Angels...

[Shy Hawk]

Some Pagans believe in Angels, some don't.

I was corrected the other day when I said that I thought that angels were a Christian/Muslim/Jewish thing....someone told me they've been around well before juddaeo-christian religions...

I guess I wanted to know what y'all thought about them. Who believes in them, who doesn't. Perhaps you believe in then, but call them by a different name?

I guess I don't know much about angels as they relate to Paganism...any thoughts or info would be great. :D

Thanks

~Shy

[Xander67]

yes I believe that there are angels, and there are faeries, sprites, salamanders, etc

in the qaballa, angels play an important role in the whole scheme of things

[Laiste]

I believe that there are Angels...although I don't refer to them as such...I call them Spirits or Gardians.

[Armitage]

I believe angels are servants/warriors of Deity, no matter which one they sign up with. I think God/Yahweh's just have the best PR people. :D

[kittiepoetrygod]

I think they exist ... not as beings as we understand them. I think that, A) this isn't a Uni- but a multiverse, and B) each thing has physical representation in each 'verse. So in one 'verse, I'm human, in another, an elemental, in another, an angel, in another, a God ... the list is endless. I think that magick is the act of calling on the energy of the connections that we have to the different "us`es", and that the energy that we use is really the power of all the different "us`es" becoming one, and the will of such a unified being.

Now that i've confused everyone....

[Myst]

Xander is right, angels play a crucial role in the Qaballah and related beliefs. They are believed to have existed long before Christianity et cetera.

Angels can be seen in terms of elements, planets, the zodiac, spheres or sephiroth, depending on what you want to do :) I worked with angels particularily when I had to live in a home with people who weren't really Pagan-friendly. Because it is believed that angels transcend time and religion they can be thought of as beings who are less "irritating" to those of different religions, because they are often associated with Christianity they are less "irritating" to Christians et cetera as well.

If you consider them in terms of spheres, those angels of the First Sphere (Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones) are associated with the universe and divinity, the Second Sphere (Dominions, Powers, Virtues)are associated with the cosmos and planets, and the Third Sphere (Principalities, Archangels, Angels) are said to be associated with humans and human affairs.

They can be guides, guardians, messengers, and companions. I see them as beings who can offer guidance, protection, and assistance, somewhat like faeries or dragons, but existing in various planes and with various assigned duties. Even if you don't like much of her work, Silver RavenWolf has written a book called Angels : Companions in Magick, which you might find useful. You might also look into ceremonial beliefs ie. the Qaballah et cetera.

[amberlaine]

Originally posted by Armitage
I believe angels are servants/warriors of Deity, no matter which one they sign up with. I think God/Yahweh's just have the best PR people. :D

LOVE that!!!

Yes, as a budding Qabalist, I do believe in angels, though not necessarily the feathery-halo'd-winged kind. I"m not sure 4xactly what I believe them to be--messengers, vehicles that draw one towards the Divine Light, beings whose sole purpose is to perptuate the Will of God, etc. I don't much see angels as dabbling in human affairs--I don't believe in "guardian angels", per se. I believe that the only reason angels exist is, like Armitage said, to be warrior, messengers, facilitators--"bearers of the Light and the Word", so to speak. They are fragmented pieces of the celestial light that propel our spirits towards the HEavens.

[Shy Hawk]

Originally posted by Xander67
yes I believe that there are angels, and there are faeries, sprites, salamanders, etc


Yeah, I'm pretty sure there are salamanders..hehe ;)

[Avena]

I do believe in angels too. Although not the way they are described in the Bible. Archangel Michael is not at all the way I would imagine one of his kind...

I've read (or heard...can't remember) that the usual image of the Christian angels (winged, white, golden haired guys and gals) have their origin in a special kind of priestesses who were called "Cherubim" and wore white wing-like additions on their ritual clothes. Don't know if this is myth, historical fact or just crap.

[Fire]

I've never heard that, but I have heard that Cherubim are beings with many eyes and four wings, and that they are mentioned as beings with four heads. It is my understanding that they sit at the throne of God and carry His messages, etc.

[kittiepoetrygod]

Four heads, four hands, and firey is what i heard. I would look a that Angel book, because it has descriptions of each.

[StormChaser]

I'll stick to my typical response on such things..

"It's all good"

IF you believe, it is so.

[Flaire-FireStar]

yes I believe that there are angels, and there are faeries, sprites, salamanders, etc

:D Hehe I caught a salamander once... But then I had to let him go. :( He was a cute little one too.. But anywayz,

In the Christian religion (or from what I've heard from when I believed that) angels were just servants of their God and that's all the purpose they served.
I, for one, don't believe that. I'm sure that they served their God because that's what they were meant to do, but I'm sure they had some freedom themselves or else they'd be miserable old saps...

^^; That's just my 1 cent on this topic.
*and pokes the quote* Lemme see if I can do this vB code here too.. So much like html. *sigh*