Angel Menadel (No. 36): Reign, Psalm, Symbolism and Reading

Who is Menadel, angel no. 36?

Menadel is the thirty-sixth angel of the classical table, the fourth of the Powers choir. English editions also give Manadel. In French books, his domain is work and the place one occupies: he is linked to faithfulness to one’s trade or one’s home.

Menadel’s period falls at the time of the autumn return to school and work, which has reinforced the image of an angel of returning to the task at hand.

Menadel bears number 36 in the list of the 72 angels of the Shem HaMephorash, which Kabbalistic tradition derives from three verses of Exodus (14:19 to 21). Everything that follows is presented according to the Kabbalistic and esoteric tradition. For the origin of the system, read our introduction to the 72 angels.

Reference points of the tradition

The dates follow the most common calendar (angel no. 1 reigns 21 to 25 March, then five days per angel over 365 days). Sources sometimes shift by a few days, and leap years are handled differently: see how the guardian angel is calculated. According to many authors, the hour is counted in local solar time.

The verse and the name

The verse retained expresses the psalmist’s love for the house of God, “the place where your glory dwells”. It refers to the Temple of Jerusalem, towards which pilgrims went up. Psalm 26 is a profession of innocence: the psalmist affirms that he has walked in integrity and stands near the altar.

In a symbolic reading, the “house” becomes the place to which one belongs: one’s home, one’s workshop, one’s working community. Menadel is the angel of this emotional bond with a place and a task.

According to tradition, the name is formed from the triplet of Hebrew letters מנד (Mem, Nun, Daleth), followed by the ending Aleph and Lamed (El, “God”). French spellings vary (Manadel) depending on transliteration. Psalm 26 is Psalm 25 in the Vulgate; verse 8 bears the same number in most Bibles. Lists of verses also differ slightly from one author to another.

What tradition associates with Menadel

According to the authors, here is what tradition associates with Menadel:

• Work and perseverance, including in vocational trades.
• Faithfulness to a place, a team or a family.
• Material stability: the idea of a sufficient foundation, in recent lists.
• Return: some older editions make him the angel who gives exiles the road back home.

This is not a promise of employment or money. The angel symbolises a relationship to one’s work, not a result.

A reading for today

Work psychology research stresses that the meaning given to one’s activity and the feeling of being in the right place matter a great deal to job satisfaction. This idea is close to Menadel’s symbolism.

He can also accompany a career change: asking oneself what, in a place or an activity, gives us the feeling of being at home.

His period of the year and his sign

Menadel’s period, from 12 to 16 September, falls in summer (northern hemisphere, original calendar frame). It roughly covers the sign of Virgo. In the table of the 36 decans, each ten-day span receives two angels: Menadel shares his with Chavakiah (no. 35).

In the Powers choir

In Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite (around 500), the Powers form the end of the second triad; they evoke the force that maintains order and repels disorder. The term is read in Paul’s letters (Ephesians 3:10 and 6:12). In the list of 72, this choir groups angels 33 to 40. Note that this list places the Powers before the Virtues, whereas Dionysius cites the Virtues before the Powers: the systems differ on this point.

Menadel is the fourth angel of the Powers, at the centre of the choir. He expresses its dimension of constancy: the force that holds to its place.

To place Menadel in the sequence of angels, here are his immediate neighbours: Chavakiah (no. 35) before him and Aniel (no. 37) after him. The choir is presented in detail on the page Choir of the Powers.

A gentle practice with Menadel

A ten-minute exercise around the idea of “place”:

1. Note three recent moments when you felt fully in your place, at work or elsewhere.
2. Look for what they have in common: a place, a gesture, people, a type of task.
3. Read verse 8 of Psalm 26 as a sentence about attachment to a place.
4. Choose a small change to find more of these moments, for example tidying a corner of your desk.

No materials are required.

What to keep in mind

This system is symbolic, not an established fact. Nothing demonstrates that a given angel corresponds to your date of birth, and no one can promise you protection or an event. Read these pages as a bestiary: for the images and the reflection they prompt.

The Catholic Church does not recognise this system: it retains only the three archangels named in Scripture, Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. Believers of all faiths nevertheless find in the psalms a text for prayer.

See also the guide to the 72 angels and the guide to the archangels.

Frequently asked questions

Also read

The meanings mentioned belong to tradition and symbolism. They are neither promises of results nor medical advice. Back to Guide to the 72 guardian angels.