Divine Art Creations

Gabriel ~ (God is my strength)

My inspiration for this art piece is the arch-angel Gabriel. Gabriel has always been one of my most cherished angels. In the Jewish, Islamic and Christian traditions Gabriel is one of the highest ranking angels. Reflecting back upon my childhood years I recall having an invisible special friend who was always with me giving me guidance and insight into the lives of others. As a child we would spend countless hours in cherry trees conversing about matters of love, truth and spirit. Occasionally, wild birds would even land on my arms and shoulders, which at the time seemed quite natural. So many young children often adopt invisible friends, however, my friend Gabriel seemed quite different. When I first encountered Gabriel, I was a bit intimidated by this very large figure with bird like wings and a white gown. Having no knowledge of angles at such a young age I thought of him as my bird friend.

My experiences with Gabriel have guided me to my true spiritual path and has made a huge impact throughout my life. Ever since I can remember I was very intuitive and would have accurate visions of events before they actually happened. These visions were quite frightening to me at the time, as no one could explain the meaning behind these extraordinary experiences. In my youth, the internal conflict that resulted from these visions turned into feelings of guilt which led to emotional anger and pain. Later in life, I realized I have either a special gift or a dreaded curse. In a quest for answers, I routinely found myself emersed in studies of religion, spirituality and the healing arts. Over a period of seven years I learned much about the devine source and the work of the angels. While reading Islamic teachings I found that Gabriel was known as the angel of truth, which I found very interesting. Immediately I felt a connection between the angel Gabriel and the accuracy of the spiritual messages I receive while doing individual counceling and healing work.

During my years of research in various religious scriptures I have found other references to the angel Gabriel which I will share with you. I found that Gabriel is known to be the angel of annunciation, resurrection, mercy, vengence, relevation, justice and death. Gabriel is said to preside over paradise and sits on the left hand side of God. According to the encylopedia of Islam 1-502 Mohammed confused Gabriel with the Holy Spirit. A confusion that was understandable or explainable by virtue of conflicting accounts in Mathew 1:20 where it is the Holy Spirit that begets Mary 'The Virgin' with child and in Luke 1:26 it is Gabriel who came in unto her and informs her that she had found favor with the lord and would conceive in her womb. I found another account in Islamic teachings that Mohammed claimed it was Gabriel who dictated to him the Koran. In my studies of Judism I found that it was Gabriel who dealt death and destruction to the sinfull cities of the plain (Sodom and Gimora). The Cabalists identify Gabriel as "the man clothed in linen", while in Rabbanic literature Gabriel is the Prince of Justice. Gabriel is also said to be chief of the angelic guards placed over paradise. According to Jewish tradition it was Gabriel who performed the miracle that rescued the three holy men (Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah) from the firey furnace. In later accounts of European history, Joan of Arc gave court testimony that "It was Gabriel who inspired her to go to the succor of the King of France".

It is very apparent that Gabriel has played an improtant role in religious history and present day human experiences. It never fails in my own life that whenever I am confused with work or a personal problem, either trouble with an art piece or empowering someone to heal their own sickness. It is the angel Gabriel that I always turn to for guidance.