Have You Met the Archangels?

Archangels seem to be a well-kept secret in our religious lives – at least they have been in mine. For much of my life, I knew, marginally, of Archangel Gabriel, because of his visit with the Virgin Mary and the hymn “Gabriel Blow Your Horn.” And that I probably heard in the musical Anything Goes.

It’s not surprising really because I grew up in the Christian Church and there are not a lot of references in the Bible to Archangels, except Gabriel and Michael and Abaddon, in Revelation – which I, and many Protestants, don’t even go near.

I began to know more about Archangel Michael while studying to join the Catholic Church, in late 2000, and he quickly became very real to me. What does surprise me is that among Protestant communities, the Anglican and many Methodist traditions recognize four archangels: Michael, Raphael, Gabriel, and Uriel. I’ve been to no Anglican services but I have attended many Methodist sermons and, yet, I had no idea about this. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a reference to an Archangel in any Protestant or Catholic services I’ve attended in my entire life to this point.

Until this past year, 2021-2022, I knew virtually nothing more about Archangels – I guess I thought of them as “messengers of God,” if I ever thought of them at all. So, how, did all this change? Was it through religious study? Obviously not. Was it through spiritual meditations and study? No. Where then? I learned about them through the study and practice of Tarot – and by listening to general Tarot readers on You Tube. So, in case your life has, heretofore, been similarly bereft of Archangels, let me introduce you to a few of them.

My own experience with reading Tarot and asking the Archangels to oversee my readings is that those who come forward out of the deck always provide advice and insights that are a perfect complement to the information that the Tarot cards reveal. I never know what the reading will be about when I start, except to answer client questions. It amazes me that the Archangel advice is always spot on and often simply astonishes my clients.

The eight Archangels presented here are those whose names, key duties, and locations, I personally believe should be wider known and who we should engage more often in meditations/prayers and daily talks with them. There are thousands of Archangels, I read somewhere, and those we will never know. Our loss.

The Archangel images, names, retreat locations, and assignments shared here comes from Diana Cooper’s Archangel Oracle Cards and Guidebook, for which she says “44 Archangels stepped forward to be presented on the cards” as Illustrated by Jane Delaford Taylor.

This is a best-selling oracle guidebook, still I had not heard of it in the six to seven years since it’s publication by Hay House in 2015, per the copyright. If you’re familiar with this little book, you may recognize these introductory paragraphs. If, on the other hand, you are like me, perhaps this will inform you, inspire your purchase and enhance your faith (I’m not affiliated and get no kickbacks on purchases.)

Based on my own experience, becoming more familiar with even a few of these 44 Archangels will open new avenues of spiritual guidance that may, should you choose to use them, facilitate your life path lessons/work and ease your mind while on Earth. I’ve come to feel like they are new “old friends” instead of unknown images on church windows or unfamiliar names from some line(s) in a religious text. I hope this introduction will be the beginning of a long and lovely friendship for you too.

Rev 0, Have you met the Archangels? January 18, 2022.

Rev 1, January 19, 2022 – Edited text, added Zadkiel and the Seven Archangels from St. Michael’s Anglican Church, Brighton, with credits.