The angels and archangels play an important role in Western mystical tradition. They serve God and are messengers who mediate between God and humans. But what are angels? And what tasks do they have? These questions will be answered in this article.
What are Angels?
Angels are not beings of human form with wings, as is often depicted in church paintings. Angels are also not bound to a physical body. They are rather interwoven energy forms that form a coherent waterfall image with all its forms, vapors, drops, and flowing movement. The task of the angels is to guide, accompany, and protect people on earth in dangerous situations. The image or concept of the “guardian angel” can be very useful here.
How can one describe the presence of an Angel?
For example, it can serve to classify that in a certain situation or when thinking, you suddenly have an inspiration, a brilliant idea that can solve a problem immediately. Another situation would be that as a road user you are “dreaming” and just before you would have had an accident, a shock is given as an impulse so that the steering wheel is still turned at the last moment.
Ideas, wishes, feelings, and situations that fundamentally change a person’s life can also be attributed to angelic forces.
The goal of angels is to develop humans and evolve them to a higher level of knowledge.
According to the angelic teachings of Martin Luther, archangels are one level above angels. Angels, in turn, are one level above the physical human.
Archangels were also called “volk” or “fire spirits” by Rudolf Steiner. They have their responsibility in leading and accompanying people. It must be assumed that not only humans have a soul, but that there is a collective spirit above it in a nation.
A good example could be a revolution in which the people can no longer bear the grievances imposed on them by the government or a ruler and therefore resist.
The cultural customs in a country, the behaviors, gestures, and customs of a nation or people can provide further clues. In addition, clothing, skin color, and the territory on which the people are located can be fundamentally different.
The most famous archangels are Michael, Raphael, Gabriel, and Uriel, who are partly described in the Bible as messengers of God. For example, the archangel Gabriel brings Mary the good news of the Immaculate Conception of the Son of God.
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Source:
Rudolf Steiner editions, Engel und Mensch, Ein Grundkurs in Engelslehre, Bd. 1, 2018
