This piece was inspired by an AI-generated image of a seraphim I saw online, one that unnerved me so deeply I couldn’t get it out of my mind. Rather than letting that discomfort fester, I channeled it into my own interpretation.
A seraphim, according to biblical tradition, is one of the highest orders of angels, described in Isaiah 6:2 :
"Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew."
They are said to be the burning ones—fiery, celestial beings that dwell closest to God, singing eternal praise.
In my version, the seraphim straddles the clouds, golden and glowing. Gold, in spiritual symbolism, represents divinity, purity, and sacred power. It reflects the light of heaven itself, and here it emphasizes her holiness, even as she exists in a surreal, earthly realm. She is naked, and I believe there is immense power in that vulnerability. Her nudity is not erotic but sacred, a return to purity, truth, and the raw essence of creation. In many classical works, nudity represents honesty before the divine, a shedding of worldly ego. She has six wings, staying true to scripture, but I adorned these wings with watchful eyes, as often seen in descriptions of celestial beings. These eyes represent divine awareness and omniscience, the ability to see all, both inward and outward. Her own four eyes only deepen that symbolism: two physical, two spiritual, vision beyond the visible. With one hand, she reaches upward, a gesture of yearning, hope, or perhaps intercession, seeking connection with something greater. The clouds she rises from and into represent the threshold between the earthly and the heavenly, the known and the unknowable. This seraphim is not meant to comfort but to confront. She is a vision of awe, strangeness, and beauty. Just like the biblical angels who often began their messages with “Do not be afraid,” this angelic figure invites reverence, not reassurance. She’s a reminder of how mysterious and vast the divine truly is.