This is just a quick note to let you all know of some awesome special offers on a number of titles, including several by myself and David Rankine, currently available from the Avalonia publishing website - http://avaloniabooks.co.uk/bundle-offers

Its been a busy few weeks, with all the various holidays.  Our now four-year old son demanded a lot of our time, drawing us away from our writing and other work into the woods (he loves walking and is missing the garden he grew up with in Wales!) and the occasional Santa’s Grotto of course too!  Its back to school today and with that back to work for me and David as we get ready for what is set to be an absolutely amazing year packed full of wonderful research and writing projects, as well as a return to teaching again since 2008, when we stopped taking on new students.

I was surprised, but also delighted (of course) that all places on my homestudy courses were fully booked before I was able to announce it in public.  New courses, and further places being announced in the Summer – so please keep an eye out for that if you are interested.

May 2012 bring you much joy, happiness and health!

xx Blessings, Sorita d’Este

Hymn to Horus

Hail, God revived in glory!

The night is over and done;

Far mountains wrinkled and hoary,

Fair cities great in story,

Flash in the rising sun.

Behold the Dawn uncloses

The shutters of the night;

The Waste and her oases

Blossoms a rose of roses

Beneath thy rose-red light.

Hail, golden House of Horus,

Lap of heaven’s holiest God!

From lotos-banks before us

Birds in ecstatic chorus

Fly, singing, from the sod.

Up, up, into the shining,

Translucent morning sky,

No longer dull and pining,

With drooping plumes declining,

The storks and eagles fly.

The Nile amid his rushes

Reflects thy risen disk;

A light of gladness gushes

Through kindling halls, and flushes

Each flaming Obelisk.

Vast Temples catch thy splendour;

Vistas of columns shine

Celestial, with a tender

Rose-bloom on every slender

Papyrus-pillared shrine.

In manifold disguises,

And under many names,

Thrice-holy son of Isis,

We worship him who rises

A child-god fledged in flames.

Hail, sacred Hawk, who, winging,

Crossest the heavenly sea!

With harp-playing, with singing,

With linen robes, white clinging,

We come, fair God, to thee.

Thou whom our soul espouses,

When weary of the way,

Enter our golden houses,

And, with thy mystic spouses,

Rest from the long, long way.

 

Mathilde Blind (1841 – 1896)

I will be one of the speakers, as well as being involved in the organisation of this unique event and am excited beyond words at the prospect of sharing the experience with other Hekate Devotees, Priests, Priestesses and people interested in learning more.  You can find out more at http://theurgia.co.uk/hekate-triformis-symposium (which includes booking details)

In 2012 the Rite of Her Sacred Fires, being on the Full Moon of May, will also be very near to the festival of Beltane, celebrated by contemporary Pagans and Wiccans all around the world.  To celebrate I will be hosting a small symposium in Glastonbury (Somerset, England) with talks, workshops, rituals and much more on the 5th and 6th of May.  Tickets will be limited as larger venues in Glastonbury have all been fully booked more than a year ago, so it will be important to book promptly to secure a place.  If you are interested, please go to the Facebook page for the event and click “like” - https://www.facebook.com/HekateTriformis

If successful we hope to grow this into a larger yearly festival, and year one will be very much orientated towards learning and community!

The clip includes part of the Goddess blessing I did for Mark as part of the ceremony and which I wrote about earlier this year at http://sorita.co.uk/extraordinary-view-from-the-edge

We created this ritual some years ago for use in a magickal group we were facilitating at the time for use in a series of planetary workings.  We felt that the Hexagram Ritual of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn which is usually recommended for planetary workings was inadequate for our purposes. Through regular work the ritual has undergone refinements over the years and the version we present here is one we found most effective for solitary or small group workings.

It is best used at the beginning of ceremonies focusing on planetary forces and can also be used as a daily balancing exercise. It can additionally be used at the end of ceremonies to balance and ground excess energy in a harmonious manner.

When performing planetary work it is usual to focus on the energies of a particular planet, for this reason it is necessary to use the appropriate invoking and banishing heptagram in the Ritual of the Heptagram.

Figure 2 : Invoking & Banishing Planetary Heptagrams

The Ritual of the Heptagram: Instruction

Stand facing East, with your arms by your sides, palms forward, and say:

Emmi gas vios kai ouranou asteroentos^[1]

Move your arms upwards into a V with your palms upward and visualise a red sphere of energy around your heart as you say:

I stand in the timeless void, my heart burning with the immortal fire

Move your right arm down in a sweeping movement to your side with the palm facing downward, and visualise a green sphere of energy at your feet, standing on it as you say:

I draw my power from the earth and the starry heavens

Move your arms so they are horizontal (crucifix position) with the palms facing forward, and visualise a white sphere of energy at your crown, the bottom of the sphere touching the top of your head as you say:

I create the holy light that shines in the darkness

Keeping your arms in the cross position, draw the green energy up the body and the white energy down from the head and see them merge with the red energy to form gold energy at the heart which then spreads and suffuses the aura.

Slowly lower your arms towards your sides again and say:

*With Alpha I begin this rite, establishing peace, A

With Epsilon, I welcome grace, E

With Eta, I cleanse this place, EE

With Iota, I focus my will, I

With Omicron, I uphold the truth, O

With Upsilon, I radiate glory, U

With Omega I complete the ordering of chaos, OO

In the seven-lettered name I establish the harmony of the heavens

A, E, EE, I, O, U, OO

Move your preferred hand to the starting position for the appropriate planetary Heptagram, and inscribe the heptagram starting at the appropriate point, visualising the lines in the appropriate colour for the planet you are working with.  From the top, the points when drawn in front of the body are level with the head (top), 6” above left and right shoulder (upper left and upper right), 6” to the left and right of the body in front of bottom of ribs (middle left and right), in front of left and right hips (bottom left and right).

Raise your arms back into an upwards V shape and say:

Uniting the seven deathless powers of the universe.

Cross your arms over your chest and say:

There is no part of me that is not of the Gods

*Please note: If you are doing this ritual at the end of your ceremony to balance energies and end your ritual, you should use the appropriate banishing heptagram and say “With Alpha I end this rite, establishing peace, A”

In this final extract from the Introduction I wrote for the anthology BOTH SIDES OF HEAVEN (Avalonia, 2009), I discuss the differences between Angels and Demons, this is the final part of my Introduction to the book, which includes essays by a total of 18 contributors, amongst them some of the foremost occult scholars and magicians of the 21st century; each providing a unique insight on a different dimension of the nature and history of winged spiritual beings.  As with the other blogs in this series, please keep in

mind that this was written as an introduction to the book, and as such it references articles by other authors which are published in the book.

You can find out more about the book by visiting the publishers’ website and searching for BOTH SIDES OF HEAVEN. 

Angels & Demons

At this point a relevant consideration is the contrast between the terms demon and angel.  Demon comes from daimon, which means ‘intelligence’ or ‘individual destiny’, whereas angel means messenger.  Originally daimones were always perceived as being positive entities.  The Greek philosopher Plato introduced the division between kakodaemons and eudaemons, or benevolent and malevolent daimons, in the fourth century BCE.  Seven centuries later in the third century CE, the Neo-Platonic philosopher Porphyry made an interesting distinction, this being essentially that the good daimones were the ones who governed their emotions and being, whereas bad daimones were governed by them.  His contemporary, Iamblichus, argued that daimons had a more ambivalent role, being essential to “oversee nature and the binding of souls into bodies”, and being required as part of the Theurgic process of realising the divine within.

The Byzantine historian and philosopher Michael Psellus writing on daimons in the eleventh century took the view that they were either old gods and spirits or fallen angels.  He quoted various classical writers such as Homer and Hesiod, who described daimons as gods or men who underwent apotheosis.  As a Christian scholar, he seemed to prefer a view that fitted into that system, and one of the quotes he used is particularly relevant, Matthew 25:41, which reads, “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.”  This Gospel acknowledges that if the view is being taken that the demons are in an infernal hierarchy, they are in fact fallen angels.  Considering the names of demons, it is then clear that some of the demons, or fallen angels, were derived from old gods, such as Astoreth (Astarte), Baal (Belial) and Horus (Haures), or straight assimilations such as the gods Pluto and Serapis, and others were mythological creatures, such as the Phoenix (Phenix), Pytho (Python) and Cerberus (Cerberus or Narberus).

Psellus categorised daimons in six orders, these being stellar, airy, earthy, watery, fiery and subterranean.  This number increased to nine by the renaissance, so there were an equal number of demon orders in opposition to the angelic orders.  However from the point of view of the grimoire tradition, as soon as we start looking at grimoires like the Goetia, it becomes clear that the demons are generally fallen angels.  Thus the messenger has become an intelligence, or to put it another way, the significant difference between an angel and a demon is that the demon has gained free will.  This makes them far more akin to mankind, and far more prone to our virtues and vices too.  However it could be argued, as indicated by a number of the grimoires, that a price paid for freedom is servitude, in that the fallen angels and demons may be constrained by the angelic powers.  The use of angels to control demons is discussed by Stephen Skinner in his essay Thwarting Angels, where he demonstrates the range of occurrences of this practice, from the ancient world through to the Renaissance.

“And besides you must understand that the Devils may be forced and constrained by the good Angels, and this is because of the Grace which the one lost, and the other as yet retains.”[1]

Some of the most famous tales of the Renaissance were moral tales warning of the danger of dealing with demons, such as Faust and his pact with the demon Mephistopheles.  Maestro Nestor gives us an account of the pitfalls that can arise if you try to follow this hazardous route in Demons & Devils.  An entirely different approach to Goetic demons is presented by Jake Stratton-Kent in Grimoires for Pagans, which moves beyond the familiar, as does Charlotte Rodgers in her essay The Face in the Mirror: A Quest for Knowledge and Conversation with the Holy Guardian Angel.  As you will see from the pages contained herein, the world of angels and fallen angels is full of surprises, and nowhere is this illustrated better than by Adele Nozedar’s essay Thirteen Unicycles in the Woods.

Finally, when considering angels and fallen angels and demons, it is worth remembering the saying that a person is known by the company they keep.  This principle may be applied to your spiritual life as much as your mundane social life, so from that perspective, consider the words of Woodbury Fernald, who wrote:

“It is not by particular influx, as from one or more angels, that the will of man is always swayed, but by general influx of the whole society of spiritual beings with which the man is in association, and the power on both sides, of heaven and of hell, by which he is also in equilibrium: it is thus that his will is governed, and his true and proper freedom kept intact and inviolate through the whole procedure.”[2]

The Hierarchies of Angels & Demons

Where the angels, particularly the archangels who rule the angelic orders, do stand apart from their fallen brethren is in their absolutely focused approach, which is task-driven by the roles they fulfil.  This is described in the seventeenth century grimoire, Janua Magica Reserata, which observed:

“There is no part of the world, destitute of the proper assistance, care, keeping or attendance of the Celestial Angels, & they send down their influences through the Celestial spheres, & planets, to the place or persons sublunary, & do especially operate, according to their several & Respective Regulations.”[1]

The major archangels are divided in a number of ways, but one of the most significant divisions is the seven who stand in the presence of God.  These are Metatron, Raziel, Kamael, Michael, Gabriel, Raphael and Uriel.  The latter four are commonly attributed in contemporary magic to the four elements of Fire, Water, Air and Earth, as well as having planetary attributions, as does Kamael (also known as Samael).  The planetary archangels are also considered to rule over the planetary intelligences and planetary spirits (who are also known as the planetary angels and planetary demons) as well as their orders of angels.

The ideas of the nine orders or choirs of angels can be traced back to pre-Christian times.  Looking at the philosophers of ancient Greece, we can see the roots of these concepts in Aristotle’s ‘Intelligences’, developing through neo-Platonists like Porphyry and his pupil Iamblichus of Chalcis (c.245–c.325 CE), who wrote the significant text On the Mysteries of the Egyptians, Chaldeans, and Assyrians. This was commented on by Proclus (c.410-485 CE), in his De Magica and Elements of Theology.  His work was used and expanded upon by Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite (c.500 CE) in his Celestial Hierarchy, which dealt with the angelic hierarchies in great detail, and established that there were Nine Hierarchies.  In the ninth century CE, the Irishman John Scotus Erigena translated the Celestial Hierarchy and commented on in his work De Divisione Naturae.  From this source, fed from centuries of development, the hierarchy of angels entered the theology taught at the new centres of learning, universities, becoming incorporated into the theology, literature and grimoires, with a hierarchy of demons to match.

The attributions of archangels over the centuries was not set in stone, as can be seen by the variety of associations in different texts and traditions.  However, the influence of these angels is seen particularly in the last few hundred years, in the grimoires, Qabalah, and ceremonial magic traditions.  And so too, on the other side of the mirror (or perhaps heaven), are the fallen angels and demons, in a reflection of their angelic brethren.  Both sides were called upon to learn wisdom, the latter perhaps to hear the side that would otherwise be censored!

An instance of archangels delivering divine wisdom was seen in the experiments conducted by Dr John Dee with Edward Kelley, resulting in the Enochian system of magic.  This is considered by Aaron Leitch in The “Enochians”: The True Identity of the Angels of Dr John Dee, and Katherine Sutherland in On the Wings of Rebirth: The Angels of the Renaissance World and Dee in Context.

Indeed, from the thirteenth century angel book Liber Juratus to the Key of Solomon to the French black magic grimoires of the eighteenth and nineteenth century like the Grimorium Verum, the grimoires are full of conjurations of archangels, angels, fallen angels and demons, either for gaining wisdom, or to discover treasure or manipulate events or people (the latter more through the fallen angels and demons!).  A classic example of treasure hunting with spiritual creatures is presented in The Green Butterfly, Treasure-Hunting Animals, Astaroth, and King Solomon in Hiding by Dan Harms.

Abbot Johannes Trithemius wrote in 1508 in his De Septem Secundeis (‘Seven Secondary Causes’) that seven archangels ruled over history in a cycle.  Each angel rules for a period of three hundred and fifty-four years and four months, and we are currently in the age of Michael, the Solar archangel.  Considering the developments in technology and energy development, he has certainly been an active archangel!  The sequence of angels which goes round in cycles is:

The orders of angels all have functions, which are often neglected by people who will call on the archangels and assume they will get a response.  However as the orders of angels contain vast numbers of angels, they are an obvious place to call for angelic assistance when required, which is why conjurations to archangels usually asked the specified spiritual creature to send a substitute if they were busy.  The same principle was true for demons, with spirits from lower down the hierarchy being requested if the higher demons were otherwise occupied.

I hope that you will be able to join me LIVE (though you will be able to watch the recording afterwards too), but LIVE means you can join in the chatroom and ask questions – and good and challenging questions are most certainly going to be welcomed!

Facebook Events Page: https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=179230065498281

LIVE on uStream 9pm UK time, or 4pm EST USA time – http://www.ustream.tv/channel/witchtalk-show

 This SUNDAY – 13th of November!  See you there!

The Theban script, which is found in the texts of many of the Wiccan traditions today and is sometimes referred to as the ‘Witches Alphabet’ is used for carving, writing names and sometimes entire books of shadows with. Its inclusion in the Wiccan tradition was probably drawn from Francis Barrett’s The Magus published in 1801.  Barrett in turn drew his information from Cornelius Agrippa’s Three Books of Occult Philosophy which were published in 1531 and is often considered to be the first written source in which the Theban script was recorded.  This is not actually true, as the Theban script was first published in 1518 in the less well known Polygraphia, the book of magickal alphabets compiled by Trithemius (published posthumously).

(Theban script from Francis Barrett’s The Magus, 1801)

However Agrippa does note in his Three Books of Occult Philosophy that the Theban script is “those which Peter Apponus notes, as delivered by Honorius of Thebes.”  This is clearly a reference to Peter de Abano, author of the Heptameron, and to the Sworn Book of Honorius, which declares in its introduction that it was delivered by Honorius of Thebes.  Neither of these texts contains the Theban script or anything resembling it, so this seems more a case of attempting to give provenance to lend authenticity to it at the time, although it is quite possible that it might be recorded in a now lost manuscript copy of one of these works.

In an interesting parallel to its use by some Wiccans today, Francis Barrett also copied entire magickal grimoires into Theban script at the turn of the nineteenth century for his personal use.  According to Prof. Ronald Hutton writing in his book Triumph of the Moon, Valiente describedGardner wearing his silver ring with his OTO name engraved on it in Theban script.

The term ‘Theban Script’ presents us with another interesting hypothesis which may indicate that its use in Wicca today could be down to a possible misunderstanding.   At this point we have already established that the Wiccan tradition drew some teachings and inspiration from the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, but what is less known is that the Enochian alphabet which is used in that system is also sometimes referred to as the ‘Theban alphabet’.[1]  Taking this into consideration it leaves a question as to whether there might have been a misunderstanding somewhere which may have led to the adoption of Theban as ’the Witches Alphabet’ rather than the Enochian alphabet.

———–

Fallen Angels

 “Non Serviam – I will not serve!”

Are the words popularly attributed to the archangel Lucifer, greatest of the angels, at the time of the first fall.  According to popular perception, when Lucifer demonstrated what is called pride by some and free will by others, he caused the first divine conflict, resulting in his ejection from heaven with an unspecified number of angelic supporters.  This figure is popularly one third, being drawn from a line in Revelations 12:4 which is not specifically about angels: “And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth.”

This figure did however turn up as a result in John Milton’s Paradise Lost, when he equated the angels to stars and wrote:

“Art thou that traitor angel … Who … in proud rebellious arms, drew after him the third part of Heaven’s Sons?”[1] 

Likewise the actual fall referred to in the Bible, is in the New Testament in Revelations 12:7-9, and makes no mention of Lucifer:

 “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”

Significantly this fall is prophesied as a future event, not a past one, a fact which is startling when the implications are realised.  Not only does this negate many of the ideas about the Fall as being invalid due to it not having happened in the Bible and thus being assumption and speculation, but it also suggests that the place of the dragon and his angels is in heaven until the fall at the end of days, not in any hell!

The second fall, which occurs earlier in the Bible (and is actually the only past fall mentioned), implied in Genesis, was the result of desire. This could again be argued as free will to follow desire rather than the divine plan, as is clear from the more specific details given in the apocryphal Book 1 Enoch.  Expanding on the reference in Genesis 6:4, 1 Enoch lists the main leaders of the second fall, as well as the various ‘gifts’ they gave to mankind, such as astrology, cosmetics, jewellery, metalworking, root magic and sorcery.

The nature and significance of these fallen angels is discussed by Rufus Harrington in Fallen Angels and Legends of the Fall, and by Michael Howard in The Myth of the Fallen Ones.  Diana Allam gives a personal account of her dealings with fallen angels in Azazel & Shemyaza, Sex, Drugs & Rock ‘n’ Roll.  Demonstrating how fallen angels have influenced the development of magic, David Rankine explores The Fallen Angels and the Goetia, and Julia Phillips shares insights into Madeline Montalban, Elemental and Fallen Angels.

Over the centuries it has been suggested that faeries are a type of fallen angel, being “too bad for heaven and too good for hell!”  The links between angels and fairies are the theme of The Salvation of the Sidhe by Emily Carding.

Lucifer

Lucifer is frequently described as the greatest of the fallen angels, begging the question, who was Lucifer?  The early Church fathers like Origen and Eusebius equated him to the Satan of Revelations, a questionable piece of theology which set the tone for centuries of misunderstandings and has effectively buried his origins.  From the eleventh to thirteenth centuries, the Cathars used the name Lucibel to describe him as the evil Rex Mundi (‘king of the world’), ruling the material world as God ruled the spiritual one, and re-emphasising the dualistic division of above and below.  This name, Lucibel, would surface in the French witch trials of the Middle Ages as a name for the devil, adding to the misdirection and propaganda.

In the late nineteenth century work Aradia: Gospel of the Witches (1899) by the American anthropologist Charles Leland, a very different image of Lucifer was presented as worshipped by Italian witches:

“Diana greatly loved her brother Lucifer, the god of the Sun and of the Moon, the god of Light, who was so proud of his beauty, and who for his pride was driven from Paradise. Diana had by, her brother a daughter, to whom they gave the name of Aradia.”[2]

In more recent times the magician Madeline Montalban (discussed by Julia Phillips in her essay) used the name Lumiel (‘light of god’) to describe Lucifer.  Considering the role of Lumiel in the Merkavah tradition of Qabalah, this is an interesting choice.  Lumiel is the angel who has the secret which allows the Merkavah rider to ascend to the seventh heaven unchallenged, and indeed bears the seal which allows the rider to pass through all of the heavens unchallenged.  Clearly this is an immensely powerful role, as it means he is the only angel who can take a person straight into the presence of God, who dwells on the throne in the seventh heaven.

It has been suggested that his name (‘light-bearer’) was a Latin form of the Hebrew angel Uriel, the “light of god”.  Although this might seem paradoxical with Uriel being the angel of salvation, he was also described as the bearer of the keys of hell, which would be appropriate for the chief fallen angel.  However Lucifer was used as a Latinized form of the Greek name for Venus as the morning star, Phosphorus.  Significantly, the light-bearer (Phosphorus) who was also the key-bearer (Kleidouchos) was the goddess Hekate.

The LightBearers

Hekate not only shared the title of Phosphorus with the virgin goddess Artemis, both were also given the title of Angel at times.  In the case of Hekate she was ruler of both angels and daimons.

By the time of the Chaldean Oracles in the second century CE, there was a hierarchy of orders of angels serving under the goddess Hekate, these being Iynges (Wrynecks, after the bird), the Synocheis (Connecters) and the Teletarchai (Rulers of Initiation).  This triad was probably one of the inspirations for the three triads of angelic orders which formed the hierarchy in the Celestial Hierarchy of Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite in the early sixth century CE.  This contributed to the foundation for the structure of angelic hierarchies used in the subsequent Christian orthodoxy and the grimoires.

—–

The Nature of Angels

The frequent occurrence of winged goddesses raises the issue of whether angels should be depicted as male, female or both.  Whilst the tendency has become for angels to always be portrayed as masculine, or occasionally feminine but still male, this was not always the case.  Dr Thomas Rudd, arguing against the German scholar Abbot Johannes Trithemius’ insistence that angels were male, declared:

“And if Trithemius or any other natural philosopher, doth but seriously & well observe, they shall find that true wisdom is always painted in a woman’s garment.”[1]

A common perception in Renaissance magical texts was recorded in the Salkeld Treatise of Angels, which viewed them as existing to each fulfil specific functions.  It stated:

 “First they be no Gods but most perfect Creatures produced by the omnipotent hand of God for that unity simplicity and independence be most perfect attribute.”[2]

When the nature of angels was considered, so too the consideration of their constitution was raised, i.e. what are the bodies of angels made of?  Angels were generally perceived as being made of the purest and rarefied part of the Air, hence their ethereal nature.  However when some of the angels fell, it was believed that the Air became thicker as they came closer to Earth, giving them somewhat more substantial bodies, able to take on a more solid physical form, and also suffer pain more easily in punishment for their actions.

This thickness of air in the body of fallen angels (and also demons) is one of the reasons why the grimoires directed the magician to wield a sword, as this could cleave through the body of the spiritual creature and cause it pain.  Effectively it meant the sword was a magical weapon, blessed by God (hence the divine names engraved on the blade), and a means of defence for the magician from any attacks.  It is also interesting to note in this context that angels were often depicted bearing swords, and this may be one of the reasons for this.

Not all angels were said to be formed of Air, an exception to this being the Order of Angels called the Seraphim (‘fiery ones’), whose bodies were said to be made of the highest form of fire (arguably light).  Many of the most significant of the well-known angels, from both sides of heaven, were said to be of the Seraphim, such as Lucifer, Michael, Gabriel and Uriel.  In Islam too, the Djinn are said to be beings of fire.  The highest of the three orders of Djinn are described as winged humans, and like humans Djinn have free will and roam the earth, making them more akin to fallen angels than angels.

———

For more information on Both Sides of Heaven, being a collection of 18 essays on the subject of angels, demons and faeries see http://avaloniabooks.co.uk/catalogue/grimoire-tradition/both-sides-of-heaven-anthology.  The book is also available for purchase (signed by the editor) from this website’s Bookshop.

(c) Sorita d’Este.  All rights reserved.

Introduction

A Host of Winged Messengers (Part 1)

By Sorita d’Este

 Heaven is by its very nature above us, the infinite expanse of the stars and the void.  In contrast the underworld is below us, under the earth.  For thousands of years the interplay of heaven and earth has defined human spirituality and myths, shaping views of the denizens of the different realms.  Beings who dwell in the heavens have commonly been portrayed as being winged, indicating their ability to fly across the heavens, a quality envied by man since he first saw birds flying.

One of the great magical axioms, recorded on the Emerald Tablet of the magician god Hermes, is ‘As above, so below’.  This phrase emphasises the interconnectedness of the different realms, and makes us realise that we can create our own heaven, mirroring the divine realm perceived above by realising our own inner divinity and manifesting it below, here on the Earth.  This was expressed perfectly in the Orphic Oath of the ancient Greek mysteries, where the initiate declared “I am a child of earth and starry heaven.”

Heaven was often formed from the body of a goddess or god, either living, such as the Egyptian stellar goddess Nuit, and the Greek goddess of the night sky Nox, or dead and used to create the universe, like the Sumerian goddess Tiamat.  After being killed by the god Marduk, Tiamat’s body was dismembered and used to form the earth and the heavens.  Thus the god Marduk “opened doors on both sides of heaven, and strengthened the doors on the left and the right.”[1]

The Origins of Angel

The word Angel comes from the Greek word angelos meaning ‘messenger’, which evokes images of beautiful winged figures, though it “is a name of their office and not of their nature”.[2]  Winged guardian spirits may be found as far back as ancient Sumeria c.3000 BCE.  These guardians were both winged humans and winged animals, like lions or bulls.  Subsequent religions would all include spiritual creatures depicted as winged human figures.

Considering the meaning of the word angel, the divine messages delivered by angels through the ages have been many and significant.  Gabriel, who was originally associated with fire, is the greatest of the messengers.  He indicated the coming of the messiah to Daniel, he visited Zachary and told him his son would be named John (the Baptist), and he told Mary she was pregnant with Jesus.  Gabriel also delivered the Qur’an to Mohammed, founding Islam.  Michael too played his role as a messenger, speaking to Moses from the burning bush and delivering the magical demon-binding ring to Solomon (as described in the second century CE proto-grimoire, the Testament of Solomon).  Gabriel (Jibril) and Michael are two of the four main angels in Islam, together with Raphael (Israfel) and Azrael (Malak al-Maut).  These are all examples from what are sometimes collectively known as the Abrahamic religions.

As empires fell and rose, so too did religions, and where once the Sumerian gods and spirits reigned, came the religion of Zoroastrianism.  The Ahuras (angels) and Daevas (demons) of this Persian religion are explored in depth by Payam Nabarz in his essay Zoroastrian Angels and Demons.  In ancient Greece too, daimones were often depicted as winged human figures, and the nature of these beings is discussed by Kim Huggens in her essay Between Gods and Men.

As well as angels, a number of ancient gods and goddesses were frequently shown with wings, such as the Egyptian goddesses Isis and Maat, the Greek Anemoi (wind gods) and the goddesses Iris and Nike, the Mithraic god Aion and the Sumerian goddess Lilith.  Of course the god or goddess of one religion might become the demon of another, and Loving Lilith by Melissa Harrington explores the different views that have developed of this complex figure, alternately viewed as goddess, demon and free-willed first created woman.

The idea of messengers having wings is not limited to angels, as can be seen by the Greek winged messenger goddess Iris, and the god Hermes, depicted with wings on his sandals and helmet rather than attached to his body though.  Likewise the Thunderbird of Native American tales, was a giant bird, and used his wings to good effect, to cause storms or to carry messages from one spirit to another.