Celestia Mandala - Comforter

Celestia Mandala

I draw upon the idea of the mandala as a cosmograph for Celestia -- a depiction of the arrangement of truth in the universe. It was only natural that I should use this form of expression as an opportunity to revisit the angelic energy of my Catholic upbringing. This time, however, I approached the Gates of Heaven again, anew, from the fresh perspective of my work with the ancient Mysteries these past decades.

The painting is not a depiction of traditional angelology to found in any Judeo-Christian liturgy. Instead I found myself creating this mandala as a prayer to the Archangel Raphael, the Archangel who is ruled by Mercury, and who bears all messages, electronic or otherwise, and rules all communications, trade, commerce, debate, and exchange.

Sometimes the themes and subjects of occult contemplation bubble up once more in pop culture, appearing in some new context, but always the old mythic symbols coming to the surface of conscious awareness by humanity once again. Raphael returns to us in popular children's fantasy novels recently as none other than the Golden Snitch. Perhaps not too surprisingly, the Snitch is pursued by those who call themselves 'Seekers' the same as the Archangels.

This Mandala represents the devotion and honor still to be found in ancient, mythic form for the Angelic Hosts, even within the corpus of Western Occult Philosophy. A primal vibe of energy, there are entire Mystery Schools in modern times which still speak in devotion to the angels, and this radial iconography is devoted to their purpose.

And so, I created this mandala to hold the symbols and aura that I’ve always associated with the Celestial Host in consensus action, with a special appeal to the Archangel Raphael that oversees the Work.