On the Orthodox Cross of the first Old Believers Christians, if you look closely, in fact, not one, but two crosses are depicted.
(photo http://foto.mail.ru/mail/vasjuki/41/52.html)
The central part of the field is occupied by a wooden cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified. And its border, on which are written signs and symbols describing the structure of our world, forms a second cross. There are many versions about the symbolism of the wooden cross, but they are all too vague and contradictory. So it’s not worth dwelling on them for now, but the symbolism of the cross of “peace” deserves serious attention, because it records the most important initial fundamental subtleties of Orthodoxy.

At the ends of its middle, longest crossbar, dividing the cross (and the World) in half, the Sun and Moon are depicted against the sky. Obviously it (the crossbar) symbolizes Heaven. In this case, logically, the lower part is the heavenly world, and the upper part is the kingdom of heaven. And indeed. On the lower crossbar there is a fragment of a city wall, clearly indicating that this is our material physical world, and on the upper crossbar there are two angels, symbols of the kingdom of heaven. In short, the three crossbars of the Cross symbolize the three main levels-floors of our world: the material-physical level, the level of cosmic energies and the spiritual level.

On the other hand, it is known that our world is controlled and interacts through angels of nine ranks, making up three triads:
- cherubim, seraphim, thrones;
- domination, strength, power;
- beginning, archangels and angels.

Information is not God knows what, but only as long as the cross and angels are separate in our imagination! But as soon as we combine them together, i.e. Let us add three angelic triads to the three levels of the Cross, and the picture changes dramatically. It takes on the appearance of the seven-plane system of the World, widely known and deeply worked out in the East.. (Fig. 5 above the text. Where the Angels live).
And what does this give us?
Judaism is based on the (theory) of Kabbalah, and Ayurveda, for example, is built on the ancient philosophy of Sankhya... in short, all world religions have a theoretical basis. And only the Cross religion of Christianity is built on popular Biblical PARABLES, without theoretical justification. And throughout the two thousand years of its existence it resisted theorizing in every possible way....*1

And now there is a theory. This is the theory of the Cross religion, which originates right from the Aryan-Russians themselves, at one time, which laid the foundation for the teachings of Yin-Yang and Ayurveda. Therefore, if necessary, to interpret the subtleties of Christianity, we have every right to apply the achievements of such teachings as:
- Yin-Yang Teachings, *2
- Ayurveda, *3
- Esotericists,
- and also widely use Cyrillic alphabet
Additionally, the possibility of Christianity appears, as restored,
the religion of the Cross, systematized and supplemented by Jesus, to be used as a kind of frame religion that unites and includes other world religions.

But the most important convenience is that we now have the opportunity to fully apply the theory of chakras to describe the inner world of a person, its interaction with various planes of the world, and those inhabiting these planes (angels and demons), which was previously, within the framework of Christianity, there was no way to do it...
... due to which we expand the concepts of Good and Evil, describe the Path to God in modern concepts, answer a number of previously inexplicable questions about Christianity, *5.. and much, much more...

Reviews

I knew about nine ranks, but did not imagine such a system. I thought that they fit into three triads, but here there are seven levels. Write more, please! Very interesting.

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November was chosen for the Feast of the Angels because it is the ninth from March, which was once the beginning of the year, and the number nine corresponds to the nine ranks of angels.

Angels on icons are a set of symbols that convey to us not their appearance, but the idea of ​​angels as messengers of God, because Angels do not have material flesh:

• Wings- a symbol of speed and all penetration;
• Staff- symbol of messengership;
• Mirror(a sphere in the hand with the image of a cross or an abbreviation of the name of the Savior) - a symbol of the gift of foresight that God endowed the Angels with;
• Toroki(developing golden “ribbons” in the hair) - a symbol of special hearing of God and obedience to His will;
• "Eye" in the forehead– a symbol of all-vision;
• The appearance of a beautiful youth- a symbol of perfection. In the Holy Scriptures, Angels sent by God, as a rule, appeared to chosen people in the form of beautiful, radiant young men in white vestments.

The ranks of the heavenly powers and saints in Orthodoxy. Heavenly hierarchy.

Since the creation of the world and man, there have always been creatures that hinder people, and those that help. Angels, Cherubim, Seraphim - perhaps there is not a single person on earth who has not heard about these disembodied forces. Since ancient times, people have known about the existence of angels, they were revered, and continue to be revered in many religions; angels are revered by almost all peoples of the world. Angels are mentioned more than once in the Holy Scriptures; their actions are described in fulfilling the will of God, helping the righteous, as well as protecting people from troubles and misfortunes with their angelic cover. But angels are mentioned not only in the main Christian book, information about them was also left by the Holy Fathers, to whom heavenly beings appeared more than once and conveyed to them the will of the Almighty; they are called angels, that is, messengers.

The Lord endowed his disembodied messengers with many gifts and powerful powers, with the help of which God’s spiritual essences can influence the world of things and man, but only according to the will of the Lord and his desire, fulfilling his will. With all their essence, angels love their Creator and remain in tireless gratitude to him for the bliss in which they reside, and this bliss cannot be compared with anything. There are a lot of angels, sometimes a person’s mind gets lost in their countless numbers. In fact, everything is much simpler, because among the heavenly angels there is their own harmony, order and hierarchy, which is described in the work of the disciple of the Holy Apostle Paul - the passion-bearer and martyr Dionysius the Areopagite. According to the writings of Saint Dionysius, the heavenly hierarchy has three degrees, each of which has three ranks, respectively, a total of nine spiritual entities:

1. Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones - are distinguished by their closeness to the Almighty God. Dominance;
2. Forces and Powers - emphasize the basis of the universe and world dominion;
3. The principles - Archangels and Angels - are distinguished by their closeness to every person.

Our Lord Jesus Christ pours out his love on all his angels, starting with the highest ranks, therefore the ranks of angels are in complete harmony and subordination of the lower ranks to the higher ones, according to the hierarchy.

Seraphim - this name means “Flaming, Fiery.” They are always close to the Lord, of all the angels they are closest to the Heavenly Father. They burn with divine and great love for the Lord, transfer it to other faces, inflaming them. This is their main purpose and their main task.

Cherubim - This name means "Chariot". The prophet Ezekiel saw them in the form of a lion, an eagle, an ox and a man. This means that Cherubim combine intelligence, obedience, strength and speed, are God's chariot and stand before the throne of God. Cherubim know everything that the Lord allows His children to know; through them God sends wisdom and knowledge into the world.

Thrones are spiritual entities shining with the light of knowledge of God. God Himself rests on them not sensually, but spiritually, and carries out His just judgment. Their purpose is to help the children of God, to be honest and to act only in justice.

Dominions - rule over subsequent ranks of angels. Their direct purpose is to protect from the fall, tame obstinacy, conquer the thirst for temptation and piously control your feelings.

Powers were created by the Lord in order to work miracles, to bestow the gifts of clairvoyance, healing from illnesses, and miracles to the holy saints of God and the righteous holy fathers. They help people to endure hardships and hardships, bestow wisdom, fortitude and prudence.

Authorities- They are endowed with special power by the True God, they are able to tame the actions and power of Satan. Their direct purpose is to protect earthly inhabitants from the machinations of the devil, to protect ascetics in their pious life, and to pacify the natural elements.

Beginnings- lead the lower degree of angels, direct their actions to fulfill the will of God. They rule the universe, the world and the peoples inhabiting the earth. They teach earthlings to live not for their own benefit, but for the glory of God.

Archangels- created to bring good news to the world of people, to reveal the mystery of the Christian faith, and to convey the will of the Lord to people. They are conductors - Revelations.

Angels- the main defenders of ordinary people, every person has, they guide him on the righteous path, protect him from evil spirits and evil spirits, keep him from falling and help the fallen rise.

According to the Holy Scriptures, Archangel Michael, the heavenly warrior and commander-in-chief of the angelic army, is placed above all the angelic ranks. Led by the Archangel Michael, the Divine Angels cast down the proud angel and everyone who followed Satan into the underworld. The great warrior of the heavenly forces, Archangel Michael, took part in many heavenly battles and defended the people of Israel in troubles and adversity.

In addition to the disembodied forces, there is a distribution of all saints into ranks of holiness, which are understood in different categories, namely:

1. Old Testament Saints - Holy Fathers and Prophets
2. New Testament Saints - Apostles, Equal-to-the-Apostles and Enlighteners, Saints, Great Martyrs and Martyrs, Confessors and Passion-Bearers, Reverends, Fools, Faithful, Silverless.

So, who are these New Testament saints?

The True God created his spiritual essences intelligent and strong, and distributed them according to the type of service. According to merit, lifestyle and degree of holiness - Old Testament and New Testament Saints are distributed.

In general, the life of any person is determined by the subtle world, having a huge impact on it. In ancient times, everyone knew that it was the subtle world that determined the physical plane. At the moment, few people remember this and want to think in this direction. And this is a very important aspect of life, because there are beings who help us in life, and there are those who try to lead us astray and sometimes even destroy us.

To see all 9 ranks of angels, you should pay attention to Botticini’s “Assumption”. There are three triads of angels on it. Before creating our world, visible and physical, God created heavenly, spiritual forces and called them angels. It was they who began to play a mediating role between the Creator and people. The literal translation of this word from Hebrew sounds like “messenger”, from Greek - “messenger”.

Angels are called ethereal beings who have a higher mind, free will and great power. According to information from the Old and New Testaments, in the Angelic Hierarchy there are certain angelic ranks, the so-called steps. Most Jewish and Christian theologians were engaged in creating a unified classification of these ranks. At the moment, the most widespread angelic hierarchy is Dionysius the Areopagite, which was created in the fifth century and called the “nine ranks of Angels.”

Nine ranks

From this system it follows that there are three triads. The first, or highest, included the Seraphim and Cherubim, as well as the Thrones. The middle triad includes the angelic orders of Dominion, Strength and Authority. And in the lowest caste of ranks are the Principalities, Archangels and Angels.

Seraphim

It is believed that the six-winged Seraphim are closest to God. It is the Seraphim who can be called those who occupy the highest angelic rank. It is written about them in the Bible that the prophet Isaiah witnessed their arrival. He compared them to fiery figures, so the translation of this word from Hebrew means “Flaming.”

Cherubim

It is this caste that follows the Seraphim in the angelic hierarchy. Their main purpose is to intercede for the human race and pray for souls before God. In addition, it is believed that they serve as a memory and are guards of the Heavenly Book of Knowledge. The knowledge of the Cherubim extends to everything that a created being can know. Translated from Hebrew, cherub means intercessor.

In their power are the mysteries of God and the depth of his wisdom. It is believed that this particular caste of angels is the most enlightened among all. It is their responsibility to open up in man the knowledge and vision of God. Seraphim and Cherubim, along with the third representatives of the first triad, interact with people.

Thrones

Their position is before the seated God. They are called God-bearing, but not in the literal sense of the word, but because of the goodness within them and because they faithfully serve the Son of God. In addition, evolutionary information is hidden in them. Basically, it is they who carry out God's justice and help earthly authorities judge their people fairly.

According to the medieval mystic Jan van Ruijsbroeck, representatives of the highest triad under no circumstances interfere in human conflicts. But at the same time, they are close to people in moments of insight, love for God and knowledge of the world. It is believed that they are capable of bringing the highest love into the hearts of people.

Dominations

The angelic ranks of the second triad begin with the Dominions. The fifth rank of angels, the Dominions, have free will, which ensures the daily functioning of the Universe. In addition, they control the angels who are lower in the hierarchy. Because they are completely free, their love for the Creator is impartial and sincere. It is they who give strength to earthly rulers and managers so that they act wisely and fairly when owning lands and governing people. In addition, they are able to teach how to control feelings, protecting them from unnecessary impulses of passion and lust, and enslaving the flesh to the spirit, so that it is possible to control one’s will and not succumb to temptations of various kinds.

Powers

This caste of angels is filled with Divine strength; they have the power to carry out the instant will of God, showing his strength and power. They are the ones who work God’s miracles and are able to give a person grace, with the help of which he can see what is coming or heal earthly diseases.

They are able to strengthen a person’s patience, remove his sorrow, strengthen his spirit and give him courage so that he can cope with all life’s hardships and problems.

Authorities

The Authority's responsibilities include maintaining the keys to the Devil's cage and restraining his hierarchy. They are able to tame demons, repel attacks on the human race, and deliver from demonic temptation. Also, their responsibilities include affirming good people for their spiritual deeds and works, protecting them and preserving their right to the kingdom of God. They are the ones who help drive away all evil thoughts, passions and lust, and also ward off a person’s enemies and help defeat the Devil within themselves. If we consider the personal level, then the mission of these angels is to help a person during the battle of good and evil. And when a person dies, they accompany his soul and help him not to go astray.

Beginnings

These include entire legions of angels whose purpose is to protect religion. Their name is due to the fact that they guide the lower angelic ranks, it is they who help them to do actions pleasing to God. In addition, their mission is to rule the universe and protect everything that God has created. According to some reports, every nation and every ruler has its own angel, called upon to protect it from evil. The Prophet Daniel said that the Angels of the Persian and Judean kingdoms ensure that all rulers who are enthroned do not strive for enrichment and glory, but to spread and increase the glory of God, so that they benefit their people by serving their needs.

Archangels

The Archangel is the great evangelist. Its main mission is the discovery of prophecies, understanding and knowledge of the will of the Creator. They receive this knowledge from higher ranks in order to convey it to lower ranks, who will subsequently convey it to people. According to Saint Gregory Dvoeslov, the purpose of angels is to strengthen faith in man and discover its sacraments. The archangels, whose names can be found in the Bible, are the ones most known to man.

Angels

This is the lowest rank in the hierarchy of heaven and the closest creature to humans. They guide people on the path, help them in everyday life not to leave their path. Every believer has his own guardian angel. They support every virtuous person from falling, they try to raise everyone who has fallen spiritually, no matter how sinful he is. They are always ready to help a person, the main thing is that he himself desires this help.

It is believed that a person receives his Guardian Angel after the rite of Baptism. He is obliged to protect his subordinate from misfortunes, troubles and help him throughout his life. If a person is threatened by dark forces, he needs to pray to the Guardian Angel, and he will help fight them. It is believed that depending on a person’s mission on earth, he may be associated with not one, but several angels. Depending on how a person lives and how spiritually developed he is, not only lower ranks, but also Archangels, whose names most people know, can work with him. It is worth remembering that Satan will not stop and will always tempt people, so the Angels will always be with them in difficult times. Only by living according to the laws of God and developing spiritually can one learn all the mysteries of religion. This is, in principle, all the information that relates to the ranks of Heaven.

NINE ANGEL ORDERS

2) Cherubim - In Judaic and Christian mythology, guardian angels. The cherub guards the tree of life after Adam and Eve were expelled from paradise. The prophet Ezekiel describes the cherubim that appeared to him in a vision of the temple as follows: “... cherubim and palm trees were made; a palm tree between two cherubs, and each cherub has two faces. On one side a human face is facing the palm tree, on the other side a lion’s face is facing the palm tree...” (Eze 41:18-19)...
According to the classification of Pseudo-Dionysius, the cherubim, together with the seraphim and the thrones, constitute the first triad of the nine angelic orders. Dionysius says: “The name Cherubim signifies their power to know and contemplate God, the ability to receive the highest light and contemplate the Divine splendor at its very first manifestation, their wise art of teaching and communicating to others the wisdom bestowed upon them.”
It is also customary to sometimes consider cherubs to be angels - children. The souls of dead children, who remain little children in heaven.

3) Thrones - In the Christian tradition, one of the nine angelic ranks. This is the third order of the first triad, where he is included along with the seraphim and cherubim. Pseudo-Dionysius reports:
“So, it is right that the highest beings are consecrated to the first of the heavenly Hierarchies, since it has the highest rank, especially since the first Epiphanies and consecrations initially belong to it, as the closest to God, and the heavenly Minds are called burning Thrones and the outpouring of wisdom because , that these names express their God-like properties... The name of the highest Thrones means that they are completely free from any earthly attachment and, constantly rising above the earthly, they strive to the heavenly, with all their might they are motionless and firmly attached to the truly Highest being, accepting the Divine His suggestion is complete dispassion and immateriality; It also means that they carry God and slavishly carry out His Divine commands.

4) Dominions - In Christian mythological ideas, the fourth of nine angelic ranks, together with forces and authorities, forming the second triad. According to Pseudo-Dionysius, “the significant name of the holy Dominions... means some exaltation to the heavenly, not servile and free from any low attachment to the earthly, not shaken in any way by any violent attraction to something dissimilar to them, but a dominion constant in its freedom , standing above all humiliating slavery, alien to all humiliation, removed from all inequality to itself, constantly striving for true Dominion and, as much as possible, holyly transforming both itself and everything subordinate to it into His perfect likeness, not clinging to anything by chance existing, but always completely turning to the truly existing and constantly participating in the sovereign God-likeness.”

5) Powers - In Christian mythology, one of the nine ranks of angels. Together with dominations and powers, forces constitute the second triad. Pseudo-Dionysius says: “The name of the holy Powers means some powerful and irresistible courage, if possible imparted to them, reflected in all their God-like actions in order to remove from themselves everything that could reduce and weaken the Divine insights bestowed upon them, strongly striving for the imitation of God, not remaining idle from laziness, but steadily looking at the highest and all-strengthening Power and, as far as possible, becoming Her image according to its own strength, completely turned to Her as the source of Power and descending Godlike to the lower powers to impart power to them.”

6) Powers - In Christian mythological ideas, angelic beings. According to the Gospels, authorities can be both good forces and minions of evil. Among the nine angelic ranks, the authorities close the second triad, which in addition to them also includes dominions and powers. As Pseudo-Dionysius said, “the name of the holy Powers signifies a Order equal to the Divine Dominions and Powers, harmonious and capable of receiving Divine insights, and a structure of premium spiritual dominion, which does not autocratically use the granted sovereign powers for evil, but freely and decently to the Divine as itself ascending , so holyly leading others to Him and, as far as possible, becoming like the Source and Giver of all power and depicting Him... in the completely true use of His sovereign power.”

7) Beginnings - In Christian mythology, one of the nine ranks of angels. The Bible says: “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come... will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Jesus Christ our Lord (Rom. 8.38). By
classification of Pseudo-Dionysius. the beginnings are part of the third triad along with the archangels and the angels themselves. Pseudo-Dionysius says:
“The name of the heavenly Principalities means the God-like ability to command and control in accordance with the sacred order befitting the commanding Powers, both to turn entirely to the Beginningless Beginning, and to others, as is characteristic of the Principality, to guide Him, to imprint in oneself, as far as possible, the image of the inaccurate Beginning, etc. finally, the ability to express His supreme superiority in the well-being of the commanding Powers..., The heralding order of the Principalities, Archangels and Angels alternately commands over the human Hierarchies, so that the ascension and turning to God, communication and unity with Him, which from God graciously extends to all Hierarchies, begins through communication and flows out in the most sacred harmonious order."

8) Archangels - This word is of Greek origin and is translated as “chief angels”, “senior angels”. The term “Archangels” appears for the first time in Greek-language Jewish literature of pre-Christian times (Greek translation of the “Book of Enoch” 20, 7) as a rendering of expressions like (“grand prince”) in the application to Michael of the Old Testament texts (Dan. 12, 1); then this term is perceived by the New Testament authors (Jude 9; 1 Thess. 4, 16) and later Christian literature. According to the Christian celestial hierarchy, they rank directly above the angels. Religious tradition has seven archangels. The main one is here Michael the Archangel(Greek “supreme military leader”) - leader of the armies of angels and people in their universal battle with Satan. Michael's weapon is a flaming sword.
Archangel Gabriel best known for his participation in the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary of the birth of Jesus Christ. As a messenger of the hidden secrets of the world, he is depicted with a flowering branch, with a mirror (reflection is also a way of knowledge), and sometimes with a candle inside a lamp - the same symbol of a hidden sacrament.
Archangel Raphael is known as the heavenly healer and comforter of the afflicted.
Four other archangels are mentioned less frequently.
Uriel is the heavenly fire, the patron saint of those who devoted themselves to the sciences and arts.
Salafiel is the name of the supreme servant with whom prayer inspiration is associated. On icons he is depicted in a prayerful pose, with his hands folded crosswise on his chest.
Archangel Jehudiel blesses ascetics and protects them from the forces of evil. In his right hand he has a golden crown as a symbol of blessing, in his left hand there is a scourge that drives away enemies.
Barachiel is assigned the role of dispenser of heavenly blessings to ordinary workers, primarily farmers. He is depicted with pink flowers.
The Old Testament legend also speaks of seven heavenly archangels. Their ancient Iranian parallel - the seven good spirits of Amesha Spenta (“immortal saints”) finds a correspondence with the mythology of the Vedas. This points to the Indo-European origins of the doctrine of the seven archangels, which in turn correlates with the most ancient ideas of people about the sevenfold structures of being, both divine and earthly.

9) Both Greek and Hebrew words expressing the concept of “angel” mean “messenger”. Angels often played this role in the texts of the Bible, but its authors often give this term another meaning. Angels are God's incorporeal helpers. They appear as people with wings and a halo of light around their heads. They are usually mentioned in Jewish, Christian and Muslim religious texts. Angels have the appearance of a man, “only with wings and dressed in white robes: God created them from stone”; angels and seraphim - women, cherubim - men or children)<Иваницкий, 1890>.
Good and evil angels, messengers of God or the devil, converge in a decisive battle described in the book of Revelation. Angels can be ordinary people, prophets, inspiring good deeds, supernatural bearers of all kinds of messages or mentors, and even impersonal forces, like the winds, cloud pillars or fire that guided the Israelites during their exodus from Egypt. Plague and pestilence are called evil angels. St. Paul calls his illness “the messenger of Satan.” Many other phenomena, such as inspiration, sudden impulses, providences, are also attributed to angels.
Invisible and immortal. According to the teachings of the church, angels are genderless invisible spirits, immortal from the day of their creation. There are many angels, which follows from the Old Testament description of God - “Lord of hosts.” They form a hierarchy of angels and archangels of the entire heavenly army. The early church clearly distinguished nine types, or "orders," of angels.
Angels served as intermediaries between God and his people. The Old Testament says that no one could see God and live, so direct communication between the Almighty and man is often depicted as communication with an angel. It was the angel who prevented Abraham from sacrificing Isaac. Moses saw an angel in a burning bush, although the voice of God was heard. An angel led the Israelites during their exodus from Egypt. At times, the biblical angels appear just like mortals until their true nature is revealed, like the angels who came to Lot before the horrific destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Nameless spirits. Other angels are also mentioned in Scripture, such as a spirit with a fiery sword who blocked Adam's path back to Eden; cherub and seraphim, depicted in the form of thunderclouds and lightning, which recalls the belief of the ancient Jews in the god of thunderstorms; the messenger of God, who miraculously rescued Peter from prison, in addition, the angels who appeared to Isaiah in his vision of the heavenly court: “I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the whole temple. Seraphim stood around Him; each of them has six wings; With two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.”
Hosts of angels appear several times in the pages of the Bible. Thus, a choir of angels announced the birth of Christ. Archangel Michael commanded a large heavenly army in the battle against the forces of evil. The only angels in the Old and New Testaments that have proper names are Mikhail and Gabriel who brought Mary the news of the birth of Jesus. Most angels refused to name themselves, reflecting the popular belief that revealing the name of a spirit diminishes its power.