Blessed be.
THE RANKS OF ANGELS
The Book of Revelations (8:2) reads, “And I saw seven angels which stand before God.” These are the archangels. Jewish tradition holds that the highest rank of angels consists of the angels “of presence” of God, and these are the seven archangels. The First Book of Enoch lists these archangels as: Uriel, Michael, Gabriel, Saraqael, Remiel, Reqiel, and Raphael. In the Third Book of Enoch, they are presented as Gabriel, Michael, Sahaqiel, Satqiel, Baradiel, and Sidriel. In Islam, there are only Michael, Israfel, Azrael, and Gabriel. Current Christianity has reduced the list of archangels down to Raphael, Gabriel, and Michael.
The duties of the archangels are to serve the presence of God, assist humanity, and watch and care for the lower ranks of angels. Concerning each angel’s special tasks, Raphael is the angel of healing, Gabriel can be called on for personal guidance and prophecy, and Michael is the angel of courage and personal protection. A study of angelic lore across the traditions indicates that the archangel Michael is the oldest and most powerful of all angels, and as a personal protector he can be called on or “invoked” when you need him for courage, insight, and spiritual growth.
The seven archangels are:
•Raphael: healing
•Gabriel: strength
•Michael: protection
•Uriel: light
•Ariel: wisdom
•Cammuel: divine love
•Cassiel: understanding
WHO IS MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL?
Michael is the only angel to cross all the major wisdom traditions, because he appeared to Old Testament prophets including Enoch, and to Mary among others in the text of Christianity, the New Testament, as well as to Mohammed, the founder of Islam. His very name places him close to God, as it translates to “who is like unto the Lord.” Gnostics believed that Michael was present at the creation of the universe. It was Michael who God charged with casting Lucifer out of heaven. Michael has been the subject of devotion in several religions, including a powerful “cult of Michael” during the Crusades that rampaged through the territories of the Nordic tribes, converting with the aid of a sword. It was shortly after this Nordic and Germanic conversion crusade that the cult of Mary began to take precedence, replacing the Goddess. Joan of Arc began receiving visitations from Michael at the age of thirteen which provided her with quite successful guidance in battle.
Angelology—long a secret aspect of pagans practicing ceremonial magic, such as the OTO, founded by Aleister Crowley—has “crossed over” and has been embraced by Wiccans, most especially dark Wiccans. There are many ways to call on the guidance of the angels, and you can invoke Michael anytime you need guidance or as a spiritual touchstone. You can do this with a pendulum or meditation ritual; ask him to join you in a walk or in your dreams. In fact, in your dreams you will be much more open to receiving his messages. Before inviting Michael into your dream world, breathe deeply and achieve a state of total calm. Then think about why you feel the need for his guidance. Write down a specific invitation to him in your dream journal or Book of Shadows, such as, “Michael, please come to me and help me to know if this job opportunity is right for me.” Yes, you can be that specific! As you fall asleep, think about the situation as you ease into your sleep and your dreams. The answer will be in your mind when you wake up. Write it down in the same journal and thank your angelic guest with a prayer.
We all have matters that weigh us down. Whether you have an abusive boss or relationship or you find yourself lost on a dangerous block in a strange town, every now and then you will need the tools to call up guardian energy. Here is how to get an urgent message out to an angel if you are in need of protection.
Timing:
Perform this ritual whenever you feel in need of some angelic protection.
Directions:
1.Face the east with your arms by your sides and your head bowed down. Now, shut your eyes, and with creative visualization envision yourself surrounded by the four archangels.
2.Visualize a pure white light descending from above that expands and surrounds both you and the angels.
3.Breathe deeply three times and then turn to your right.
4.You are now standing before the archangel Michael. Open your eyes and say aloud, “Michael, I need your help,” and describe to him what you need. He is a true helpmate in a time of need!
Vampire Protection
Part of the lore of angels includes the fascinating theory that “fallen angels” who battled with God and were kicked out of heaven became vampires here on the earthly plane. The apocryphal chapter of the Holy Bible, the Book of Enoch, states that when the children of angels and men had exhausted the supply of good, they then began drinking the blood of humans, even resorting to eating their flesh. The modern notion of the vampire has been so influenced by cinema, Bram Stoker, and the very prolific Anne Rice that hardly anyone has a real idea of its early origins. The idea that the dead require blood to restore them to a semblance of life predates even Homer and his poetic posse in ancient Greece. Prehistoric peoples believed that women’s lunar flow of blood was the mysterious source of all life and that the blood was the vehicle of reincarnation for all souls waiting to come back after death. The Greeks thought that “shades,” or ghostly spirits in the underworld, thirsted for blood and sought it from living people. If you recall, Odysseus acted as a necromancer and was able to call forth the spirits of his dead soldiers and comrades by pouring out offerings of blood for them. And come forth they did—in droves. It is almost entirely forgotten, except by modern heathens, that the gods likewise lived on blood and could be invoked with a blood offering.
This lore in and of itself does not account for all the fascination and centuries-old stories of vampires. Medieval folks thought vampires were a sort of cannibal and that they were mostly women. There is even a historical account in the pre-Roman Germanic law records called the Salic Code of a “vampire” who was charged with and found guilty of devouring a man. As Christianity evolved, clerics came to believe in vampires and demons and were on the lookout for them, especially during witch hunts, as it was believed they were in league with each other. In northern Europe, especially the Balkans, Hungary, and Bohemia, vampire legends are legion. In these regions, the locals take a more proactive approach to vampires with many techniques for capturing them, such as trapping them in bottles or killing them with the classic stake through the heart, which are still practiced in the Balkans today.
PSYCHIC VAMPIRES—CHI SUCKERS
So, you’ve been going through your day your own way and it is just fine. Then you run into someone you know, and after you’ve talked with her for a bit, you feel the positive energy draining out of your body. While you try to keep the conversation positive, she is doling out the woe in bucket loads—icky boyfriends, creepy bosses, heinous landlords, on and on. You listen, make helpful suggestions, make a date to get together, and boom—she walks away happier and smiling. What just happened?
You just encountered a psychic vampire (PV)! If you don’t guard properly against PVs, you will find yourself in this situation time and time again. Certainly it is fine to be a sympathetic friend and to be helpful and kind, but it is most unhelpful and kind to yourself to allow anyone to suck you completely dry of your life force, your chi. Most often, PVs are not aware on a conscious level of their incessant chi sucking, but they are on an unconscious level. And when you fall victim to this, you are giving away your power, which is energetically and utterly negative.
Who are PVs? Big time narcissists! It is all about them—notice how they rarely ask how you are. They have been running a victim script for a very long time, and being a victim is a chosen and much prized role. If you are kindly and generous of spirit, good