Gabriel (גַּבְרִיאֵל, "God is my strength") is one of the four great archangels of the Western esoteric tradition. His name is composed of gever (strength) and El (God); its classical meaning is "Man of God" or "Strong one of God." In the hermetic cosmology of the Golden Dawn and of Liber 777, Gabriel serves as the presiding intelligence of the element of Water and of the moon's ever-changing tides. He is the angel who brings messages, announcements, and the power of purification through the moist, receptive currents of creation.

Position on the Tree of Life

Gabriel is stationed on the 13th Path of the Tree of Life, the path that connects Yesod (Foundation, the sphere of the Moon) with Tiphareth (Beauty, the sphere of the Sun). This path is assigned to the Hebrew letter Gimel (ג), which means "camel"—an animal that carries water across a desert. As the geomantic intelligence of this path, Gabriel guides the subtle forces of the Via (the geomantic figure whose name means "Way"), which is formed by a single moving point of Water and Earth. The path of Gimel is the straight, celestial highway that links the subconscious receptacle of all images (Yesod) with the conscious centre of the Self (Tiphareth). Gabriel is the angel who makes that lunar-solar bridge possible, descending as a messenger into the underworld of dreams and ascending with clarified vision.

Astrological and planetary correspondence

Gabriel's primary correspondence is the Moon—the sphere of Yesod, the astrological light that waxes and wanes. In the system of Liber 777, Gabriel appears in the column of Geomantic Intelligences, where he rules the geomantic figure Via. His position is also reflected in the thirty-two paths: Path 13 (Gimel) is the lunar path par excellence. Gabriel's nature is therefore reflective, receptive, and cyclical. He governs the hidden currents of the subconscious, the tides of the astral body, and the receptive power of the imagination. He is the angel who stands before the gate of the Invisible, holding a cup of living waters.

History

Gabriel appears by name in the Book of Daniel (8:16, 9:21) in the Hebrew Bible, where he is sent to explain visions to the prophet. In the New Testament, Gabriel announces the births of John the Baptist (Luke 1:19) and of Jesus Christ (Luke 1:26–38). Jewish apocryphal texts (Enoch, the Testament of Solomon) depict Gabriel as one of the four archangels who stand before the Throne of Glory, and as the angel of destruction who destroys the hosts of Sennacherib. In Islamic tradition, Gabriel (Jibril) is the angel who dictated the Qur'an to Muhammad.

In Renaissance angelology, Gabriel is associated with the element of Water, the West, the moon, and the colour silver. The grimoire traditions (the Sworn Book of Honorius, the Key of Solomon) assign Gabriel to Monday and to the ruling of the lunar hours. In the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, Gabriel is invoked as the archangel of Yesod, the ninth sephirah, and as the keeper of the sphere of the Moon. He is also the angel who rules the geomantic figure Via—the figure of movement, journeying, and sudden change, all qualities emblematic of the moon's constant motion.

Gabriel in Liber 777

In Liber 777, column CLXXVII, row 13, Gabriel appears as the Geomantic Intelligence of the 13th Path (Gimel, the Moon). He is grouped with three other archangels who govern the geomantic figures: Raphael, Michael, and Anael. This placement makes Gabriel the power that vitalises the geomantic figure Via, a figure of transformation and the crossing of thresholds. As such, his presence in the table suggests that every divination that throws Via carries the signature of Gabriel's lunar, annunciatory force—an opening, a message, the flowing of water through a narrow channel.