There are Great Wings around us. This week, ending on October 7 is, for many Old Country celebrants, the Week of the Angels.
“The Spirits love you” is one of the ways that Native American and other indigenous cultures speak blessings to their loved ones. To the Lakotah People, the Wakayin are the messengers of the Great Spirit, who travel with Lightning and Thunder to bring guidance and transformation to All of the Relations below.
Here, in the Rocky Mountain West, we take our Angels seriously. We are home to some of the largest winged creatures on the planet: Bald Eagles, Golden Eagles, Great Horned Owls, Ospreys, Whooping Cranes, Blue Herons–just to name a few. We bow in respect as the 8-foot wing spans spread glorious silhouettes on the ground around us and tumble and swoop above and before us as we hike, climb and ride our bikes or horses into the realms of the Rocky Mountain High Country. The Utes of Colorado and Utah say: “Seeing Brother Eagle adds one holy day to your life.”
Throughout all time, we humans have lifted our eyes to the sky-world to welcome Winged Guides in their many protective and prescient forms. Now, as the magikal time between Mabon (Autumn Equinox) and Samhain (All Hallows’ Eve) heralds seasonal transformations, we Practitioners of Earth-Centered Wisdom open our dwellings and sacred living spaces to the influence and powerful guidance of the Spirit Watchers, or Archangels. In this Week of the Angels, we are honored and grateful to host the Hosts of On-High–the 8 great Warriors of the Sacred Spirit. These are the most reverred spiritual embassadors said to link the Divine and the human in Gnostic and Judeo-Christian esoteric teachings. Beginning on Sept. 29, we have been preparing to receive the visitation of the ultimate Guardian Angels in our own homes.
Among the better-known Archangels such as Michael, Raphael and Uriel there are two very stunning members in the sacred octet. Both have been ostracized, marginalized and even demonized by dominating religious and political powers of the past. Lucifer, whose name means “Bringer of LIght” and Gabriel, or originally Gabriell, the Sacred Feminine Archangel, have almost literally been struck from their original realms of spiritual importance and belief.
Archangel Lucifer represented for the Gnostics the enspiriting messenger of the Imago Dei or the embodyment of the Personal God which eminates from within each individual. This archetype origianally offered the hope of spiritual collaboration and compassion between the Divine and the Individual as well as the importance of Free Will in developing a transformative and active mission in human life.
Archangel Gabriell is a much more suppressed archetype of the early Judeo-Christian pantheon. As the single female energy, She may have represented the Bat Quel, the Feminine Mentor or even Goddess/Sister of the Jewish Yahweh, or God. She certainly is a reminder that no over-arching belief system can ever be balanced or complete without the Spiritual Wisdom and all-important guidance of the Sacred Feminine.
As we clean and freshen our homes, prepare welcoming altars, prayers and blessings we also prepare our personal spiritual environments to receive great seasonal change. We welcome the Archangels as interactive dynamic,Divine energies who, in their mercy also yearn for communion and communication with the world of Nature and embodied spirits.
May the Angels surround and lift you during this Season of transition and change.
Blessings, Marcie
Earth Wisdom Institute 