Angel Seheiah (No. 28): Regency, Psalm, Symbolism and Reading

Who is Seheiah, angel No. 28?

Seheiah is the twenty-eighth angel of the classical list and the fourth of the choir of Dominions. His name is also found written Saeehiah or Seehiah. His image is that of help that comes quickly: an angel in whom tradition sees particular attention to age and to the length of life.

In most French editions he is presented as the angel of “longevity”, a word to be taken in a symbolic sense: he promises neither extra years nor good health, but represents the idea of a time lived under a caring gaze.

Seheiah bears the number 28 in the list of the 72 angels of the Shem HaMephorash, which Kabbalistic tradition draws from three verses of Exodus (14:19 to 21). Everything that follows is presented according to Kabbalistic and esoteric tradition. For the origin of the system, read our introduction to the 72 angels.

Reference points in tradition

The dates follow the most common calendar (angel No. 1 reigns from 21 to 25 March, then five days per angel over 365 days). Sources sometimes shift by a few days, and leap years are treated differently: see how to calculate your guardian angel. According to many authors, the hour is counted in local solar time.

The verse and the name

The verse chosen is a brief prayer: “do not go far from me, hasten to help me”. It belongs to Psalm 71, the prayer of an elderly person who asks not to be abandoned in old age, as one reads in verses 9 and 18 of the same psalm.

This context explains the link with longevity: Psalm 71 is one of the biblical texts that speak most directly of advanced age, with its fragility and its memory. Verse 12 is, as it were, its central cry.

According to tradition, the name is formed from the triplet of letters שאה (Shin, Aleph, He) followed by the endings Yod and He (Yah, a name of God). French spellings vary (Saeehiah, Seehiah) depending on transliteration. Psalm 71 corresponds to Psalm 70 in the Vulgate; the numbering of verse 12 is the same in most Bibles. Lists of verses also differ slightly from one author to another.

What tradition associates with Seheiah

According to various authors, here is what tradition associates with Seheiah:

• Swift help in difficult moments: the urgency of assistance, drawn from the expression “hasten”.
• Longevity, understood as a symbolic value: respect for elders and a sense of duration.
• Protection against fire and accidents, a frequent theme in nineteenth-century French lists.
• Prudence and common sense, which some attribute to him.

None of these attributions is a guarantee. As for fire, as for any domestic risk, it is concrete actions that count: a smoke detector, checked installations, caution with flames.

A reading for today

The theme of Seheiah, more than that of health, is that of time shared with older people. In a family, asking a grandparent how they are, listening to their memories, is a concrete way of living out what the verse says: not leaving the other at a distance.

If you are going through an illness, or if you are worried about the health of someone close to you, this page can in no way replace the advice of a doctor.

His period of the year and his sign

Seheiah’s period, from 3 to 7 August, falls in summer (northern hemisphere, within the framework of the original calendar). It roughly covers the sign of Leo. In the table of the 36 decans, each ten-day span receives two angels: Seheiah shares his with Yerathel (No. 27).

In the choir of Dominions

In the “Celestial Hierarchy” attributed to Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite (around 500), the Dominions open the second triad: they are credited with a role of governance and of regulating the order of the world. The term appears in the letter to the Colossians (1:16) and in the letter to the Ephesians (1:21). In the list of 72, this choir groups angels 25 to 32.

Seheiah is the fourth angel of the Dominions. In this choir of order, he brings the note of duration: that of structures, of generations that follow one another, of bonds that hold over time.

To place Seheiah in the sequence of angels, here are his immediate neighbours: Yerathel (No. 27) before him and Reyel (No. 29) after him. The choir is presented in detail on the page Choir of Dominions.

A gentle practice with Seheiah

A simple exercise, of about ten minutes:

1. Think of an older person in your circle, close or distant, whose news you hear too rarely.
2. Read verse 12 of Psalm 71 and let a memory that connects you to that person come to mind.
3. Write three lines you could send them: a question, a thank-you, a memory.
4. If you can, send them or call them during the week.

If you use a candle for this moment, place it on a stable, non-flammable holder, and blow it out before leaving the room.

What to keep in mind

This table of 72 angels is a learned system of the Renaissance, enriched by French authors of the nineteenth century, and not a revealed teaching. It remains a prompt for reflection, which replaces neither medical advice, nor legal counsel, nor psychological support.

The Catholic Church does not recognise this system: it retains only the three archangels named in Scripture, Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. Believers of all denominations nevertheless find in the psalms a text for prayer.

This page is not health advice. For any medical question, consult a doctor.

See also the guide to the 72 angels and the guide to the archangels.

Frequently asked questions

Also read

The meanings mentioned belong to tradition and symbolism. They are neither promises of results nor medical advice. Back to Guide to the 72 guardian angels.