FIERY PRINCE OF LIGHT AND CHAMPION OF HUMANITY
Michael is probably the best known of all the angels, mentioned by name in the
Old and New Testaments and the Koran as an archangel. His name
means "Who is as God," a perfect reflection of divine
light. He is the Prince of Light, leading the forces of good
against the powers of darkness. Conqueror of Satan in the War in
Heaven, he will lead the heavenly hosts in the final conflict. It
was Michael who rescued Daniel from the lions' den and, according to
Christian tradition, he antagonizes Satan by visiting each soul at the
moment of death and offering the opportunity of redemption.
Muslim lore describes him as having wings covered with saffron-coloured
hairs, each of which has a million faces with a million mouths, all
imploring God to have mercy on humanity.
Michael is the Dragon slayer, the heavenly counterpart of St.
George. This is often thought to represent the triumph of
Christianity over paganism, but in fact is rather the triumph of divine
order over the chaotic powers of darkness. The most warlike of
the archangels, he has appeared during battles, most memorably at Mons
during World War I, when an overwhelmingly superior German army was
inexplicably put to flight. German prisoners from the battle
described a phantom army over the Allied lines, led by a resplendent
figure on a white horse.
ASSOCIATION AND SYMBOLISM
In alchemical terms Michael represents the golden lion, the transmuted
and perfected energy of the base primordial dragon. He is the
patron of high places,
and many hilltop churches in Europe are dedicated to him, usually as Saint Michael.
The term saint reflects the ambivalence towards angels in Christian tradition.
Michael is guardian angel of both the Roman Catholic Church and the
state of Israel. In art he is most often depicted wearing red and
green, white, or shining armor. As Dragon slayer he wields sword
or lance with his foot on the dragon's neck, and as angel of death and
divine justice he holds a pair of scales. As Archangel of the
South he represents the element of fire and the season of summer.
He is best visualized in the fiery colours of red.
