Hollydaze Quotemail #3: Santa Claus & Yuletide Poems

Hello everyone –

Today is the first day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere, which began with the December Solstice at 9:59 AM (CST) this morning. The third and final installment of my Hollydaze Quotemail series features the Yuletide gift-giver who is most familiar in North America – Santa Claus. Despite the misappropriation of this beloved figure by commercial interests each December, Santa’s core message remains the same from one generation to the next, and it’s a message that isn’t limited to a single holiday or religion or culture or nation. Here’s how Fred Astaire summarized the message of Santa Claus in the closing narration of the classic Rankin-Bass holiday special, Santa Claus Is Coming to Town (1970):

“But what would happen if we all tried to be like Santa and learned to give, as only he can give: of ourselves, our talents, our love and our hearts? Maybe we could all learn Santa’s beautiful lesson, and maybe there would finally be peace on Earth and good will toward men.”

First of all, I’d like to share with you the most famous newspaper editorial in American history – to remind us all that we have a wonderful opportunity to share our stories, insights, and encouragement with a world that stands in desperate need of HOPE. And now (drumroll, please) – without further delay (cue the spotlight) – here’s the most famous newspaper editorial in American history!

“Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus”

Source: http://www.newseum.org/yesvirginia/

 

[Eight-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon wrote a letter to the editor of New York's Sun, and the quick response was printed as an unsigned editorial Sept. 21, 1897. The work of veteran newsman Francis Pharcellus Church has since become history's most reprinted newspaper editorial, appearing in part or whole in dozens of languages in books, movies, and other editorials, and on posters and stamps.]

“DEAR EDITOR: I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, ‘If you see it in THE SUN it’s so.’ Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?
VIRGINIA O'HANLON.
115 WEST NINETY-FIFTH STREET”

VIRGINIA, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except [what] they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great Universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You may tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, VIRGINIA, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

In addition, here are two classic poems to help us get ready for the Yuletide season that’s right around the corner!

“Christmas 1867: Greetings from a Fairy to a Child”

By Lewis Carroll (1832-1898)

Lady dear, if Fairies may

For a moment lay aside

Cunning tricks and elfish play,

'Tis at happy Christmas-tide.

 

We have heard the children say —

Gentle children, whom we love —

Long ago, on Christmas Day,

Came a message from above.

Still, as Christmas-tide comes round,

They remember it again —

Echo still the joyful sound

"Peace on earth, good-will to men!"

Yet the hearts must childlike be

Where such heavenly guests abide:

Unto children, in their glee,

All the year is Christmas-tide!

Thus, forgetting tricks and play

For a moment, Lady dear,

We would wish you, if we may,

Merry Christmas, glad New Year!

“The Oxen”

By Thomas Hardy (1840-1928)

Christmas Eve, and twelve of the clock.

“Now they are all on their knees,”

An elder said as we sat in a flock

By the embers in hearthside ease.

 

We pictured the meek mild creatures where

They dwelt in their strawy pen,

Nor did it occur to one of us there

To doubt they were kneeling then.

 

So fair a fancy few would weave

In these years! Yet, I feel,

If someone said on Christmas Eve,

“Come; see the oxen kneel,

 

“In the lonely barton by yonder coomb

Our childhood used to know,”

I should go with him in the gloom,

Hoping it might be so.

 

The ancient Romans celebrated the winter solstice festival of Saturnalia (December 17-23) in honor of their planetary deity, Saturn. Pictured here is the planet Saturn, as photographed by the Cassini space probe in 2008. (Photo Credit: Public Domain -- NASA)

Quotemail will return in early January 2022. In the meantime, here’s wishing all my friends and followers a very merry hollydaze season, to be followed by a Happy New Year! 😊

 

Cheers,

Rob

Special Feature: Overcoming Limitations by Seeing with the Eyes of the Heart

 

Overcoming Limitations by Seeing with the Eyes of the Heart

By Rob Chappell, M.A., J.S.H.C., E.F.M.

Adapted and Condensed from Articles and Presentations by the Author Between December 2007 and December 2015

 

            Today I’d like to share with you some reflections on overcoming limitations by seeing with the eyes of the heart. My remarks are based on conversations, experiences, and writings that I have shared with family members, friends, and students over the last several years.

            As far back as I can remember, one of my favorite Yuletide stories has always been the heroic tale of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, which is based on a poem of the same name by Robert L. May from 1939. Rudolph, you may recall, was born “different” from “all of the other reindeer.” His nose glowed red, and as he was growing up, his youthful peers never let him forget it. He was excluded from the others’ reindeer games because he wasn’t “normal” like everyone else. We all know, of course, that the story had a happy ending. Because of his uniquely talented “nose so bright,” Rudolph was able to lead Santa Claus’ gift-giving expedition around the world on a foggy Christmas Eve. Thus, what had made Rudolph “different” and had caused his exclusion when he was growing up allowed him to become a hero to children all over the world.

            All of us are born “different” from each other; there are no two people in this world who are exactly alike. We all have limitations of one kind or another – visible or invisible – that we need to overcome if we are to lead healthy, balanced lives. Overcoming our own limitations is not easy – but nothing worthwhile ever is. Overcoming limitations, though, is only half the story. Like Rudolph, we need to share our talents with others and help them to overcome their own limitations in turn. Reaching out to others who are “different” from “us,” or to people who have been excluded or marginalized for whatever reason, is a core value of every worthwhile philosophy of life, and it is also a key ingredient in all the major spiritual traditions of the world.

            Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was such an appealing character to me during my childhood days because I also had a limitation to overcome – low vision. I had been born with congenital glaucoma in both eyes and had several surgeries before my third birthday, through which my ophthalmologist managed to recover about 5%-10% of normal vision for me. I was the first student with any kind of disability to pass through my Lutheran elementary, middle, and high schools, and I had somewhat “different” ways of learning than the other children used. I had textbooks in large print and on cassette tapes, I wrote out my assignments in big letters on black-lined notebook paper, and I was one of the few students in my class who wore glasses from kindergarten onward. These things, on occasion, might have caused a momentary misunderstanding with my peers – but by and large, I was very blessed indeed. Unlike Rudolph, I had a circle of loyal friends, understanding teachers, and a very supportive family to encourage me along the way. With their guidance and inspiration, I was able to graduate as Valedictorian of my eighth grade and high school classes, enter the University of Illinois, and earn my B.A. and M.A. degrees, and complete an Education for Ministry (E.F.M.) certificate from the School of Theology at the University of the South. Sometimes it takes the encouragement and support of others to show us how uniquely gifted we really are and that being “different” is “AOK.” J

            Rudolph’s “limitation” – not having a “normal” nose – actually turned out to be an unexpected advantage when he grew up. In a similar way, we all have talents buried deep down inside us that can help us to shed a ray of sunshine on the people around us and “bloom where we’re planted.” Some of us may have a talent for encouraging others when they’re having a bad day, while others may have gifts to share through artwork, research, teaching, or writing. Whatever your talent may be, I encourage you to cultivate it and share it with others – whether it be in the workplace, at home, or anywhere else you happen to find yourself on a regular basis.

            How can we prepare ourselves to “bloom where we’re planted” and begin sharing our talents with others? A good way to start is by learning how to look at the people around us with the “eyes of the heart,” looking beyond outward appearances to perceive the magnificence of the human spirit within us all.

            To “see with the eyes of the heart” is something that we can practice in our daily lives, and it is an ability that is not limited to the prophets and seers of long ago and far away. Why? Because the heart is in fact an organ of spiritual perception. Seeing with the eyes of the heart is therefore not dependent on any physical limitations that we might have. As my younger cousin, Ashley (who, like me, is a person with low vision), wrote to me in an email message several years ago:

 

Sight doesn’t define vision. Eyes of the heart will see far beyond any physical force.

 

            As we start to expand our horizons and reach out to others, both at the center and at the margins of our comfort zone, we can gain confidence as our “heart-seeing” improves with practice over time. In this regard, we would do well to follow the advice of Jalaladdin Rumi, a 13^th-century Muslim saint and visionary poet. In his lyrical masterpiece, “You, Yourself, Are the Melody,” he writes in magnificent metaphors about what the eyes of our hearts can see when we look at ourselves – and at one another – with this kind of perception:

 

·         Don’t turn to another beggar; you belong exclusively to Us. Don’t sell yourself short, you are priceless.

·         Invulnerable in spirit, your beauty comes from within; you belong to the Majestic One, a ray from the light of God.

·         What have you seen of your own still-concealed beauty? One of these days at dawn, you will rise from within yourself like a sun.

·         No mine has such a brilliant ruby; the world has no other soul like yours. In this world everything diminishes, but you are soul-enhancing soul!

·         Be unsheathed, like a sharpened sword. Come out of your hidden mine, circulate yourself like the truest coin.

·         If sugar could speak, what sweet words it would utter! Play the flute of felicity! You, yourself, are the melody.

 

Excerpted from Love's Ripening: Rumi on the Heart's Journey by Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi, Translated by Kabir Helminski et al. (Boston: Shambhala, 2010)

 

            In closing, I would like to share with you some words of wisdom about “seeing with the eyes of the heart” from my maternal grandmother’s favorite Yuletide novella – The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum (1902). This classic tale is for “children of all ages,” not only because it tells an enchanting story, but also because it invites us to look inside ourselves (and in others, too, especially the most vulnerable members of our society) to find the greatest treasures in the world: compassion and wisdom.

 

·         Everything perishes except the world itself and its keepers. But while life lasts, everything on Earth has its use. The wise seek ways to be helpful to the world, for the helpful ones are sure to live again (Book 1, Chapter 6).

·         Yet every man has his mission, which is to leave the world better, in some way, than he found it (Book 1, Chapter 7).

·         [Santa Claus] brought toys to the children because they were little and helpless, and because he loved them. He knew that the best of children were sometimes naughty, and that the naughty ones were often good. It is the way with children, the world over, and he would not have changed their natures had he possessed the power to do so. And that is how our Claus became Santa Claus. It is possible for any man, by good deeds, to enshrine himself as a Saint in the hearts of the people (Book 2, Chapter 9).

·         It is true that great warriors and mighty kings and clever scholars of that day were often spoken of by the people; but no one of them was so greatly beloved as Santa Claus, because none other was so unselfish as to devote himself to making others happy. For a generous deed lives longer than a great battle or a king’s decree or a scholar’s essay, because it spreads and leaves its mark on all nature and endures through many generations (Book 2, Chapter 11).

·         “In all this world there is nothing so beautiful as a happy child,” says good old Santa Claus; and if he had his way, the children would all be beautiful, for all would be happy (Book 3, Chapter 3).

 

            In light of all these reflections, I would like to encourage all of us to consider making three New Year’s resolutions for 2016.

 

1.      Let us practice “seeing with the eyes of the heart,” and strive to look at ourselves and others as VIPs in the providential grand design to repair the world. (This process of “repairing the world” is called “tikkun olam” in Hebrew.)

2.      Let us reach out to those around us by sharing our talents and abilities with them.

3.      Let us learn how to overcome our own limitations by stepping outside our comfort zones, and then help others to do likewise.

 

            Best wishes to you and your families for a relaxing and enjoyable Yuletide season!

Rumi (9/30/1207-12/17/1273) is surrounded by his disciples in this illumination from a 16th-century manuscript. (Image Credit: Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

 

#WingedWordsWindsday: 12/15/2021 -- My First Visit to Japan House

 WINGED WORDS WINDSDAY

Compiled by Rob Chappell (@RHCLambengolmo)

Vol. 1, No. 7: December 15, 2021

 

 

“My First Visit to Japan House”

By Rob Chappell, M.A.

Reprinted & Slightly Updated from the April 2008 Illinois Administrative Professionals’ Newsletter

                In December 2007, ACES James Scholar Shannon O’Laughlin invited me to visit Japan House to take part in a tea ceremony hosted by its Director, Professor Emerita Kimiko Gunji. Shannon, a longtime member of the James Scholar Media Team (JSMT), was enrolled in Gunji-sensei’s ARTJ 209 (Chado: The Way of Tea) course during the fall semester. According to its catalog listing, the course:

 

Explores the Japanese Tea Ceremony and its relevance to everyday life. Students will acquire a better understanding of Japanese culture and a new appreciation of their own cultures through the study of the Tea Ceremony and the Zen worldview that informs it.

 

Shannon was eager to share her experience of chado with me, so I was pleased to accept her invitation.

                On a cloudy Thursday afternoon [December 13, 2007], we arrived at Japan House, which is located at 2000 South Lincoln Avenue in Urbana (not far from the College of Veterinary Medicine). As Shannon and I hung up our coats and removed our shoes in the cloakroom, we (along with the other guests) were greeted by a Japan House volunteer: Dr. Morton Weir, Chancellor Emeritus of the Urbana campus. Dr. Weir gave us a tour of the house (including the tearooms) and showed us (through the large glass windows) the gardens that surround it (a traditional Japanese garden on one side and a Zen rock garden on the other). We then entered the classroom where academic courses are taught; there, we were introduced to Gunji-sensei and received an overview of the tea ceremony before it began.

                The Japanese tea ceremony is a beautiful and complex art form that has been developing in East Asia for over a millennium. Gunji-sensei, as our host, prepared the tea – a special variety of green tea called matcha, imported from Japan. Before the tea was served, however, we each received and ate a small sweet; then, after the tea had been prepared with a bamboo whisk and other ceremonial utensils, tea was served to each guest in a bowl decorated with traditional designs (such as flowers). It is customary for the guests to take a few moments to admire the artwork on the bowl before drinking the tea. We then proceeded to savor the matcha tea, which was delicious! J

 

In this photo from 12/13/2007, taken by Japan House staff, I am pictured at far left, and Shannon is sitting next to me, as we receive bowls of tea during the ceremony from Gunji-sensei.

 

                The tea ceremony created an atmosphere that was both contemplative and mindful. It was wonderful to participate in a time-honored ritual that opens the door to new levels of intercultural understanding. Each portion of the ceremony was conducted gracefully and graciously by our host, and although the basic form of the ceremony is fixed, it was unhurried, and the format invited each participant to watch, learn, and appreciate the ceremony in every detail. One lesson (among many) that I took away with me from the tea ceremony is that “simple” things, such as enjoying tea with friends, can have a numinous beauty all their own, and so we need to keep our eyes open for this “everyday numinosity” lest we miss out on the enchantment that it can bring into our daily lives.

 

Editor’s Note

                There are many hidden gems on campus, and adding them to your bucket list can be a truly rewarding experience. My favorite “hidden gem” is Japan House, which I first visited in December 2007 for an experience of chado (the way of tea) in the Japanese tea ceremony.

                The greatest tea master in Japanese history, Sen Rikyu (1522-1591), described the four ideals of chado over 400 years ago: harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility. The core concept behind the tea ceremony is the realization of the principle, “Ichigo, ichie” (which means “one life, one opportunity” in Japanese). Through applying this principle (and the four ideals of chado) in everyday life, we can learn how to savor the numinosity in each moment of our days, because that moment is truly unique and will never come again.

                I would like to encourage everyone to visit Japan House’s website (listed in the webliography at the end of the article) to learn about all the excellent programs that they are currently offering. Japan House and its wonderful staff continue to carry out their intercultural educational mission with online resources to enrich our lives and our appreciation for the numinosity that can be found in our everyday world.

 

I have revisited Japan House many times over the last several years. This photo was taken on 2/20/2014 following a tea ceremony. From left to right: Professor Jennifer Gunji-Ballsrud (current Director of Japan House), Maria Pauls Flannagan (ACES James Scholar Class of 2014, Bronze Tablet Scholar, & JSMT President Emerita), and myself. (Photo Credit: Japan House Staff)

 

Webliography

·         http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_tea_ceremony (Japanese Tea Ceremony)

·         https://japanhouse.illinois.edu (Japan House)

·         http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/tea.htm (The Book of Tea by Kakuzo Okakura [1863-1913])

 

Hollydaze Quotemail #2: A Quartet of Angelic Poems!

 Hello everyone –

 

As the holiday season begins, pictures and stories about angels are everywhere. Various types of angels, some named, and others unnamed, are present in all the major spiritual traditions of the world, and their depictions can provide comfort, hope, and inspiration during challenging times. Here is a quartet of my favorite poems about angels, all of which draw on Middle Eastern traditions about these amazing denizens of the unseen realms.

 

Abou Ben Adhem

By Leigh Hunt (1784-1859)

[Editor’s Note: Abou Ben Adhem (a/k/a Ibrahim ibn Adham, ca. 718-782 CE) was an early Muslim saint. You can learn more about his life and legacy @ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibrahim_ibn_Adham.]

Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!)

Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,

And saw, within the moonlight in his room,

Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom,

An angel writing in a book of gold: —

Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold,

And to the presence in the room he said,

“What writest thou?” — The vision raised its head,

And with a look made of all sweet accord,

Answered, “The names of those who love the Lord.”

“And is mine one?” said Abou. “Nay, not so,”

Replied the angel. Abou spoke more low,

But cheerily still; and said, “I pray thee, then,

Write me as one that loves his fellow men.”

The angel wrote, and vanished. The next night

It came again with a great wakening light,

And showed the names whom love of God had blest,

And lo! Ben Adhem’s name led all the rest.

 

Azraël

By Robert Gilbert Welsh

[Editor’s Note: Azraël is the proper name given to the Angel of Death in Jewish, Islamic, and Sikh traditions. This angel also appears in George MacDonald’s classic children’s novel, At the Back of the North Wind (1871). You can learn more about Azraël @ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azrael.]

The angels in high places
Who minister to us,
Reflect God's smile, -- their faces
Are luminous;
Save one, whose face is hidden,
(The Prophet saith),
The unwelcome, the unbidden,
Azraël, Angel of Death.

And yet that veiled face, I know
Is lit with pitying eyes,
Like those faint stars, the first to glow
Through cloudy winter skies.

That they may never tire,
Angels, by God’s decree,
Bear wings of snow and fire, --
Passion and purity;
Save one, all unavailing,
(The Prophet saith),
His wings are gray and trailing,
Azraël, Angel of Death.

And yet the souls that Azraël brings
Across the dark and cold,
Look up beneath those folded wings,
And find them lined with gold.

 

Israfel

By Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849)

“And the angel Israfel, whose heart-strings are a lute, and who has the sweetest voice of all God’s creatures.”

[Editor’s Note: In Islamic lore, it is said that the Archangel Israfel will blow the Last Trumpet at the consummation of human history. This angel is known as Raphael in Jewish and Christian traditions. You can learn more about Israfel/Raphael @ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israfil.]

In Heaven a spirit doth dwell

“Whose heart-strings are a lute”;

None sing so wildly well

As the angel Israfel,

And the giddy stars (so legends tell),

Ceasing their hymns, attend the spell

Of his voice, all mute.

Tottering above

In her highest noon,

The enamored moon

Blushes with love,

While, to listen, the red levin

(With the rapid Pleiads, even,

Which were seven,)

Pauses in Heaven.

And they say (the starry choir

And the other listening things)

That Israfeli’s fire

Is owing to that lyre

By which he sits and sings —

The trembling living wire

Of those unusual strings.

But the skies that angel trod,

Where deep thoughts are a duty,

Where Love’s a grown-up God,

Where the Houri glances are

Imbued with all the beauty

Which we worship in a star.

Therefore, thou art not wrong,

Israfeli, who despisest

An unimpassioned song;

To thee the laurels belong,

Best bard, because the wisest!

Merrily live, and long!

The ecstasies above

With thy burning measures suit —

Thy grief, thy joy, thy hate, thy love,

With the fervor of thy lute —

Well may the stars be mute!

Yes, Heaven is thine; but this

Is a world of sweets and sours;

Our flowers are merely — flowers,

And the shadow of thy perfect bliss

Is the sunshine of ours.

If I could dwell

Where Israfel

Hath dwelt, and he where I,

He might not sing so wildly well

A mortal melody,

While a bolder note than this might swell

From my lyre within the sky.

“The Angels of Man”

By Bliss Carman (1861-1929)

    The word of the Lord of the outer worlds

    Went forth on the deeps of space,

    That Michael, Gabriel, Rafael,

    Should stand before his face,

    The seraphs of his threefold will,

    Each in his ordered place.

    Brave Michael, the right hand of God,

    Strong Gabriel, his voice,

    Fair Rafael, his holy breath

    That makes the world rejoice, —

    Archangels of omnipotence,

    Of knowledge, and of choice;

    Michael, angel of loveliness

    In all things that survive,

    And Gabriel, whose part it is

    To ponder and contrive,

    And Rafael, who puts the heart

    In everything alive.

    Came Rafael, the enraptured soul,

    Stainless as wind or fire,

    The urge within the flux of things,

    The life that must aspire,

    With whom is the beginning,

    The worth, and the desire;

    And Gabriel, the all-seeing mind,

    Bringer of truth and light,

    Who lays the courses of the stars

    In their stupendous flight,

    And calls the migrant flocks of spring

    Across the purple night;

    And Michael, the artificer

    Of beauty, shape, and hue,

    Lord of the forges of the sun,

    The crucible of the dew,

    And driver of the plowing rain

    When the flowers are born anew.

    Then said the Lord: "Ye shall account

    For the ministry ye hold,

    Since ye have been my sons to keep

    My purpose from of old.

    How fare the realms within your sway

    To perfections still untold?"

    Answered each as he had the word.

    And a great silence fell

    On all the listening hosts of heaven

    To hear their captains tell,—

    With the breath of the wind, the call of a bird,

    And the cry of a mighty bell.

    Then the Lord said: "The time is ripe

    For finishing my plan,

    And the accomplishment of that

    For which all time began.

    Therefore on you is laid the task

    Of the fashioning of man;

    "In your own likeness shall he be,

    To triumph in the end.

    I only give him Michael's strength

    To guard him and defend,

    With Gabriel to be his guide,

    And Rafael his friend.

    "Ye shall go forth upon the earth,

    And make there Paradise,

    And be the angels of that place

    To make men glad and wise,

    With loving-kindness in their hearts,

    And knowledge in their eyes.

    "And ye shall be man's counsellors

    That neither rest nor sleep,

    To cheer the lonely, lift the frail,

    And solace them that weep.

    And ever on his wandering trail

    Your watch-fires ye shall keep;

    "Till in the far years he shall find

    The country of his quest,

    The empire of the open truth,

    The vision of the best,

    Foreseen by every mother saint

    With her new-born on her breast."

 

Some Concluding Thoughts:

Although angels are depicted in various and sundry ways throughout the world’s spiritual traditions, it is noteworthy that many angels are depicted in very similar ways across cultures and religions. Studying comparative angelology can help us to understand how our worldwide spiritual traditions are interrelated in fascinating and surprising ways and equip us to build bridges of mutual respect and appreciation with our neighbors both far and near.

 

In this illustration (created by Gustave Dore') for Canto 31 of Dante's Paradiso, Dante and Beatrice gaze upon the angelic throngs that surround the divine abode in the highest (empyrean) heaven. (Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)