Next, we come to a favourite angel, one of my important angels as a Guardian Angel and he has long fascinated me — the Archangel Uriel — ‘the Fire of God, Flame, Light of Divinity of God is my Light.’ Dr. John Dee addressed him as the Lux Dei — the ‘Light of God.’ Specifically, the Angel or Divinity of Light and not only physical light, but light in its spiritual origins, illumination of the intellect and many other associated ideas. Today we usually call him the Archangel Uriel, but he can be found as Archangel, Seraph or Cherub. Uriel is called the Angel of the Abyss, ‘the angel set over the world and Tartarus.’ Thus, we find Uriel with Raphael as the Angel of Hades, the Archangel Raphael is given charge of the departed souls but the officiating angel of the ‘newly dead’ was the Archangel Uriel. Uriel is sometimes given rule over the South but he rules the North
for much of Western Traditional Magic. Uriel is an Angel of the Triplicities of the Zodiac in Ceremonial Magic. Michael takes the Fire triplicity, Raphael the triplicity of Air, Gabriel the triplicity of water and although of the triplicity of air perhaps fire, the Archangel Uriel takes up the triplicity of Earth in this position and it is sound.
The Archangel Uriel in the Apocrypha is a leading angel, time and again found with the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael and because of his Hebrew name, he has been identified as an Angel of Thunder and Earthquake, the Wielder of the Fiery Sword that expelled Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden in Jewish traditions. He is the destroyer of the hosts of Sennacherib and as the angel that enlightened Ezra with visions. Generally, he is given as an Angel of Terror, Prophecy or Mystery; yet strange though it may seem (at least to me) despite all the foregoing, Christian tradition by and large pays little attention to this Archangel — which is their loss!
The word ‘Abyss,’ in the title of Uriel above, comes from the Greek αβυσσος, abyssos= 1: ‘with no bottom, bottomless, unfathomed.’ 2: ‘the great deep, the abyss, bottomless pit.’ It comes from the root βαθος, bathos= ‘depth’ or ‘height’ as measured ‘up or down’ and in the New Testament, το βαθος, to bathos= ‘the deep water.’ Latin, altitudeo= ‘height, loftiness’ or ‘depth’
or ‘depth of soul, that conceals thoughts and purposes, unfathomableness, secrecy, reserve.’
This abyss as a concept is consistent in most mythologies. According to the Edda, it is the formless void that goes before Creation and the Abode of the Gods for the period of the Long Night of Non–existence, not unlike the Ain–Soph above the Tree of Life, an area that appears to be empty, but do not believe that. With the Akkadians, Babylonians and Sumerians the Great Deep gave birth to Ea, the All–wise, unknowable and vast divine being. In Chaldean cosmogony, it was Tiamat, the embodiment of chaos. Egyptian cosmogony speaks of Nut. Norse cosmogony tells us of Ginungagap — ‘the Great Void’ or ‘the Yawn between’ — the chasm of the offspring of Ginn — that was in existence before Existence, the Never–Ending Void or the Abyss of Illusion. It is the gaping void of Norse mythology, deep space as an undreamt of abstraction, without form and emptiness and so forth
According to the ancient Hebrews, The Archangel Uriel is one of the four, seven or ten angels that are stationed about the Throne of Divinity so we must slip back into Cabbala because the diverse worlds originate from the En Soph and from each other and these worlds maintain the relationship to the Deity.
In part of the Pseudepigrapha (explained in the heading Archangel Gabriel, see also heading Apocrypha) Uriel announces ‘I have come down to earth to make my dwelling among men, and I am called Jacob by name.’ This statement has long been far from clear but to some commentators it has suggested that Uriel may have become Jacob and if this is true, then Uriel would be the first angel on record to have become a mortal, this is offered without comment.
Uriel has rule ‘over clamour and terror’ so he is not the easiest of angels to deal with because he is often shown as a stern angel who can punish severely. Enoch tells us that he ‘watches over thunder and terror, that he is chief among the seven archangels, he supervises Tartarus or Hell and in this terrible place the punishment is severe for sinners, who are hung over everlasting fires and more so for the blasphemers that also hang over these fires — by their tongues.
He can be a very unpredictable to deal with at times and therefore a complex or difficult angel, from our point of view of course. Anyone who boasts they have the measure of this Archangel is inviting the proverbial ‘bolt from the blue’ and what is more, they are very likely to get it.
Anyone who has Uriel for a Guardian Angel will be led along unusual paths with turns of fate that cannot always be predicted. They will never quite know where the lightning will strike next or when and, contrary to the old adage, this lightning quite often strikes more than twice, not only in
the same place but sometimes even on the same day. One thing is certain with this angel you quickly learn to expect the unexpected or suffer for any tardiness in learning.
None with this angel taking an interest in their lives will ever be bored — we would love to be now and then — just for a change. Of course, he inclines to make you discontent and bored with mundane life, but you learn to appreciate this at times. I am sure Uriel must be the Occidental equivalent of the Chinese Oriental ‘blessing’ — ‘May you live in interesting times.’
He must not be thought of only in this way. True though it is, because he can also be a most benign angel being the ‘Angel of the eleventh hour miracle,’ ruling the 11th house of the astrological chart and appearing when all seems lost and you are hanging on by your fingertips, often it is them he appears and gives you his hand. He is the Angel of Magic, Astrology and kindred subjects.
Uriel is mentioned in the Apocryphal book 2 Esdras 4:1 and the following chapters. He is the Archangel of Salvation and the figure that enlightens Ezra with visions and interpretations. ‘And the angel that was sent unto me, whose name was Uriel, gave me an answer.’ Esdras is the Greek and Latin form of Ezra. The second Book of Esdras or the Esdras Apocalypse is the work in which the writer relates his visions and discourses with the Archangel Uriel. There are two Books of Esdras with the second book dated sometime after A.D 70 or for the zealots 70 A.P.C.N (= anno post Christum natum, or ‘in the year after the birth of Christ’). Uriel, as the quoted line tells us is a disseminator of knowledge, interpretation and an Angel of Prophecy. In Enoch 32:1, Uriel is one of the Angel’s of Destruction of whom it is said ‘ . . . when executing the punishments of the world, the Angels of Destruction are given the Sword of God to be used by them as an instrument of punishment.’ It is also said that the Angels of Destruction helped the magicians of Egypt to counter the miracles performed by Moses and Aaron, in particular when changing the waters into blood. The Angels of Destruction (= ‘malache habbalah’ – Gustav Davidson) do not necessarily mete out only death because as Angels of Punishment it can take the form of illness, pestilence, plague, misfortune or death and where is the dividing line set for the Angels of Vengence; these angels are many.
The name Uriel in Hebrew means ‘Fire or Light of God.’ He has been variously identified in Jewish traditions as an ‘Angel of Thunder and Earthquake,’ the ‘Archangel and Wielder of the Fiery Sword’ that drove Adam and Eve from Eden, the destroyer of the hosts of Sennacherib and generally an ‘Angel of Terror, Prophecy or Mystery.’ The Regent of the Sun with the Archangel Raphael and the Angel of the Abyss, I do not think I have missed anything out. Ezra, whom God praised for ‘his good character’ complained to God concerning His treatment of the Jewish people. Ezra said that they languished in misfortune while the heathens seemed to prosper. It was the Archangel Uriel who came to him to explain ‘that all evil must run its course.’
More than two thousand years ago a Messianic Cult hid in the caves in the hills above the Red Sea taking with them scrolls of the Bible because they thought Rome may destroy them if they were found. This cult was expecting to be joined by the angels to assist them in their battle against evil because they were preparing for the ‘War of the Sons of Light, against the Sons of Darkness.’ In these preparations, we find Sariel (= Uriel) as an archangel that is selected as one of the four leaders of the Sons of Light, who are divided into four divisions. When they fight upon their shields will be the name of their particular archangel.
Uriel in legend is sometimes given as the angel that wrestled with Jacob at Peniel but as we have said elsewhere, quite a few angels are thought to have been given this task. Uriel has been identified as one of the angels who helped to bury Adam and Abel in Paradise. He is said to be the angel sent by Metatron to warn Noah of the impending Flood but as always, some of these events have also been given to other angels. Incidentally, while with the subject of the Flood it was the
task of the Angel Charbiel, whose name means ‘dryness,’ to ‘draw together and dry up all the waters of the earth.’ The Archangel Uriel is to be found in the Book of Raziel and Barratt in The Magus, tells us that Uriel brought alchemy to the earth because alchemy ‘is of divine origin.’
I have never had any doubt about who was sent to bring about the conversion of Saul, later Paul, when he was on the road to Damascus. Paul tells us ‘I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, and suddenly there shone from heaven a great light about me.’ A voice told him it was Jesus of Nazareth speaking to him and he was asked why did he persecute him. Saul said he could not see for the ‘glory of that light’ and he was led by the hand of them that were with him. He was blind for three days and his sight was restored by Ananias. Initially, Paul was extremely zealous in his persecution of ‘the disciples of the Lord’ and would not be turned from his work by anyone or anything. He was as immovable a zealot and as fanatical as any could possibly be in his task — or so he thought.
Here was Saul going down the road to Damascus, probably on a nice warm sunny day with cloudless skies ‘about noon’ and these two words are important. When out of a clear blue sky there was a light from heaven that brought him and his secure world down around his knees, a world that he thought was a tower of strength, a fair description and not unlike the Tarot card numbered sixteen in the Major Arcana — the Lightning Struck Tower. This card also has a ‘clear blue sky’ without any clouds, but the strong ‘tower of strength’ with its narrow windows (= restricted or blinkered outlook?) is brought down and the people dwelling within are brought low with it regardless of station, one is usually illustrated as wearing a crown — in the final analysis destruction and death level all in the final equality.
A favourite astrological theme with the writer is that only an ‘irresistible force’ (= the planet Uranus and the Archangel Uriel) can move or bring down ‘an immovable object’ (= the planet Saturn and the Angel Cassiel) and the planet Uranus is the only one who can do this to the planet Saturn. In the words of the justifiably popular song ‘when an irresistible force . . . meets an immovable object . . . you can bet as sure as you live, something’s got to give.’ There is very little that can stand up to the planet Uranus or the Archangel Uriel and in the story of Saul above take a guess in which hour Uranus is usually most active — ‘about noon’ — as Saul found out to his cost.
However, Uranus also has a weakness for when he becomes bored with the affair or situation he is dealing with, which he usually does or when the novelty wears off, he moves on to something else that is intransigent and needs his instant ‘revolutionary’ touch. Then guess what, Saturn comes back and finding not one brick standing on another, quietly builds it all up again and so it goes on, perhaps not quite the same, but it is back under Saturn’s rule once more because Saturn has and gives — persistence and determination — often underestimated.
Remember some of the things that Saturn rules and its not that surprising to find the truth in this because Saturn is ‘patient, practical, thrifty, cautious, timely, responsible, difficult to dislodge, he impedes, he hinders and — he can wait.’ Where you find Saturn in any astrological chart — there you will reap what you have sown or are sowing — and he can wait — because he is Time itself. Retribution by Longfellow I feel is describing so skilfully the ancient god Saturn more when he wrote; ‘The mills of god grind slowly, yet they grind exceedingly small.’ The planet Saturn is God’s Mill, grinding between millstones, which he also rules.
The Archangel Uriel is credited with bringing Cabbala to earth according to some accounts, which is the key to ‘the interpretation of Scripture’ and another angel held to have given the gift of Cabbala is Metatron. Because these two mighty angels, Uriel and Metatron are so intimately connected with the Cabbala they may promote the state of devequt or devekut= ‘to cleave to God, attachment or having god always in mind.’ In Jewish religious thought, this is an adherence to or
communion with God — ‘lost to mystical union’ because it can denote the ecstatic state produced by such a communion.
In Jewish religious thought, an adherence to or communion with God that stops short of mystical union. The notion of devequt seems to be derived from the biblical reference in Deuteronomy 11:22, ‘loving the Lord your God, walking in all his ways and cleaving unto to him.’ The Rabbis understood this as being applied to the Torah and its students, saying this is the only possible way of doing this, thinking it impossible to ‘cleave to God, Himself.’ As others have pointed out, Maimonides develops this idea in the Guide to the Perplexed where he thought that the greatest saints could possibly achieve this by their communion with God through their constant thinking and being centred in God through the medium of meditation and prayer throughout the days of their life. When the great saints have their minds solely upon God and serving him at all times very little here seems to be able to lay a hand on them and they seem to be impervious to the ordinary mishaps of human life. It is a crucial concept of the Jewish mystical system called the Cabbala. As a fundamental concept of the Jewish mystical system. Devekut was regarded as one of the three highest strengths or values of a mystic — some commentators equate this to ecstasy and the highest stage on the spiritual ladder.
The Council of Laodocia (A.D. 348–381) adopted some sixty canons, mainly disciplinary but included in them was the canon that angelic worship was both illegal and idolatrous. It was expressly forbidden to mention the names of angels. Uriel was one of the archangels, during the Church Council in Rome in A.D 745, who was abandoned by the church despite his obvious high rank and the position that he held, which was to me foolish.
At this church council, taken under Pope Zachary, the Archangel Uriel and six other angels were ‘reprobated’ as ‘false or evil spirits and not to be venerated.’ The other six angels were Adimus, Inias, Raguel, Saboathe, Simiel and Tubuel. It does seem that they repented their foolishness and reinstated the Archangel Uriel and Raguel, one of seven archangels found in the writings of Enoch, an angel of the earth. He is attributed with taking the patriarch to heaven while he was still living ‘ . . . and Enoch walked with God.’ Genesis 5:24, although other angels are given.
This particular Council was unfortunate for the bishops Clement and Adalber who gave instruction regarding the reverence due to these angels and they were both convicted of heresy. The Council forbade the invocation and veneration of any angel other than those given in Scripture that are named as Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. This, however, is not strictly true if we choose to accept Abaddon (= Hebrew) or Apollyon (Greek), who is named in Revelation as being ‘the angel of the bottomless pit.’ (9:11).
Wormwood is considered by many to be an angel despite being referred to as ‘a star’ but we must remember, the angels were often termed ‘stars’ and ‘celestial’ as in ‘ . . . when the morning stars sung together’ and there are other examples.
Although I believe the decision on behalf of the Council regarding the Archangel Uriel was ill– advised, it must be said that there was taking place a genuine attempts to weed out many of the spurious angels that had been introduced through the simple expedience of adding ‘el’ to the end of a name. This was not the first time this had been attempted without success and some of the earlier attempts went back as far as the fourth century. At its height, roughly between the eleventh to thirteenth centuries, countless angels appeared by making anagrams of Hebrew letters and adding ‘el’ therefore, some names that can be found in the past may have lacked the support of any lengthy tradition or relevant records.
The word ‘reprobate’ used above has been the subject of much controversy and the meaning of