Where Do Angels Live?

One of the absolute religious beliefs I had at the age of five was that angels lived on clouds. To my five-year-old mind, it was an undeniable fact equal to the fact that Santa Claus delivered my “big” Christmas present every year.

I’m a little older than five now and I know that angels don’t live on clouds. Science classes and a more mature spiritual outlook took care of that notion. Yet, when the summer skies of our state produce awesome cloud formations there is enough of my five-year-old self remaining to whisper “Angels live there.” 

So when I see a great formation of clouds like these behind the Hickory Grove Church near Kellogg, the idea of angels are never far from my mind. It’s a good example of how powerful symbols and the ideas that we associate with them can be. When I see clouds, I associate them with angels and heaven. When I see a building with Gothic windows and a steeple, I know immediately what it is and what purpose it fills.

It’s likely that symbols in church design are taken for granted. For example, Gothic windows and steeples have been in use for almost a thousand years. Do we really think about what they mean any more or even know why they were used?  Yet, while lumber and brick make a physical church, the symbols used in its construction make it more than just a building. They make it a scared place.

At first glance, clouds appear to be an easy photographic subject. But rarely does taking a picture of clouds, no matter how majestic, result in a good photograph. The problem is including something in the photograph that gives a sense of scale to help the viewer relate to the clouds. In this photograph, the church, graveyard, and trees provide the scale and the high point of the clouds completes a nice triangular composition that helps keep the viewer’s eye in the photograph. 

And, yes, I looked for angels.