Michael, Archangel of the Sun

Michael, The Archangel of the Sun

Most people recognize the name Michael — but few know he's the angel of the Sun, or what that actually means for magical practice.

Michael, chief among angels, is a logical choice for the Archangel of the Sun.

As the brightest object in the sky, the Sun is associated with kings and leaders, light, fire and truth, as well as healing and vitality.

All these are attributes in Michael's angel lore. Both the 12th-century Arabic Scholar Averroës and the 13th-century Heptameron, and those authors following their tradition, associate Michael and the Sun. 

In the Hermetic Qabala, Michael is the Archangel of the sephiroth Tiphareth. As the sphere of the Higher Self, Tiphareth is also associated with the sacrificed and risen solar gods — Osiris, Christ and their kin — whose mythology of death and rebirth mirrors the Sun's own daily journey from darkness into light. Michael, as the angel who leads the heavenly host and escorts souls to their rewards, fits this sphere precisely.

As leader of the heavenly host of angels in their struggle against evil (darkness), Michael embodies a solar role. He's also said to act as a guardian angel to rulers and other leaders on Earth; it makes sense he should take the Sun under his wings.

The Sun, as the giver of light, is also associated with speaking the truth. Ancients used to swear oaths by the Sun because nothing escapes its gaze — it sees all, illuminates all, leaves nothing hidden. In this way, the Sun became the ideal cosmic witness, the one whose presence guaranteed the veracity of one's words. This also linked the Sun to prophecy and true visions from the divine. (The Greek Sun God Apollo was also the god of the Oracle of Delphi.) Some legends also grant Michael this same role as divine witness — bearing witness to souls after death and conducting them to their just rewards.

Michael, along with the Archangel Raphael, is also known for his talents as a healer — though the two work differently. Raphael heals through knowledge: diagnosis, remedies, the mercurial arts of medicine and alchemy. Michael heals through solar force — vitality, divine fire, the dispelling of darkness and impurity. The Sun has carried this association since antiquity, symbolizing the divine spark and life-force energy that we depend on to thrive.

And so, ask the Archangel Michael for his aid in matters of leadership, protection, truth and healing. As the Archangel of the Sun, working with Michael is especially potent on Sunday, as well as in the hours of the Sun.

Looking for another Archangel? Return to Introducing the Planetary Archangels.