Interior Design

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.