Tarot Wisdom - Rachel Pollack
I was just reading Tarot Wisdom by Rachel Pollack, and she suggests the following:
The Lovers - Raphael, 'Healing of God, God Heals'
Temperance - Michael, 'Who is like God'
Judgement - Gabriel, 'Strength of God, Hero of God, or God is my Strength'
The Devil - Uriel, 'Light of God, or God is My Light'
I can add the following facts--
Only two of these four archangels are mentioned by name in the Bible. Gabriel is mentioned 4 times. Twice he appears to Daniel to help him interpret his dreams (Daniel 8-9), once to announce John the Baptist's birth to his father (Luke 1:11-20), once to tell Mary she will give birth to Jesus (Luke 1: 26-38). Michael is mentioned in Daniel, Jude (where he is described as being in a dispute with the Devil or Moses' body) and Revelation (where he commands the hosts of the Lord in the battle against the dragon in a war in heaven).
The Bible doesn't say which angel blows the trumpet on Judgement Day. Milton claims it's Michael in Paradise Lost, while Christian tradition holds it is Gabriel.
As to Pollack's claims, I think each person is entitled to form an opinion since there doesn't seem to be any lore, scriptures or writings to conclusively support any one idea.
To me, Temperance seems more of a card about alchemical blending to create something strong and/or perfect, so I personally would associate that one with Gabriel. The angel in the Temperance card even has 'Yod Heh Vah Heh' on his chest, above the triangle. I just don't see Michael as standing and pouring water from cup to cup. However, I can see him blowing the trumpet and rallying the people to Judgement, so I'd be likely to assign Michael to Judgement. However, I have also heard all my life that Gabriel blows the horn, so I can see why it's stuck in the mind and could work for people. Even me, for that matter.
Next are Lovers and the Devil. Is the Lovers Uriel, or Raphael? The card is dominated by the angel, not the people. And there is a BIG sun beaming down from above. Despite that, I cannot help but associate Love to Healing, so Raphael must be the angel in the Lovers card.
That leaves the Devil. Is there any reason to think the Devil is one of those four archangels? Not scripturally. But Uriel, in various sources, is called the Angel of the Earth, Angel of Repentence-- in fact, in the Apocalypse of St Peter, he is compared to being as 'pitiless as any demon'. He also holds the key to the Pit in the End Times (in Jewish mystical traditions), and is the presider over Hell, according to some modern angelologists. Still, I can't reconcile an archangel to The Devil. For me, the Devil is none other than Lucifer (Helel, Morningstar). Lucifer is the only other archangel mentioned in the Bible, his fall described in Ezekiel and Isaiah.
So... I don't know where Uriel is in the RWS deck. But if he's in there, he isn't one of the ones with wings. Not to me.
What do you guys think?