10 Interesting Facts about Archangel Uriel

1. The name Uriel means "Light of God" or "Flame of God." This is because Uriel brings the light, or flame, of knowledge from God to mankind. His symbol is an open hand holding a flame.

2. Uriel is one of the four main archangels in the Christian and Judaic traditions. The others are Michael, Gabriel and Raphael.

3. Uriel is considered to be Archangel of the Earth. This means he is responsible for protecting people from floods, earthquakes and other natural disasters. He is believed to have warned Noah of the impending flood. Some people believe that Uriel appears in storms and rainbows. Because of this close association with the Earth, Uriel acts as a channel between the Earth and the divine, bringing God's plan into the material world. Uriel's season is winter, and his direction North.

4. The Christian Church demoted Uriel in 745 C.E. Pope Zachary became concerned at the proliferation of angels that was occurring. He called together a church council who denounced all the angels who were not mentioned by name in the Scriptures. Until this demotion Uriel was considered one of the most important angels. Uriel was the most highly ranked angel to be treated this way.

5. During the Renaissance, Pope Clement III ordered images of Uriel to be removed from churches because he mistakenly thought Uriel was connected with a heresy that claimed John the Baptist was the Messiah.

6. Dr. John Dee, astrologer to Queen Elizabeth I, communicated with Uriel, and may even have seen him. In 1582, he had a vision of a young angel floating outside his window, holding a crystal egg. Dr. Dee believed this to be Uriel.

7. Uriel is the Archangel of Prophecy and helps people develop their psychic and intuitive skills. He provides insights in the form of visions, dreams, and perceptions. In his book The Magus (1801), Francis Barrett credits Uriel with introducing alchemy and the Kabbalah to the world.

8. Uriel is the Archangel of Poetry and Music. He helps and encourages people engaged in any form of creativity. Uriel's glyph is a flash of lightning, and he willingly provides flashes of inspiration for people who need it.

9. Uriel helps people gain greater insight and clarity into the motivations of others. This clarity also extends to helping people with vision problems.

10. Although Uriel is gentle, loving and kind, he is severe when people blaspheme or offend God. One of his tasks is to punish sinners. Consequently, he is also known as the Angel of Retribution. An ancient tradition says that Uriel was the angel who wrestled with Jacob for a full night (Genesis 32: 24-30).

Richard Webster has written more than eighty books, including Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Spirit Guides and Angel Guardians, and Miracles. His website is http://www.psychic.co.nz