Originally published May 16, 2026 · Updated October 14, 2026 · By Lisa Beachy
Lovely friends,
Archangel Michael has been part of my life for so long that I don’t really think of working with him as something I have to prepare for anymore. I don’t need to light the right candle, find the right crystal, get myself into the perfect spiritual mood, or wait until the house is quiet. I talk to Michael in meditation, while I’m working, when I’m worried about something, and sometimes when I’m walking around the house trying to figure out what in the world I’m going to do next.
After more than 20 years of working with angels, Michael is still the one I instinctively call when I need to get my feet back underneath me.
That could mean protection, and Michael is certainly the angel I associate most strongly with protection. But I’ve found his presence useful in so many ordinary parts of life too. I call on Michael when I need courage, when I’m second-guessing myself, when something feels emotionally heavy, when I need better boundaries, and when I know what I need to do but would really prefer another option to magically appear.
Apparently angels don’t always remove the thing we’d rather avoid.
Sometimes they help us face it.
Michael Was There at the Beginning for Me
Archangel Michael was one of the first angels I became deeply aware of when my spiritual path began opening up. I still remember his message to me:
“It’s time to get to work.”
That sounds about right for Michael.
Over the years, I’ve come to associate him with a very steady kind of support. When I feel Michael around me, I don’t experience it as frantic or dramatic. There’s a strength to it that helps me settle down enough to see what’s actually happening.
That’s been important because I can absolutely overthink something.
I can look at a situation from seventeen different directions, imagine what everyone involved might think, consider what could happen six months from now, and somehow convince myself that I need one more piece of information before I make a decision.
Michael has become one of the angels I call on when I need to clear some of that noise away and come back to myself.
Protection Has Changed for Me Over the Years
When I first began learning about spiritual protection, there was a lot of language around negative energy, psychic attacks, cords, shielding, and protecting yourself from other people’s energy. Some of those practices were helpful to me, and I still believe energetic boundaries matter.
My understanding of protection has grown quite a bit since then.
I don’t want to walk through life assuming everything uncomfortable is spiritually dangerous. Sometimes I’m exhausted because I’ve done too much. Sometimes somebody annoys me because they’re annoying me. Sometimes I’ve spent too much time on my phone, haven’t rested enough, or have agreed to something I didn’t really want to do.
I don’t need an energetic investigation every time I have a bad afternoon.
Michael still plays a huge role in protection for me, but these days I think of protection as creating enough stability around myself that I can hear my own thoughts and make good decisions.
Sometimes that means visualizing Michael’s blue light around me. Sometimes it means clearing my energy after a long day.
And sometimes protection looks suspiciously like saying no.
Michael and Boundaries
This may be one of the most practical ways I work with Michael.
Boundaries can sound wonderful when we’re talking about them in theory. Then an actual person is standing in front of us and suddenly we’re explaining ourselves for twenty minutes because we don’t want them to be upset.
I’ve done it.
One thing I’ve learned is that a boundary doesn’t become more valid because I can produce a PowerPoint presentation explaining why I need it.
When I know I need to have a difficult conversation or hold my ground about something, I often call on Michael beforehand. I ask for courage, clarity, and help staying centered enough to say what I mean without getting pulled into every possible reaction.
I still have to choose my words. I still have to decide what I’m willing to accept. Michael doesn’t come down and have the conversation for me, which frankly would be convenient once in a while.
But I don’t feel like I’m walking into it alone.
When I Need Courage More Than Another Sign
There are times when I genuinely don’t know what to do, and I will ask Spirit for guidance.
There are also times when I know exactly what I need to do and I’m hoping Spirit will give me a different answer.
Those are two very different situations.
I’ve become much better at recognizing the second one.
When I keep asking the same question over and over, I eventually have to wonder whether I’m looking for guidance or looking for permission to avoid something uncomfortable. Michael is particularly good for those moments because his energy, at least in my experience, has never encouraged me to make myself smaller because I’m afraid.
I’ll ask:
“Michael, help me see this clearly and give me the courage to deal with what I already know.”
That question has gotten me farther than asking for another sign ever did.
Sometimes the answer is still to wait. Sometimes I need more information. Sometimes my nervous system needs a minute before I decide anything.
But sometimes I already have the answer.
I just need enough courage to trust myself with it.
What Michael’s Energy Feels Like to Me
People often ask how they can tell when Archangel Michael is around.
I wish there were one answer I could give everyone, but spiritual connection doesn’t work that way in my experience. Some people see colors or images during meditation. Some feel warmth, tingling, pressure, or a change in the atmosphere around them. Others receive thoughts, words, or a strong sense of knowing.
For me, Michael has always felt strong and steady.
I also associate him with a deep royal or electric blue, which is a common association in modern angel spirituality. When I’m doing energy work, meditation, or simply taking a moment to regroup, I may visualize that blue light around me as a reminder of protection and strength.
You don’t have to see blue.
You don’t have to see Michael standing in your living room.
And you certainly don’t have to keep looking for feathers, number patterns, or unusual events all day to prove he’s listening.
One of the things I’ve learned from years of intuitive work is that constantly looking for confirmation can eventually make us trust ourselves less. I would rather ask for help, stay open, and then get on with my life.
If something meaningful gets my attention, I’ll pay attention.
How I Call on Archangel Michael
I talk to him.
That’s really it.
After all these years, I still think we can make connecting with angels far more complicated than it needs to be. You can meditate if you enjoy meditation. You can light a candle, hold a crystal, journal, pray, or create a beautiful little space for your spiritual practice.
I enjoy those things too.
But you can also sit in your car before an appointment and say, “Michael, I could really use some help here.”
The angels aren’t grading the presentation.
When I call on Michael, I usually tell him what I’m struggling with and what kind of support I’m asking for. If I’m worried, I may ask for protection and calm. If I’m confused, I ask for clarity. If I know I need to do something difficult, I ask for courage and strength.
Then I try to pay attention to myself.
Do I feel calmer once I stop spinning the problem around? Does one option make more sense? Is there a practical step I can take? Is there a boundary I’ve been avoiding?
That’s where spiritual support starts becoming useful in real life.
A Simple Prayer to Archangel Michael
If you want somewhere to begin, you can use this prayer and change the words however you like:
Archangel Michael, please surround me with your loving protection and strength. Help me release the fear and noise that are making it difficult to hear myself clearly. Give me courage where I need courage, clarity where I feel confused, and strength to make choices that support my highest good.
Help me recognize what belongs to me and what I am ready to release. Stand beside me as I move forward, and help me trust that I can handle the next step in front of me.
Thank you for your protection, guidance, and support. Amen.
I don’t think the exact words matter nearly as much as being sincere.
Talk to Michael like you’re actually talking to him.
Michael in My Reiki and Energy Work
Michael has also been part of my Reiki practice for many years, particularly when I’m working with grounding, energetic clearing, boundaries, and letting go.
I often invite Archangel Michael near the beginning of my Reiki sessions along with Archangel Raphael, the angels, loving ancestors, and Spirit guides who are there for the highest good. Michael brings the intention of protection and strength, while Raphael supports healing and restoration.
When I’m working with cord clearing, I also use Michael’s sword symbolically. I don’t think of this as angrily chopping people out of our lives. For me, the sword represents truth, discernment, and our ability to release energetic attachments that we’re finished carrying.
Sometimes we release a relationship.
Sometimes we release the argument we’re still having in our heads six months later.
Both can take up an impressive amount of energy.
Energy work can help create a spiritual space for that release, and then our everyday choices help us continue it.
That’s the part I think matters.
Michael Doesn’t Make My Decisions for Me
This has probably become one of the most important parts of my relationship with angels as I’ve gotten older.
I don’t want Spirit making every decision for me.
I want Spirit beside me while I make them.
I believe we have free will for a reason. There are choices I’ve made that worked beautifully, choices that taught me something the hard way, and plenty of times when I’ve changed my mind after learning more.
I don’t expect Michael to make me immune to being human.
What I ask for is enough clarity to recognize what I know, enough courage to act when action is needed, and enough support to stay grounded when I can’t control the outcome.
That’s a spiritual relationship I can actually use.
If You’re Going Through Something Right Now
If you found this article because you’re worried, overwhelmed, or trying to figure out what to do next, you don’t have to turn it into a giant spiritual assignment.
Start simply.
Ask Michael to be with you.
Tell him what’s going on in your own words. Ask for protection if you feel vulnerable, courage if you’re afraid, clarity if you’re confused, or strength if you’re facing something difficult.
Then look at what’s actually in front of you.
Maybe there’s a phone call you need to make. Maybe you need rest before you decide anything. Maybe you need to ask for help, gather more information, say no, speak up, or give yourself a few days before you know what you want.
Spiritual guidance and practical action work very well together.
I’ve relied on that combination for a long time.
What Michael Has Taught Me
Michael came into my spiritual life with the message, “It’s time to get to work.”
More than 20 years later, I understand those words differently than I did then.
The work isn’t only readings, Reiki, meditation, or helping other people connect with Spirit. Some of the hardest spiritual work I’ve done has involved learning to trust myself, changing my mind when something wasn’t working, holding boundaries, walking away from things I’d outgrown, and continuing forward when I couldn’t see the entire road ahead.
Michael has been there for a lot of it.
I think that’s why I still feel so connected to him. His presence reminds me that being spiritual doesn’t mean being fearless. We can be nervous and still do the thing. We can ask for help and still take responsibility for our choices. We can believe deeply in angels and still use our common sense.
And sometimes the guidance really is as straightforward as the first message Michael gave me.
It’s time to get to work.
Much love,
Lisa Beachy 💜
Want to Learn More About Archangel Michael?
If you’re looking for Michael’s history, traditional meaning, symbols, signs, colors, crystals, and more detailed information about connecting with him, I’ve put all of that together in my comprehensive guide:
Who Is Archangel Michael? Protection, Meaning & How to Work With Him
You can also explore Archangel Michael Protection, Cord Cutting and Letting Go of the Past if release and energetic boundaries are what brought you here.
About Lisa Beachy
Lisa Beachy is a Reiki Master, spiritual intuitive, and guided meditation creator with more than 20 years of experience working with angels, Reiki, intuition, and spiritual development. Since 2007, she has shared guided meditations, Reiki practices, intuitive readings, and spiritual teachings with her online community.
