
Angelic Contemplation

by Terry Rowe
Title
Angelic Contemplation
Artist
Terry Rowe
Medium
Photograph - Digital Photography
Description
FEATURED PHOTO:
Women Photographers - One a Day group
Wisconsin Flowers & Scenery
A golden statue offers a study of an angel in contemplation. I found this statue in meditation or prayer garden while my mother was in the hospital. It was a wearying and dark time for me, when I had a moment, I slipped out to walk the hospital grounds. I saw a walled garden with a gate and I entered - there was a bench, some faded plants, and this beautiful statue of an angel that seemed to glow. I felt such a sense of peace and release that I sat and meditated for a while. This interlude renewed my spirit and I was able to continue my vigil.
An angel (from the Greek ἄγγελος - aggelos) is a supernatural being or spirit, usually humanoid in form, found in various religions and mythologies. The theological study of angels is known as "angelology." In Zoroastrianism and Abrahamic religions they are often depicted as benevolent celestial beings who act as intermediaries between Heaven and Earth, or as guardian spirits or a guiding influence. The term "angel" has also been expanded to various notions of spirits found in many other religious traditions. Other roles of angels include protecting and guiding human beings, and carrying out God's tasks. In art, angels are often depicted with wings on their back, a halo, robes and various forms of glowing light.
The word angel in English is a fusion of the Old English word engel (with a hard g) and the Old French angele. Both derive from the Latin angelus which in turn is the romanization of the ancient Greek ἄγγελος (aggelos), "messenger," which is related to the Greek verb ἀγγέλλω (angellō), meaning "bear a message, announce, bring news of" etc. The earliest form of the word is the Mycenaean a-ke-ro attested in Linear B syllabic script.
The Christian bible includes many interactions and conversations between angels and humans. Hebrews 13:2 reminds the reader that they may entertain angels unaware. Since the completion of the New Testament, the Christian tradition has continued to include a number of reported interactions with angels. As recently as the 20th century, visionaries and mystics have reported interactions with, and indeed dictations from, angels.
According to Kabalah, there are four worlds and our world is the last world: the world of action (Assiyah). Angels exist in the worlds above as a task of God. They are an extension of God to produce effects in this world. After an angel has completed its task, it ceases to exist. The angel is in effect the task. This is derived from the book of Genesis when Abraham meets with three angels and Lot meets with two. The task of one of the angels was to inform Abraham of his coming child. The other two were to save Lot and to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah.
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Uploaded
November 25th, 2012
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Comments (18)

Randy Rosenberger
Terry, a great title for this masterpiece of beauty. Love it! Love the beauty of this piece and the quality and care that went into its composition! It is my pleasure to PROMOTE this piece of beauty on our FEATURED ARTWORK section of the Wisconsin Flowers and Scenery group. Thanks for sharing! Liked Forever, Elvis