The soul at its highest is found like God, but an angel gives a closer idea of him. That is all an angel is: an idea of God.
– Meister Eckhart
A 2011 Associated Press poll showed nearly eight in 10 Americans believe in angels. That belief is often linked to religion and most non-Christians think angels exist too, as do more than four in 10 of those who never even attend religious services.
In today’s busy and often stressful world, many of us feel the need for some kind of spiritual light, love, and guidance. Regardless of our belief system, angels and their pure energy are a presence that we can call upon to act as channels between ourselves and the divine to bring light, love, and healing.
Angels, Archangels and Guardian Angels are the types of angelic beings that we most often work with directly.
Angel derives from the Greek angelos, a translation of a Hebrew word meaning "messenger." Angels are considered the lowest of the nine orders in Christian celestial hierarchy and also appear in Islamic and Judaic tradition.
Angels have been recorded in history by many different cultures throughout the world. Some scholars say that the earliest religious representation of the angels dates back to the city of Ur, in the Euphrates Valley, c. 4000-2500 b.c.e. A stele, which is a stone slab, showed a winged figure descended from one of the seven heavens to pour the water of life from an overflowing jar into the cup held by the king.
In 500 AD, Pseudo-Dionysiusthe Areopagite, a Christian theologian and philosopher, defined the hierarchy and order of angels in descending order of power, with the higher-ranking angels possessing more power and wisdom and greater access to God.
First Hierarchy of Angels
Seraphim: “Spirits of Love” are the highest order of angels and act completely out of Divine Will. The name seraphim comes from the Hebrew word seraph, meaning “burning ones.” They are pure light and the angelic beings who most fully shine or burn with the spiritual fire.
Cherubim: “Spirits of Harmony” hold the spiritual consciousness of the harmony of Divine Knowledge, Wisdom, and Will in All. They are aware of and work with the whole of Creation as one harmonized system. Cherubim are the guardians of the fixed stars, keepers of the heavenly records, and bestowers of knowledge. They are the angels of harmony, protection, and wisdom and they channel positive energy from the divine. The etymology of the word is uncertain. In a Midrashic source the folk etymology is given as the singular form keruv means ke-ravya, “like a young child,” hence the depiction in art and literature of the cherubim as baby angels.
Thrones: “Spirits of Will” hold awareness of the Divine Will in everything, including limits, boundaries, responsibilities, and they have a deep understanding of using time to the utmost. Thrones reflect the brilliance of God through their presence and through transmitting Divine Will to bring justice to earth.
Second Hierarchy of Angels
Dominions (Kyriotetes): “Spirits of Wisdom” hold profound Wisdom, infinite possibility, and Divine Grace through resonance. They are the angels of intuition and wisdom. They rarely interact directly with humanity and oversee the duties of lower angels and work with the angels who interface with humanity.
Virtues (Dynamis): “Spirits of Motion” have attained the level of Spiritual Consciousness behind the forces of motion, action, and the will forces behind movement. They are called “Virtues” due to their connection with courage, and the advanced understanding of courage and its role in willpower and are connected to miracles.
Powers (Elohim}: “Spirits of Form” oversee physical incarnation. They directly perceive the big picture and Spiritual Divine Blueprint as well as the order within patterns of time and space represented through Sacred Geometry. They are the defenders and protectors of the world. They keep track of human history and they are the organizers of world religions.
Third Choir of Angels
Principalities (Archai, Spirits of Personality): “Spirits of Time” hold the blueprint of time and work with the cycles of time and the creation of time itself. They also regulate and oversee the evolution and spiritual advancement of humanity as a whole, including the role time plays in the journey of personal and collective evolution.
Archangels: “Spirits of Fire” oversee and guide humanity and are involved in the formation of space, and are intermediaries between humanity and the infinite unity consciousness. They offer their love, guidance, healing, and support whenever we ask and will not interfere without our permission.
The four most commonly known archangels are:
Michael: Protection, Life Purpose
Raphael: Healing mind, body, spirit, relationships, and the environment
Gabriel: Communication, Children and Families
Uriel: Wisdom, Knowledge, Creativity
Some of the other notable Archangels are Ariel, Azrael, Chamuel, Haniel, Jeremiel, Jophiel, Metatron, Raguel, Raziel, Sandalphon, and Zadkiel.
Angels: “Spirits of Life” are the closest beings to humanity and provide encouragement, answers, and inspiration to us.
Guardian Angels
The ancient Egyptians believed that each person born into the world had a supernatural double, called their "ka", who was born alongside the person and stayed as a part of their life ever after. The ka was, in one sense, what we now call a guardian angel.
Guardian angels look over us and supports us from the time of our birth to the end of our lives. The number of guardian angels assigned to you depends upon your life circumstances and your soul’s goals - three or four is a common number of guardian angels for one person.
Did you know that your angels are constantly ready to share messages, encouragement, and inspiration. with you? Yet so often we're distracted by daily life and don't recognize these divine signs when they come our way.
One way to connect with your guardian angels is through the use of oracle cards, such as:
Resources: