Cardinal Angels

About	Uriel	Raphael	Michael	Gabriel

What is a Cardinal Angel?

The Hebrew word for angel is "malach," which means messenger. Angels are accepted worldwide as messengers from above sent to perform various missions, namely, delivering messages from the heavens. The word Cardinal comes from the Latin word, “cardo”, meaning key or chief. Hence we have Cardinal Angels, the chief or highest in the hierarchy of Archangels.

What is the difference between a Cardinal Angel and an Archangel?

While the number of Archangels in the angelic realm is generally accepted as seven or more, there are only four key or Cardinal Angels. Just as there are four Cardinal Directions, four winds, four seasons and four elements, there are four Cardinal Angels. The four Cardinal Angels are Michael, Gabriel, Raphael and Uriel. Among these four Cardinal Angels, Michael is considered the head or chief angel. 

Is a Cardinal Angel the same as a Guardian Angel?

Many people have encountered angels, but very few have encountered Cardinal or Archangels. Contrary to many popular conceptions, Cardinal Angels are reserved for higher matters. The task of a Cardinal Angel is to inspire and guard large groups of human beings, such as whole nations, peoples or ethnic groups. It is this distinction that elevates their rank above the angels who deal with individuals, families or smaller groups.

Why are all the Cardinal Angels male angels?

While historically, angels have been referred to as he or she, angels are neither male nor female. One explanation for this gender distinction among artist throughout the ages may be that the human perception of gender is related to the energies we encounter. To humans, power is generally perceived as masculine energy. That there is only one power greater than that of the Cardinal Angels, may explain why we tend to consider Cardinal Angels,  to be “male” angels.

How do we know what Cardinal Angels really look like?

The general consensus of the angelic form is largely based on artistic  perceptions. Artist throughout the world have been portraying angels in a human like form for thousands of years. Whether the angelic images we all relate to are merely artistic interpretations of the visions of prophets and seers or divinely inspired images, we may never truly know. It is interesting to note however, that the one thing that artists in every time and civilization tend agree upon, is that angels have wings.

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