Summer Solstice: Feast Day of the Holy Archangel Uriel
|
The name Uriel means the “Light/Fire of El” or of God. In the Gnostic Tradition Archangels are forces emanating from the One working in all the aeons to bring all things back into the Pleroma. As the Divine Fire, Uriel is therefore one of the countless rays which form part of the Great Light of God’s Holy Love.
This spiritual being was first revealed in the apocryphal 'Second Book of Esdras' in which the prophet Ezra asks God a series of questions, and Uriel is sent to instruct him. It is then revealed to Ezra that Uriel is one of the Angels that will rule the world during the end times along with: Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Gabuthelon, Beburos, Zebuleon, Aker, and Arphugitonos. In Christian apocryphal texts Uriel is also said to be the wielder of the Flaming Sword barring the entrance to the Gates of Eden and plays an important role in rescuing Jesus' cousin John the Baptist from the Massacre of the Innocents ordered by King Herod. He carries John and his mother Saint Elizabeth to join the Holy Family after their Flight into Egypt. This is one of the important reasons why Uriel’s Feast Day falls on the same day as that of St. John the Baptist and the Summer Solstice for Gnostics. |
The 'Books of Enoch' also tell us that Uriel, Raphael, and Gabriel were present before God to testify on behalf of Humankind when they pleaded for divine intervention during the reign of the Fallen Gregori (Fallen Watchers). These fallen angels took human wives and produced half-angel, half-human demonic offspring called the Nephilim.
Furthermore, in the 'Books of Enoch,' Uriel is said to be responsible for the following warning to Noah about the upcoming Great Flood:
"Then said the Most High, the Holy and Great One spoke, and sent Uriel to the son of Lamech, and said to him: "<Go to Noah> and tell him in my name 'Hide thyself!' and reveal to him the end that is approaching: that the whole earth will be destroyed, and a deluge is about to come upon the whole earth, and will destroy all that is on it."
However, possibly Uriel's highest position is that of one of the Angels of Presence, also known as the Princes of Presence. A Prince of the Presence is an Angel who is allowed to enter the very presence of God. The other Princes of the Presence include the Angels: Suriel, Jehoel, Zagagel, Akatriel, Metatron, Yefefiah, Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and Nathanel (Zathael).
In the Christian Esoteric Tradition, Uriel is known as one of the Four Great Archangels and Guardians of the Quarters. He is the ruler of the Element of Earth and of the North, wears robes of citrine, olive, russet, and carries a pentacle, coin or shield. He is also the Archangel associated with the tenth Sephira Malkuth in the Christian Kabbalah or God’s Kingdom, to Good Works, and to the planet Earth. He can be understood as the fiery spiritual presence of God in matter.
In the Orthodox Churches, Uriel is commemorated together with the other Archangels during the feast day of the "Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers" on November 8. The Gnostic Church has settled on the Summer Solstice (around June 21-22) after the example set by the Ecclesia Gnostica. Along with Uriel’s association with St-John the Baptist mentioned above, the Summer Solstice is the moment of the strongest spiritual influence of the Sun (and of the element of Fire) during the cycle of the year, and is therefore a very appropriate Feast Day for this Archangel which was also known as the ‘Regent of the Sun.’
The following prayer to Uriel is traditional, and as adapted, is recommended for Gnostic use:
Oh holy Saint Uriel, intercede for us so that our hearts may burn with the fire of the Sacred Fire of the Love of the Aeon Christ. Assist us in co-operating with the graces of our Baptism so that the gifts of the Holy Paraclete may bear much fruit in our souls. Obtain for us the Gnosis of the Flaming Sword of Truth to pare away all that is not in conformity to the Divine Spark and to the Divine Will within us, that we may fully participate in the army of the Hidden Universal Mystical Church of all the Aeons. Amen.
Furthermore, in the 'Books of Enoch,' Uriel is said to be responsible for the following warning to Noah about the upcoming Great Flood:
"Then said the Most High, the Holy and Great One spoke, and sent Uriel to the son of Lamech, and said to him: "<Go to Noah> and tell him in my name 'Hide thyself!' and reveal to him the end that is approaching: that the whole earth will be destroyed, and a deluge is about to come upon the whole earth, and will destroy all that is on it."
However, possibly Uriel's highest position is that of one of the Angels of Presence, also known as the Princes of Presence. A Prince of the Presence is an Angel who is allowed to enter the very presence of God. The other Princes of the Presence include the Angels: Suriel, Jehoel, Zagagel, Akatriel, Metatron, Yefefiah, Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and Nathanel (Zathael).
In the Christian Esoteric Tradition, Uriel is known as one of the Four Great Archangels and Guardians of the Quarters. He is the ruler of the Element of Earth and of the North, wears robes of citrine, olive, russet, and carries a pentacle, coin or shield. He is also the Archangel associated with the tenth Sephira Malkuth in the Christian Kabbalah or God’s Kingdom, to Good Works, and to the planet Earth. He can be understood as the fiery spiritual presence of God in matter.
In the Orthodox Churches, Uriel is commemorated together with the other Archangels during the feast day of the "Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers" on November 8. The Gnostic Church has settled on the Summer Solstice (around June 21-22) after the example set by the Ecclesia Gnostica. Along with Uriel’s association with St-John the Baptist mentioned above, the Summer Solstice is the moment of the strongest spiritual influence of the Sun (and of the element of Fire) during the cycle of the year, and is therefore a very appropriate Feast Day for this Archangel which was also known as the ‘Regent of the Sun.’
The following prayer to Uriel is traditional, and as adapted, is recommended for Gnostic use:
Oh holy Saint Uriel, intercede for us so that our hearts may burn with the fire of the Sacred Fire of the Love of the Aeon Christ. Assist us in co-operating with the graces of our Baptism so that the gifts of the Holy Paraclete may bear much fruit in our souls. Obtain for us the Gnosis of the Flaming Sword of Truth to pare away all that is not in conformity to the Divine Spark and to the Divine Will within us, that we may fully participate in the army of the Hidden Universal Mystical Church of all the Aeons. Amen.