Given that these are Polytheistic Angels, I thought I'd provide an idea of what ancient Polytheistists experience Archangels, Angels, and the 3 kinds of Daimons as.
"Archangels
The first of the Greater Kinds subordinate to the Gods are the Archangels; who are at the top of the median triad, holding the function of Perfection. Archangels assume the duties of a Personal Daimon once the soul the Personal Daimon looks after has moved onto the worship of the Hyper-Encosmic Gods. In general, the appearance, activity, and visions of the Archangels are similar to those of the Gods, though are always less.
As servants of the Hypercosmic Gods, Archangels appear much like them; though always inferior in nature, emanating a stern but gentle quality. Similarly, Archangels reflect a shape, size, etc. that is by large uniform, however, aren’t quite perfectly in their uniformity, nor do they share in the singleness of essence of the Gods. Again, tranquillity streams from the Archangelic presence, but unlike the stable tranquillity of the Hypercosmic Gods, the Archangelic tranquility is associated with the sense of motionless activity.
The appearance of an Archangel is filled with beauty, though it’s always lesser than that of the Gods whom they serve above them— and likewise, their light and fire is supernaturally bright, but not a brightness beyond brightness. Furthermore, their fire is seen encompassing and surrounding them, and their flames may sweep ahead or behind as they manifest. As secondary beings, the archangelic radiance, as is the radiance, or lack thereof, of all the other Greater Kinds, seems rooted in something else, such as the brilliance of their God. Their holy fire and light is not quite as unbearable as that of the Gods above them, though they are still undoubtedly powerful and unendurable to humans.
Like the Hypercosmic Gods, the activities in which the Archangels are engaged are completed in the same instant they are conceived; however, their movement is now associated with those accomplishments. Though their function is anagogic, it doesn’t achieve the complete perfection of the soul. Though benevolent, and bringing about health, virtue, and purity, the powers of the Archangels are such that these do not come about perfectly nor completely.
The visions brought about by Archangels are perfect and true, setting parts of the world in harmonious motion as a light goes forth announcing their presence. Like the Gods, Archangels appear surrounded by lesser divinities, consisting of Angels who orbit around the same originating divinity. The epiphanies granted by Archangels fill our souls with truth, but only the portion of truths to which the Archangel concern with, and not the whole of the truth that the Gods encompass. Each Archangel presents its truth and power to us appropriate to the soul which receives it, and not wholly and completely, thus granting us a portion of Providence while we are still subordinate to Fate.
Angels
As the second member of the median triad of Gods & Greater Kinds, Angels hold the function of illumination.
Because motion is their primary feature, angelic actions aren’t accomplished instantaneously. Holding the function of illumination, Angels help loosen the sway of the realm of generation through gnosis; though they don’t free us from it. However, that illuminating power makes the above visible to the below, and with that brings in the soul the courage to fully imitate the divine through theurgy, and in doing so participate in the divine will of the Gods and Celestial Demiurge. Just as those ranking above them, angelic benevolence brings about benefits to body, soul, and intellect; however their lesser power only allows for benefits particular to their individual essences, and in manifestation, those blessings aren’t nearly as great as the illumination embracing them.
Just as Archangels are lesser in appearance, power, and activity to their Gods, Angels are more inferior than Archangels. Angels have a similar solemn and gentle presence as Archangels, though are less stern and milder. The appearance of an Angel brings with it a sense of order and serenity, but one that’s marked by movement as opposed to the perfect tranquility of the Hypercosmic Gods.
Though they have bright & angelic beauty that they receive from above, it is only partial to that of Archangels. The dimmed radiance of Angels means their presence is able to be endured by us, which allows the theurgist to engage with them in ways that aren’t possible with the suffocating presence of the divinities in the ranks above them. Angelic fire is described as divided in nature, sometimes appearing with it, occasionally prior it, and sometimes following it, except when the Angel appears in their utmost perfect forms. Overall, Angels have a simple appearance, modeled after the God they orbit. They’re lesser to the Gods and Archangels in every way, though their size, shape and so forth remain stagnant and unchanging.
When appearing in a theurgic vision, Angels are slightly less than perfect, though their form is clearly visible, as their light is not as blinding as that of an Archangel. The presence of an Angel isn’t accompanied by lesser beings, but rather, their presence reveals those activities that are proper to them. The magnitude of epiphanies received by us when we invoke the presence of an Angel is reduced than that of an Archangel, bringing about a “rational wisdom, truth, pure virtue, a firm knowledge” (Iamblichus De Mysteriis, II.9, 105), and an order which is proportionate to the purity of soul and power of the invoked Angel.
Daimons
Daimons (Latin: Genii) are benevolent Beings between the Mortals and the Gods. They hold the role of purification and their activity can be described in katagogic terms, which means that they don’t release incarnate souls from generation, but rather they bind them there. All Daimons have a role in the Realm of Generation, serving the Encosmic Gods by making the world the best it could be, not in relation to us, but rather its working as a whole. Their roles are important and necessary for the fallen soul’s process of purification; as without purification in generation, human souls cannot rise once more to regain their position among the Greater Kinds. They are produced through “the generative and demiurgic powers of the Gods in the furthest extremity of their procession and of their ultimate divisions.” (Dillon 1973, 50)
Generally, the activities of Daimons appear faster than they really are, and their work isn’t accomplished at the moment of its conception. Their duty is to distribute the divine impulses they receive from the divine above them to the Realm of Generation below in a harmonious and ordered way. They are responsible for the binding of souls to bodies, which causes our fallen souls to associate themselves with those bodies and thus bind us further to the “chains of Fate” (Iamblichus De Mysteriis, II.6, 99).
Unlike the other superior beings above them, Daimons have many varied and complex appearances, their form and size varying at different times. Whereas Archangels are stern and Angels are mild, the Daimonic countenance is fearsome; especially for the impure.
There are explicitly three kinds of Daimons. Because of this, Daimons are the most complex of the superior beings, overshadowed only by human souls. The three kinds of Daimons are:
I. Personal: A Personal Daimon (Oikeos Daimon) are patron divinities over our spiritual development. Though they belong to the Encosmic Gods (who are the Leader/Visible Gods), they fall in the domain of Generation and are thus under the guidance of the Sub-Lunar Demiurge. They’re designated to watch over an individual soul before it descends into matter. That particular Daimon “stands over [its soul] as the fulfiller of the various levels of life of the soul” (Iamblichus De Mysteriis, IX.6, 335) and binds the soul to its body, watching over the human for as long as they live, and likely for long as the soul is tied to generation. They oversee matter.
The Personal Daimon is there to protect you, ward away danger, guide you, inspire you like a personal muse, and even help you attain good fortune. The chief of concerns of one’s Personal Daimon is to give correctives if one gets too far off track from vertical alignment with the Good. You are in danger if you are not corrected in this fashion, for you may be allowed to drift into evil. Often, it does all of this without you being aware of it. In the divine Plato’s dialogue, the Apology, Socrates states that his own Personal Daimon never instructs him what to do but merely warns him when he’s about to make a mistake. Therefore, the Personal Daimon preserves the free will of the person it oversees by allowing them to determine their aims and how to pursue them without interference, however, it will give warning when those goals aren’t spiritually healthy.
Personal Daimons guide our lives until a worshiper moves onto the Median form of theurgy and engages in the worship of the Hyper-Encosmic Gods, to which Archangels replace their roles (Iamblichus De Mysteriis, IX.6, 335-7).
II. Punitive: Unlike the Personal Daimon, Punitive Daimons operate in a general judgmental fashion and aren’t connected to a specific soul; their function being the judgment of impure souls. Punitive Daimons are able to advise us on the proper course of moral action, viewing all such activities from a superior position that’s outside of time, and are thus able to see the full ramifications of any and every action. They’re understood to work against unjust human endeavors while cooperating with the just. Punitive Daimons are able to harm, or even kill a human for their actions if deemed necessary. They give visions of their terrible power when manifesting. They are led by Sub-Lunar Gods. They oversee matter.
III. Relational: The last kind of Daimons are called Relational Daimons (Iamblichus In Timaeus, fr. 80), also called “Elementals.” They and are Daimons without reason or intelligence as we understand, and their general role is overseeing of the functions of their particular portion of the physical world. Each of these Daimons hold a single function in the material world, having “been allotted just one power, in the apportionment of tasks which has been prescribed for each entity in each of the parts (of the universe)” (Iamblichus De Mysteriis, IV.1, 205).
The Relational Daimon’s irrational nature can be commanded by humans, both theurgists, and sorcerers. This is because the human intellect, which participates Nous, behaves as an organizing force for Relational Daimons; especially when that intellect is in harmony with the ordering of the cosmos via theurgy (Iamblichus De Mysteriis, IV.1-2); but may also work when the intellect has crafted an artificial order through the use of sorcery (Iamblichus De Mysteriis, IV.205-6). Like the Punitive Daimons, they are led by Sub-Lunar Gods. However, unlike the Personal and Punitive Daimons who oversee matter, Relational Daimons are immersed in it. Due to this association, the appearance of their pneumatic vehicles brings with them an eldritch sense of disorder. The pneumatic bodies of these Daimons without reason, being surrounded by matter as they are, are said to take on a material vestment that are peeled off just as human bodies that are cast aside by the soul upon death.
We can conclude that all Daimons are associated with matter in some form or another. Though frightening to witness, Daimons are nonetheless beautiful. This beauty is arranged in proportions, and unique to each Daimon as opposed to the general beauty possessed by their superiors. The brightness of a Daimon is similar to that of an angel’s, though more divided and not always of the same magnitude. Their fire casts a smoldering glow akin to ember rather than the brightness of those prior."
