Angel on the mountain- Gabriel and the Winter Solstice

Gabriel, whose name means ‘God is my strength’, is well-known to Jews, Christians and Muslims- It was Gabriel that dictated the Koran to Mohammed and announced the birth of Jesus to Mary. And in the Jewish Cabbala, Gabriel is the regent of Yesod, the Sephirah that corresponds to the Moon. He governs the cosmic forces that condense and concretize etheric substances into matter and was instrumental in the mystery of Jesus’ birth and of all births before and since, both physical and spiritual.

Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov

The moon is lined to the imagination and I would like to share a short visualisation for the Winter Solstice that was inspired by two books by the master: Angels and The mysteries of Iesod

In Angels the master explains  that the name of God in the Kabbalistic sephirah of Iesod is Shadai El Hai. This translates as Almighty Living God and most literally God of the Mountains. As he is the regent of this sephirah, I visualise Gabriel silently presiding over the high mountain summits like an immense bird. He emanates a soft, gentle light, pure and white as mountain snow. This light enfolds everything around it in its peaceful, protective energy like a great wing.

In initiatic science, mountaintops represent the causal plane, ‘The Secret Place of the Most High’ mentioned in the Psalm. It is from this inner space of the Spirit that our purest and most disinterested prayers are formulated and received by the Invisible. Physically climbing to the summit of a mountain is spiritually beneficial to us but for those of us living on the levelled planes of physical existence that is rarely possible. But there is nothing to prevent us making the journey through the power of our imagination. We can raise our consciousness to higher levels simply by climbing an imaginary mountain and praying on an imaginary summit. In that way,  we can dissolve the stress and strains of life in the valleys and bathe for a while in an ocean of peaceful light.

The master told us that the archangel Gabriel and the angelic order of the angels (Kerubim, strong ones, in Hebrew) are always ready and willing to help us in such efforts. Of all the angelic hierarchies, the angels are the closest to human beings, after the Ischim (saints, initiates and masters).  We have to meet them half way though. We have to make the effort to come into their presence and know what to ask for.

Sometimes, it can be hard not to feel discouraged by events that unfold on the human stage. But that is when our imagination is at its most useful – through the ability it gives us to envisage and desire a better reality than the one in front of our eyes. The master encouraged us to actively use this faculty to paint divine images of a better, more beautiful life for all people.

SJJ

Below is an extract from Angels and other mysteries of the tree of life   

When you wake up in the morning, why not start your day by thinking of all those creatures of light going up and down between the earth and the throne of God? If you did this, your whole day would be illuminated. Think of them, contemplate them in your heart and soul, and say their names. When you are in a crowd and you call somebody’s name, they hear you and turn to look at you. This is exactly what happens with the entities of the invisible world: if you call their name, they turn and look at you, and in this way you can make contact with them.

By becoming more and more aware of the reality of these higher entities, you become gradually imbued with their virtues, constantly more alive and luminous; your inner world is progressively enriched. At the same time, however, you must continue to be very unassuming, knowing well that many of these entities will be far beyond your reach for a long time yet. Begin by trying to make contact with the saints and initiates, with the great spiritual masters who have been entrusted with the care of humanity. Later you can rise to a higher plane and try to get in touch with the angels, for the angels are nearer to human beings than any of the other angelic orders, and are always ready to listen to them, to help them and answer their prayers. You can also try to invoke the archangels.

Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov  Angels and other mysteries of the tree of life

To read the first chapter of Angels and other mysteries of the tree of life you can visit Prosveta US or Prosveta UK and flick through.

The Mysteries of Iesod: Prosveta US     Prosveta UK