Gabriel is one of the four great archangels of the quarters, traditionally assigned to the West, the element of Water, and the lunar sphere. His name (גַּבְרִיאֵל, Gavri'el) translates as 'God is my strength' or 'Mighty one of God.' In the hierarchy of the Sephiroth, Gabriel is the archangel of Yesod (the Foundation), the ninth Sephirah, which corresponds to the astral plane, the moon, and the realm of dreams and illusion.

Position on the Tree of Life

Gabriel rules the 23rd path of the Tree of Life, which connects Yesod (Foundation) to Malkuth (Kingdom). This path is associated with the Hebrew letter Mem (מ), meaning 'water,' and the astrological sign of Aquarius. As the archangel of this path, Gabriel governs the flow of subconscious imagery and the purifying, dissolving power of water, acting as a bridge between the astral light and the material world.

Astrological and planetary correspondence

Gabriel is the archangel of the Moon, not of a planet in the classical sense but of the lunar sphere. This correspondence aligns him with the tides, the feminine principle, intuition, and the cycles of birth and death. In the system of Liber 777, the Moon is attributed to the 9th Sephirah (Yesod), and Gabriel is its archangelic governor. His planetary hour is Monday (dies Lunae), and his metal is silver.

Historical context

Gabriel appears in the Hebrew Bible as the angel who interprets visions to the prophet Daniel (Daniel 8:16, 9:21), explaining the ram and the he-goat and the prophecy of seventy weeks. In the New Testament, he announces the births of John the Baptist to Zechariah (Luke 1:19) and of Jesus to Mary (Luke 1:26-38). In the Book of Enoch, Gabriel is one of the four archangels who stand before the throne of God, tasked with destroying the Nephilim and overseeing Paradise. In Jewish mystical tradition, particularly the Zohar, Gabriel is the angel of judgment, often depicted as a warrior with a flaming sword, yet also as the angel of mercy who brings dreams and revelations. In Islamic tradition, Jibril (Gabriel) is the archangel who revealed the Quran to Muhammad, serving as the supreme messenger between God and the prophets. In ceremonial magic, Gabriel is invoked for protection, purification, and for gaining insight into hidden matters, especially those of a lunar or watery nature. He is also the angel of the fourth quarter of the zodiac (Pisces, Cancer, Scorpio) and of the element of Water in the Watchtowers of the Enochian system.

In the table of Liber 777, Gabriel appears at step 23 (Path 23) under the column 'Archangels of the Quarters,' where he is the archangel of the West, the element of Water, and the direction of the setting sun. His corresponding magical image is that of a young man bearing a cup or a ewer of water, often with a lily or a crescent moon at his feet.