May 10, 2023

 Today was a little different. No lost souls, no missions. Instead, I found myself in the Angel Gabriel's memories (or at least the memories of the one I call Gabriel; who knows who he really is.) It was like I was in his “body” and seeing everything through his eyes. We were in the Imaginal realm so everything was rich in metaphor and symbolism and nothing was intended to be taken literally. As always, it’s the meaning behind the symbolism that’s important.


At first, I saw a golden chest covered in jewels. I’ve seen this chest before and recognized it: The Ark of the Covenant. The chest’s lid was missing and inside was a baby boy. As I moved closer, I realized that the chest was sitting in the midst of a murky, foggy marsh. Rising up out of the fetid water were a bunch of skeletal hags, their rotting skin hanging off their bones. They were horrific but I was unafraid. I moved through the marsh toward the golden chest, taking the infant out and hauling him to safety.


I held the baby to my chest and, looking down, realized that my body could be either a woman’s or a man’s. It didn’t matter which gender because gender was unimportant.


I waded out of the marsh, eventually finding higher ground and settling down on a grassy bank. The fog lifted, revealing a lush, green pasture and blue sky filled with puffy clouds. It was quite an idyllic scene. I looked down at the infant and watched him grow into a boy and then into a bearded man. I recognized him then as the same king that I met yesterday, the one seated on a golden throne surrounded by angels.


The man stood up and, holding a staff, made his way across the pasture, away from me. Part of me wondered if this man was supposed to be Jesus but I’ve met Jesus a few times and this guy was not him. I still don’t know who is, though. David? Solomon? Someone else? The only thing that was clear was he was an important leader from pre-Christian times. And this leadership was important not only in that time but he continues to hold considerable power even now in the Imaginal realms.


I understood that, as the Angel Gabriel, it was my responsibility to look after him, not to protest him because, as soon became apparent, I could not. Rather than protecting his body, I was tasked with protecting his soul and I took this mission seriously.


I should also note Gabriel's affect: He wasn’t warm and fuzzy like a human. He was simply who he is. And he doesn’t really have a gender. I get the sense that we can see him in any number of ways in any number of genders. Again, gender is unimportant to him. He is who he is and has a steadiness and imperturbability about him. He is also not afraid of anything.


Time slid by but I remained unchanged. The man disappeared but the pasture remained. Suddenly, it was split by a black chasm. The chasm was vast and filled with stars. I walked toward it, eventually entering inside. There was an enormous, black demon with huge horns waiting for me. As fierce as he was, though, I was still unafraid. I simply raised the sword in my hand and sliced a hole in his heart. I don’t think I killed him or really even hurt him - that wasn’t the point. 


The point was to enter his heart and I did, stepping inside where there was a fire blazing. Inside the demon’s heart was a golden casket covered in jewels. It reminded me of the golden chest in which I had found the baby. Like the chest, the lid was open on the casket and there were only bones inside. Bones and the tattered remnants of a robe.


I knew these were the bones of the man (who had been the baby) and lifted them gently out of the casket. As I did so, the skin and sinew grew back, knitting the bones together. In a moment, the man was whole again and, even more important, alive.


This was the end of the memory that Gabriel shared with me. He stayed within me (and is still there), though, after it was over. Why exactly he wanted to share this memory with me isn’t precisely clear. It seemed to establish his devotion to the man and also his fondness toward him. It also seems to be intended to help me see the man more fully. Why Gabriel considered this important is beyond me at this point but maybe I’ll figure it out soon? In any case, it established the man as not just important but also human. And I also got the sense that he is good and just.


More than that, though, only time may tell.


***


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