I'm new to this site and also to magick, and have began my journey with a very open mind. I have found Wiccan beliefs that align with mine, and although I don't quite consider myself Wiccan yet, I do feel as if it's the path for me. However, I have reached problems when it comes to creatures like Faeries and Angels: I struggle to believe in them. Despite my newfound spirituality, I still consider myself Athiest, and consider the God and Goddess to be very symbolic beings, and have found similar information on Faeries. However, when it comes to Angels, I struggle to find information that they're just energy, like how people describe "the Fae". Referring to Archangel Micheal is a Biblical thing, which is Christian, and while there is nothing wrong with Christianity when practiced correctly, it is not for me. So what are your thoughts on what the Angels really are?
Going into the craft you don't have to believe in gods, goddess, fairies, angels, etc... I know some religions don't believe in fairies and I know others that don't believe in angels.
I personally feel like angels fall into the category of guides. They are willing to help you by giving you advice throughout life and your magical journey. Some may even help you with your practice.
First, I read Bible, but there I do not found nothing about Archangel Michael. :-)
Interesting are pictures egyptian god "Set kill Apep". And look at christian picture "Michael kill dragon". Try google.
Second. Paganism is very wide. It has many gods, goddesses and similar beings. Look at old mythologies. Celtic, Greek, Sumerian, Egyptian...... Literature is free on the net.
Seren, you may be interested in the psychological model of magic. This mindset focuses on entities and deities more as tropes and archetypes, rather than as actual beings.
One very easy example of this can be made of Solomonic magic. There are those who use the tools presented in the Goetia as a means of contacting actual demons, according to their beliefs. However, there are those who see the descriptions of the demons as aspects of humanity -- ultimately, as aspects of the subconscious mind. They use the ritual and theater of the tradition as a system similar to Carl Jung's 'Active Imagination' techniques -- something which should be approaching with caution, by the way, as it could result in a dissociation if used recklessly. But I digress. In the psychological model, the character Solomon (who definitely did not create this work, as literary archaology can easily pin it to being a Medieval creation) is not a person who has command over various spirits. Rather, he is someone who conquered his inner demons.
I've seen lengthy explanations about rituals of other systems as well, such as Kabbalah. There are ideas of what the Archangels represent in the Lesser Pentagram Ritual, and how it relates to the internal space of the mind, rather than to the space of the spirit in some people's opinion.
Looking in-depth at a lot of traditions, the focus tends to be less about the spirits than about the practitioner, with the goal being enlightenment, an awakening, or some other description of becoming a better person, to overly simplify things. Magic can be used to explore, understand, banish, or strengthen different aspects of one's psyche, whether conscious or subconscious. I cannot call it a cure to issues, but it certainly can be used to bring many things under control. Again, I must iterate that it is not a cure, and some things may be much better left to a professional.
Spirits, gods, demons, angels, all of these things exist as a matter of belief and perception. So some, they are literal beings which exist either among us but unseen, or on a different plane of existence which intersects with our own. To some, they are purely symbolic. There is nothing wrong with either belief.
