Very little, I believe, is known about angels. If you read the literature on angels carefully, you’ll see that the greatest part of it is an account of the interventions of angels in human life.
The early Christians shared a mystical knowledge of angels which has not survived in anything but outline form. Here for instance is Bishop Ignatius of Antioch hinting at that knowledge:
“For even I, though I am bound (for Christ) [i.e., due to be enlightened after death] and am able to understand heavenly things, the angelic orders, and the different sorts of angels and hosts, the distinction between powers and dominions, and the diversities between thrones and authorities, the mightiness of the aeons, and the pre-eminence of the cherubim and seraphim, the sublimity of the Spirit, the kingdom of the Lord, and above all the incomparable majesty of Almighty God — though I am acquainted with all these things, yet am I not therefore by any means perfect, nor am I such a disciple as Paul or Peter.” (1)
It was part of the oral tradition which great saints like the early bishops and mystics like Pseudo-Dionysius said was not to be told to the uninitiated. Here is the latter on that subject:
“It is most fitting to the mysterious passages of scripture that the sacred and hidden truth about the celestial intelligences be concealed through the inexpressible and the sacred and be inaccessible to the hoi polloi [the masses]. Not everyone is sacred, and, as scripture says, knowledge is not for everyone.” (2)
Imperator, a pseudonym of the prophet Malachi, spoke about angels in the Nineteenth Century and already one can see a softening of attitudes about them on the part of mystics. Imperator is still more formal in his views than people who discuss angels today but he tells us more than Pseudo-Dionysius or Ignatius might. He describes the angelic role in this way:
“We desire to show you that God Himself is the center of influence, and that His influence, flowing through intermediary agencies, permeates humanity; and those influences (angelic, you call them) influence mankind. We wish to show you how the angelic influence surrounding the center of light diffuses itself round those it is able to reach; and how the Spirit of the Most High, traversing those channels, reaches all who are able to receive it.
“Man becomes the means of disseminating the knowledge of which he is the unconscious recipient. Man may cultivate the power given to him and aid the work he is chosen for, fostering the dwelling of the Spirit of God among men. The power of God comes from on high, descending through the angel ministers, permeating His chosen messengers, showing men how they may be fellow-workers with God.” (3)
However, even Beinsa Douno, who is a Twentieth-Century master of the White Brotherhood and talks at length about angels, doesn’t go into the detail we might like. They are to him lofty beings who order human existence but are to be discussed at something of a remove.
You can see in the way Archangel Michael is relating to us through his readings that, though a majestic being, he’s endeavoring to make himself personally known to us. The injunction against conveying an impression of celestial intelligences to the “hoi polloi” apparently has very much been lifted and this may be because we ourselves are being prepared to ascend; that is, to become ascended masters.
His messages through Ronna Herman and Celia Fenn are delivered somewhat more formally again, perhaps because they’re aimed at the whole of the Earth and designed to invite action from us. But his messages through personal interview are laced with humor, revealing very much more of a personal side, which in itself reveals the tremendous range of angels, and seems aimed at showing us their limitless capacity for love and compassion.
I feel nothing but love for him. I often ache for his presence. Having a reading with him leaves me in an elevated state, almost giddy, and very loquacious. Last night, after finally coming down from the reading a day before, I was exhausted and had to sleep late this morning. There is no doubt that he has a profound impact on me.
Angels are described as serving a number of roles in human and other evolutionary rungs of life. They can ordain life and death (though nothing ever really dies). They protect humans. They test the worthy and restrain the wicked. They enlighten the deserving.
They carry the Divine message to us by revelation or by informing the prophet. Their word is considered scripture in many religions such as Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.
They direct human destiny and mentor nations. They create planets and populate them with life forms.
Of most interest to us, they effect the Ascension of human beings. I’ve given the examples in other articles of Disciola in the Sixth Century and Julia Ames in the Nineteenth. (3) Now Archangel Michael and his fellows like Archangels Gabriel, Jehudiel, Uriel, and others are directing the Ascension of this planet today.
I know of one angel (not an archangel) who is incarnated and feels a special mission towards animals. Another has been asked by the ascended master Kuthumi to report back on ways that Ascension can be improved. He also does as Inelia does and unblocks negative energy in the people and communities around him. Another angel graces us with articles on this site from time to time.
Just like us, when angels incarnate in this viscous domain that the Third Dimension is, they too accept the veil and must struggle with a degree of ignorance, loneliness, and even depression. Nonetheless, they observe these conditions more than we do. We tend to identify with and suffer more from them. They merely watch them and feel their impact to a lesser degree, but are still in a fashion inconvenienced by them. They too long to complete their roles and be released back into their native condition, but again their longing is much less than ours and is observed more than it is experienced.
But of the inner life of angels, I’d say we know almost nothing. They obviously retain individuality. Archangel Michael has a wonderful sense of humor. You’ll see “[laughter]” all through our readings. I once asked him how to handle a critic and, the first time he responded, he modeled how to respond. He joked with me and when I did not instantly understand what he was driving at he explained the need to take it with a sense of humor. And when I still did not fully understand, he patiently explained the matter further to me. There was not the slightest condescension with my slow learning. Not even a hint of patronization. He was always genuine and loving.
He is eminently self-effacing. He describes himself as not very good at restraint. This is the figure who is in charge of many of the details of our Ascension, who has pacified many among the military and is now pacifying the financial community, who is regarded as the patron saint of nations, and has never to my knowledge been accused of any action that is inappropriate and yet he calls himself not the best at restraint. In what way does a lack of restraint manifest itself in an archangel? And yet his comment does show that he has a notion of personal identity, does it not?
He quips about his fellow archangels, repeatedly calls Gabriel very much concerned with organization (we humans have a slightly different way of saying that, do we not?), as if they have a running joke between them about their preoccupations, and has joked with me repeatedly about things that I allegedly have done (I have no recollection of having done any of them). There is no sense that he is aloof, that he is not enjoying any of this, but most of all that he is anything but totally a loving, understanding and forgiving being.
There are said to be five predictable ways that people relate to angels and avatars: as a friend, as a child, as a parent, as a sweetheart, and as a master, (5) To me, Archangel Michael is my master. I don’t experience a great degree of choice in this. The attitude seems called out in me. I honor him. I serve him. He’s the Boss. I would never dream of relating to him in any other way.
A reader once wrote and asked me to drop the use of the word “Lord.” I would not think of doing that. You may as well ask me to stop using a fork or spoon, so ingrained is it in me.
Archangel Michael does not relate to me as a master, but as a dear friend. He jokes with me about how I behave when we travel together on spaceships. He says I’m always the one on a journey to ask “Are we there yet?” He recounts times we have descended into the heart of darkness to do battle. He tells me how I served him in Atlantis, in the Middle Ages, and on other occasions. I remember none of these things although one day I may. But I have a vague sense that I would drop the body instantly, without hesitation, at his request. I would be honored to do so.
A friend of mine relates to Archangel Gabriel as a friend. He scolds Gabriel when Gabriel makes him wait too long for the fulfilment of a promise. He importunes Gabriel the way a brother would. I couldn’t find it in myself to relate to the Boss that way. A friend and I were discussing the matter after the last reading and she also confessed that she would not dream of crossing the line with them. Somewhere, deep down, I think I’ve seen their demonstrations of their power and love and am in awe of them, but I’m only guessing.
But the brother who relates to Gabriel as a friend does so because he lives, I’m sure, on another level of reality. There isn’t the slightest trace of inappropriateness evident in his manner. He simply has a different relationship with Gabriel. I understand that he’ll be playing an ambassadorial role after the curtain rises so there’s undoubtedly more to his story than meets the eye.
I regard it as a great blessing that archangels like the Boss deem to relate to us in the fulsome way they’re doing. Perhaps never in our history have we had access to them in the way they’re allowing at this time. They’re taking counsel with us and relating their considerations. They’re inviting us to be their partners in turning back the cabal. They’re taking us into their confidence, chiding us and sharing their own traits, preoccupations and humor.
All of this I’m sure is designed to have us as a people trust them and yield to their better judgment, as we head into a period when trust in the Company of Heaven will be so important to the success of the overall mission. This is, for me, just another indication of the incredible good fortune of this generation, the most obvious and the deepest example of which is Ascension itself.
Footnotes
(1) See for instance Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, in Esoteric Christianity. Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1953; c1901, 49.
(2) Pseudo-Dionysius in Cohn Luibheid, trans., Pseudo-Dionysus, His Complete Works. New York and Mahwah: Paulist Press, 1989, 149.
(3) Spirit leader Imperator in Stainton Moses, More Spirit Teachings. Trance Teachings. Electronically published by Meilach.com. https://www.meilach.com/spiritual/books/morest/mst01.htm, n.p.
(4) “A Review of Known Ascensions,” Sept. 27, 2011, at https://goldenageofgaia.com/2011/09/a-review-of-known-ascensions/
(5) Paramahansa Ramamrishna, in Swami Nikhilananda, trans., The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. New York: Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center, 1978; c1942, 133-4, 346, 277, and 1009-10.