The Blog Central

We’ve
all seen them; those beautiful, mischievous, chubby-cheeked angels
that adorn romantic
cards, baby nurseries and gift store shelves. But many people only
associate these
cute little angels as current day symbols of love and comfort when in
fact, cherubs have
a long and interesting past that have their origins in many
religions.

Cherubs,
also known as seraphim, were originally depicted in Zoroastrian, and
later Hebrew
and Christian religious texts, as four-sided, four-faced winged
creatures that guard
the throne of God, the entrance to the lost Garden of Eden, and the
covenant of the Ark.
Later Christians differentiated cherubs and seraphim, with cherubs
being the second highest
order of angels, after the first-order seraphim. In both Christian
and Islam religions,
the cherubim (karibiyun in Islam) live in heaven and continually
praise God (or Allah).

In
fact, it wasn’t until the Renaissance period that westernized
Christianity began to change
the image of the cherub into the one we know now. In fact, the cherub
that we encounter
today, with its sweet looking, child-like face and wings, better
describe another form
of angel found in the Hebrew tradition, the ‘putti,’ another form
of angel entirely.

But
whatever the origin, cherubs today are associated with attributes of
God, such as love,
divine thought and happiness. As angels, they are looked upon by many
as providing
divine protection and guidance to loved ones on earth. It is these
meanings that make cherub figurines such a loving and wonderful gift for those
celebrating the birth of their
child. While it seems unusual for a gift that celebrates birth to be
equally as good as a
symbol to comfort bereavement and loss, it is their representation of
God’s love and protection
that makes them so.

Often
for those grieving in bereavement, adding angel and other cherub
figurines to their home
environment help them to remember and focus upon God’s love and
immortality, and
his eternal promise of being reunited with their loved one in heaven
in time to come.

Even
bereaved without any religious belief or affiliation can be comforted
by depictions and
figures of angels and cherubs, as in popular secular culture they
have come to represent
love and goodness. These angels can be a form of support that you can
provide to
them for when you cannot be there.

Whatever
the religion, whatever the spiritual need, angels such as cherubs can
be wonderful
symbols of your love and support. Best yet, there can never be too
many angels
to watch over your loved one. A gift of an angel, such as cherub
figurine, or an angel
pin will be a welcome show of your love and support for those you
love.