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Angels – An Introduction
Angels play a prominent role in religious faiths, though they are present in many other places. The word Angel originates from Greek and merely indicates a spiritual being. Angels are often, but not always, human-like beings with great feathered wings that stretch from their backs, and bear a halo upon their heads.
The word Angel itself speaks of a messenger, and guardian angels have certainly served as messenger beings for many deities throughout the world. They are largely benevolent creatures, protecting mortals from harm, both from the realm of the spiritual and the more mundane threats of the physical world.
Kinds Of Angels
The most commonly known and viewed Angels of the Western world have made many appearances in common media. From movies like “Prophecy” which covers a second war in heaven, to the tongue-in-cheek “Dogma” by Kevin Smith, angels or guardian spirits are a very prominent part of modern storytelling. There were several courts of angels, and each of them had a different appearance based on which court they fell into.
Seraphim
One of these is the Seraphim, literally the “Burning Ones”. These beings bore six wings and circled the Throne of God, intoning “Holy, Holy, Holy, is LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory.” Two of the six wings covered their feet, and two were used to fly, and two covered his face. These beings are only mentioned on three specific occasions within the Bible itself.
Cherubim
Another well-known class is the Cherubim. This is symbolic of a lion or bull with an eagle‘s wings and a human face. These beasts rank second in the nine-step hierarchy of the angels. These creatures first appear in the Bible in the Garden of Eden, guarding the path to the Tree of Life.
These are just two ranks of the nine in the Judeo-Christian bible. But, divine spirits like them are visible in many religions of that area. They bear an unmistakable resemblance to the Lamassu in Phoenician culture. The Cherubim bears precisely the same description as those in the Christian texts.
Because of this it is clear that spiritual beings such as the Angel predate the Christian faith, and were absorbed by them as it developed. Winged beings are symbolic in many cultures. They are almost always messengers. This is common with creatures tied in this way to birds and other airborne creatures.
In modern occultism, Angels are incredibly popular beings. Angel Cards, cognate to other forms of cartomancy, is a newer addition. Further aspects are ‘angel stones’ bearing their image and ‘Angel Numbers‘ being born rather logically out of Numerology and other reborn arts and practices. If one wishes to work with Angels or believes they feel their touch in their lives, one should be certain of that with which they are working.
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