Angel Ariel (No. 46): regency, psalm, symbolism and reading

Who is Ariel, angel no. 46?

Ariel is the forty-sixth angel on the list and the sixth of the choir of the Virtues. His name is known well beyond the table of the 72: it also designates an archangel in certain modern traditions, which we present on the page devoted to the archangel Ariel. He is not the same figure in the system of the 72.

In French editions, angel no. 46 is linked to revelation, to the discovery of nature's secrets and to intuition.

Ariel bears the number 46 in the list of the 72 angels of the Shem HaMephorash, which Kabbalistic tradition draws 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.

Traditional benchmarks

Dates follow the most common calendar (angel no. 1 reigns from 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 is an affirmation of kindness: “The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.” It belongs to Psalm 145, an alphabetical poem that Jewish liturgy recites three times a day under the title Ashré. The phrase stresses “all”: no creature is excluded.

In the Bible, the name Ariel appears in Isaiah (29) to designate Jerusalem or the altar hearth, and is linked to the idea of “lion of God”. According to the Hebrew spelling given by some editions of the list, the name of angel no. 46 begins with a different letter from that of Isaiah's Ariel: the link with the lion is therefore a late reading.

The name is formed, according to tradition, from the Hebrew letter triplet ערי (Ayin, Resh, Yod) followed by the ending Aleph and Lamed (El, “God”). The spelling is fairly stable from one edition to another, but the transliteration of Hebrew may vary. Psalm 145 is Psalm 144 in the Vulgate; verse 9 carries the same number in most Bibles. The verse lists also differ slightly from one author to another.

What tradition associates with Ariel

According to the works, the following are associated with Ariel:

• Discovery: attention to the secrets of nature, in the sense of scientific or contemplative curiosity.
• Intuition and dreams, which recent lists call “prophetic”.
• Kindness towards all creatures, drawn from the verse and, in modern readings, sensitivity towards animals.
• Hidden treasures: an old image, to be understood as the riches of knowledge to be explored.

No dream has been shown to be prophetic, and no angel points to a treasure. Take these themes as figures of wonder.

A reading for today

What verse 9 of Psalm 145 says resonates with the ethic of consideration for living beings: a biblical phrase says that kindness extends to all that lives. For those who love nature, an attentive walk with a notebook is a concrete way of drawing inspiration from it.

Rather than predicting, observation and curiosity are the surest way to “discover secrets”: watch a season, a plant, a bird.

Its period of the year and its sign

Ariel's period, 1 to 5 November, falls in autumn (northern hemisphere, within the framework of the original calendar). It roughly covers the sign of Scorpio. In the table of the 36 decans, each ten-day span receives two angels: Ariel shares his with Sealiah (no. 45).

In the choir of the Virtues

In the writings of Pseudo-Dionysius (around 500), the Virtues belong to the second triad; the word comes from the Greek dynameis, “forces”. Tradition sees in them the angels of the strength of the soul and of the “signs”. In the list of 72, this choir comprises angels 41 to 48, and follows that of the Powers (33 to 40), whereas Dionysius reverses the two.

Ariel is the sixth angel of the Virtues. In the list, he prepares the passage towards the last two of the choir, Asaliah and Mihael, and then towards the choir of the Principalities.

To place Ariel in the sequence of angels, here are his immediate neighbours: Sealiah (no. 45) before him and Asaliah (no. 47) after him. The choir is presented in detail on the page Choir of the Virtues.

A gentle practice with Ariel

An observation walk, lasting half an hour:

1. Choose a nearby place: a garden, a park, the edge of a path.
2. Note five things you had never noticed: an insect, a leaf, a sound.
3. Read verse 9 of Psalm 145 before or after the walk.
4. Bring back, if permitted, a drawing or a photograph rather than a plant or a stone.

Respect nature: do not pick protected species, and keep your distance from wild animals.

What to keep in mind

This table of 72 angels is a learned system of the Renaissance, enriched by French authors of the nineteenth century, and not a revealed teaching. It remains a basis for reflection, and it does not replace medical advice, legal counsel or psychological support.

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.