The Ancient Tradition of Angels

FOREWORD
by Jean Houston, Ph.D.

FOREWORD
by Lynn Andrews

PREFACE
Living Gratitude

INTRODUCTION
Answering the Call
My Own Experience of Angels
The Function of Angels
The Nature of Angels
Angels and Religion
Guidance from Unseen Angels

1 Western Traditions
Judeo-Christian Angels
Islamic Angels
Jacob and His Angel

2 Eastern Traditions
Hindu Devata
Buddhist Spirit Beings

3 Silk Road Traditions
Zoroastrian Angels
Yezidi Angels

4 Dark Angels
Angels of Death
Fallen Angels

5 Human and Angelic Interactions

CONCLUSION
I Am That I Am
The Quanta Question

Normandi Ellis is an award-winning writer, workshop facilitator, and archpriestess of the Fellowship of Isis. The author and coauthor of several books, including Awakening Osiris and Hieroglyphic Words of Power, she leads tours to Egypt. She lives in Chesterfield, Indiana.

“Normandi Ellis is a masterful storyteller. She unfolds her understanding of the angelic realm not just from a profound scholarship but also from her personal perspective, and it is this rare blend that brings the subject to life for the reader. This is a wonderful and beautiful book carrying a message of hope at a forlorn time. Her words and stories uplift the spirit by showing that angelic messengers belong to all times and all traditions. This book feeds the mind with its scholarship, feeds the soul with an inspired vision of existence beyond the human sphere, and nourishes the heart with the certain knowing that angelic guidance is not limited to the past. No matter whether you come to this book from a faith tradition or from none, these words will open a window into possibility.” Naomi Ozaniec, author of Becoming a Garment of Isis

“A fascinating account of angels. This comprehensive study detailing angels throughout the ages and in different traditions is engaging and incredibly uplifting. It’s a powerful book for today’s world.” Robbie Holz, author of Angels in Waiting

“Normandi Ellis’s book The Ancient Tradition of Angels is a rare pearl and a welcome and inspired addition to human consciousness of who angels are, what their purpose is, and above all the unifying nature of angels, present in the contexts of all faiths and cultures (whether they are known by that name or another). Ellis’s clarity allows for an ecumenical view of this divine assistance, ready to help all who are open to receive. The book begins with beautiful portraits from cultures around the planet, including depictions of the sacred, the divine, and the angelic. Highly recommended for angel newcomers as well as those who walk with angels already!” Kathryn Hudson, author of Inviting Angels into Your Life

“Weaving a tapestry between scholarship and personal experiences, The Ancient Tradition of Angels introduces the reader to the universal concept of divine messengers, from ancient Egypt to modern times. The common human experience of rescue by spiritual beings is captured in a treasury of vivid stories, along with beautiful full-color illustrations of icons by a selection of wonderful artists. Normandi Ellis’s reflections about what all of these mysterious resemblances may mean is a journey through the universe of divine intervention.” Tamra Lucid, author of Making the Ordinary Extraordinary

“In her extraordinarily well-documented book The Ancient Tradition of Angels, Normandi Ellis once again shows us her skills as a wordsmith and scholar, capable of navigating the reader through the mysteries, historical foundations, and grace of angels. She opens doorways for the reader to consider this topic from every conceivable angle—mystical, esoteric, cultural, spiritual, chronicled, even within the field of physics. If angels serve the concept of God’s powerful messengers, then with this book Ellis serves the purpose of authenticating those messengers.” Sandra Corcoran, author of Shamanic Awakening

“With a sense of wonder we are introduced to the worldwide history of angels in Normandi Ellis’s tour de force of storytelling informed by serious scholarship and a lifetime of revelations. A gorgeously illustrated book that will fascinate devotees of all religions.” Ronnie Pontiac, author of American Metaphysical Religion

“I found Normandi’s book to be exhaustively researched, incredibly beautiful, and inspiring. What’s that—you say you don’t believe in angels? Normandi would invite you to consider the words of poet Mary Oliver: ‘Only if there are angels in your head will you ever, possibly, see one.’” Ray Grasse, author of The Waking Dream and When the Stars Align

Spirituality / Religion

“Normandi Ellis is a masterful storyteller. . . . Her words and stories uplift the spirit by showing that angelic messengers belong to all times and all traditions. This book feeds the mind with its scholarship, feeds the soul with an inspired vision of existence beyond the human sphere, and nourishes the heart with the certain knowing that angelic guidance is not limited to the past.”
–Naomi Ozaniec, author of Becoming a Garment of Isis

From the divine messengers of Western traditions to the devas of Eastern traditions to the meleks and spirit beings found along the Silk Road, angels are one of the unifying themes of theology worldwide. But what is an angel, and why do they contact us, believers and nonbelievers alike?

In this in-depth study into the mystery and purpose of angels, Normandi Ellis looks at the angelic dimensions of spiritual traditions around the world—from the ancient past to present day. She explores well-known angels from Judeo-Christian and Islamic faiths, the Hindu devata and Buddhist spirit beings, the spirit beings of ancient Egypt, the Peacock Angel of Yezidism, and the yazatas of Zoroastrianism. She compares angelic visions from medieval Christians like Thomas Aquinas and John of Damascus with what Theosophists, kabbalists, Sufi masters, Eastern gurus, and modern mystics like Edgar Cayce have recounted about angels. She looks at dark and fallen angels and their role in the grand cosmological plan. Quoting from sacred traditions, narrative myth, and contemporary angelic encounters, including her own personal interactions with angels, the author clarifies the divergent aspects of angelic beliefs but also reveals the common points shared by all traditions.

Ellis shows how, in whatever guise they appear, angels are messengers. She explains that angels are beings of light consciousness, part of the universal life force that connects all beings. And not only are angels actively helping in our planet’s cosmic evolution, they also help us see our own place in the cosmic plan.

Normandi Ellis is an award-winning writer, workshop facilitator, and archpriestess of the Fellowship of Isis. The author and coauthor of several books, including Awakening Osiris and Hieroglyphic Words of Power, she leads tours to the sacred sites of Egypt. She splits her time between Frankfort, Kentucky, and Chesterfield, Indiana.