Seraphim – 1) angelic rank (degree of angelic hierarchy), belonging to the triad of higher angelic ranks (in the patristic literature in the list of angelic degrees it is placed in the first position, less often - in the second); 2) angels, representatives of this rank.
Angel Abilities
The army of the Heavenly Kingdom consists of angels. Strength is given to them by God and only he determines the range of capabilities of each of them and all of them together. Angels are endowed with abilities common to all hierarchies:
- remain invisible to humans;
- manifest itself, if necessary, in the physical body, show itself to people;
- they all have wings and fly;
- appear to people through visions;
- have the ability to predict the future;
- influence the material world and appear in human form.
Some types of angels are capable of incinerating not only small objects, but even entire cities. An example of such possession of fire is the punishment for the fall of Sodom and Gomorrah.
SERAPHIM
Worlds of Heavenly Angels.
1. Guardian Angels. 2. Cherubim. 3. Seraphim. 4. Thrones. 5. Authorities. 6. Strengths. 7. Dominance. 9. Archangels. SERAPHIM
- Hebrew שׂרפים - “Burning”, “Flaming”, “Fiery”, other - Greek σεραφίμ (Isaiah 6: 2-3) - six-winged angels. They burn with love for God and encourage many to it. The Lord created them from flame, and they stood around Him, sang, shone and, blinded by the radiance of the Divine, spread their wings and shielded themselves with them, and their eyes flashed with tears of fire. “God is radiant, immeasurable Love!” - the six-winged Seraphim sang; they darted, trembling, approached and responded again with divine fire, and heavenly tears flowed freely from the angelic eyes, shining even brighter... Some remained in heaven, and people called them stars. They burn above us like signs of Eternity... Others have fallen from a height into this world, and there are many of them on earth: living reflections of heavenly beauty, praise, a premonition of a shining God, and fiery love, blissful anxiety, and inspirational heat, and youthful dreams. © V.V. Nabokov
Seraphim are the Guardians of some human communities: churches, religious communities, some ethical associations, a few cities
- those whose spiritual integrity and moral purity are of particular importance in the eyes of the Providential Principles. There are entire eras when the Seraphim Guardians surround a city, because this or that historical event is taking place in it or this or that process is taking place that requires special help and protection. After its completion, the Seraphim Guardians are removed. This happened over Kiev under Prince Vladimir the Saint, over Moscow under Prince Daniil and Ivan Kalita, several times over Jerusalem and Rome.
Seraphim between Archangel Raphael and Michael
1378 written by the dancing Seraphim of Theophanes the Greek from the Church of the Transfiguration on Ilyin Street in Novgorod
Seraphim from a 14th century manuscript
ANGEL OF DIVINE LOVE
This Angel is depicted like a bird, which symbolizes the miracle of Divine love.
The winged wheel of fire is also a symbol of the Seraphim Angel. The eye above his head represents the Heavens of Paradise. The heart below and the open hands of the Angel are symbols of the highest love, capable of embracing the entire created world. HEAVENLY FUNCTIONS
: Bringing the wonder and blessing of Divine love into our lives.
EARTHLY INFLUENCE
: it helps us open our hearts to love and Light, teaches a person to treat everything that surrounds him with love, and never forget that our true strength is the Divine Principle, which feeds us with its boundless mercy. The Angel of Divine Love gives each of us the opportunity to know heavenly love and discover its source in the depths of our own hearts. For each person this will be an individual experience: for some it will be associated with love for their neighbors, and for others they will find it in the fullness of marital love. We all have access to an understanding of the true miracle of love - this gift of the Lord, which can lead us through all trials and protect us from any destructive influence. But we can perceive this extraordinary experience only by voluntarily opening our love. He who chooses the path of love receives the support and protection of the Angel of Divine Grace, and there is no more perfect form of love than the expression of the most beautiful and sincere spiritual movements that distinguish human relationships, for our connections with other people are measured by the measure of goodness and love. We can turn to the Angel of the Miracle of Love with a request to give us this priceless gift and make our lives more harmonious and happy. We can also count on his help in cases where we strive to protect love from the attacks of reason. Love is the most precious treasure for the human soul, and often people condemn themselves to suffering, being unable to see this gift and accept it out of fear or obeying their rational arguments. Love is a miracle of God, and it is impossible to comprehend its nature with reason. The experience of love is unique and almost always goes beyond what is rationally explicable. We can find happiness in love only when nothing prevents us from being frank and honest in all relationships. Only under this condition does love become a guiding star for us, showing the way to the Lord.
ANGEL OF THE ESSENCE OF LOVE
The Eye, which is a symbol of the Heavenly Heavens, is located above the crown of this Angel and emits the Divine Light that fills the Universe.
HEAVENLY FUNCTIONS
: protection and preservation of the fundamental principle of love.
EARTHLY INFLUENCE
: it helps us to reveal our deepest spiritual potential, to comprehend the meaning of Existence in the fullness of love, to gain an understanding of the essence of love that we are ready to bring into the world. The Angel of the Essence of Love helps us overcome misconceptions and see the truth in love, which is the driving force in the development of the Universe - both spiritual and material. He gives us the opportunity to free ourselves from the narrow framework of our Ego and let the Light of the Divine Principle into our Soul. In freedom from egoistic illusory ideas and negative experiences, a person finds the boundless joy of love and becomes what he is called to be - a perfect creation of God. This love is the fundamental principle and meaning of everything that exists, it is the source of existence of all things in the world. Even our consciousness would not be what it is if it were not sanctified by the love that unites us with the whole world, with the laws of the Universe. If we strive to comprehend what lies behind the external side of visible things, phenomena, to understand what we call the basis of life, we should rely on the protection of the Angel of the Essence of Love. By choosing the path of love for ourselves, we get the opportunity to follow the voice of our higher “I,” which preserves the perfection inherent in us by the Lord, despite the individualistic, egoistic principle that limits and impoverishes our spiritual development. Love removes the veil of delusion from our inner gaze, allowing us to experience life not as we are accustomed to seeing it through our earthly aspirations, but as a Divine process governed by a good creative force, for love in its heavenly hypostasis is not subject to rational interpretation and is a secret of mysteries. When we accept the law of love as the fundamental principle of Existence, we get rid of suffering generated by an incorrect understanding of what is happening, we stop standing in the way of our own development, for without love the human soul can neither exist nor develop. The Angel of the Essence of Love protects the most precious thing in us - our ability to hear the call of love and understand that it is that original breath of life, without which we cannot realize our destiny in this world.
ANGEL OF ETERNAL LOVE
The all-seeing eye above the head of this Angel testifies to his belonging to the Paradise Heavens.
The image of a dolphin on the right reminds us that eternal love is the source of the joy of existence. The image of a snake biting its tail represents the infinity of the Creator and Creation. This is a symbol of eternity. HEAVENLY FUNCTIONS
: sending down the gift of eternal love.
EARTHLY INFLUENCE
: it reminds us that love is an eternal Divine gift, helps us overcome fear and free Consciousness from delusions and passions through the transformative power of Eternal Love. The Angel of Eternal Love is the intercessor and comforter of all who have suffered loss, for he proclaims to us that love cannot be lost. It remains unchanged throughout eternity. In addition, love is never a useless or insignificant experience in a person’s spiritual development; it brings those changes that make us more perfect and worthy of eternal life. Love elevates us and opens the boundaries of the world to us, giving us the opportunity to feel our indestructible connection with the Universe. The feeling of love can neither be lost nor destroyed; it is preserved in our heart and remains available to us. Love is not affected by time and does not die along with the physical shell. This is an eternal gift that resides in our soul. The Angel of Eternal Love teaches us to understand the eternal value of love, which is the key to our immortality. This Angel helps us keep the light of love in our soul, and thanks to his protection we will not feel abandoned and forgotten in this world. The highest revelation sent down by him reminds us that everything in the world is set in motion by the breath of eternal love. Anyone who seeks to understand the secret of eternal love should turn to this Angel for support. He also patronizes those who do not lose hope of finding their happiness in loving their neighbor.
LOVE.
Archangel Anael is the archangel of unconditional love. Venus is the manifestation of God in the form of love. Hathors. Goddess Venus. Goddess Lada. Saint Valentine. Cupid, Cupid. Peter and Fevronya.
Copyright © 2015 Unconditional love
Angelic hierarchy
Information about angels and their hierarchy was collected bit by bit from various sources. Dionysius the Areopagite best classified all the information together and described it in his book “On the Heavenly Hierarchy.”
In the Angelic ranks, three faces are distinguished, with three ranks in each. There are 9 ranks in total. They take their place in heaven in relation to God and men.
The trinity is closest to the Lord: Seraphim, Cherubim and Thrones. They are located around the Almighty, protecting and being His closest assistants.
INTERESTING: Orthodox cartoons.
Prayer Appeal
Is it possible to offer prayers to the Seraphim? In the Orthodox tradition, appeals to nameless Seraphim are not practiced; they prefer to address saints and Angels by name. Instead of Seraphim, prayers may mention the heavenly forces, the heavenly army. It should also be taken into account that Seraphim are instruments of God’s punishment, and not fulfillers of human requests. They are akin to the Archangel of Death, which leaves a certain imprint on the specifics of their activities.
When can you make a prayer request to the heavenly army? Typically, Orthodox Christians offer prayers to the powers of heaven in times of extreme need or danger. You can also read a prayer before starting a responsible and important task in order to receive timely help. However, if you decide to turn to the heavenly army to resolve an important matter, you should fast for a week beforehand and then go to confession.
Prayerful appeal to the heavenly army:
This prayer can be read at any time when the support of heavenly forces is required - Angels, Archangels, Cherubim and Seraphim:
There is very little information about the Seraphim, although they are the closest to God. Fiery Angels with a punishing sword still cause horror and awe, as they destroyed entire countries and peoples who did not submit to the will of God.
Seraphim
The six-winged angel Seraphim is closest to God and flames with strong love for Him, burning with a bright fire. The word “seraphim” is translated from Hebrew as “flaming.”
Seraphim has three pairs of wings. On one he soars - flies. The second pair serves to cover your body from the fire emitted by the Almighty. The Seraphim has two more wings covered with a fiery gaze, with which it can ignite those around them.
Images of Seraphim are traditionally made in bright red colors, like flying fire. If battles occurred, the Seraphim turned into fiery snakes and burned the enemy.
The duty of the Seraphim is to protect God and kindle love for him in the hearts of people; they cleanse the soul with Divine fire, inspiring them to preach.
Seraphim are angels of the highest rank. They tightly surround God, completely covering him with their bodies, and continuously chant and glorify the Almighty.
In literature and art
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| “The enraged seraph blew so hard with his last strength that the sky trembled above him.” |
- Mentioned in E. Poe’s poem “The Phantom Castle” (translation by N. Volpin).
- Also mentioned in the Mortal Instruments series of books by Cassandra Clare.
- "" is a post-apocalyptic manga written by Takaya Kagami and illustrated by Yamato Yamamoto.
Cherubim
In the Bible there is an expression referring to the Almighty, “seated on cherubim.” Based on it, six-winged angels are God's mode of transportation.
The correct name given to angels long ago is “cherubs.” This word has several meanings. Translated from Hebrew, it means “blesser” or great knowledge, multitude of intelligence - this option is popular among theologians in Orthodoxy. Their bodies and wings are completely covered with eyes, they are many-eyed, cognizing everything. On this occasion, Deonysius the Areopagite said that the Cherubim shine with the light of the knowledge of God.
The third interpretation of the word means “like blooming youth.” Based on this option, Cherubim are depicted as babies with wings. In the photo of icons and ceiling paintings you can see that the angel has a halo circle around his head and covers himself with wings.
According to the description in the book of the prophet Ezerkiel, there is a detailed description of the Cherubim. They have 4 faces: a man and a lion on the right and a calf and a lion on the left. All heads have four wings. Conventionally, in Orthodoxy, the Cherubim are depicted with one baby face and six wings, in the likeness of the Seraphim. Usually their wings are colored azure or blue.
According to the Book of Genesis, a Cherub with a sword stands at the entrance to the Garden of Eden, guards the Tree of Eternal Life and does not allow people to approach it. He assumed his post even before the appearance of the first people – Adam and Eve. The responsibility of the Cherubim is to fight the devil and displace him from the minds and souls of Christians.
At the direction of the Lord, Moses placed Cherubim on both sides of the Ark of the Covenant.
The list of the highest ranks of angels includes the Thrones. They are actually the support of God, located under him.
Enochian magic
Main article: Enochian magic
"The Magic Mirror" by John Dee.
Enochian magic
is an angelic magic of Kabbalistic origin, created (or derived) by the English mathematician, alchemist and astrologer John Dee and the medium Edward Kelly.
Perhaps out of frustration at being unable to achieve a comprehensive understanding of the mysteries of nature, Dee began to seek higher help in communicating with the angels. He and his medium, the convicted counterfeiter Edward Kelly, had numerous sessions of such communication during their travels together between 1583 and 1589. By all accounts Dee was sincere, which was not the case with Kelly, who may have been fooling John Dee.
Enochian magic is based on the evocation and control of various spirits through prayer. Dee's diaries contain the "Enochian alphabet" and tables of correspondences with it. These same diaries claim that the transmitted “teaching” contains the secrets of the apocryphal Book of Enoch.
John Dee considered his magic to be a means to natural theology, believing that communication with the spiritual world was necessary for understanding nature, considering the created world to be formed as a complex system through which God revealed Himself through spirits and angels, imparting to him through them secrets of a quasi-mathematical order letters and numbers. Although John Dee's cosmology had a cabalistic origin, he did not see it as contradictory to his Protestant views.
According to Professor Stephen Clucas, Enochian magic refers to "religious magic" in which occult relationships and forces are seen as paths to the divine and spiritual ascension of the magician. Clucas calls Dee's views on prayer a form of "Christian magic."
Appearance
From the explanations of Isaiah and Dionysius, it was extremely difficult for past artists to derive an accurate visual image of the seraphim, which seemed to be rooted in the appearance of pre-existing spiritual beings native to Syrian myths dating back to the first millennium BC. e., or into the iconography of Babylon and Assyria, from where, in all its plausibility of the first ideas about angels, it migrated to the Jewish and Christian world.
According to the interpretation of Anthony the Great,
| The Seraphim, whom the Prophet Ezekiel saw (Ezekiel 1:4.9), is the image of faithful souls who strive to achieve perfection. He had six wings filled with eyes; He also had four faces looking in four directions: one face was like the face of a man, the other was like the face of a calf, the third was like the face of a lion, and the fourth was like the face of an eagle. The first face of Seraphim, which is the face of a man, means the faithful, who, living in the world, fulfill the commandments placed on them. If one of them becomes a monk, then he becomes like the face of a calf, because he bears hard labor in fulfilling the monastic rules and performs more physical feats. Whoever, having perfected the order of community life, goes into solitude and enters into a fight with invisible demons, is likened to the face of a lion, the king of wild animals. When he defeats invisible enemies and dominates passions and subjugates them to himself, then he will be delighted with the Holy Spirit and see Divine visions; here he will be like the face of an eagle: his mind will then see everything that can happen to him from six sides, like those 6 wings full of eyes. Thus he will become a complete spiritual Seraphim and inherit eternal bliss. Philokalia, Vol.1, Instructions of Anthony the Great |
Unlike the azure, four-winged cherubs, the six-winged seraphim are depicted in iconography, as a rule, in a fiery, scarlet color.
