The Kabbalah & Magic of Angels, by Migene Gonzalez-Wippler

who are the angels? in Mark 1:16. Hierarchies are also acknowledged. Thus we find Archangel Michael in Jude 9, Virtues in Peter 1, Principalities and Powers in Romans 8:38 and Colossians 2:10, Archangels and Angels in 1 Thessalonians 4:16, and Thrones and Dominions in Colossians 1:16.

Like Judaism and Christianity, Islam also includes angels in its belief system. The Quran mentions Gabriel as the angel of revelation; Michael, the bringer of food; Israfel, the horn blower who signals the end of things; Azrael, the angel of death; Raqib, who writes good doings; Aatid, who writes bad doings; Maalik, the guardian of Hell; and Ridwan, the guardian of Heaven.

According to Islam, angels can take on different forms. The prophet Muhammad, describing the appearance of Gabriel, said that his wings spanned from the eastern to the western horizon. Muhammad was well acquainted with Gabriel, who is believed to have taught the prophet the entire Quran in a single night. But in all of angelology the most spectacular description of an angel is Islam’s description of Michael. The great Archangel is depicted robed in red and green, with dazzling emerald wings and a head covered with bright red curls. Each strand of hair is encrusted with millions of tiny faces, all of them crying and asking Michael for his help in the solution of their problems. They represent the millions of prayers uttered every second by human beings in need of the Archangel’s help. From Michael’s emerald eyes falls an eternal stream of emerald tears that he sheds for the sufferings of humanity.

Most angelic names end in either -el, meaning “son of God,” or -on, meaning “great.” Thus we have Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Cassiel, Zadkiel, and Hanael as examples of the -el ending, and Metatron and Sandalphon as examples of the -on ending. There are angels with names that do not have these endings, like Tagas, Gedariah, Seehiah, and Huzia, but they are rare.

Although angels are often depicted in human form with wings and halos, these are not their actual appearances but rather images we have created for them across many thousands of years. This is known 10