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Okay, in this first post, I am putting up a diagram of the hierarchy and an in-depth explanation of the system I am using. (Which I created!!! Not from Wikipedia! …But I confess my boyfriend helped me a tiny bit. Curse his ingenuity.) Here it is:

Hierarchy




Definitions/Choirs of the Benelohim

Elohim: The Almighty, Jehovah, God

The Seraphim (The Burning Ones): Singular Form: Seraph. They have six wings and insurmountable celestial beauty; creatures of inextinguishable light, they cannot be looked upon directly by any creature or other celestial being. Four of the Seraphim stand around the throne of Elohim simultaneously and sing His praises, regulating the movement of the heavens with the “Music of the Spheres” ability. The other three wander and tend to their other duties. The Seraphim switch places as they see fit. In total, there are seven Seraphim. Each is assigned to one virtue and representative of one singular choir of Heaven. In addition, the seven also double as the archangels, the most important messengers from Elohim to mankind. They are the last line of defense in the heavens, and the mightiest of all the Benelohim (angels). The original seven Seraphim were Samael, Kaphziel, Raphael, Raguel, Remiel, Uriel, and Gabriel. After the rebellion of Samael and his followers, the seven became Michael, Azrael, Raphael, Raguel, Remiel, Uriel, and Gabriel. Samael was originally representative of this choir, but it became Michael after the rebellion.

The Cherubim (The Near Ones): Singular Form: Cherub. In appearance, the Cherubim are severely beautiful; sharp and silver. They have four wings with one extra pinion on each, but Cherubim prefer to say they have eight small conjoined wings. They are the expert soldiers of Heaven. They are the second line of defense in Heaven, stationed just outside the throne room of Elohim. Seven Cherubim were selected to be personal attendants to the seven Seraphim, acting as bodyguards to prevent the use of the Seraphim’s supreme power in case of dire emergency. Two Cherubim that were assigned to the original seven were Arael to Kaphziel, and Azazel to Samael. Both have been banished from heaven post-rebellion. Because of their unparallel abilities in battle, second only to the Seraphim, the Ishayim guardian angels are trained by the Cherubim. The Cherubim themselves are not concerned with matters regarding humans; instead, they work in a partner system with the Ophanim in the management, organization, and regulation of the universe and the cosmos. They are particularly fond of stars. Raphael is the Seraph representative of this choir.

The Ophanim (The Encircling Ones): Singular Form: Ophan. These angels are intensely beautiful, manifesting themselves in blazing fire and flame; four-winged. Ophanim serve as the clockwork of the universe and the cosmos, working in a partner system with the Cherubim. They kept heavenly bodies moving, and the solar systems running smoothly. All processes in the universe are under their strict supervision. They also do not concern themselves with humans, having duties of a broader scope of vision to attend to. Uriel is the Seraph representative of this choir.

The Ikariyim (The Presiding Ones): Singular Form: Ikarih. Two-winged and sparkling with the azure shimmer of moonlight on waves, these angels have a gentle beauty which belies their true nature. They work strictly on matters of the earth, and gift ingenuity and creativity to humans. They spawn passion and academic pursuits; matters of the mind. However, they hate to be predictable. They embody spontaneity and the possibility of random events, and for this, they must be in partner system with the orderly Aralim. Remiel is the Seraph representative of this choir.

The Aralim (The Mighty Ones): Singular Form: Aral. Two-winged and regal, these angels are iridescently-colored, and sling either a scepter or sword in the belt of their robe as a symbol of their duties. “Down-to-earth” and very neat, the Aralim work in a partner system with the eccentric and creative genius of the Ikariyim, balancing ethics and law with originality and individuality. Their concern is to give humanity order; and this includes justice, ethics, morality, and the records of what is wrong and what is right. The Malakhim work beneath this choir. Raguel is its representative.

The Malakhim (The Message-Bearing Ones): Singular Form: Malakh. Darker in appearance than most of the other Benelohim, the Malakhim have a subtle “blacklight” glow. This is attributed to their less-than-desirable purpose. They are two-winged, and are generally soft-spoken. The Malakhim work beneath the Aralim in matters of ethics and morality. As messengers of death, throughout the life of a human, the Malakhim must record all the vices and virtues of the individual and question; this enables the heavens to properly assess what happens to the individual in their life after death. Because of this, the Malakhim need to be kept up to date in right and wrong, and go to the Aralim for that information. They work in a partner system with the humans’ guardian angels, the Ishayim. Before the rebellion, Kaphziel represented this choir. Now it is represented by Azrael.

The Ishayim (The Guardian Ones): Singular Form: Ishah. Warm with the light of sunrise, the presence of these two-winged angels is uplifting. They are human-like in appearance, but with a divinely-beautiful quality. The Ishayim are Heaven’s first line of defense. They are the soldiers; the warrior angels. Because of this, they are trained by the skilled Cherubim to do their duties as the guardian angels of humans with ease and expertise. They protect humans from the influence of demons in the hopes they can lead their souls to virtue, and ultimately, Heaven. The Seraph representative of this choir is Gabriel.

Additional Definitions

The Shedim (The Evil Ones): Singular Form: Shed. Demons; servants of Samael.

The Nephilim (The Fallen Ones): Singular Form: Nephil. Fallen angels, but not necessarily demons; can be the children of fallen angels and humans, or angels that chose no side during the rebellion.

The Rephaim (The Lost Ones): Singular Form: Rephah. Angels who did not choose Samael, but doubted Elohim and were banished as a consequence.

Explanation of the Partner System

The hierarchy of Heaven is not so much a business as a family-run operation. The diagram is comparative to a family tree, with different parts of the family specializing in certain areas. Each choir is like immediate family. The members of a choir are like siblings to one another. In addition, one choir’s members are like cousins to the members of another choir. Between choirs, there is pairing or partnerships.

The two choirs dealing with running the universe, the Cherubim and the Ophanim, for example, are partnered in order to collaborate on the makings of the cosmos. This enables cohesive work and less gaps or holes in their thinking. The partnership allows for a creative support system and compromise between the two choirs and ideas or preferences. Likewise, the choirs dealing with humanity are paired (the Ikariyim and the Aralim), and the choirs dealing with specific individual humans (the Malakhim and the Ishayim).

A less-strict but very important partnership exists between the Seraphim and the Cherubim. The Seraphim are in charge of governing the actions of all choirs, as the seven are representative of each, but often need an attendant to help them in their various duties (as there are many) apart from their and the throne room’s protection. Therefore, seven Cherubim are selected for each of the seven Seraphim, and are meant to be characteristically compatible with the Seraph they are assigned to. Rather than being as siblings or cousins to the Seraphim, the Cherubim are their best friends. There is a bond of mutual, incorrigible trust between the two, deeper than brotherhood or sisterhood; though they are still considered like family to one another.

The least formal partnership of the three exists between older and newer choirs. The Aralim work with the Malakhim in matters of ethics and morality recording, and the Cherubim with the Ishayim in terms of battle preparation. This partnership is meant to work like a mentor system. Aralim teach Malakhim right and wrong, and Cherubim teach Ishayim how to throw a punch.