"Jacob wrestled the angel, and the angel was overcome." Bullet the Blue Sky, Bono, U2, Rattle and Hum

Angels have fascinated people for thousands of years as evidence by their appearance in the texts of the religions of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. For example, the Qur'an was delivered to the Prophet Muhammad by the angel we know as Gabriel, the same Gabriel who announced to the Virgin Mary that she would give birth to the child we know as Christ. And Mary's husband, Joseph, also received an angelic visitation--not once but twice. One visit saving Mary from being cast aside, the other visit saving the entire family from the wrath of Herod. The Torah (part of what Christians call "The Old Testament") gives us the account of Jacob wrestling the angel who will ultimately give him a new name--Israel.

These are just a few examples of angels in religious texts, but all of them and many of their other appearances have one thing in common.

Messages.

Angels are known as messengers, in fact, their name comes from the Greek 'angelos' meaning 'messenger'. Since angels are the deliverers of messages and since dreams are messages from the unconscious what do angels in dreams mean? How do they appear in dreams? Why are angelic dreams important?

Angelic dreams usually have a different quality of feeling than some other dreams. While all dreams are messages from our unconscious, angelic dreams may feel particularly important or may feel particularly uplifting or peaceful because of the divine association most people in most cultures have for the symbol. Angelic dreams have the feeling of being close with the divine--and never discount that one may very well be in contact with the divine. Muhammed, Mary, Joseph, and Jacob had no doubt whatsoever about the source of their visitors!

Although most encounters with angels do imply some form of divine being, angels may appear in dreams looking rather human. Remember the Biblical admonition of looking out for "entertaining angels unaware". How an angel appears depends on how one associates with the symbol. So an angel might also appear as a bird, a ring of light, or even a faerie entity, if that is how one thinks of an angel.

Why might angel dreams be important? One reason an angelic dream might be quite significant is that no matter how the angel appears, its appearance is almost always a herald that the issue it is representing is one that is spiritual in nature. These dreams may also deserve special emphasis since the symbol itself is so potent. If the unconscious has chosen an angel to deliver its message, the dream really wants your attention! Angelic dreams may give answers to questions, problems, or may provide much needed inspiration.

Another reason for the importance of the angel in a dream is that since angels symbolize the divine, they point toward a high degree of self-realization. Angels may be seen as intermediaries between the upper and lower case Self and self--one's true being as opposed to one's ego. Dreams of angelics may point to a high degree of communication between the two and may therefore be heralds of achieving a higher degree of individualization and self-actualization. Remember--before Jacob wrestled, he watched. He watched angels ascending and descending a ladder to heaven and it was only after witnessing this conjunction of heaven and earth that he was able to overcome the angel with whom he wrestled.

Which brings us to a final thought on what angels in dreams may symbolize. Not all angels reside in the region of the divine--some are of the fallen variety. Therefore it is important to study the message being delivered as it may point to that which we need to wrestle in order to return to our own divine spiritual state.

Until next time, sleep well and dream out loud!

*~Aisling Ireland~* is an ordained Spiritual Counselor providing dream interpretation and Tarot readings. To make an appointment check out her website at: Sang-Realta Spiritual Counseling

For more information about angels check out either of these two excellent reference books. Don't know what the Ophanim are? You will if you have either of these books!