Angels are the name given by western religions to those special beings of the universe who bring to humanity higher divine qualities, such as love, joy, peace, beauty, and healing. Angels exist in a higher dimension from the physical level, yet they can interact and also influence physical reality. Angels are the closest beings to God, the One Divine Being, from Whom all beings emanate. Angels are the first level of beings emanating from God, the One. Thus, angels are most directly from God and are close reflections of God’s essential qualities and powers. In effect, angels are manifestations of the God’s essential qualities and powers; though these are manifestations on non-physical dimensions, or it could be said they exist in the psychic reality (which is just as real as the physical).

Essentially, angels are psychic-spiritual beings with powers of influence and guidance, who also radiate (as it were) certain divine qualities. Certain angels give out certain qualities, while other angels give forth other qualities, which depend on the particular quality of their being, respectively. For simple example, one kind of angel will provide a quality of peace, and another will provide a quality of joy, and another will help us with patience. So each kind of angel has specialty of virtue, or special gift, which is the particular quality of their being, which is also their special power. All of these virtuous, angelic qualities are variations of Love. As well, angels can give us protection, guidance, and healing. Angels can provide wisdom and open our intuitive abilities.

And finally, angels can inspire beauty. They will inspire artistic creativity of the highest kind. Not all artistic creativity is equal in virtue. Not all music is equal in spiritual value. The angels inspire artistic creativity of the highest, the most harmonious and beautiful. Whenever we view or hear something artistic and our hearts become uplifted in joy, then this has an angelic inspiration and influence – it has an angelic magic in it. This is even true for settings in nature, because angels have inspired the deva intelligences towards beauty; so angelic influences are even found in the natural world of this earth.

The spiritual qualities, the love and beauty, that angels provide to us, are our higher foods. That is, there is ordinary food that we need – which comes from the physical world of nature. And then there is higher food, or what can be called spiritual food. Our physical being can exist with just the ordinary physical food. But our soul, which includes higher mind and higher emotions, require spiritual food and also spiritual conditions. Likewise, if one hopes to spiritually evolve or develop, then one needs spiritual food and spiritual conditions, and angels have an important function in this. Angels provide the higher foods of spiritual inspiration, divine insight, love qualities, and recognizable beauty. They also help bring forth, by their spiritual influence, more harmonious and beautiful conditions on earth. Though we must always remember that each person has to take responsibility for making better spiritual conditions in each household, in each community, and throughout the earth. Angels can inspire and help, but we have to do most of the work. To summarize, angels give us spiritual food, which is necessary for our spiritual development and evolution.

Angels exist in a hierarchy, an ontological hierarchy relating to the emanation of Divine Being. Imagine seven rays emanating from the One Source, the One God, the First Light. Seven emerges from the One. These are the seven Archangels, or the seven rays. Each is an essential Quality of the Divine Essence. And each of these Qualities are also Powers. They are Powers from the Divine that influence and guide the evolution of life in the universe. Then from these essential seven come all of the other angels, or whatever you want to call them. So if you can imagine a hierarchy of these angels, the essential seven have the most general or overall work, while lower angel levels have more specific roles to play such as looking after specific people or places. This overall hierarchical scheme is also true of the earth devas.

Yet angels are distinguishable from devas in the following ways. Angels are universal beings with divine powers and qualities, who’s very purpose in existence is to help those in the human kingdom develop spiritual qualities and move ever towards a divine perfection of being. Angels are primarily concerned with helping human beings and bringing higher spiritual qualities into actual manifestation. So angels mostly work in the psychic realm – that is, in the hearts and minds of humanity – helping people grow into spiritually mature beings and come closer into God’s love. Though angels can also help protect people from harm and also help heal people from physical problems; thus also working in the physical levels of life and affecting what goes on there. In simple summary, the angelic kingdom mostly deals with a bringing forth of higher spiritual qualities into the psyche of human beings, by helping to develop each person’s latent spiritual qualities, and they also can help heal and protect us from harm, as well as help guide us into better directions.

In contrast, devas are the intelligences of nature and their primarily purpose is to maintain intelligence in the natural physical world. Thus, devas are more related with the physical world and with physical nature, while angels work more in the psychic, emotional and mental levels. As human beings we can elicit the help of devas in order to improve the quality and harmony of our physical existence on this planet, because deva intelligences (the intelligences of nature on our planet) can help bring greater harmony between mankind and the other kingdoms of nature, and we can learn from the deva intelligences about how to better live in harmony with the land and with all of nature. Earth devas can be especially helpful to the growth and well being of gardens and landscapes. These are the earthly powers that ancient people invoked for agricultural fertility, favorable weather, and successful hunting. These are the powers that shamans invoke for animal powers and plant medicine.

Yet in similarity, both angels and devas can make significant effects in the physical world. Both angels and devas can be helpful in our human lives, and both can help in healing and restoration. Devas can be invoked for physical healing, as well as angels, because devas are the intelligences that maintain bodily health. Devas are the intelligences that built the human body, so they certainly know the right patterns and vibrations for healing. But the harmonious and loving vibrations of angels are also healing to physical bodies, as well as to emotional and mental well-being.

In a large view of metaphysics the angelic kingdom is the first level of God’s emanation – the powers and qualities of God’s Divine Light. This is then a higher influence upon the devic kingdom and all of life. The devic kingdom is the next level of divine emanation, representing the Divine Intelligence and maintaining this in the intelligence of nature and in natural law. Then comes the level of the human kingdom, then the animal, plant and mineral, sequentially. With God the Source as being the absolute first, this all adds up to seven levels, with the human kingdom in the very significant place of being in the middle – thus having a potential for integrating and harmonizing the above and the below levels. This gives a clue to the human purpose of existence.

Briefly it should be noted here that various other teachings have either spoken of angels and devas as being the same or have lumped them in the same categorical kingdom. For example, in Indian and Tibetan teachings their meaning of devas (as translated as such) refers at times to Earth powers and intelligences, but then in other cases it refers to cosmic or psychic powers or qualities. Thus there is good reason for making the distinction as explicated in this discourse. As for those teachings which categorize both in one group, there is truth in their similarities and interactive relationship, but they are two quite distinguishable groups of powers with different primary purposes.

Angels are here to help us. This is part of the spiritual design. We often need help, and angels are here to help. It is in the very nature of angels that they seek to help us and any part of life, because every angel has an essence of love and service. They are pure beings from the very Being of God, so they are pure beings of love and light and the will-to-serve life. Angels have no selfish will and are not focused on their own self-importance. They only wish to love and give and serve what is needed. There is never any ill-intent in angels, nor any manipulation of people. They love and give freely.

Angels can help us in our spiritual evolution – helping us develop our latent spiritual qualities and abilities, and helping become a more whole person. They can also give protection, guidance, healing, and other kinds of help. Yet we must ask or at least be open to their help, before help is given. This is the angelic law of permission, which cannot contradict or obstruct the free will of man.

Yet there is one exception to this law of permission, which is related to guiding angels, or called guardian angels. Each soul has a guiding-guardian angel. In some teachings this is called a person’s solar angel. This guiding angel provides guidance, influence, and direct help to a person, from birth. This guidance, influence and help does not require any conscious permission from the person; because this is an agreement between soul and angel, which does not require personality awareness. As such, each person can receive help from birth and onward. However, this help can be thwarted by either personality resistance, or the social environment, or by physical powers. In other words, angels have influential powers, but not absolute powers; that is, for example, an angel’s influence has to compete, as it were, with other powers and influences such as the social environment and powers, the physical environment and powers, media influence, and finally with possible personality habits. This all should be understood. Basically, as a conscious person one should make the effort to properly ask for angelic help and be consciously open to it, rather than just rely on automatic help from one’s guiding or guardian angel. When one is very young there is no other choice but to hope for guardian help, but when older we need to make conscious requests for help and guidance.

There are favorable conditions for angelic presence and help, and then there are unfavorable conditions. The most favorable factor for angels is one’s sincere wish or request for angelic help or for higher spiritual help. When we ask with humility, realizing that we need help, and when we are open to this higher help, then this is a very favorable condition for angels to come forth and do their work. But if one is not open, or is closed minded about help, or too pessimistic about it all, then this produces a closed down condition, making it difficult for angels to enter into the state of affairs and help. Yet if there is at least one person in the group or situation who believes and has the humility to ask and is open to this, then this will make an opening for angelic presence and help. On the other hand, if no one in the group or place is open and requesting, then this will make enough resistance to most often prevent higher help from taking place. Another favorable condition is cleanliness and order. Angels enjoy entering and staying in clean and ordered places, rather than dirty, untidy, or chaotic places. Angels are also more likely to come into places of harmony, rather than places of discord. Also, places with beauty, or places with people who at least care about beauty – these are ripe places for angelic presence. By their nature, angels are attracted to order, harmony, beauty, and of course love. And finally, the more one appreciates and is grateful for angel presence and help, the more likely will this angelic presence increase.