10 Interesting Facts about Archangel Gabriel
10 Interesting Facts about Archangel Gabriel
1. Gabriel means: "God is my strength" or "God is mighty." Gabriel is one of only two angels mentioned by name in the Bible. Michael is the other. Raphael is mentioned in the Apocrypha, which is included in the Catholic Bible.2. Gabriel appears in the Bible as a messenger on important occasions. The most famous example of this is the Annunciation when he visited the Virgin Mary and told her to prepare for the birth of Jesus Christ (Luke 1:26-38).3. Gabriel has always had a close association with maternity. An ancient legend says that she announced the birth of Samson. She appeared to Zacharias to tell him that he and his wife Elizabeth should prepare for the birth of a son, John the Baptist (Luke 1:5-25). In the Jewish tradition it is believed that Gabriel instructs the baby while it is in the womb.4. Although not identified by name, many Christians believe that Gabriel announced Christ's birth to the shepherds, warned Mary and Joseph that Herod's soldiers were searching for Jesus, and rolled away the stone that sealed the tomb of Jesus.5. Gabriel is considered the Archangel of Dreams, Premonitions and Clairvoyance. This came about after she helped Daniel to understand the significance and symbolism of his strange dreams (Daniel 8:16-27).6. In 98 C.E. a strange letter containing "the Commandments of Jesus Christ" appeared. It was supposedly written by Gabriel and became a relic of the early church. The originals of this letter have never been produced, but copies were sold in England as lucky charms to provide safe childbirth and to protect the owner from evil and harm.7. According to the Harmonists, a nineteenth-century religious sect, Gabriel visited their leader, Father George Rapp, in New Harmony, Indiana, and even left her footprint on a limestone slab. It can still be seen today.8. In the Christian tradition, Gabriel will blow the horn to wake the dead on Judgment Day. The Judgement card in the Tarot deck illustrates this. Cole Porter wrote the song Blow, Gabriel, Blow for his 1934 musical Anything Goes.9. Gabriel appeared to Muhammad and dictated the Koran to him. In the Islamic tradition, Gabriel also taught Noah how to build his ark from the famed cedar trees of Lebanon. Muslims also believe that Gabriel presented Abraham with the Black Stone of the Kaba. Everyone who makes the annual pilgrimage to Mecca kisses this stone.10. One of the most remarkable stories about Gabriel is the Islamic belief that she invented coffee. One night, when Muhammad was extremely tired, Gabriel brought him a cup of coffee. This not only kept him awake, but also gave him the necessary strength to defeat forty horsemen, and to satisfy forty women.Richard Webster is author of more than eighty books including Gabriel, Spirit Guides and Angel Guardians, Michael, Raphael, and Miracles. His website is http://www.psychic.co.nz
Inner-Tubing With God: Understanding Gods Ways
Inner-Tubing With God: Understanding Gods Ways
It is so obvious that God works and thinks on a
totally different level than we do. I have spent
most of my life in my left logical side of my
brain trying to figure out God, people, events and
reason. Only to be left frustrated, irritated and
emotionally dehydrated.What makes it most
interesting is, we look back and the flow of our
lives makes perfect sense and in God's perfect
timing. The question is, "Is it possible to live
in a state of mind where we just go with God's
flow, without trying to grab hold and figure life
out our way? The bible says it is. "The ways of
God are without fault. The Lord's words are pure.
He is a shield to those who trust him." Psalm
18:30.I love inner tubing down a river. You have no
control of what direction you face, the current
sets your pace and you are directed by nature's
obstacles through the water. While you have
absolutely no say in your destiny down the river
there is such a comfort sitting on that tube
floating on top of the waves feeling that powerful
body of water underneath you.A question I ask myself is, "Why do I even think I
need to understand God's ways?" Do we think our
ways are better? Sure we do at times. Do we need
to think about how we are going to get down that
river the most effective way on that tube?
Absolutely not. We just know in our hearts if we
stay on that tube(word of God) we will have a fun
and interesting ride down the river and eventually
get taken to where we want to go.When we finally get to the point where we fully
comprehend and ACCEPT the fact that God's ways are
not our ways, and our plans are not better than
God's, we tend to enjoy the river of life more and
look forward to the journey ahead without
uncertainty.There's a chance God is working in your life above
water or in the currents below right this very
second. Do you need to fully understand what he is
doing? Probably not! Grab that inner tube, get on
top along side God(study the word) hold on in
trust and let the river of his Holy Spirit give
you a ride of a lifetime this week.
And what's even more fun is taking someone with
you!!!Greg Ryan is a best selling author of the Changing from the INSIDE OUT series. A powerful five step plan to better your life, get healthier, and have more energy!
For FREE mini Course click here! http://www.resolutions.bz
The Truth of Reactions
The Truth of Reactions
In my life, I have tried to be Good and Pure and True. In these qualities, I have failed miserably. Why is it so hard to be good? Why is it so difficult to act in harmony with our mental ideals?From the sea of Emptiness, everything arises.Many people on the spiritual path eventually come face to face with their "Dark Side" - that part of themselves that is very, un-enlightened, selfish and spoiled. Reactions are a great mirror. We shout at the driver who cut us off. We take advantage of our employees because they really need the job. We cheat on our diets, our spouses, and our promises. We want to be good. We want to live in harmony with our spiritual nature, but sometimes, sometimes when lust, fear, or power overwhelm us - a demon seems to take charge of our actions. He makes us do things we regret if others see, and "forget" if others don't.The lion kills the gazelle. The ice kills the last dinosaur. Man loves Woman. Man kills Man. Man creates monuments to the Gods.Reactions. Words are easy. It is easy to say you are good, to say you love everyone and everything, to think to yourself that you are enlightened, to imagine that you give selflessly to the unfortunate. But actions, particularly re-actions are the great indicators of our deeper nature. Your "dark" reactions - both physical and emotional - are what the spiritual seeker must boldly face if they are ever to progress past a rudimentary taste of Inner Peace.To survive, He kills. To spread his seed, He goes to war. To teach his children, he works his life away.There are a million self-help books out there. Countless psychologists and billions of people who will all tell you exactly what you need to do to make yourself "better." Let me posit that you don't need to be fixed. Let me further posit that the only thing any of us are guilty of is a little fantasizing.At his base, He is an animal. At his apex, He is a god.One of the gifts of humanity is the gift of imagination. The problem is, sometimes we don't realize that we are imagining. We believe some fantasy about who we are and all our "problems" rear up and slap us in the face when we don't live up to that fantasy. Let me say that again. Our problems arise when who we really are conflicts with who we think we are.Self preservation. Procreation. Possession. Defending the Tribe. Attacking to Survive.You are selfish. You do lust after your neighbor's wife. You really do want to be famous and rich and powerful. Your fantasy says these are all off limits to the spiritual seeker. That if you were a good man/woman/god you wouldn't have those feelings.War and Peace. Good and Evil. Love and Hate. Me and Them. One cannot exist without the Other. One cannot exist without Two.So which is more real, your fantasy persona or your true, if somewhat repressed emotions? All this might sound a little funny coming from a man who claims to see God (a female god nonetheless) in a discarded banana peel, but damn it, I know my viewpoint is an illusion. Most seekers don't realize their fantasies are really only mental images - ideals that exist only in their minds.Below it all, the Source. Below it all, Emptiness. From the sea of Emptiness. All life arises.Your "dark" reactions are simply little indicators of where your true self deviates from your imagined self. Deny your nature and live your fantasy. Embrace the Darkness, feel the burn - and you will quickly find the Light.Wayne Wirs is the photographer and author of Fading Toward Enlightenment - Life between the Ego and the Ethereal. For more information about Wayne, his writings or his photography, please visit
http://FadingTowardEnlightenment.com