“For each person, there are angels in succession, before and behind him. They guard him by the Command of Allah...” - Surah Al Ra’d 13:11, Qur'an
Then an angel of the LORD called to him from heaven: “Abraham! Abraham!” And he answered, “Here I am.”
And he said, “Do not raise your hand against the boy, or do anything to him.
For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your favored one, from Me.”
When Abraham looked up, his eye fell upon a ram, caught in the thicket by its horns. So Abraham went
and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering in place of his son.
And Abraham named that site Adonai-yireh, whence the present saying, “On the mount of the LORD there is vision.”
The angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven, and said, “By Myself I swear,
the LORD declares: Because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your favored one,
I will bestow My blessing upon you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars
of heaven and the sands on the seashore; and your descendants shall seize the gates of their foes. - Genesis 22:1-19, Torah/Old Testament
seraphim (singular: seraph): these are the angels closest to God, in charge of guarding His throne.
they help to rule over heaven and maintain order. usually, they are depicted as beings of pure and radiant light or fire
- though many do have a human form as well. seraphim are often known for their voices,
be it for the gorgeous songs they sang or the terrifying holy screeches they unleashed.
though these may be some of the most orderly and composed angels, they can also be some of the most emotional.
cherubim (singular: cherub): these angels are most often remembered for being the guardians of Eden.
Now, however, they are said to be guardians of holy places on earth. they typically have many wings, eyes, faces, limbs etc.,
though, like seraphim, they may also have a more human form. cherubim are responsible for keeping harmony in heaven,
and providing power to those in His kingdom. these angels are more likely to be peaceful and docile than confrontational, but of course there are exceptions.
thrones: usually depicted as beings of fire and many eyes, these angels
are the ones who carry out God’s orders. they are most known for their inhuman forms,
often described as being wheels. thrones are the bringers of justice in heaven,
and, on earth, likely retain their strong moral compass. these angels are secretive
and tend to keep to themselves and other thrones, so they have a lot of mystery surrounding them.
dominions: dominions were the leaders of the lower angels,
offering advice and direction. they are very tied to heaven, and not likely to interact with humans.
they are described as divinely beautiful, often with glowing skin, eyes, hair, or wings.
their true forms tend to be more human-like than the angels above them in rank,
and are usually remembered for their appealing appearance (to other angels, humans would of course be startled by them).
these angels are thoughtful and determined, though friendly.
virtues: these angels are those who bring God’s grace to earth.
though they do not interact directly with humans usually, they bring miracles and enlightenment to the world
and its inhabitants. they are brilliant and powerful,
though almost always benevolent and peaceful. virtues are angels of choice,
and accredited with keeping earth moving forward and developing further.
though they are naturally good and kind, virtues can be fierce fighters if necessary.
powers: these are the angels in charge of defending
heaven from hell and providing balance in the universe. they are often depicted as warrior
s and soldiers of God, though they are usually on the
defensive rather than offensive. powers are wise, and it is said that they are the keepers of history.
they are immensely loyal to heaven, and some believe
no power has ever fallen.
principalities: principalities are protectors of certain places,
nations, cities, or groups of people on earth. they usually derive their physical characteristics
and personality from the place/people they are watching over
(for example, a principality of a lake may have blue or green tinted wings, wear pearls or water plants, and have a calm and peaceful personality).
they also teach valuable lessons to those on earth, and are said to be the ones who inspire humans to create or invent.
archangels: these are the warriors and protectors of human life.
they are the commanders in God’s armies, and the ones to relay his most important messages to humans.
they are incredibly loyal to their cause in heaven, but also show empathy towards humans
and fallen angels. they show a great deal of understanding
towards others, and because of that can be persuaded to join a cause even
if it goes against heaven - although this is rare. archangels tend to be very complex,
but their dedication and ferocity is constant.
angels: common angels are the ones most concerned with humans.
there are different types of these angels, such as messengers to humans and personal guardian angels.
it is difficult to categorize these angels as a whole, as there are so many of them.
they are highly diverse, and the most like humans in both personality, morality, and appearance.
fallen angels: these are angels who no longer serve heaven, and now reside on earth.
typically it refers to angels who have sinned or rebelled and are then cast out of heaven by God,
but there are other ways in which angels can become “fallen” as well. angels who desire free will,
or fall in love with a human/humans can also be cast out. fallen angels can originate from any of the ranks above.
If you contact your guardian angel through prayer or meditation at bedtime, just before falling asleep,
your guardian angel may send you messages through your dreams. You are more receptive to angelic messages
while you’re sleeping than when you’re awake, for several different reasons.
Sleep relaxes you,
so you’re less likely to have mental blocks such as stress or fear prevent
you from tuning into what your angel has to tell you.
Also, your subconscious mind is more receptive to messages
from your guardian angel than your conscious mind is,
since your subconscious mind is open to all the information it receives,
while your conscious mind may discard information without truly considering it
simply because it’s new and unfamiliar to you.
While you’re dreaming, your guardian angel may step
into your dreams to make personal appearances (often as a teacher or wise friend),
or your angel may simply send you thoughts and feelings
through telepathic communication with you during dreams.
Some people believe that their guardian angels may even
escort their souls out of their bodies while they’re dreaming,
leading them on journeys throughout the spiritual realm and
then helping them return to their bodies before awakening.
This phenomenon is called astral travel.
Your dreams will come alive with vivid details whenever
your guardian angel uses them to communicate with you.
Images will appear clear and colorful,
and the words people speak will resonate in your soul.
After you wake up, you’ll likely remember key details
about your guardian angel-inspired dreams that you wouldn’t
normally remember about your other dreams.
You’ll feel intense emotions in the dreams through which your
guardian angel is contacting you. Usually, those emotions will be ones that
people consider positive (such as joy and peace),
but if your guardian angel is warning you about something to protect you,
you may feel alarmed (yet never distressed) to emphasize
the importance of acting on your angel’s guidance.
Dreams are full of symbols, to allow your subconscious mind
to work through the process of analyzing all the information
that your conscious mind neglects to
deal with while you’re awake. Often, guardian angels use
those symbols to send people messages through dreams.
...consider where you’ve seen the symbol in your waking life,
and also what role it plays in your life.
You can ask your guardian angel to show you
what it means to ensure that you’re interpreting
and understanding it correctly. If you notice patterns
occurring in your dreams in which the same symbol (such as a certain number or shape)
shows up multiple times, it’s important to pray
about those patterns after waking up to figure out what they mean.
Your guardian angel may communicate a variety of different types of messages
to you through your dreams. Here are some of the messages
that guardian angels most frequently convey through dreams:
Fresh insight into yourself and your life: Your guardian angel may send you dream messages
that are designed to help you better understand your own attitudes and
behaviors and how they’re affecting your life, so you can see
what’s healthy and what needs to change.
Or, your angel may send messages that highlight your interests
and talents, to help you figure out how best
to pursue what God wants you to pursue.
Healing: In healing dream messages, your guardian angel
reminds you of the hope that God offers you
to heal from whatever past pain and wounds you’ve suffered.
Your angel may direct your attention to situations
in your past in which you suffered and
then give you a vision of how your life
can become better in the future if you place your trust
in God and follow where he leads you.
Creative Ideas: Your dreams may contain creative
ideas in messages from your guardian angel
that are designed to inspire you, motivate you to pursue
new adventures and projects, and help you
solve problems. It’s important to record these
ideas after waking up so you can you
can remember them, and then to put those ideas into action in your life.
Warning: If you’re facing a dangerous situation but are unaware of it,
your guardian angel may send you a warning message about it through your dreams
and show you what steps you can take for your protection.
Prophecy about the future: Your guardian angel may occasionally give you
premonitions of the future through your dreams, but only
if doing so can truly help you
(such as when there is something beneficial you can do to prepare for a future event).
Encouragement: When your guardian angel communicates encouraging messages
to you in dreams, those messages will either build your
confidence in who you are or help you discover and fulfill
the potential for what you can do. Your angel may help you
see yourself from God’s perspective so you can recognize
how wonderful you really are. Or, your angel may urge you
to take the risks necessary to pursue something that God wants you to do,
assuring you that you’ll have divine help
available to you every step of the way.
After you wake up from dreams in which your guardian angel
has communicated with you, you will feel renewed and energized.
You’ll also feel a powerful sense of God’s love for you.
Make time to record whatever details you can remember
from each dream in which you sensed some communication from your guardian angel.
Then you won't forget the messages and can interpret them after prayer and reflection.