Angelic Pathways (25 page)

Ariel (Lion of God)

Come on, soldier, just a few more steps! You can make it.
To stop now would be the dumbest thing you’ve ever done.
And unlike my angelic brothers and sisters,
I will taunt you into eternity
if you give up just a few yards short of the finish line.

—ARCHANGEL ARIEL

Youthful and quick-witted, Archangel Ariel has a sharp tongue that most of her archangel brothers and sisters try to avoid, even the Master General, Michael. She’s sassy and bold, and her no-nonsense approach to any dilemma can sometimes make her a bit too intense for even the shrewdest to handle. This archangel is the patron of all things related to the animal world, in addition to healers and those who protect the environment.

You can align yourself with Ariel’s energies by focusing on one of her many icons, which include the lion’s head and a medieval sword and shield. Her energies also can be found flowing through images of bears, hawks, cheetahs, and ravens, or through the scents of fresh apples, musk, pine, and even spicy pepper. Meditating in forests or open fields or near lakes can bring you closer to the angel’s energies, especially on a windy day, as it’s one of her elements, in addition to water.

Tuesday is Ariel’s power day, as it best resonates with her energies. Her numerical vibration is three. You can invoke her attributes of courage, quick wit, and sharp intelligence with accessories of silver and pewter. Aventurine, crystal quartz, and emerald also harmonize with the angel, so keep them close to remind you of your own strengths and abilities to speak up for your cause.

Ariel particularly enjoys music that is full of passion and emotion, from the bagpipes to the flute, guitar, and banjo. She can listen to anything from soulful folk music to rock anthems—whatever brings people together in solidarity. And if you happen to catch the angel across the dance floor out the corner of your eye, you’ll most likely catch her relaxing in loose denim—or cotton—in soft, muted earth tones accented with jewel tones.

Holidays that best resonate with Ariel:
Easter, Fall Equinox, Friendship Day, Summer Solstice

Best times to channel Ariel’s attributes:
a sunny day at the beach; a day at an outdoor game; tailgating party; a relaxing day at the spa; backyard picnic; breakfast/brunch; when you want the courage to simply say hello or break the ice; when in love or flirting

You should always treasure your own uniqueness.
It makes you cool … like me.

—ARCHANGEL ARIEL

Azrael (God Helps)

There will be times when you feel spiritually limited,
if not a bit stagnant.
This imposed moment of stillness
is necessary for you to learn restraint,
discipline, and how to accomplish goals
with minimal resources.
I understand such moments can be frustrating,
but these lessons must be understood before you can attain your next spiritual level.

—ARCHANGEL AZRAEL

Contrary to what some may believe, Azrael, the angel of death and transition, evokes a great sense of peace and comfort whenever he draws near. There is never a reason to fear this angel, for he is one of the gentlest of God’s creatures. But those who try to make his job difficult by clinging to this reality when it’s their time to return to the Realm of Spirit may find themselves being unceremoniously carried away kicking and screaming. His main task is helping to make the transition from one life to another as painless and as smooth as possible, so he prefers that those he comes to collect greet him with a hug, instead of clinging to the bedpost and refusing his hand.

Azrael is the patron of death, the dying, and the dead. He watches over caretakers, morticians, and funeral home directors while lending support to those in the fields of hospice and grief counseling. Still, for an angel of death, he’s quite an entertaining chatterbox, and those of you who engage him shouldn’t be too surprised if you actually find yourself with an extra bounce in your step. Why would you engage the angel of death? Well, if you have a fear of death or you’re having trouble dealing with the transition of a loved one—or even your own transition—what better angel to consult than Azrael? His presence is warm, loving, and compassionate. Oh, and he’s a sucker for classic movies and Broadway musicals.

You can align yourself with Azrael’s energies by focusing on his icons of the butterfly or raven. Images of the bat, beetle, and moth resonate with the angel’s transient nature, while those of the crow, raven, and vulture serve as reminders of our mortality and how very fragile it is.

During my college years, my favorite place to meditate was the cemetery—the older, the better. At that age I had a profound fear of death, however. The fear was so crippling that it forced me to lose a year of college, as well as miss out on an invitation to study writing in Tuscany. I didn’t know why the cemetery drew me in; it just did. To my utter confusion, it offered a sense of peace that I couldn’t even find in my own home.

As I look back, I realize that I had been surrounding myself with Archangel Azrael’s energies for security against my own fears. And they weren’t just of death. I didn’t like change, either. A transition of any kind often sent me into an emotional tailspin, but some transitions weren’t as bad as others. I always welcomed new friends. I always found getting to know people to be an exciting adventure. So shifts in friendship or relationship dynamics didn’t bother me much. No, what got under my skin were environmental shifts.

I was very territorial—I still am—and I didn’t handle changes in the world around me all that well. If my mom rearranged furniture in the living room, I was tense for weeks. When she remodeled the kitchen, I was grumpy for the entire summer. And when I returned to my tutoring job at the university after summer vacation to find that the supervisor had removed all the cubicles to create a more “spacious, student-friendly environment,” I wanted to scream. But instead of looking like a lunatic in front of my coworkers, I retreated to the only place I knew would help me cool my heels: the cemetery just a few blocks from my house. I’d sit in my car by a replica of my favorite statue, La Pieta, and watch the sun set through the trees. Unwittingly, I was seeking refuge in Azrael’s vibrations, which, ironically, are those most associated with change.

I’d love to tell you that in doing so, I became a new woman, free of my fear of change. Well, change doesn’t bother me much anymore. I’ve learned from Archangel Cassiel how to just go with the flow and be prepared for anything. I may bristle a bit, but my days of having an intense need to retreat for a week in order to cope with the inevitable are long gone.

You don’t have to retreat to a cemetery to connect with Azrael. You can seek his calming qualities through meditating with floral scents or while focusing on smooth, wavy abstracts, or by concentrating your session solely on your crown chakra—your highest chakra—the chakra directly connected to the Source.

Saturday is Azrael’s power day. His numerical vibration is zero—not in the Roman numeral sense, but rather in how Egyptians viewed zero: as a symbol of completion rather than a symbol of emptiness. If you’re looking to help calm your energies where the fear of death is concerned, keep a small, polished piece of black tourmaline with you. This stone resonates best with Azrael’s vibrations, and from a metaphysical perspective, it’s said to have soothing, tranquil qualities.

Holidays that best resonate with Azrael:
All Souls’/Saints’ Day, Fall Equinox, Thanksgiving, Winter Solstice, all holy days of obligation

Best times to channel Azrael’s attributes:
when entertaining at home (non-holiday); when having dinner for family and friends; when hosting movie night at home; when helping someone deal with loss (any kind of loss, from that of a good friend to a long-standing job); when helping someone go through the grieving/mourning process; when you’re in need of ideas to help lift spirits and lighten the mood—just because Azrael is the angel of death doesn’t mean he’s gloomy!

’Tis always best to mind oneself
and keep one’s “house” in order.
Trust when I say that you do not want
us archangels to have to pay a visit
and bring to your attention that which
you’ve been neglecting.
By that point, we’re going to tidy things up our way,
and we won’t be needing any input from you.

—ARCHANGEL AZRAEL

Cassiel (Speed of God)

I know there are days when you feel as if Heaven is holding you back. Well, your life sometimes needs to be put on pause for a while until everything revolving around it properly aligns itself so that God’s plan may manifest. Hold tight because oftentimes this can be a long, grueling process that will demand your patience and determination. Don’t give up on me. There’s a reason I’m dragging you through this. All will be made clear soon enough.

—ARCHANGEL CASSIEL

Cassiel is one of the most enigmatic angels I’ve ever met. There’s a reason he doesn’t crop up in a lot of angel books: one of his primary elements is the shadows, and he navigates them with mastery and precision. Hence, not very many intuitives will encounter him.

When I say that Cassiel is a dark angel, I’m not implying that he is evil or malevolent in any way. Quite the contrary, actually. He’s a very soft-spoken and reclusive angel who prefers pulling the strings in the background with little or no input from you. In fact, the less you know of his presence, the better, in his eyes; but if you’re intuitively inclined and can sense his energies around you, he’s not going to suddenly detect your awareness and then vanish to avoid being seen. No, if you connect with him, it can be one of the most adventurous times of your life.

Archangel Cassiel is popularly known as the angel of tears and is the patron of the oppressed and unjustly persecuted, the impoverished and orphans. His heavenly task is to offer comfort for those enduring extremely burdensome life trials, and at times he will offer his own strength or even serve as a buffer for the emotional and physical pain some may encounter during particularly difficult life scripts. In fact, Cassiel revealed to me once that the biggest fight he and Archangel Michael ever had was during the trial of Jesus of Nazareth. Angry at feeling helpless, Cassiel wanted to buffer the pain that the soon-to-be Christian savior was enduring. But Michael had very strict and specific orders from Jesus himself not to interfere—no matter what.

“We are eternal. We cannot die. But we can feel pain, and we feel a great deal of it in more ways than humans can ever imagine,” Cassiel told me one morning as I was getting ready for work. I was taken aback by the revelation. It seems that even the immortals have burdens to bear in one fashion or another. Cassiel, in particular, seems to shoulder quite a few.

You can invoke Cassiel’s energies by focusing on one of his many icons, which include the crow or raven, dragon, full moon, and sword. Grow closer to him by surrounding yourself with the scent of patchouli or musk while meditating in places where his energies are abundant, including old church buildings, cemeteries, or quiet rooftops overlooking the city at night. Autumn, nighttime, and rain showers are some of Cassiel’s main elements, so increase your connection with his vibrations by meditating during these times.

Saturday is Cassiel’s power day and he rules the planet Saturn, hence making him an angel of karma. His numerical vibration is zero, and stones that best resonate with him are hematite, jasper, kunzite, and pyrite.

If you really want to connect with this angel, who prefers wearing black to any other color and prefers donning leather or denim rather than the typical archangel garb of linen, you can easily do it through rave and techno music—anything digitized or synthesized.

Of all the angels I’ve ever encountered, I’ve never met one that had such a strong affinity for a particular part of the world. If you want to immerse yourself in all things Cassiel, just dive headfirst into cultures of the Far East, both ancient and contemporary. When I asked the angel what his favorite foods were, his crystal gray eyes sparkled and he smirked, “Anything cooked in a wok.” So there you go. From Eastern philosophy to martial arts, from anime and manga to J-rock and K-pop, have at it. You’re sure to encounter an abundance of his vibrations during your explorations.

Holidays that best resonate with Cassiel:
Fall Equinox, Lunar New Year, Fall Harvest, Halloween, Winter Solstice

Best times to channel Cassiel’s attributes:
when dealing with all things related to the military; when meeting with royalty or world leaders; when standing in the position of a martyr (long-suffering, sacrificing); when offering sympathy

I know you’re upset and hurting, and that sometimes you may want to be alone for a while, but I hope you don’t mind if I stay close. I promise I won’t make a lot of noise, make demands, or try to get you to talk about it. Just let me wrap my wings around you. Oh, and it’s all right if you feel like crying. My t-shirts are very absorbent.