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Guardian angel

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A guardian angel is a type of angel assigned to protect and guide a specific person, group, or nation.

Bernhard Plockhorst - Schutzengel
Bernhard Plockhorst - Schutzengel

The concept of tutelary beings, or beings that guard, can be traced throughout all of antiquity. These spiritual entities act as intermediaries between the divine and the human world. They are believed to perform specific duties, such as providing protection or offering guidance. This belief system is found in many different religious and esoteric traditions across history.

In Zoroastrianism, these beings are known as Arda Fravaš, or Holy Guardian Angels.

Fridolin Leiber - Schutzengel
Fridolin Leiber - Schutzengel

According to the texts Yasna 26.4 and 55.1, each person is accompanied by a guardian angel that acts as a guide throughout their life. These angels originally patrolled the boundaries of the ramparts of heaven. However, they volunteer to descend to earth to stand by individuals until the end of their days. This shows a specific mechanism of voluntary service to humanity.

Judaism contains a well-marked development of the guardian angel concept within the Hebrew Bible. Angels are often described as God's ministers who carry out his specific commands. In the book of Genesis, angels act as executors of God's wrath, but they also deliver Lot from danger. The story of Tobias features the Archangel Raphael, who guides and aids the main character. Other texts, such as Daniel 10:13, suggest that angels may even be assigned to certain countries.

Guardian Angel 1900
Guardian Angel 1900

In rabbinic literature, the angel Lailah is described as an angel of the night. Lailah is in charge of conception and pregnancy, serving as a guardian throughout a person's life and even leading the soul into the afterlife.

Christianity has also developed complex theological structures regarding these beings. In the 5th century, Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite extensively developed the hierarchy of angels. Later, in the 12th century, Honorius of Autun proposed that every soul is assigned a guardian angel at the moment it is put into a body. The philosopher Thomas Aquinas furthered this by suggesting that the lowest order of angels serves as guardians. He believed angels are assigned to men because the world is an unsafe road for travelers.

Tankard-guardian-angel
Tankard-guardian-angel

In the 15th century, the Catholic Church officially added the Memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels to its calendar, celebrated on 2 October.

Different traditions offer specific details about how these angels interact with humans. In some Jewish traditions, amulets bearing the names Senoi, Sansenoi, and Semangelo were used to protect pregnant women and newborns. These names were linked to a story where three angels were sent to deal with Lilith. In the Catholic Church, the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline the Sacraments discourages assigning new names to angels. They suggest sticking to the names revealed in scripture: Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael.

Ángel de la Guarda
Ángel de la Guarda

Esoteric and modern movements have also interpreted the role of the guardian angel. In the 15th-century book "The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage," the idea is central to the practice of a German Cabalist named Abraham of Worms. In 1897, Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers translated this into English. Aleister Crowley, the founder of Thelema, viewed the "Holy Guardian Angel" as a representation of one's truest divine nature. He compared this concept to the Atman of Hinduism and the Daimon of the ancient Greeks. Crowley even refined rituals intended to help people establish contact with their angels.

Today, the concept continues to influence religious leaders and personal spirituality. Pope Francis has described guardian angels as "traveling companions" who ensure that no one journeys alone. He suggested that the inner voice telling a person to do what is right might be the inspiration of an angel.

Historical figures like Saint Gemma Galgani claimed to speak directly with her angel. Even Pope John XXIII shared that a dream about his guardian angel helped him manage the anxieties of his office. Whether viewed as a theological reality or a psychological guide, the guardian angel remains a significant figure in human thought.

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🖼️ Images & Media (9)
File:Bernhard Plockhorst - Schutzengel.jpg
Bernhard Plockhorst - Schutzengel.jpg
File:Cortona Guardian Angel 01.jpg
Cortona Guardian Angel 01.jpg
File:Antonsplatz 22.JPG
Antonsplatz 22.JPG
File:Fridolin Leiber - Schutzengel.jpg
Fridolin Leiber - Schutzengel.jpg
File:Tankard-guardian-angel.jpg
Tankard-guardian-angel.jpg
File:Guardian angel feast, fondachelli f. sicily.JPG
Guardian angel feast, fondachelli f. sicily.JPG
File:Guardian Angel 1900.jpg
Guardian Angel 1900.jpg
File:Ángel de la Guarda.jpg
Ángel de la Guarda.jpg
File:Schutzengel.jpg
Schutzengel.jpg
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