Angels in Judaism & Islam: Invocation & the Art of Attraction

Depiction of an Angel in Islamic Art

Humanity's belief in angels is both widespread and diverse, cutting across multiple cultures and spiritual traditions.  Often associated with Christianity, angels also figure prominently in the Hebrew Bible, and the Islamic Koran. They may be seen in ancient Sumerian and Assyrian bas-relief as well as numerous Christian and Islamic works of art.

It is not surprising that Islamic tradition, with its historical link to ancient Mesopotamian religion, contains a wealth of information about angels.  According the Koran it was the angel Gabriel who revealed the will of God to Mohammad on Mount Hira and angels are considered an article of faith in Islam to this day.

According to Islam angels are creatures of light created by God for the purpose of worship of God.  They are fed by light and by things said to be similar to light. This includes beautiful language, as in the language of sacred scripture, as well as pleasing scents.  Unpleasant odors are said to repel them or to even attract evil spirits such Jinn.  Angels have the ability according to the tenants of Islam to appear simultaneously in different locations which the visualization of specific angels possible to many people concurrently.

Jewish mystical texts reference dozens of angels including the four primary archangels, Michael, Gabriel, Uriel and Raphael.  According to the Zohar, angels preceded humanity having been created at the moment that God said, "Let there be light."  In the Talmud and other sources, angels are said to communicate with the human soul during sleep, acting as a messenger between the individual and God.  My own direct experience of angels occurred during sleep and carried over into a waking state.  In Judaism angels exist to carry out the will of God.  They do not answer prayers directly but may relay prayers to God causing specific requests to be heard or facilitated. 

The invocation of angels in the waking state is the subject of many books and articles and there is great deal of information on the topic available.  It is my personal belief that we are surrounded by spiritual energy at all times even if the manifestation of this energy is relatively rare.  Steps to open ourselves to this energy include raising our own spiritual vibration and establishing a connection with spirit.  This may be facilitated by spiritual practices which include meditation, visualization, prayer, music, aromatherapy, and the recitation of sacred text.