Originally presented as the author's thesis (doctoral)--Trinity College Dublin, 2011.

Discover the many lost and forgotten secrets of the Kabbalah through the words of famous rabbis and authors throughout history. Follow a historical time line of Judaic mysticism and learn the basic principles of the Kabbalah. Devise your own Kabbalah Wheel to spin the legendary 231 Holy Gates of combinations and permutations, as described in the ancient book on Jewish mysticism– the Sepher Yetzirah (also known as The Book of Formation or Book of Creation).

For sceptics, angels may be no more than metaphors: poetic devices to convey, at least for those with a religious sensibility, an active divine interest in creation. But for others, angels are absolutely real creatures: manifestations of cosmic power with the capacity either to enlighten or annihilate those whose awestruck paths they cross. Valery Rees offers the first comprehensive history of these beautiful, enigmatic and sometimes dangerous beings, whose existence and actions have been charted across the eons of time and civilization.Whether exploring the fevered visions of Ezekiel and biblical cherubim; Persian genii; Arab djinn; Islamic archangels; the austere and haunting icons of Andrei Rublev; or Wim Wenders' Wings of Desire and the more benign idea of the watchful guardian angel, the author shows that the ubiquity of these celestial messengers reveals something profound, if not about God or the devil, then about ourselves: our perennial preoccupation with the transcendent.

In the midst of the remarkable revival of interest and belief in angels comes this handsomely illustrated reference work--the fruit of 16 years of research in Talmudic, gnostic, cabalistic, apocalyptic, patristic, and legendary texts. "A wacky and wonderful compendium of angelic lore".--Time. Illustrations.

Reveals the oldest religious symbol in a non-fiction history with shared Truth from the Holy Books of the World. Identifies the Winged Horse as God's Holy Spirit within us and our Conductor to Heaven. Promotes world peace through deeper religious understanding and tolerance.