Guardian angel and the devil
The two natures within man
August 15th 2022
In the Christian tradition, man is said to be accompanied in life by an angel on his right and the devil on his left. The angel gives him good advice and enlightens him, while the devil tries to lead him astray so as to prey on him.
One might wonder why the two of them are content to stay quietly beside the man instead of springing at each other’s throat. It would be much simpler, and the winner could carry off the poor wretch. But instead of fighting, they have respect and esteem for each other. They even greet each other politely: ‘There you are, good morning! How are you?’ The devil does not attack the angel of light and the angel does not strike the devil down either. Why not? Because, in fact, the guardian angel and the devil are simply an image of a twofold reality – the higher and the lower worlds between which man is placed, the two natures (the divine and the animal) that coexist within him. And it is up to man to decide which of the two will manifest in him.
