Читать книгу Angels, Fairies, Demons, and the Elementals - John Van Auken - Страница 14

In Jewish and Dionysian lore, the Congregation of Angels is arranged into two main choirs: Seraphim and Cherubim.

Seraphim are the highest order of angels and attend to the throne and altar of God. They are variously referred to as the “burning ones,” the “red ones,” and “beings of fire,” because of their association with the fire on the altar of God and the fire of truth, particularly the “test as by fire” that the archangel Michael requires of every soul who attempts to pass to higher levels of heaven. In the Bible, seraphs (mentioned only in Isaiah 6:2 and 6:6) surround the throne of God and bring Isaiah a coal from the fire on the altar of God with which to cleanse his lips and speech.

Seraphs are often depicted with six wings. The colors red and white are associated with them, as well as the element of fire. Cayce’s reading 275-35 actually refers to the “Seraphim choir” when instructing a young man about his music training, noting that the “Prince of Peace was a harpist” in the Seraphim choir.

Cherubim, on the other hand, are mentioned throughout the Bible. Their name is derived from the Assyrian (or Akkadian) word kirubu, which means “one who prays, blesses, or intercedes,” and are often seen as those who intercede between God and humans. As the second order of angels, they are often depicted as winged children, but this originated during the Middle Ages and is not an original image for them. Cherubs are depicted as having four wings, and blue is the color associated with them, because of their connection with the sky and, in some cases, with the wind and the element of air.

Cayce’s readings portray the angels as active beings, much involved with the lives of humans. They were and are co-creators with the Creator, and as such, created much of the universe that we see. How many angels were created? According to the Egyptians, each star in heaven is the light of one angel, and there are more stars in the portion of the universe that is visible from earth than there are grains of sand on all the beaches and deserts of earth!