The Nine Choirs or Orders of Angelic Beings
The traditional order of the angelic hierarchy fits with the three Triads of the Tree of Life in Kabbalah (Celestial, Moral, and Mundane), and in each of the three Triads are three choirs of angels. Here is the order:
First Choirs
Seraphim
Cherubim
Thrones
Second Choirs
Dominations (Dominions)
Virtues
Powers
Third Choirs
Principalities
Archangels
Angels
• The Seraphim are the highest order of the nine orders of angels. They surround the throne of God continually singing, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the God of Hosts!” They are said to be so bright that humans cannot look at them. Lucifer was among the Seraphim before the rebellion in heaven that led to his fall and that of many angels. The Prince of this choir is Michael.
• The Cherubim were God’s choice for the Ark of the Covenant. Dionysius the Areopagite (judge of the Areopagus, in the biblical book of Acts 17:34) wrote much about the lore of angels, and he taught that these were the angels of knowing or knowledge. They were assigned to guard the Tree of Life from humanity, less we eat from it and become physically immortal rather than spiritually so. (Genesis 3:24, in the Revelation 22:14 this restriction is rescinded, allowing spiritualized humans to eat the fruit of the Tree of Life.) Cherubim are humanlike in appearance and are guardians of God’s glory. In Muslim lore, the Cherubim were formed from Michael’s tears over the sins of the Faithful. They are alluded to as celestial attendants in the Revelation (chapters 4-6). The Prince of the Cherub Choir is Gabriel.
• The Thrones represent God’s divine justice. Dionysius wrote, “It is through the Thrones that God brings His justice upon us.” This third choir is known as the “many-eyed ones” because, when viewed by humans, they are covered with eyes. They are known for their humility and submission to God’s will. They reside in the area of the cosmos where material form begins to take shape. The lower choirs of angels need the Thrones in order to access God. The Prince of the Thrones is Orifiel, the angel of Saturday and the planet Saturn. He is also Chief of Talismans.
• The Dominions are considered the “Angels of Leadership.” Dionysius wrote that theirs is the position of authority, regulating the duties of the angels and making known the commands of God. “Through them the majesty of God is manifested.” The Prince of the Dominions is Zadkiel, angel of the fourth emanation of Mercy and Lovingkindness on the Kabbalah Tree of Life.
• The Virtues are known as the “Spirits of Motion” and control the elements (more on this in the chapter on the Elementals). Some refer to them as “the shining ones.” They govern Nature. They have control over the seasons, stars, moon, and sun. They are also in charge of and perform miracles, and provide courage, grace, and valor. The fifth choir of angels acts on the orders of the Dominions and represents the power of God. The Prince of the Choir of Virtues is Uzziel, one of the principal angels in rabbinic angelology. According to the Sepher Rezial Hemelack: The Book of the Angel Rezial, Uzziel is among the seven angels who stand before the throne of Glory.
• The Powers are warrior angels who fight against evil and defend the heavens and earth. They fight against evil spirits who attempt to bring chaos into the harmony of life. The Prince of this choir is Kamael (also, Camael). In Druid mythology, Kamael is the Angel of War.
• The Principalities is the seventh choir in the hierarchy of angels. Surprisingly, they have hostility toward God and, not so surprisingly, toward humans owing to sin, which is disharmony and imbalance in the Cosmos. The chaos that has come from sin or disharmony has made them upset and harsh in their judgment. The disciple Paul writes that Christ has gained ultimate rule over them by virtue of his sacrifice in conquering sin and death. (Romans 8:38; 1 Corinthians 15:24; Ephesians 1:21, 3:10, 6:12; Colossians 1:16, 2:10, 15) According to Milton in Paradise Lost (VI, p. 447), the Prince of the Choir of Principalities is Nisroch (“the great eagle”), considered by some to be a demon, continuing the idea that the Principalities are hostile. Of course, some of these descriptions reflect a fear of the angels in both humans and fallen angels.
• Archangels are the predominant type of angels mentioned in the Bible (some examples include Jude 1:9 and 1 Thessalonians 4:16). In Greek, “archangel” literally means “chief angel.” The archangels are God’s messengers to the people at critical times. (Tobit 12:6, 15; John 5:4; Revelation 12:7) The Prince of the archangels is none other than Metatron.
• The ninth choir is the Choir of Angels, which includes our personal guardian angels, who stand before the throne of God and present our petitions while also watching over us, less we stumble on our way to reunion with our Creator. The Prince of this choir is Phaleg, or Phalec, the governing spirit of Mars, often referred to as the “War Lord.” Phaleg’s signet is among the amulets and talismans worn for protection.
No biblical writer wrote as much about angels and their choirs as Paul. In fact, most of the Bible does not mention much about angels until Paul’s letters in the New Testament. In these we learn of the Principalities and Archangels and the names of several angels. Fortunately, there is so much literature beyond the Bible on angels that volumes could be written about the angels and their choirs. As I quoted earlier, Paul himself writes that before his ministry, he ascended (in his body or out of it, he was not sure) to the third heaven, into Paradise, and learned much of what he would subsequently write about.
A significant angel in Edgar Cayce’s volumes is Halaliel. In my search of angelic texts, I could not find any angel named Halaliel. However, it is common for angels to have many names. For example, Metatron has more than 100 other names! In one very strange Cayce reading (quoted below), I found that some in attendance believed that Cayce was correlating Halaliel with a most famous angel, Haniel, also known as Anael, Hanael, or Aniel. Haniel is an angel in Jewish angelology and is often included in lists as being one of the seven archangels. In this life reading given to an eight-year-old girl, Cayce was attempting to give this soul’s planetary sojourns when, according to Gladys Davis (Cayce’s stenographer), he paused for a long time. Here is her record of this reading:
As to the astrological sojourns, we find Venus with [long pause...] Haniel is rather the guide for the entity, for he is the overlord lord—making for experiences in the entity as of one delicate in its choices, making for a disposition tending towards that of finesse, making the most of all the associations; making friendships easily and drawing upon the force and power from those associations in a manner and way that even the entity itself will not—until it has passed through the experiences of making itself at-one with the greater developing force—understand as to how this is done.
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Haniel (meaning “grace of God”) is the angel of the month of December and is, according to A Theological Discourse of Angels, the “governor of Capricorn and Venus.” Haniel is the angel who carried Enoch from Earth to Heaven (Enoch did not die, but was “taken by God,” Genesis 5:24 and Hebrews 11:5). Haniel is compared with Ishtar, the Chaldean angel who rules Venus. He is an archangel and is listed among the ten holy sefirot.