Where this face sits on the wheel
Michael belongs to the Quarter of Initiation. Four gates correspond to him:
Both gates of the Channel of Initiation 25–51, which gives the quarter its name, lie here.
The image
The tradition of Michael is very old. He is seen as the guardian of the Tree of Life, and in one tradition it was Michael who handed the commandments to people. Hence the main theme of this face — the law: rules meant to "nourish" the community.
But there is a catch. A law that everyone obeys means no growth. The moment you lay down a law, you also create comparison: who lives up to it and who doesn't, who is "one of us" and who isn't. That's why, alongside the rules, this face also holds the power to break them.
Four gates
- 25 — the spirit of the self, unconditional love that easily turns into piety and service to the rule.
- 17 — opinions: the source of comparison, the conviction that "my rules are better than yours".
- 21 — control: the one who lays down the rules and enforces them.
- 51 — shock and daring: what breaks the rule and opens the way to mutation.
Without gate 51 there would be no evolution: something new is born exactly when a rule is broken.
How it shows in a chart
If your conscious Sun or Earth is in one of these gates, the theme of law and comparison is strong in your life. You may feel keenly how things "should" be — or, on the contrary, keep breaking other people's rules. The mind easily becomes a judge, forever deciding who is worth what. That judge is not your authority.
The same applies, more quietly, to any other Personality activations in these gates. But a single face never describes a whole person: it matters whether these gates are defined, which center they sit in, and what is in the Design. A gate in an open center, for example, gives an unstable theme that doesn't operate all the time.
And one more thing. Wherever we have Personality activations is where the mind most easily hands its power to outside forces — and the Faces of the Gods set the frame for exactly that false authority. Knowing about the faces doesn't free you by itself. What frees you is living by your own strategy and authority: then you can see this force without handing it the wheel.
The crosses of this face
- Sun in gate 25: Right Angle Cross of the Vessel of Love, Juxtaposition Cross of Innocence, Left Angle Cross of Healing
- Sun in gate 17: Right Angle Cross of Service, Juxtaposition Cross of Opinions, Left Angle Cross of Upheaval
- Sun in gate 21: Right Angle Cross of Tension, Juxtaposition Cross of Control, Left Angle Cross of Endeavor
- Sun in gate 51: Right Angle Cross of Penetration, Juxtaposition Cross of Shock, Left Angle Cross of the Clarion
Michael gives law and comparison. But when you live as a unique person, there is no one to compare you with.