Angelic Hierarchy
As with the rest of the universe, the angels exist in a hierarchy. There is a form and order to the universe and the Divine Forces. The Angel community is the perfect example of this order and structure. The kingdom is divided into 3 Hierarchies and 9 Choirs. Each section of the community has its own particular purpose and energy.
The Archangels
Many people focus on or feel drawn to the archangels above the rest. Here I've tried to give a description of the correspondences of those angels and how they relate to occult practices.
The Angel Groups In addition the Angelic Hierarchy are also gathered into 9 groups which govern and provide guidance on the universal aspects of life. These aspects are Death, Mercy, and the Zodiac and so on.
The Lower Angel Forces These 9 groups are often some of the most controversial because their existence depends on your personal beliefs. The lower forces include Fallen Angels, Demons, Devils and Satan.
Each Angelic Order has its special purpose for existing, and now let’s read some details about them.
Orders of the First Choir are: Supernal - Celestials - Illuminations
Orders of the Second Choir are: Seraphim - Cherubim - Thrones
Orders of the Third Choir are: Dominations - Virtues - Powers
Orders of the Fourth Choir are: Principalities - Archangels - Angels
Angelic Origins in the West
In the West, the origins of the concepts of angels and demons were in the religions of Sumeria and Egypt. Their stories of the gods and an ancient war in heaven were transmitted and transformed by the Jews, Greeks and Persians. The words 'angel' and 'demon' are of Greek origin, though their present meanings were later overlays of the Jews and Christians. In the oldest stories we have discovered, either the 'gods' were not inherently good or evil, or their roles were reversed from those assigned to them today.
The origin among the Jews of the stories of angels and demons was the Sumerian religion brought to the Canaanite Jews after 1960 BC by Abraham. He brought the worship of Baal and Asherah, the God and Goddess. In a Sumerian story of the war in heaven, Baal defeats the sea monster YAMM, whose name was changed to Leviathan by the Jews. After 1260 BC, the Yahwist Jews began to re-write and transform this religion of the Jews of Canaan into the form later adopted by the Christians and Moslems.
Jewish Divisions of Angels
The Jews divided the angelic hosts into ten divisions:
First, three aspects of the essence of the Most High: Metatron, who bestows the gift of being on all through the power of the Most High (Jehovah)
Masleh, who formed the cosmos through the word of God (Jah) and the angency of the angel Raziel
Sabbathai, who transmitted the Holy Spirit (Ehjeh) into individual souls through Saturn
The seven measures or visible attributes of the Most High:
El, divine benevolence flowing through the angel
Zadkiel to give form through Jupiter
Elohi, divine fortitude flowing through the
angel Gamamliel to give strength through Mars
Tsebaoth, divine Lord of Hosts flowing through the
angel Raphael to power the Sun
Elion, divine intelligence flowing through the
angel Michael to give wisdom through Mercury
Adonai, divine love flowing through the
angel Haniel to give mastery through Venus
Shaddai, divine judgement flowing through the
angel Gabriel to give just deserts through the Moon
Elohim, divine knowledge flowing through the
angel Jesodoth to give guidance through the Earth The Torah gives an account of the seven angels who beset the Path of the individual soul after death.
Celestial Orders
The
Nine Celestial Orders of Dionysius - St. Denis - the Areopagite
Seraphim - surround the throne of God, regulate the movement of the heavens with their singing
Cherubim - guardians of light and the stars, they filter light from heaven
Thrones - angels of the planets
Dominions - govern activities of lower angels and integrate spiritual with mystical
Virtues - send out immense spiritual energy that sustains creation
Powers - angels of birth and death, keepers of collective history, send divine visions
Principalities - integrating angels who guard large groups such as cities and nations
Archangels - tend to the larger arena of human endeavor
Angels - guide men into greater consciousness
Angels in Islam
In
Islamic tradition, the
highest angel is Azazil (later called Satan), followed by
Azrael, the angel of death, and
Asrafil, the
angel of resurrection.
Two angels,
Moukir and Nakir, examine the soul after death, and every soul has two angels assigned to it in life. One of them records every good deed, the other every bad deed. But the bad deeds are not recorded until after the man has slept, and if he repents of his error before then, he is recorded as being forgiven by God.
- According to the Catholic Encyclopedia (link following quote):
"(Latin
angelus; Greek
aggelos; from the Hebrew for "one going" or "one sent"; messenger). The word is used in Hebrew to denote indifferently either a divine or
human messenger. The
Septuagintrenders it by
aggelos which also has both significations. The Latinversion, however, distinguishes the divine or spirit-messenger from the
human, rendering the original in the one case by
angelus and in the other by
legatus or more generally by
nuntius. In a few passages the Latin version is misleading, the word
angelus being used where
nuntius would have better expressed the meaning, e.g.
Isaiah 18:2;
33:3-6."
New Advent Catholic EncyclopediaAnother great site for more information on Angels:
The Pagan Path Angelic Hierarchy
- You can read all about the Angels in the Book of Enoch, their names functions and and all the things they taught man. The Book of Enoch
© Debra K. Allen a.k.a Lady Guinevere