Encyclopedia of Angels
by Richard Webster

A couple of months ago, my wife and I sat by the shores of Lake Annecy in the French Alps. We had come to this beautiful place, nestled in the Alps, because many years ago someone had told me the lake was formed from the tears of an angel. As the story goes, thousands of years ago, an angel who lived in this part of France had been summoned back to heaven. He loved living in the French Alps and didn’t want to leave. He cried so much that his tears created two lakes. It’s a charming story, and the beauty of the lake and its surroundings make it easy to understand how this legend began.

The purpose of the trip made perfect sense to me, but some people expressed surprise when I told them we’d gone all the way to France to see a lake created from an angel’s tears. I then had to tell them I’d also been to Belgium, not for the chocolate or the beer, but to visit Mons, where angels had apparently helped the allied soldiers during a battle in World War I. I sometimes also mentioned that I’d visited Assisi in Italy, to visit the place where St. Francis communicated with a member of the Seraphim and received his stigmata. I even visited Peckham Rye in South London on a cold and wet day purely because William Blake, the poet and artist, had seen a tree there covered with angels when he was just nine years old. I could have continued indefinitely, as almost every time I travel, I try to include a place where an angel visitation occurred.

My interest in visiting these places goes back more than forty years. I was living in London at the time, and my girlfriend (now my wife) was working as a nanny for a wealthy family in Mortlake beside the River Thames. The bus I traveled on to visit her passed the site where Dr. John Dee (1527-1608) lived in Elizabethan times. Dr. Dee was a famous astrologer, magician, mathematician, and philosopher. He was a highly influential man in his day, and was involved in many areas, including calendar reform, cartography, and navigation. He even advised Queen Elizabeth on the most suitable date for her coronation. However, his main interest was angelic communication, and this is what he is remembered for today. Dr. Dee claimed to have seen Archangel Uriel on at least two occasions. Dr. Dee’s home was demolished hundreds of years ago, but there is a path through his former property leading to the river. One day, I got off the bus to stand by the river at the approximate spot where Dr. Dee waited to greet Queen Elizabeth and other important people when they came to meet him. It was fascinating to stand on land that had been owned by Dr. Dee, and imagine how he must have felt when he looked out the window of his study and saw Archangel Uriel for the first time.

I remember my grandmother teaching me children’s prayers when I was very young. Some of these involved angels. I went to a parochial school and must have frustrated the chaplain with my endless questions, especially when I learned that my Catholic friends had their own special guardian angel. I vividly remember gathering up enough courage to ask him about them. He explained that Catholics needed a guardian angel, but we didn’t. Even at the time, this seemed unfair to me. It wasn’t until I was in my mid-twenties that I discovered that I not only had a guardian angel, but also definitely needed him.

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An Interview with Richard Webster, Author of Encyclopedia of Angels
by Llewellyn

1. You’ve written books about angels in the past, including Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Spirit Guides & Angel Guardians, and most recently, Praying with Angels. What draws you toward this spiritual topic?

I thought Spirit Guides & Angel Guardians would be my only book on this subject. It was the feedback I received from people who’d read it that encouraged me to write more books on angels. My twelve-year-old granddaughter has become interested in religion, and every Sunday she and I visit a different church. Afterwards, she plies me with questions. Some I can answer, but others I have to research to find an answer. Consequently, right now, we’re both exploring the spiritual side of life.

2. How is your new book, Encyclopedia of Angels, different from your previous angelic works?

Encyclopedia of Angels differs from my earlier angelic works in a number of ways. It enabled me to write about angels from different traditions, such as Zoroastrianism, Judaism, and Islam, as well as Christianity. It includes more of the history of angels and the people who have communicated with them. I’ve also been able to include many of the people who have written on this subject over the years, such as Dr. Dee, Cornelius Agrippa, Emmanuel Swedenborg, Rudolf Steiner, and Geoffrey Hodson. They’re all heroes of mine, and it was wonderful to be able to write about them for this book. As it’s an encyclopedia, I was forced to categorize all the information I’ve gathered over the years into alphabetical order. Although it’s an encyclopedia, and consequently a reference book, I wanted it to be easy for people to read. I try to make all my books easy to read, so this is not different to my other angel books, though I believe it’s relatively unusual in a reference work. I hope people who are interested in the subject will look something up, and then keep on reading.

3. Why did you choose to include angels from a myriad of angelical canons, from Christianity to Zoroastrianism?

This was the most fascinating part of the project, as each tradition borrowed from earlier religions. Many early religions believed in beings that could travel freely between earth and the home of the gods. Zoroaster, the Persian prophet, was the first to develop a hierarchy of angels. The angels of Judaism were based on his cosmology. The Christians based their angels on the Hebrew tradition. Later, the Hebrew and Christian angels played a major role in the angelology of Islam. As they are all inter-connected, it would be impossible to write an encyclopedia on the subject without including them all.

4. Do we need to be particularly religious to identify with angels? If we don’t subscribe to a particular organized religion, how can we connect with angels?

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Chaos Magic: The Misunderstood Path
Andrieh Vitimus 

There are many differing opinions on what chaos magic really is, many of which evoke an image of something dark, sinister, and dangerous. Andrieh Vitimus, author of Hands-On Chaos Magic, dispels the myths and details what chaos magic really is and how, in these uncertain times, it can provide a framework by which we can improve magical results and achieve whatever outcomes we desire.

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Tarot Card Picture Searches: Discovering Meaningful Themes in Tarot Art Images
by Janina Renée
While the images of the Tarot often have obvious, archetypal meanings, often the less-prominent images of the cards in a spread can be just as telling of a situation. Janina Renée, author of Tarot: Your Everyday Guide and Tarot Spells, details how the imagery of the Tarot can be used for clarification and further illumination of readings and situations.

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Sexual Fears and Astrology
by Rowan Davis
Just as our sun signs determine significant personality traits, they also program us to react to insecurities and sex in a specific way. Rowan Davis, author of The Sex Files: Your Zodiac Guide to Love and Lust, dissects the sexual fears of each sun sign and with the hope that knowing your fear will be the key to overcoming it.

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Meditation to Contact the Archangel Uriel

Find Your Passion: A Guide to Finding Work

The Sex Files: What You Need to Know About a Capricorn Man

Chaos Magic: The Misunderstood Path

Tarot Card Picture Searches: Discovering Meaningful Themes in Tarot Art Images

Sexual Fears and Astrology

Michelle Belanger, author of Llewellyn’s Vampires in Their Own Words, Walking the Twilight Path, and the forthcoming Haunting Experiences, was featured on Hannity’s America on the FOX News Channel. 

The episode, which aired Sunday, December 7, featured interviews with Belanger and other members of the vampire community during the “Beyond Belief” segment, which focuses on religious and spiritual issues. Topics discussed included the Vampire Community, the process of self-identifying as a vampire, the fundamentals of energy working, among others. 

The episode is available online for viewing.

Egregore
An energized astral form produced consciously or unconsciously by human agency. 

Abuliel
One of several angels who specialize in carrying prayers to the Throne of God; can be invoked if you are sending a desperate prayer for help.

Pips
The Ace through Ten cards of the four suits of the tarot.