"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, good will toward men." So the angles sang as they lit the first stars of the night. And when time came for the great star to be lit and to rise on this first Christmas morning, the World Tree stood and was anointed anew with the ultimate wisdom of mankind.

Many of the angels were dressed in flowing dresses, even the men. They had short or long hair and were as individual as humans! Several of the young men had wings on their feet and caps instead of their backs. The one who anointed the tree was dressed in all colors, though they were not garish. He poured the Water of Life from an overflowing jar onto the roots around the tree.

And the flowing of this life force coincided with the birth of a child that was likewise anointed. His hosts were cherubim, and they announced the birth of a king.

Cherubim are one of the three orders of angels who are closest to God. Their name means "fullness of God’s knowledge." In ancient art, cherubim were winged creatures with combinations of human and animal forms, as the head of a human on a lion’s body. In the Middle Ages they were blue or wore blue, depicting their image as bestowers of wisdom. In Roman times the cherubim became babies and we call them Cherubs. They are childlike and shoot arrows of love bestowed on them in the time of Jesus when religion changed from paternal to personal.

Another of the three most exalted angels is the Seraph. In 600BC, Isaiah saw seraphim with six wings: with two they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet and with two they did fly.

Raphael is a seraph and is described by Milton in Paradise Lost: "…six wings he wore, to shade his lineaments divine; the pair that clad each shoulder broad came mantling o’er his breast with regal ornament; the middle pair girt like as starry zone his waist, and round skirted his loins and thighs with downy gold and colors dipped in Heaven; the third, his feet shadowed from either heel with feathered grain."

According to medieval literature, seraphim are red and carry swords of fire. Dante says seraphim are related to the "gladness of God."

Ezekiel saw not seraphim, but thrones. These highest of the high are the very Wheels of God. He described them as having the appearance of man: "And every one had four faces and four wings. They had feet with hoofed soles, and they sparkled and were the color of gold. They had the hands of man under their wings and their wings were joined one to the other and the wings moved not but the angels moved on wheels." Within the view of these thrones was the lord himself, on a sapphire throne, with a brightness and sharpness beyond normal possibility.

Mary, mother of Jesus is a throne.

"The highest ranks of angels (cherubim, seraphim, and thrones) do not join in our struggle against our vices, but dwell with us only when, above all conflict, we are with God in peace, in contemplation, and in perennial love. Seven Steps of the Ladder of Spiritual Love by Jan Van Ruysbroeck.

Four of the angels of God are named Raphael, Gabriel, Michael, and Uriel.

Raphael, the seraph, is the Chief of Guardian Angels. He watches over all humanity. His name means "Divine Healer," and he is especially concerned with pilgrims, both travelers and those on pilgrimages toward God. Though with wings, he often walks, has a staff and sandals, carries a water gourd and purse. He is a smiling and friendly being.

Gabriel is the Chief Ambassador to Humanity. His name means "Hero of God." He is majestic, richly attired and carries a scroll. The Islamic name for Gabriel means "Faithful Spirit" and he is the one who brought revelation to Muhammad. In Christianity he is the Angel of Mercy and is made of fire.

Michael is the Prince of Heavenly Hosts. He is the commander in chief of the celestial army and his name means "Looks Like God." He is strong, young and handsome and is depicted wearing armor. He is the protector of the Roman Catholic Church, as well as the patron saint of the Hebrew nation. Michael can appear in three of the seven levels of heaven simultaneously. He is made of snow.

Uriel brings the Knowledge of God to Men. Perhaps that is why we know so little of him. His name means "Light of God" and he is the regent of the sun.

These are "The First Four", the archangels, right hands of God.

And the legends & lore of angels with names & specific feats is known only in part by scholars today.

Isafril glorifies Allah with many tongues in a thousand languages. Each day he looks toward hell and weeps with such grief that his tears would inundate the earth if not stopped by Allah himself. Mika’il has saffron hair from his head to his feet and wings of green topaz. Each hair has a million faces and each face a million eyes from which fall seventy thousand tears each of which become a Kerabim (cherub). Djibril has 1600 wings. The sun is between his eyes and each day he enters the ocean 360 times. Each drop of water that falls when he exits becomes a new angel. Azrael has four faces, 74,000 wings, and his body is covered by eyes.

Who knows whose vision of angels seeded whose. We find angels in history as old as it is recorded. Where they also with prehistoric man? Where they more visible in ancient times when men were closer to nature? Or do we see them today in forms we do not recognize as such?

The earliest known representation of an angel may be Sumerian from the 3rd century BC or it may be older in the winged depictions of griffins in Mesopotamia and Egypt.

Today’s depictions of robed figures with wings and luminous halos date to the Greek angel of Victory "Nike."

The Oxford English Dictionary defines angels as "A ministering spirit or divine messenger; one of an order of spiritual beings superior to man in power and intelligence, who are the attendants and messengers of the Deity."

Angels are messengers, but they are also essences. They are called gods, spirits, heavenly hosts, sons of God, ministers, servants, holy ones. They help us, watch over us, carry us when we are down. They constitute a court of heaven. For that is their totality. They are creatures of heaven, of a world beyond the scope of human senses.

Angels are the ones who drove Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden and guard against man’s return to eat also of the Tree of Immortality. That Tree, the World Tree, the Tree of Life, Yggdrasil, has also come to life in our Christmas Tree and it is that Tree that the angels light each Christmas Eve.

In the Bible, the first angels came in the form of human beings. They had no wings, no luminescent robes, no halos. The three who appeared to Abraham wore beards, ate food, and looked like ordinary men of the times. One was actually God himself with two attendants.

Jacob saw angels making a ladder to heaven. They did not fly, but went up and down the ladder to work between the realms of man and God.

Beginning in the time of Jesus, angels come clothed in radiance and unearthly light.

And angels are with all children and all who believe.

Starting your own Traditions:

Each family celebrates Christmas in its own unique way. It is a time of new beginnings as well as a time of honoring the past. As the sun renews itself, we too can renew our convictions and beliefs.

For further reading on Christmas we recommend the following books:

The Evolution of the Christian Year by Alexander McArthur

Christmas Customs and Traditions by C.A. Miles

Christmas Treevia by D. Peter Harrington

Christmas Customs Around the World by Herbert Wernecke