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The 7 Archangels and their Meanings

Last updated by Padre on

7 archangels and their meanings

The Angelic hierarchy can seem like a confusing topic. Depending on your faith or belief system, you may view the main 7 Archangels as being 2nd to God, whereas others consider Seraphim to be in that position. Regardless, there’s no denying that the Archangels are powerful beings.

They do certainly play a vital role throughout the universe, and both the physical and spiritual realms. The number of Archangels in existence isn’t truly known, but there are 7, in particular, that stand out from the rest.  We’re going to explore the 7 Archangels and their meanings in order to help you learn of their importance.

Table of Contents

What is an Archangel?

The term ‘Archangel’ is almost exclusively associated with Abrahamic faiths, specifically Judaism and Christianity, but also appears within Islam. However, the word itself originates from the Greek language and translates as meaning ‘Chief Angel’.

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This title highlights the importance of these beings. They are extensions of God and are often ranked as being the 2nd highest spiritual beings. It is the role of these angels to not only watch over humanity but also other angels and the very fabric of the universe.

Concepts such as time or the physical nature of our dimension are controlled and maintained by specific Archangels, with each holding a specific role. These beings are often described as healers, and while they may use our souls as repair platforms, they are also capable of healing the mind and the body.

Although there are only two Archangels mentioned by name within the canonical Bible (Gabriel and Michael), there were originally 7 Archangels mentioned within the Book of Enoch. This includes Ariel, Raphael, Azrael, Jophiel, and Chamuel.

This book was decreed non-canonical by Pope Damasus I sometime in the 4th century.

The 7 Archangels and their Meanings

We’re now going to explore the 7 primary Archangels. The name was given to an Archangel often translates to reveal the role or purpose of each. We’ll also consider some of the situations which may lead to you invoking the power of that particular Archangel.

Although none of the Archangels possess a set sex/gender, they often appear in a particular form. The use of he/she simply describes whether they typically appear masculine or feminine.

Archangel Michael – He Who is as God/He Who is Like God

Michael is the only Archangel to appear within each book of the main Abrahamic faiths: The Bible, the Torah, and the Qur’an. He is the angel of protection and the most powerful Archangel. Leader of the Angelic realm, including the other Archangels.

Michael is the Patron of righteousness, mercy, and justice, which is why he is often depicted as a warrior with a sword and shield. He is the first line of heavenly protection against the agents of chaos and evil. We see Michael performing this role within the pages of the Bible.

We see reference to Archangel Michael disputing the body of Moses with Satan. He doesn’t claim to have the power or wisdom of God, and simply tells Satan, “The Lord rebuke you.” We also see him appear within the Book of Revelations, where he fights with a dragon-shaped version of Satan.

Archangel Gabriel – The Strength/Hero of God

The Archangel Gabriel is perhaps the most widely known of all the Archangels. He is the holy messenger of God, which is exactly the duty we see him perform within the pages of the Bible. There are three mentions of Gabriel:

  • Gabriel appears to the Prophet Daniel in order to help him realize the message contained within his visions about the coming Messiah: Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
  • Gabriel appears again to Zachariah to inform him of the coming birth of John the Baptist.
  • Finally, and perhaps most famously, Gabriel appears to the Virgin Mary to tell her about the Lord’s plan for the birth of his one and only Son, and the role that Mary would play in God’s plan.

Archangel Ariel – The Lion of God

The lion is often considered the King of the jungle, and in a way, Ariel receives the title of Lion due to her dominion over the creatures and plants of this world. But rather than being a king, she simply cares for all life and tries to maintain peace among these creatures of nature.

Ariel is also responsible for the four elements: Earth, wind, fire, and water. Those wishing to protect the environment should pray to Ariel as her mission is to protect Mother Earth and to see her thrive.

She guides eco-warriors on their journey to protect nature. She even uses animals as a communication method, so rather than appearing in dreams or visions, you’re far more likely to receive a message from Ariel through an animal, such as a hummingbird.

Archangel Azrael – The Angel of God/The Angel of Destruction and Renewal

Although Azrael is known as the Angel of God, his name takes on a host of different meanings. You may hear him being referred to as The Angel of Destruction and Renewal, or even The Angel of Death.

There are some who believe that the Grim Reaper is actually a reference to Azrael and the function he plays within this universe. Archangel Azrael doesn’t cause death. His role is similar to the Jackal- God, Anubis from Ancient Egyptian mythology.

He comforts those who have just died and helps lead their souls across the boundary between life and death, which is often referred to as ‘the void’. Azrael’s comfort isn’t just for the dead, but also for the living.

Those suffering through grief after losing a loved one will often pray to Archangel Azrael or invoke his healing powers. Azrael also manages and records all aspects of life on Earth, including keeping track of each new birth and each new death.

Archangel Raphael – It is God who Heals

As his name suggests, Archangel Raphael focuses on healing. His powers aren’t limited to healing people though, as he also aims to guide the healer of Earth e.g. doctors, nurses, therapists, gurus, spiritual guides, and many others.

After all, healing doesn’t have to be limited to the physical body, as Raphael is capable of guiding you through mental health problems (including addition) and spiritual problems (such as a lack of faith).

Raphael aims to maintain peace and harmony throughout the realms, including the spiritual and physical worlds that we’re familiar with.

Many people will pray to Raphael for healing, but it’s important to remember that he also protects travelers, and so if you’re going on a journey of any kind (including a spiritual journey), you can always invoke the powers of Archangel Raphael.

Archangel Jophiel – The Beauty of the Lord/Divine Beauty

The role of Archangel Jophiel may sound rather trivial in comparison to the other Archangels. After all, what is beauty in comparison to healing or strength? But Jophiel is responsible for ALL beauty, which includes beautiful thoughts and positive emotions.

When we find ourselves seeing only the negative side of life, it is Archangel Jophiel who guides us back to positivity. If you ever find yourself suddenly lost in admiration of the beauty held by a seemingly minor or insignificant aspect of the world, this is likely the work of Jophiel.

She will attempt to teach you the natural beauty of the universe so that you can remain in a positive space. Many people pray to Jophiel or invoke her power when they wish to return to a positive headspace or cleanse themselves of negative energy.

If you find yourself drifting from your spiritual path, reach out to Jophiel, and ask for her guidance. She also plays a major role in helping to boost the creative processes of the mind, including imagination. So, if you need a creative boost, reach try invoking her creative power.

Archangel Chamuel – He Who Sees God/He Who Seeks God

Chamuel is the Archangel of connections. While his role is to bring peace to the entire world, his function is more practical in nature. Chamuel is capable of seeing all the connections throughout the universe, this includes seeing the connections between people.

He understands the very fabric of relationships. Chamuel can find anything and everything in the universe, as it is his responsibility to know where anything is at any given time.

You could describe this Archangel as being the eyes of God, but his name comes from the fact that he is one of the few beings who can see God directly without any consequences.

People pray to Chamuel when they wish to bring peace to a situation, which might be peace to a nation or peace to your own mind or relationship. Similarly, his powers can be invoked when you’re trying to find something, even if what you’re searching for is your true self.

Additional Archangels

Of course, the Archangels we’ve just discussed are only the primary Archangels. There are many more, and many we are unaware of. It’s important to remember that all Archangels play a vital role within the universe.

We can learn a bit more about these spiritual beings by looking at some of the lesser-known angels: Camael, Sachiel, Haniel, and Cassiel.

Archangel Camael

This is an Archangel known by two names: Camael and Uriel. Although this angel is more commonly known by Uriel, it is important to recognize that the two names apply to the same being. Uriel translates as meaning ‘Light of God’ or ‘God is my Light’. Uriel can even be translated as meaning ‘the Fire of God’.

This angel’s role in the universe is to help humanity, both as individuals and as a species, connect to the divine flow of energy, particularly energies connected to love, connection, and wisdom. You may choose to call upon Uriel/Camael when you wish to receive a new psychological or emotional perspective. They can also help when your energy levels are vibrating at a low frequency.

Archangel Sachiel

Archangel Sachiel (sometimes spelled ‘Sachael’) is connected to aspects of your life involving wealth, prosperity, fortune, success, and water. He also connects to aspects of your health, which can be physical, mental, or spiritual in nature.

The energy of this Archangel is known to be particularly soothing and can help you find peace during turbulent times.

You may choose to call upon Sachiel when you need help reconnecting to your deeper spiritual self or finding your way back to a lost path.

Ultimately, this angel will help you to continue along your spiritual journey by helping you see the ways you can grow and develop, both on a spiritual level and a personal level.

Archangel Haniel

Archangel Haniel is known as the ‘Grace of God’. He holds a connection to your life force energy. This allows him to help guide you to higher vibrational levels through changing your life practices e.g. eating higher vibrational foods or avoiding habits that lower your vibrational energy.

People will call upon Haniel when they need help finding harmony or when they require protection. This often happens during times of transition, when we’re going through important life changes but feel overwhelmed or stressed by the new situations.

Haniel will offer guidance so you can remain focused, positive, and optimistic.

Archangel Cassiel

Archangel Cassiel also goes by the name of Oriphiel and is known as the ‘Speed of God’. He is also known as the ‘Father of Time’ due to being deeply involved with the running of time throughout the universe.

You may call upon Cassiel when you’re struggling with an aspect of time. This tends to be something outside the present i.e. the past or the future. Depression tends to be the result of replaying past memories that fill us with negativity.

Anxiety, on the other hand, is worrying about the future that may or may not happen, filling us with dread, fear, and concern. We can also be anchored to the past by a traumatic experience or simply an event that we’ve been unable to let go of.

Cassiel can help guide us along the path to healing and letting go of these non-present troubles.

Be guided to the Correct Archangel

Don’t worry if you’re unsure which Archangel can best help you in any given situation. As we already discussed, humanity is not aware of all the Archangels.

There may be one that could offer precisely the help you seek, and yet their name has not been heard by anybody in human history. Calling out to a specific Archangel is just one way to ask for help, but there are other options.

For example, if you have quite a specific issue and you can’t seem to find the best Archangel to call upon, you can simply reach out into the spiritual realm and ask for guidance.

Another idea is to communicate your problem to your Guardian Angel and ask for their assistance in finding the correct Archangel.

Not only with one of the 7 archangels but you can also rely on your intuition to guide you to look over the other ones: look at the names and roles of the Archangels and allow yourself to ‘feel’ which is the best choice.

All Archangels will help you, regardless of who you call out to, so there’s no reason to worry.

Archangels in the Bible

Even though we tend to associate the Archangels with the Bible, and therefore Christianity, there is really only one Archangel mentioned within scripture. Even though we recognize Gabriel as an Archangel, and he is mentioned within the Bible, there is no direct mention of him being an Archangel.

The only Archangel mentioned by name in the Bible is Michael, leader of the Archangels. He appears five times in total. Twice within the New Testament and three times within the Old Testament. In the New Testament, Michael is mentioned in the Book of Revelation, where he is described as fighting and defeating Satan.

He is also referred to as an Archangel in the Epistle of Jude. In the Old Testament, Michael appears three times within the Book of Daniel. These are the only references to specific Archangels within the Bible.

Archangels in Other Faiths

Archangels do appear in many other faiths. For example, in the Quran, Michael is again mentioned, as is Gabriel. We also see Israfel, who is considered to be an Islamic Archangel. However, Archangels appear in a variety of different forms. Different religions have similar figures that simply aren’t referred to as Archangels.

For example, Ancient Greek faiths had God-like figures who were responsible for specific aspects of the universe. We see similar things in both Ancient and Modern forms of Paganism.

What we consider an ‘Archangel’ can be better understood by exploring their purpose, as you can then see the appearance of these beings within other faiths and beliefs.

Purpose and Significance of Archangels

So, what is the function of Archangels? These are beings that are responsible for the functioning of the universe. They are servants of God that are given responsibility for aspects of existence, such as time, space, or communication.

Some Archangels are here to aid humanity, while others are responsible for things we couldn’t even begin to understand.

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