Angel of Spring

Western esotericism works with symbolic mental visualizations as well as physical ritual. In the later 20th century, the symbol system of the "Western" (or more specifically, Anglo-Kabbalistic) esoteric tradition has become standardized. The system has been sorted into a fourfold classification involving four spatial directions, four colors (three primary, one secondary), four Archangels, four seasons, and many other foursomes. The four major Archangels in the Western tradition are Raphael, Michael, Gabriel, and Uriel. Of these, the first three appear in the Bible and the last, Uriel, is found only in non-Biblical visionary texts.

I have done Western esoteric art for a long time and recently I decided to re-envision the four Archangelic classifications, this time without the humanoid winged figure of an Angel. I chose the Seasons as symbols instead of a figure. I'm using Photoshop which offers artistic advantages which would be difficult to create in conventional paint, for instance the repeating yellow leaf/feather motif you see in this piece. This one is "Raphael," the angel representing spring, healing, the direction of East, and the main color yellow.

"Raphael, Angel of Spring" is Photoshop, 7" x 3", July 2011.