raiders of the Lost Ark" in which the Nazis were consumed by fire? They foolishly dared to look at the seraphim protecting the Ark of the Covenant.]

Seraphs

Cherubs

They traditionally deliver love and protection to family and friends.The name "cherubim", masculine, plural, was assimilated into the Hebrew language from the Assyrian "kirubu" or "karabu", meaning "to be near loved ones, personal servants, heavenly spirits who closely surrounded God and paid him personal service." The most famous cherub-like being, of course, is Cupid, Latin for the God of Love.

Thrones

• Daniel 7:9 (King James Version) 9 I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient

of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame and his wheels as burning fire.

• They are beings of tremendous power and movement. They are the keepers of higher more expanded energies. They ensure that these energies maintain connections and flows through the realms. They act as the conduits of the physical worlds and tend to be more stationary in their existence.

• God's Spirit is conveyed in a certain manner to these angels, who in turn pass on the message to men and the inferior angels.

• Like their counterparts in the second angelic triad, they come the closest of all Angels to spiritual perfection and emanate the light of God with mirror-like goodness.

Dominations

• In their duties, Dominions concern themselves with the details of existence, are Angels of leadership. Dominions, who receive their power and assignments from the Thrones, are the leadership over created matter. They mediate their power to the lesser Choirs of Angels across the entire cosmos. The Law of cause and effect flows through them to all creation. Dominions administer to the lower Choirs of Angels, who interface with the cosmos and the people of the world, the proper things and attitudes to show people in order to preserve their happiness

Virtues

• The Angel of Freedom is shown with a beautiful stole flying freely in the wind, a symbol of the flow of life energy. This angel guards the spirit's right to express independence and creativity as it watches over the world, protecting our freedom. The name of the holy Virtues signifies a certain powerful and unshakable virility welling forth into all their Godlike energies; not being weak and feeble.

Powers

• Said to be the first angels created by God, these angels are the guardians of the passageways leading to Heaven and reside between the First and Second Heavens. They are the guides to lost souls and they bring balance to the earth. Because of the Powers, humanity is able to maintain balance within their spirits. They are also the recorders of the history of mankind, and are said to prevent the efforts of demons to take control of the world. They are also said to preside over demons, or perhaps (According to Saint Paul) are themselves evil. They are recognized as special Warrior Angels against evil, tireless defenders of goodness by most. They are so intelligent that they can detect schemes and tricks before they happen and always send warnings to humans when others seek to hurt them.

Principalities

• Also called princedoms and princes, these angels are the first of the choirs most concerned with earth and are traditionally declared to have roles of caretakers over every nation, province, county, district, city, town, village, and house. They work with guardian angels who are also assigned to every spot and person. It is debated that the guardian angels function as the personal angelic protectors and the principalities are the administrative or technical writers. They are supposedly empowered with greater strength by God than the guardian angels and thus receive permission more frequently to have a direct involvement in the affairs of humanity. They use their incalculable strength of heaven to move the hearts and minds of those mortals with whom they have direct contact.

• The Principalities wear a crown and carry a scepter, "stir up" circumstances, they guide events to bring blessings of contentment and abundance to the places they protect

Archangels

• As is clear from their appearances in Scripture, the primary duty of the Archangels is to carry out the will of God as it relates directly to humanity. They bring to the world the prayerful blessings of the Lord. It is for that reason that the Archangels - like their close counterparts the Angels - are said to intervene so regularly in the affairs of men and women.

• The number of Archangels has long been a source of great discussion among angelologists. Traditionally there are seven Archangels although who they are and what they do has been given variously in different sources. Islam recognizes only 4 Archangels, and other customs say twelve but there are much more than these. Here the list of Dionysius the Areopagite, which is the best-known list.

Gabriel Raphael Michael Metatron Uriel Chamuel Zadkiel Jophiel BarbielJehudielBarachielJeremiel (depending on reference)Satan (before his fall)

Angels

• Those angels of the Twelfth Order of Angels are the messengers that commune with various life forms within the physical worlds. These include the Guardian Angels of humankind. They are called Angels. These are the most accessible angels to humans and other life forms. They are constantly present. Large groups of them may appear at tragic events as they accompany their charges to their next level or dimensional area.The also at times inspire through thoughts and ideas. Guardians are the Angels that are assigned to a particular human being. Our own Personal Guardian Angel! They join us at birth, and help us move over into the otherworld when we part the earthly plane.

The End