Hey, thanks for your feedback I'm glad you ultimately liked the piece. I think I started pixel art about 3 years ago or so. I definitely won't be giving up anytime soon, I love to pixel.
I think the interesting aspect that you managed to accomplish here with this is that you were able to abstract the human figure and use much of the lighting in an peculiar way. In some aspects that is one of the most strongest elements in this piece that help make it stand out.
However, I'm not really sure how I feel about the use of dithering in it's execution. I think it was a wise decision to use it. But I think that could really have been pushed further because it's currently far stronger the further the aura is further away from the being and where the flame like effects on the very top of its head. And while the lighting and color choices make sense for the work, the shoulders feel very flat in comparison with the head as a result of the lack of. EDIT: In addition I feel like some anti-aliasing could have really been explored in some areas to help smooth it out.
But overall, I say this is a pretty good piece and I like it because there is that divine asthetic that is present due to the experimentation you were willing to do in it's juxtaposition. I don't know how new you are to pixel art as a medium but I think you got something there that I think in due time, as you learn from each thing you do you'll come up withs some insane work in the future. So don't give up!
This is super interesting