Guided by the Nine Choirs of Angels, ascend the Golden Staircase to Seraphic Glory! Have you ever wondered what it takes to reach the highest heights of heavenly glory? How does one become a saint, fully united to God, beholding His divine essence with the greatest clarity and love? Ascending the Celestial Hierarchy: The Golden Staircase to Seraphic Glory offers a profound journey into the mysteries of the Celestial Hierarchy and the spiritual ascent every soul is called to make. Rooted in the teachings of Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, the vision of Saint Matilda of Hackeborn, and enriched by the insights of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Saint Bonaventure and other Doctors of the Church, this book explores the connection between the Nine Choirs of Angels and the stages of our own conversion. The Nine Choirs of Angels, from the simple Guardian Angels to the Seraphim, experience different degrees of participation in the Beatific Vision, as determined by God according to their natural gifts and mission. Human souls are invited to rise through ever-deepening stages of grace, moving from the Purgative to the Illuminative and Unitive Ways, until reaching the summit of holiness, where they share in the glory of the Seraphim—those who burn with the purest love for God. The Path to Heaven: Christ and the Mysteries of the Rosary At the heart of this ascent is the life of Christ Himself, Who not only redeemed humanity but also showed us the way to holiness. By meditating on the twenty mysteries of the Rosary, we align our lives to Christ’s journey—from His Incarnation, through His public ministry, to His Passion, Resurrection, and Ascension. Each mystery serves as a point on our spiritual road map, guiding us through Christ's example to the eternal glory that awaits in Heaven. By following the path modeled on the angelic choirs and the mysteries of Christ’s life, we discover the steps necessary for attaining the fullness of the Beatific Vision—a vision in which the greatest saints participate with the most intense love and clearest understanding of God’s divine essence. What You'll Discover in This Book: The Nine Choirs of Angels: Explore the ancient angelology of Pseudo-Dionysius and its spiritual implications, as well as how the choirs reveal different degrees of grace and participation in the Beatific Vision. Saint Matilda’s Vision of the Golden Staircase: Understand her mystical vision of nine steps as a guide for our own ascent to heavenly glory. The Mystical Tradition: Delve into the teachings of saints, such as Saint Bonaventure, Saint John of the Cross, and Saint Teresa of Ávila on the spiritual stages of conversion, aligned with the angelic hierarchy. The Power of the Rosary: Learn how to meditate deeply on the mysteries of the Rosary, using them as a practical guide for daily spiritual growth and deeper union with Christ. A Practical Path to Holiness: This accessible, practical roadmap to becoming a saint is for everyone: those beginning their spiritual journeys, those seeking to deepen their faith, and seasoned theologians. With the help of the angelic choirs, the model of Christ’s life, and the grace He merited for us, may you be led along the path to Seraphic Glory!

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This book examines the role of angels in medieval and Renaissance art and religion from Dante to the Counter-Reformation.

Scattered across the globe, the Isma'ilis constitute the second largest Shi'i community in the Muslim World. This study traces their history and doctrinal developments from their origins to the present day over a period of twelve centuries.

This volume brings together for the first time some of the world’s leading authorities on the German mystic Jacob Boehme, to illuminate his thought and its reception over four centuries for the benefit of students and advanced scholars alike. Boehme’s theosophical works have influenced Western culture in profound ways since their dissemination in the early 17th Century, and these interdisciplinary essays trace the social and cultural networks as well as the intellectual pathways involved in Boehme’s enduring impact. The chapters range from situating Boehme in the 16th Century Radical Reformation, to discussions of his significance in modern theology. They explore the major contexts for Boehme’s reception including the Pietist movement, Russian religious thought and Western esotericism, as well as focusing more closely on important readers: the religious radicals of the English Civil Wars and the later English Behmenists; literary figures such as Goethe and Blake, and great philosophers of the modern age, among them Schelling and Hegel. Together, the chapters illustrate the depth and variety of Boehme’s influence and a concluding chapter addresses directly an underlying theme of the volume – asking why Boehme matters today, and how readers in the present might be enriched by a fresh engagement with his apparently opaque and complex writings.

Depicting the lives of the saints in an array of factual and fictional stories, The Golden Legend was perhaps the most widely read book, after the Bible, during the late Middle Ages. It was compiled around 1260 by Jacobus de Voragine, a scholarly friar and later archbishop of Genoa, whose purpose was to captivate, encourage, and edify the faithful, while preserving a vast store of information pertaining to the legends and traditions of the church. In this translation, the first in English of the complete text, William Granger Ryan captures the immediacy of this rich work, which offers an important guide for readers interested in medieval art and literature and, more generally, in popular religious culture. Arranged according to the order of saints' feast days, these fascinating stories are now combined into one volume. This edition also features an introduction by Eamon Duffy contextualizing the work.

This book introduces the Pseudo-Dionysian mystical theology, with glimpses at key stages in its interpretation and critical reception through the centuries. Part one reproduces and provides commentary on the elusive Areopagites own miniature essay, The Mystical Theology, impenetrable without judicious reference to the rest of the Dionysian corpus. Stages in the reception and critique of this Greek corpus and theme are sketched in part two, from the sixth-century through the twelfth and to the critical reaction and opposition by Martin Luther in the Reformation.

Angels appear in every major world religion—from Christianity to Judaism, Islam to the Native American Thunderbirds. This book is a celebration of all the world’s divine messengers and a definitive resource containing all of the knowledge collected about these awe-inspiring beings. Rigorously researched, Angels is packed with knowledge about these protectors and guides, including: • who (or what) angels are, their duties to the people of earth, their appearance, and their origins • prayers for invoking your guardian angel and chasing away negative emotions • the many rituals that will help you call on angels to help transform your life and guide, protect, and steer you toward love and success . . . and much more. This tome of ancient and modern angel wisdom offers a perspective on a world we could only have previously imagined, as well as practical tools to bring more love, light, and energy into our lives.