Angels are believed to be spiritual beings who are attendants, agents or messengers of God. They are also shown as guides and protectors of humans. In different religious traditions, angels are assigned various roles and even positions in a hierarchy.
Angels are represented in the Bible as intermediaries between God and humans. They are shown with a body of light and not belonging to either gender. They are also depicted in art as having wings and a halo, which represents their speed and their holiness.
People who claim to have seen angels describe them as exceptionally beautiful or radiant beings of light.
A lot of people do not believe in the existence of angels—but there are angels in the real world. They are people of exemplary virtue or conduct, because of which they are called angels by others.
To quote from the Kitab-i-Iqan or Book of Certitude of the Bahai faith, angels are people who “have consumed, with the fire of the love of God, all human traits and limitations”, and have “clothed themselves” with angelic attributes and have become “endowed with the attributes of the spiritual”.
Elsewhere, angels are described as “blessed beings who have severed all ties with this nether world” and “been released from the chains of self.”
Angels, unlike most people, help others selflessly and are not attached to any person or place. They do their work silently and leave, not waiting for praise or reward.
They are shown without a physical body because they are beyond physical limitations or attractions. Even humans can attain such a stage where the soul becomes so powerful that it is no longer pulled by physical desires, pain or ailments. There are instances of people serving others in spite of being frail or poor. They are commonly looked upon as angels.
To become an angel, we have to go beyond not just physical weaknesses and limitations but also the consciousness of our body, or of being a physical entity. This is possible when we recognise that we are a soul, a sentient point of light that lives in and expresses itself through the body.
Everyone is a soul, a child of the Supreme Soul, and thus we all share a spiritual kinship. Knowing and accepting this truth enables us to see and treat others equally, regardless of distinctions of race, nationality, gender, and social status.
When we regularly remind ourselves that we are a soul and go about our life with that awareness, the thoughts and attitudes that were shaped by our physical identity gradually change. Physical desires and attractions ebb away, as do the weaknesses that arise from considering oneself a body, such as lust, anger, greed, and ego. Remembering the soul’s parent, God, allows us to experience His love, peace, and mercy. This heals and transforms the soul, and we develop greater understanding and compassion for not just other people but all creatures and Mother Nature.
When we become free from all weaknesses, there develops a benign, universal outlook that makes us a source of unconditional love and support for others. In other words, we become an angel in flesh and blood. There are no more expectations from anyone, and all feel equally loved by us. Obviously, in return, we would be loved and adored by many, but that will not limit or trap us. We will remain detached, drawing our sustenance from God, whose instrument we have become. Such a state of being is the highest one can achieve and is the worthiest goal one can aspire for.
B.K. Atam Prakash is a Rajyoga teacher at the Brahma Kumaris headquarters in Mount Abu, Rajasthan.