Archangels: Raphael

Raphael ('Healer of God') typifies the youthful enthusiasm and 'go-aheadness' we need to make progress on our Pathways. He is the rising of the Inner Light in mankind, and heals the hurts we encounter both from circumstances and each other in our eagerness to follow where he leads us. (Though Angels are referred to as 'he' or 'she', it must be remembered they are nonreproductive
and therefore sexless to us, and may be dealt with from either polarity.) Raphael personifies our natural curiosity and desire to know all about everything. To some extent he equates with Hermes as leader of souls and instructor of minds. His Key-Symbol is the Sword and Arrow ('Keen as a Sword, swift as an Arrow to its mark'). His Element is Air as signifying Life, and of course he is a winged being to indicate Aspiration and Faith.
Like Hermes, Raphael is patron of travel and most enterprises of adventure in human activities such as commerce, inventions, theatricals, and the like. As a healer of hurts he bears a golden vial of balm, which is not to be interpreted in the sense of gold being sufficient payment for any hurt. It may, however,be taken to mean that compensation for whatever injuries we sustain in our spiritual struggles will eventually come to us one way or another. If this reaches us via Raphael, it is likely to bein the nature of new opportunities or abilities to overcome old difficulties.
Raphael is usually visualized as a young being with brown hair and grey eyes, lively voice and engaging disposition. His colours are associated with Springtime and the dawn, pale blues, delicate greens, etc. His robes are of these tints in the traditional angelic pattern, and his girdle is deep blue. It is technically possible to visualize the Archangels in modern dress of any description,but this would be a bad aesthetic and magical error. They should be seen as timelessly as is practicable, linked by the natural colours of the Solar cycles and seasons in combination with the elements, so that we associate them with the creative energies around and within us.

West. East
Symbol: Sword and Arrow ('Keen as a Sword, swift as an Arrow to its mark')
Element: Air
Sephirah: Tiphareth
Circuit: 3
Visualised as: a young being in traditional Angelic robe with brown hair and grey eyes, lively voice and engaging disposition. And of course he is a winged being to indicate Aspiration and Faith.
Colours: Springtime and the dawn, pale blues, delicate greens, etc.
Girdle: Deep Blue