Archangel Gabriel and the waters of birth
Articoli
ARCHANGEL GABRIEL AND THE WATERS OF BIRTH
Gabriel, the "Father of Water"
In an evocative passage of the Gospels, it is said that one day the angel Gabriel introduced himself to a virgin named Mary, announcing the conception of a special child. In classical iconography the angel is depicted handing the girl a lily branch.
One may consider this to be the chronicle of an episode that really took place in Galilee 2000 years ago; or one may think that it is a fairy tale invented to give some foundation to a new religion. But there is a third alternative, which can replace or accompany the other two. We can see this story as symbolic, conveying important messages.
 | ||
In ancient times Gabriel was called "Father of Water". This name was not given by accident: Gabriel is associated with both physical and symbolic birth, and every birth occurs in water. In our reality, birth is the gateway through which every living being acquires a material body. Entry into the world always has a purpose and this is known to us before we arrive on earth.
But for each birth that takes place on the physical plane, there are a myriad that occur in other dimensions. The human being is continuously conceiving, giving birth, becoming a mother: we constantly give life to words, thoughts, actions. We continually bring to light all sorts of beings that, through us, reside on earth and enter our very existence. We are right to define that which is born of us as ‘child’.
| ||
The nature of our children
Just as there are good children and bad ones, we conceive of plans and events that are beneficial, harmful, noble or despicable. A lot depends on the intentions and feelings that bring us to life when we build our ‘work’.
Notwithstanding external conditioning, we all see things and lead our lives in a way that is personal to us. Free will - that is, the ability to say yes or no, to act and react as best we see it - makes each of us, and our plans, into something unique. Before we reach mental and spiritual maturity, we happily ignore anything that does not suit us; we pretend as though we are not aware of it.
Admittedly, the way we think is above all related to personal gain: we are often driven by selfishness, greed or indifference, and these tendencies have deep roots. Some of us manage to partially root out these tendencies, whilst others let them grow out of proportion and become toxic.
But living this way inevitably leads to the accumulation of anguish, resentment, guilt, regret... self-perpetuating, overlapping states of mind. Resentment generates hatred, hatred encourages revenge, revenge causes remorse and so on.
| ||
Tapping into pure sources
When we tire of navigating unchartered waters – perhaps because circumstances are against us – we can decide to suddenly change course and seek help to cleanse, first and foremost in ourselves. This is akin to turning on a switch in our minds, illuminating our understanding. In so doing, we become aware that we can draw on healthier springs: "Higher Waters", the ocean of divine life, in which we are immersed without our knowing. This is a source always available to us, even if all too often we choose to remain thirsty.
It is one of Gabriel's tasks is to facilitate this transformation, first by helping human beings to realise what is happening within; and then by teaching us to manage emotions and feelings. The inner waters are where the rebirth begins.
| ||
To announce something is to make people aware
The revelations made to Mary are now clearer to us.
To make an announcement is to create awareness. When the angel speaks, the Virgin Mary becomes aware of what is already stirring within her. It is as though he says to her, «Open your eyes and look at what is happening within. You will be a mother...»
To announce, to proclaim, is to bring attention to what has already been sown and is taking shape: something new: first conceived spiritually, then physically. We can read the message Gabriel had previously brought to Zacharias, when he let him know that his beloved wife Elizabeth would give him a son, John the Baptist.
In modern times for us, receiving Gabriel's message means acknowledging the presence of new life. If we allow our intuition to perceive it, the ‘child’ will emerge; we must open ourselves up to give it welcome and nurture it constantly.
| ||
The reunification of masculinity and femininity, love and will
To be born into the world every child needs a womb. Even our Child. This is the role of Our Lady and that which she represents.
Mary, the depiction of Mother Earth, provides us with the physical element. On another level though, Mary reminds us that our inner Child draws its substance from the maternal and feminine aspect of God. This feminine aspect is hidden and ostracized by patriarchal religions. To give birth to our Child we need to recognise and reunite the masculine and feminine parts of God, of life and of ourselves, holding the two parts in balance. Our masculine and paternal aspect is will; the feminine and maternal aspect is love.
| ||
The lily, the ear of wheat, the feather
Why do we call this Mother a "virgin"?
From a physical point of view, the concept makes no sense: its meaning is completely symbolic. Our Lady is a virgin because she is pure. The mother’s love that gives birth to the inner child has no dark side: it is sincere, open, unprejudiced.
Different to what we are taught, purity has little to do with sexuality. True purity regards our intentions, what drives – even unconsciously – our actions. Our Lady is a virgin because she has no selfish or perverse agenda.
The lily that Gabriel gives her is not only an emblem of innocence: like Greek goddess’s Astrea’s ear of wheat (Astrea was also a virgin), or the feather of the Egyptian goddess Maat, rather it is first and foremost a message of life. The flower, the ear and the feather are symbols of the living beings that are created in the womb of Mother Earth. It is not by coincidence that Astrea and Maat are depicted by the Virgo constellation and its brightest star, Spica.
So many cultures over millennia have come together and known Goddess Mother for her connection to water. Springs of water bubble beneath even the great Marian shrines and the antique ruins of temples. We know that water is life, but we do not always fully appreciate this. Water is a vital foundation in the physical sense, because everything in it is born; but it is also vital in a spiritual sense, because it is the blood of Mother Earth. It's an element of purification. Thus, Mother is the one from whom we are created but also re-created.
| ||
Acknowledging emotions and feelings
Gabriel proclaims the birth of our inner Child: a new way of being, which comes to light when we open ourselves to the influence of the Higher Worlds. Only when we begin to listen to the voice of our best selves do we welcome the seeds of divine life onto our figurative land.
Of course, the Child cannot be born unless we first learn to govern the waters within us. Beware though: governing does not mean repressing. Rather, it is the ability to recognise emotions and feelings, not letting them be hidden but perceiving them for what they are and finally accepting them. By accepting these feelings, we can transform them and use them for our benefit. The feelings that we hide or repress work against us without our knowing, leading us towards actions and attitudes that will sooner or later prove disadvantageous.
Gabriel announces the birth of our most important plans because he ignites our awareness, enabling us to become the best version of ourselves.
| ||
Guardian angels
There are other aspects of Gabriel's association to birth.
According to esoteric tradition, the angel Gabriel is connected to the moon. On this plane, everything that "precedes" our physical body takes shape: the etheric casing and the set of forces that interweaves with our physicality. Gabriel governs these forces.
But not only this, it is Gabriel who provides each human being with a guardian angel. Indeed, it can be
said that guardian angels are sparks of energy emanating from the archangel Gabriel.
said that guardian angels are sparks of energy emanating from the archangel Gabriel.
Maria Antonietta Pirrigheddu
21.12.13
You may also like: