Angels are found in the mythological stories of nearly every culture in history. By "angel" (or similar creature) is refered to as a spirit form (commonly appearing as a human with wings) that is an intermidiary between humans and the Divine. The Sijil, Kurabi and the Zurah are Isalmic angels. Fravashis - In ancient Persian religion, the Fravashis are guardian angels or protecting spirits. They guide the souls of the deceased to heaven. Dakinis are Buddist sky dancing angels. Ombwiri - They function as guardian angels for a number of tribal groups in central Africa. The Tenshi are Japanese angels. The Valkyries are Norse angels, carrying the dead to the afterlife. Angels also appear in Babalonian, Assyrian, Chinese, Greek and Roman mythologies. But the most commonly refrenced type of angels are the Judeo/Christian angels. It is the Judeo/Christian angels that the rest of this article will be discussing.

Before God created humans He created angels. The sole purpose of angels was to glorify God. Later, when God created man, angels were also made intermediaries between God and man. It is debated as to whether God created angels with or without free will. Many say that they have limited free will. After a while Satan (sometimes called Lucifer or vice versa) got jealous of God's power and wanted it for himself. He gathered together angels who were willing to challenge God and there was a great war between the angels fighting on the side of God and the angels who had chosen to defy God. Satan and his angels lost the war and as punishment they were banished from heaven and thrown down to earth to eternally burn in the fires Hell (said to be in the center of the earth). Residing in Hell, Satan and his fallen angels and numerous minions spend most of the efforts tempting people into sinning against God. Which is what the angels of God are constantly fighting against by trying to lead people to live a life according to God. This war will continue until the second coming of Christ . At which point there will be another great war between the angels of God and the fallen angels of Satan. Ending finally with the Archangel Michael defeating Satan and throwing him into the firey pit for 1000 years.

In heaven, there is a heirarchy of angels. The angels are organized into nine Choirs (not the singing kind). And the Choirs into three Triads. The Choirs are arranged highest to lowest as follows ("highest" meaning closest to God and "lowest" meaning closest to man):

HIGHEST TRIAD

Seraphim

Cherubim

Thrones

MIDDLE TRIAD

Dominations

Virtues

Powers

LOWEST TRIAD

Principalities

Archangels

Angels

SERAPHIM

The Seraphim are the highest ranking Choir of angels. It is they who ceaselessly chant the words "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of Hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory." The Seraphim are in direct communion with God and as such are beings of pure light and thought who resonate with the Fire of Love. They appear to humans as six-winged, four-headed beings. The prophet Isiah said "Each had six wings: two covered their face, two covered their feet, and two were used for flying."

CHERUBIM

No, they are not little winged fat babies. In both Judaic and Christian lore, God is siad to have stationed "East of Eden the Cherubim and the Ever Turning Sword to gaurd the way to the Tree of Life." Cherubim were also stationed at the entrences to the Garden of Eden. The word Cherubim comes from the Hebrew word Kerub, meaning "one who intercedes". They have four faces and four wings and are often depicted as beingBearers of God's throne and His charioteers. The form of two Cherubim are also said to be atop the Ark of the Convenant.

THRONES (Ophanim or Galgallin)

In Jewish Merkabah lore these angels are described as the great "wheels" or the "many eyed ones". The Hebrew Galgal has a double meaningof wheels and "oupil of the eye". Strangely, while the Cherubim appear to be God's charioteers, the Ophanim seem to be the actual chariots. Ezekeil describled them as having four wings and two flaming wheels covered in eyes. And their whole appearence being like burning coal.

DOMINIONS

Variously described as Dominations, Lords, Kuriotetes, or by Hebrew lore as the Hashmallim, this order, according to Dionysius, "regulate angels' duties".

VIRTUES

Variously known as the Malakim, the Dunamis, or the Tarshishim, these angels bestow blessings from on high, usually in the form of miracles.

POWERS

Powers were supposedly the first angels created by God.Dionysius accredits them with resisting the efforts of Demons to take over the world. They appear to act as a kind of border gaurd who patrol the Heavenly Pathways on the lookout for devilish infiltration.

PRINCIPALITIES

Originally, the Princedoms were seen as an order which was in charge of nations and great cities on Earth. Later these boundries expanded, but in so doing the borders became very vague. The Principalities extended their dominion and became the protectors of religion, tending to take a rather orthodox veiw of good and evil.

ARCHANGELS

Or The Magnificiant Seven, as they are sometimes called. Dionysius tells us that Archangels are "Messengers which carry Divine Decrees". They are considered the most important intercessionaries between God and humans. It is they who comand the legions of Heaven in their constant battle with the minions of Satan.

THE ARCHANGEL MICHAEL

His name means "who is as God". In most Christian lore he is considered the highest and greatest of all the Archangels. He and Gabriel are the only two angels mentioned by name in the Bible. Except Raphael who introduced himself in the Catholic Book of Tobit. It was Michael who defeated Satan in the first war of Heaven and threw him down into Hell. And it is Michael who defeats Satan at the end of time and thows him into the firey pit. He is also known as "The ANgel? of the Last Judgement" and "The Weigher of Souls". Michael is usually depicited with a white robe (sometimes with armor), one set of peacock feathered wings and a flaming sword. Oftentimes he is depicted with-sword-in-hand and Satan (as a demon, serpent, or dragon) under his foot.

THE ARCHANGEL GABRIEL

Gabriel is the Governor of Eden and the ruler of the Cherubim. Gabriel is unique in the otherwise male androgynous host as he is sometimes described as female. He/She is siad to sit on the left hand side of God. Gabriel is descrbed as having 140 pairs of wings. And according to Joan of Arc it was Gabriel who persuaded the Maid of Orleans to help the Dauphin. He/She appears to the prophet Daniel to tell of the coming messiah. A messege that he repeats to Mary a half a millenium later.

THE ARCHANGEL RAPHAEL

The Hebrew term rapha means "healer" or "doctor". As the angel of healing he is often associated with the image of the serpent. It is Raphael who appears to Tobias and Tobias's son in the Book of Tobit. He taught Tobias's son how to use all parts of a fish he had cought in various medicines. He heals Abraham from the pain of circumcision since the patriarch had skillfully avoided the rite until old age. And he cures Jacob of his disjointed hip which he managed to dislocate while wrestling one of Raphael's colleages. He is siad to be one of the nicest and funniest of the angels and is often depicted chatting merrily with some unsuspecting mortal. He is also said to have six wings like a Seraph.

THE ARCHANGEL SARIEL

Also known as Suriel, Suriyel, Zerachiel, and Saraquel, his name means "God's command". This would fit the description of his duties as given by Enoch who says that it is "Sariel who is responsible for the fate of those angels who transgress the Laws". While there are many contenders for the dubious honor of being the Angel of Death, Sariel is the most likely candidate.

THE ARCHANGEL URIEL

Uriel's name means "Fire of God". He is both said to be a Seraphim and a Cherubim. Uriel is said to be the Angel of Repentence who is graphically depeicted as being about as pitiless as any demon you would want to meet in hell. Uriel has always been a strong candidate for the angel that Jacob wrestled in the book of Genesis.

THE ARCHANGEL RAGUEL

Traditionally known as Rasuil, Rufael, and Akrasiel, his name means "Freind of God". According to Enoch, Raguel "takes vengence upon the world of luminaries". Which is also interpreted as one "who watches over the good behavior of angels".

THE ARCHANGEL REMIEL

In early record he is known as Jeremiel or Yerahmeel. His name means "Mercy of God". This name identifies him as the "Lord of Souls awaiting Resurrection". He's the one whom God "sets up" to lead the souls to Judgement.

ANGELS

This is the last order of the celestial hierarchy and the closest to humankind. The actual Hebrew term for angel is mal'akh, meaning "a messenger". These are the rest of the angels. What you might call "minion angels". Since these are the closest to humankind, these are the angels that are most likely to interact with humans.

OTHER ANGELS OF NOTE:

METATRON

He is thought, by some, to be the highest angel of all. Others belive it is Michael that holds that rank. He was Enoch (The Book of Enoch) in his earthly incarnation. Then he ascended into heaven and made an angel by God. He is the twin brother of the angel Sandolphon. In the Talmud and the Targum, Metatron is the link between humans and the Divine. Metatron has been thought to be the angel that God sent before the Israelites on their long trek thorugh the desert to the holy land. Metatron is said to have 36 pairs of wings and inumerable eyes.

SANDOLPHON

Sandolphon appears in a long black robe and emitting dark sparks of energy. His primary funchtion is as a spiritual guide. But he is also credited with deciding a baby's sex while in the womb.

AZRAEL

In Muslim and Islam theology, Azrael is the Angel of Death who is "forever writing in a large book and forever erasing what he writes: what he writes is the birth of man, what he erases is the name of the man at death." Other faiths name the Angel of Death as a different angel. In Judeo-Christian lore, Michael, Gabriel, Sammael, and Sariel all all named as the angel of death. He is the angel who accompanies your soul to Heaven. The phrase 'the Wings of Azrael' refers to the approach of death; the signs of death coming on the dying.

ISRAFEL

His name means "Burning One". He is the "Angel of Song". The Patron Angel of Entertainers is said to have the sweetest voice of all God’s creatures, singing praises of God in a thousand different tongues. At the end of the world, Israfel will descend to the earth and stand upon the holy rock in Jerusalem, and blow the awesome trumpet that will awaken the dead from their slumber and summon all who have ever lived to come forth and be judged.

CAMAEL

His name means "He Who Sees God". Camael appears as a warrior dressed in a red tunic. He wears green armour plates, an iron helmet and has large green wings. Originally the God of War, Camael personifies divine justice and governs Heavenly singing. He grants Power, Invisibility, and invincibility. Camael is responsible for holding in check Leviathan, the monster of evil who will swallow the souls of sinners on Judgment Day. Camael brings to mankind the gift of Godness, the Holy that exists within all women and men.

THE WATCHERS

Their name means "Those who watch", "Those who are awake" and "Those who never sleep". They were called Watchers as it was their job to observe humanity, lending a helping hand when necessary, but not interfering in the course of human development. In the Book Of Enoch, it describes that God had sent a legion of angels to earth in order to watch over and assist man during the beginning of civilization. These angels taught man sciences which were forbidden by God such as the magick in herbs, reading the stars, divination and sorcery. Enoch goes on to say "...but they chose husbands and wives from among the humans and led greatly debauched lives, neglecting their heavenly duties..." This angered God greatly and he banished the "fallen".

 1. Armaros: Taught men the resolving of enchantments

2. Araquiel: Taught men the signs of the earth

3. Azazel: Taught men to make knives, swords, and shields, and to devise ornaments and cosmetics.

4. Baraqijal: Taught men astrology

5. Ezequeel: Taught men the knowledge of the clouds.

6. Gadreel: Introduced weapons of war

7. Kokabel: Taught the science of constellations

8. Penemue: Instructed mankind in writing and taught children the bitter and sweet, and the secrets of wisdom.

9. Sariel: Taught men the course of the moon.

10. Semjaza: Taught men enchantments, root-cutting etc.

11. Shamshiel: Taught men the signs of the sun.

-Violin Goddess

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Angels can be seen as nothing but mechanical functions of the universe, personified to be dealt with conveniently by mortals. In a more anthropomorphic cosmology, they are beings created by God or a god to serve them. In common thought God designed and created the universe himself. Esoteric thought can give God the function of only the architect, in which his subservient angels create and control the universe as per his directions. God never intervenes in the world himself; he manages the angels which mediate between his instructions and manifestation.

An alternate ordering of angels exists when corresponding host of angels to the ten Sephiroth of the Tree of Life in the Kabbalah. The traits of host of angels with the same name as above are more or less the same. The hosts of angels represents the function of that Sephirot in Yetzirah (the Astral Plane). Rather than being a host assigned to a Sephirot, the archangels are separate and ten of them are assigned to the Sephiroth representing their functions in Briah (the Mental Plane). Listed below are the Sephiroth, their hosts of angels, and their archangels. The angels can be seen as something of an assembly line of manifestation, starting with Kether at the top of the tree and following down the Sephiroth until a thing reaches Malkuth and has all the properties of something which exists.

KETHER- The Crown, the First Swirlings

Chayyoth ha Qodesh- Holy Living Creatures. These are the four living creatures described in Ezekiel 1:5-1:14 with four wings and four faces accompanying Ezekiel's vision of God. Some sources say these are the Cherubim in Ezekiel 10.

Metatron- Angel of the Presence. When a living person supposedly sees God Himself, they are actually seeing Metatron, who has the function of being the face of God, God Himself not existing on a level of existence close enough to be comprehended mentally or intuitively during mortal life. He is described as having countless eyes and thirty-six wings, rather than the six belonging to the images of most archangels. He is also describes as the classic appearance of God: A bearded man. It is suspected that the surrent Metatron is the patriarch Enoch glazed over in Genesis before Noah's story who was taken by God without dying. His story is covered in more detail in the three Books of Enoch. See above.

CHOKMAH- Wisdom, the Zodiac belt

Ophannim- Wheels. These also appeared in Ezekiel, and fit the description Thrones in Violin Goddess' section above.

Raziel- Secret or Herald of God. He is described as the scribe of the universe, writing down everthing that happens into a book. This reminds one of the popular Akashic Records popularly imported from Eastern cosmology containing the information of everything that ever happened.

BINAH- Understanding, Saturn

Aralim- Thrones. In the above hierarchy they are blended with the Ophannim to make the caste of Thrones. These angels exist at the edge of the Supernal Sephiroth, and their function involves the foundation of a reality and the end of it as per the influence of Saturn.

Tzaphkiel- Beholder or Eye of God. He is the lord of the Aralim. More details are not present in my knowledge.

CHESED- Mercy, Jupiter.

Chashmallim- Brilliant Ones. These are the Dominions in the above hierarchy, and carry out the function of Jupiter, which is best described as the workings of government and economics, society. Further details lacking in my brain.

Tzadkiel- Benevolence of God. Also known as the Divine Justice. End of date.

GEBURAH- Severity, Mars.

Seraphim- Firey serpents. Described as six-winged being who stood in the presence of God, they are the same as the Seraphim in the above hierarchy. They serve the funtion of Mars, and their is the power of strong force. They are warriors, guardians.

Khamael- Burner of God. He is often identified with the beautiful twelve-winged archangel Samael, the Divine Poison. Khamael is the leader of countless legions of angels of destruction standing at the edge of Heaven. He guards Heaven and leads his host of angels to war.

TIPHARET- Beauty, Sol.

Malachim- Kings. They correspond to the Virtues in the above Hierarchy. They mediate between the material and spiritual functions of reality, serving the functions of transformation and ascension. In Christian terms, they are aptly named Virtues as virtue, along with lack of sin, is the key to Christian ascension into Heaven. Transformation is sacrifice, and sacrifice is the Christ-force.

Raphael- Healing of God. One calls on Raphael for works of healing, the most common reason mages call upon the planetary power of the Sun. He is also one of the four archangels of the Quarters/Elements, in his case either Air or Fire, the other of which belongs to Michael, depending on who you ask. The only elemental archangel who is not usually given a Sephirot is Uriel, who occasionally is assigned to Netzach. See above.

NETZACH- Victory, Venus

Elohim- Gods. Described as the Rulers of Nature. They carry the functions of non-conscious thought, that is subconscious instincts, intuition and emotion, wordless information.

Haniel- Grace of God. He is the ruler of passion, commonly specified as love. I don't know anything else about him.

HOD- Glory, Mercury

Bene Elohim- Sons of Gods. Their function is that of conscious thought, ration and logical order. They give things visible coherence, which combines with the subconscious background provided in Netzach.

Michael- Like Unto God. Another Archangel of the Quarters, he rules either Fire or Air. His place is switched in some systems with Raphael. He is a guardian of Heaven, and sometimes considered the Angel of Death. See above.

YESOD- Foundation, Luna.

Keruvim- The Strong. Also spelt Cherubim, possibly corresponding with the caste in the above hierarchy. At this point the functions of the orders of angels have come together to create things which are tangible anough to relate to our senses and stay in our physical brains. The Moon corresponds to the Astral and Ethereal Plane, one step away from actual reality, close enough for us to project to and come back with memories of places and things. They are the Holy Spirit of the Christians, God's works on Earth. See above.

Gabriel- Hero of God. Another Archangel of the Quarters, usually ruling the element of Water. Though not nearly as common as Raphael/Michael, his element is sometimes switched with Uriel, Earth. He is a messenger and a teacher, and it was him who announced the coming of Jesus and it was he who appeared to Mohamed at the founding of Islam. He is also sometimes seen as the Angel of Death. See above.

MALKUTH- The Kingdom, Earth and the Four Elements.

Ishim- Souls of Fire. They are the characteristics of matter which has finally manifested on the physical plane, and are thus the angels of quarks and quanta. They are the laws of physical reality at their most infinitesimal, the smallest interactions of quintessential particles which gives the illusion of the forces we are familiar with, gravity, electromagnetics, nuclear forces... They are sometimes considered to be the spirits of ascended humans, saints.

Sandalphon. Essentially the sound of God's sandals on the Earth. He is another, possibly dark level of Metatron or his companion, and is connected with the prophet Elijah. He is the guardian of the Gate of Tears which is physical reality, in which one must overcome their sins/karmic debt before returning to Heaven.

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