On Angels and Demons

[guest587]

"It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angels." - St. Augustine

[Jitendra Hydonus]

"It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angels." - St. Augustine

On some level pride is also pretention. There are many ways ego manifests. Pride being one way. Although other forms of ego are countless. Take for instance pretentiousness or possessiveness. Sometimes I’m able to look back on my life and see how others may have seen me. Hopefully I’m gaining some humility from it. Either that or self deprecation. The former would most likely be better. Stoicism as a response to insults is not always the best response to the blatant pride and ego of others. And there are many people who take it as an insult that someone is not treating or speaking of them with proper respect or attention. Others are overly sensitive or touchy about what has been said to them. The list is endless. All personality traits we are attempting to overcome to become angelic.

[Jitendra Hydonus]

"It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angels." - St. Augustine

I do not have a proper understanding of why God created angels. But this is what I I believe from my experiences with angelic forces;

They have come into my life multiple times and through other people in my life as well for this purpose for my learning;

To be as they have been in helping me; to help
others in need …in like manner.

[mccoy]

As far as I know, angels have been created by god as lieutenants to create and maintain the cosmos. There is a hierarchy of such intelligent entities.

The angels we can come in touch with may also be astral beings who can help us personally in some measure (Guardian angels), or even random helpers, for some reason attracted to us.

[weboflife]

"Angels are God-ordained heavenly beings who serve God's purposes throughout creation. They are either personified powers or qualities of God, or are fully liberated souls in whose beings the perfect spirit of God is encased. the latter, having overcome both material and heavenly desires and attachments, have merged in Spirit and then reemerged in bodies of pure energy--omnipotent, omniscient forces of the Divine Will.

God's angels and exalted saints in the immanent-transcendent sphere of omnipresent Christ Consciousness can move freely in any realm of Infinity. they can ascend to the region of the Father; there the Self is dissolved in the unfathomable Blissful Spirit. Yet the impression of their individuality remains and can be reclaimed at will or at God' command. In the Christ Consciousness sphere they have individuality, but they are in an ecstatic state. They dissolve their astral bodies there. When they descend into the vibratory region, they can be seen with astral bodies, which look just like a physical body, except made of a glow of light. That body has substance as a manifested form, but not gross solidity--just as dream images seem so solid, and yet are composed of the subtlety of astral light. By changing the vibrations of their super-electric forms, angels can make themselves large or small, visible or invisible at will, not only in the astral but also in the physical ether--as when angels appeared to laud the birth of Jesus. At other times also, angels and divine beings in their astral forms, seen or unseen, intersperse the blessings of their presence into the happenings on earth, as when in response to devotional supplication or good karma a person or condition merits divine intervention."

Second Coming of Christ, (pp. 210-211)

[Jitendra Hydonus]

Thanks for such a long reply from Paramahansa Yogananda. One has to often have quite a developed faith in Yogananda to except his teachings. Since I have experienced some ‘miracles’ in my life that I ascribe to the Guru and his spiritual disciplines and techniques I am always receptive to his teachings. There are many  experiences we have not personally witnessed or experienced that we often are receptive to because of other ones that an Amma or Yogananda have given us to help our faith in them and their teachings.

[mccoy]

"Angels are God-ordained heavenly beings who serve God's purposes throughout creation. They are either personified powers or qualities of God, or are fully liberated souls in whose beings the perfect spirit of God is encased. the latter, having overcome both material and heavenly desires and attachments, have merged in Spirit and then reemerged in bodies of pure energy--omnipotent, omniscient forces of the Divine Will.

Great quote, omnipotent, omniscient forces of the Divine Will

The forces of the Divine will, as opposed to the legions of the evil spirits

[weboflife]

Thanks for such a long reply from Paramahansa Yogananda. One has to often have quite a developed faith in Yogananda to except his teachings.

Just a couple of points in response to your reply. I don't think its very long at all? I cut to the main part of many pages of references from Master on angels addressing your earlier statement that you don't have a clear understanding of why angels exist.

Master's elucidations on these very deep spiritual subjects come from an extremely high plain of awareness. I don't know how you can escape feeling the power and authenticity behind his words. I read something written by Father Francis Clooney a Catholic priest and professor at Harvard Divinity School recently. He was commenting on Master's Second Coming Of Christ. He felt it was exceptional but he commented that it may need several hundred years of contemplation to understand the full complexities of Masters commentaries on the four gospels. This is paraphrased as I don't have reference to  the exact words any longer.

I have great admiration for Father Clooney, he studied in India with the Hindu pundits for over 20 years, becoming one of the first Catholics to get a real grip on the Hindu religion. In a recent talk he described the experience of learning about other religions as being like a pilgrimage. You go there and come back with a deeper  understanding appreciation of your own faith.