Archangel Michael and the Dragon | Spiritual Meaning

What if the dragon wasn’t your enemy?

Years ago, when I was thinking of what I wanted to research for my dissertation, I really wanted to explore dragons. I wondered why so many cultures had myths about them. Now, it is clear to me that dragons transcend their myths and represent transformative, magical energy outside of their cultural significance.

This is why I paused when I saw so many depictions of Archangel Michael vanquishing the dragon on my recent trip to France.

Statue of Archangel Michael vanquishing the dragon in the Abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel, France (my photo)

In the Bible, Archangel Michael leads the battle against Satan and evil, represented by the dragon. His vanquishing of the dragon represents his ability to overcome sin and restore light on Earth, and thereby also within us. Then we have another well-used representation of the dragon from Western cultural beliefs where the dragon represents the being that protects the treasure. Here the hero’s goal is to vanquish the dragon in order to gain the riches for himself.

How do we reconcile these two representations of the dragon—and then reconcile them with Archangel Michael?

Perhaps Archangel Michael and the dragon do not have to represent opposing forces within us. Perhaps Michael represents the warrior energy that helps us stand in our divine power, while the dragon represents the transformative power and treasure within us that we need to reclaim.

Michael and the Warrior Within

Let’s start with Michael and what his name actually means in Hebrew - “Who is like God?”. Both Judaism and Christianity have taken this to mean that God is supreme and that we, including the angels, serve God and can never attain God’s likeness. It is a battle cry to defend God’s nature on Earth and to suppress our ego in order to be subservient to the Divine.

It seems to me, if we strip away the religious meanings and return to the simple translation, “Who is like God?” couldn’t we then take it to mean that our quest is to answer this question by affirming our oneness with the Divine? The answer, then, would be: “I am.” These two words open up an entirely new spiritual discussion—one that, I feel, supports this interpretation of Archangel Michael and the dragon.

Viewed through a Jungian lens, the warrior archetype is not necessarily about battling evil outside of us, but rather about using the positive attributes of the warrior to defend our needs and our own selves. By setting boundaries, standing up for our truth, and allowing others to do the same, we understand our inherent power. We do not seek to find that power through suppressing others in order to rise above them or by desiring what others have in order to steal from them to gain power.

We become empowered through the embodiment of our warrior energy so that we can break disruptive or abusive patterns in our lives. We can feel free to live as we feel is right for us and to live in confidence and faith in ourselves because we are one with God and the Divine. Maybe the warrior is about helping us work our way free from the compulsions and traps of the wounded subconscious.

Rethinking the Dragon

What, then, does the dragon mean for us? What does Archangel Michael represent in relation to the dragon?

Perhaps the dragon represents power. Where humanity has created a story about the need to vanquish the dragon, could it be that the dragon represents that which the soul needs to connect with in order to find liberation and empowerment? By representing the dragon only as something evil and fearful, we may have been taught to disregard its deeper transformative meaning.

One Western example appears in the Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf. Its dragon guards a hoard of treasure. Beowulf eventually kills the dragon but is mortally wounded in the battle. The story reflects the familiar Western image of the dragon as both a dangerous enemy and the guardian of something humanity desires.

It also invites us to question whether the conflict begins with the dragon’s greed or with the human decision to take its treasure. We seek out the dragon, not the other way around. We are motivated by stealing treasure from it. We are then venerated for destroying a creature that wields magic and fire—the fire of transformation.

In Chinese tradition, however, the dragon has often represented nature’s elemental forces, particularly water and life-giving rain. It has also served as a symbol of authority and leadership. Rather than embodying an evil that must be destroyed, the Chinese dragon represents a power whose presence can sustain life, establish order, and connect human leadership with the forces of nature. Attuning to this dragon energy means we step more fully into our own abilities and power. We recognize the dragon’s role in our world and its purpose in bringing us to our own greatness.

In Mesoamerican traditions, we find Quetzalcoatl, the Feathered Serpent. His serpent body connects him with the earth, while his quetzal feathers connect him with the celestial realm. In this way, he moves between different levels of the cosmos and carries divine substance from the world of the gods to humanity. Of these three cultural examples, Quetzalcoatl may come closest to the spiritual meaning I see in the dragon: a being that bridges the earthly and the Divine and brings us into relationship with the knowledge, creativity, and transformation that lies within us because of our Divine connections.

Two Energies Working Together

Bringing all of this together in a spiritual sense, rather than seeing it only through Western symbolism, we have Michael’s warrior energy pointing us toward our connection with the Divine within us. This energy encourages us to stand up and be who we are meant to be in our full divine light and power. He infuses us with power and encourages us through his support.

The dragon represents that treasure within us that others may seek to rob from us. It represents our magical powers of transformation, which we may have been taught to see as sinful, leaving us diminished in our power. It represents our innate, God-given power and purpose to be unique, self-assured, and complete within ourselves.

Archangel Michael vanquishing the dragon in the Church of Saint-Pierre on Mont-Saint-Michel, Normandy France (my photo)

Perhaps, then, Archangel Michael does not need to vanquish the dragon within us. Perhaps Michael’s warrior energy helps us stand in our truth, while the dragon helps us reclaim the transformative power and treasure we carry within. As they work together, we find ourselves becoming more whole and more united with the Divine within us and with God.

When I think back to those images I saw in France, I no longer see only Michael vanquishing the dragon. I also see the possibility of two powerful energies calling us toward courage, transformation, and wholeness.

I invite you to embrace both Archangel Michael and your dragon energy and, maybe, even to call dragon energy into your life. It may help you discover more of who you truly are and express that more purely in your life, day after day, growing more and more into your own power, love, and light.

With love,

Christine