The first half of the Michael Apollo Artemis Axis is a succession of winter Phi day sunrise lines across Ireland, England, France and Italy. The key to understanding it has been for me was triggered by something in the Book of Enoch. The ratio between day and night may have a key part of thinking about time thousands of years ago. What more can the book of Enoch tell us about darkness and light ratios, and the Archangel Michael?

How can the Book of Enoch help to figure out the Michael alignments? The Book of Enoch is from a different part of the world, and possibly from a different epoch to the many phases of construction of the sites on the alignments. Nowhere in it is the golden ratio mentioned. But it does have two things: the idea of dividing up daylight to darkness ratios, according to the time of year, and assigning different ratios a section of the sky, a gate, where the sun rises in and sets in according to the time of year. The other is the archangel Michael, who features many times in the account. There are several books in the Book of Enoch. Experts agree that it is made up of different parts from different dates and different authors, perhaps even different places, Palestine being one. These parts were originally written in Hebrew and Aramaic, it is hard to say which one of these was the original language. This may be hundreds of miles from Skellig Michael and the Mont Saint-Michel, but it is a very influential part of the world. It is a book that has gained in popularity in recent years because of its mention of the Watchers. Many people interested in the possibility of ancient aliens have been drawn to the passages where the Watchers arrive on Earth and cause chaos. However, it is the third book, iii. The Book of the Course of the Heavenly Luminaries (chapters lxxii - lxxxii) that gave me an insight into the Michael alignment from Skellig to Normandy. How people understood time and its markers two thousand years ago or more can perhaps be guessed at thanks to this. Funnily enough, in the introduction to my copy of the Book of Enoch, by R.H Charles, it is said that this part about the sun is:

"(…) uninteresting in the extreme; it purports to tell in detail of the laws by which the sun, moon, stars and the winds are governed; they are described by Uriel, "the holy angel", to the Apocalyptist. The four quarters of the world, the seven mountains and the seven rivers are also dealt with. (…)The author has no other interest save a scientific one coloured by Jewish conceptions and beliefs. It is however different when we come to chapter ixxx 2-8; the whole tone alters in these verses, in which it is said that owing to the sin of men the moon and the sun will mislead them. An ethical thought is thus brought in which is wholly lacking in the previous chapters of this book; this is also true of chapter lxxxi;(...)" "Owing to the sin of men the moon and the sun will mislead them." What can this mean? How can the sun and the moon respond to sin? I think what most people turn to ancient texts for: some kind of moral guidance, or at least to give context to early Christian thought. They are not interested in science if it is outdated, no more than they would read a newspaper that is two months old. In the same way, we tend to only read the religious and philosophical thought of the ancient writers, we dismiss their science as hopelessly outdated, and as such, worthless. This goes for the books of Enoch as much as for Aristotle or Averroes, with the exception of a few such as Pythagoras and Euclid - the mathematicians are deemed ok. And yet, I think that understanding the astronomical and scientific aspect of Jewish and early Christian thinking is just as compelling. This is partly because it is linked to the positioning of so many temples, major monasteries and cathedrals, and so I think must be a central, but obscure part of institutional thinking. And it's partly because I feel there is genuinely something to be learnt from the oldest texts in existence, if only to shed light on our contemporary assumptions.

Personally I'm more drawn to the sciency bits, even if they are obviously a little out of date, or perhaps because they are a little out of date. For me, it's the moralising parts I try to avoid, in any text. So I find a line such as the sun and the moon misleading men because they have sinned baffling. Are only the righteous able to understand the heavenly cycles, to imagine that the sun is the centre of our planetary system, and that the moon revolves around the earth? Or even, does understanding these cycles give a person some sort of moral superiority? Neither of these assertions would hold much sway in today's world. If morality is a system of social rules, what kind of society prizes astronomy over the welfare of others? If, however, moral deliberation determines the actions which we have the most need to perform, and if understanding the universe is the most pressing task for a society, then I suppose you can begin to make sense of it, as long as you don't put your hopes for the welfare of others through the other end of a telescope, where they will inevitably shrink. My main interest in looking at the Book of Enoch is not as a moral text here, but to try and shed light on the understanding of time and astronomy two thousand years ago or more. But I suspect that, no more than understanding the moral side of it can be achieved without understanding the astronomical side, the astronomical side cannot be fully understood without the moral side. One first impression is the vast discrepancy between the moral guidance from ancient texts such as Enoch and the world we live in today. The ancient world seems to have been shaped by stories in which retribution and violence were considered necessary. Today's world, though possibly just as violent, is shaped, on the face of it, by stories of other people's experiences which encourage us to imagine what we might do in similar predicaments. Perhaps the most characteristic film of our time is Wonder (2017, directed by Stephen Chbosky and starring Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson), about a small boy who has a hard time in school because of the way he looks, and which draws the viewers in on the strength of their capacity to love and feel compassion. It is a million miles away from the stories of strife that characterise early Christian and Jewish thought. It is just one of many many books and films which ask the reader to imagine what it must be like to be in the shoes of someone else, perhaps less fortunate than themselves. We've become accustomed to beating ourselves up about how lucky we are, instead of dreaming up ways in which the wicked shall be punished, either in this world or the next. The very word wicked has become completely transformed, and is now more likely to be associated with ice-cream and chocolate than with terrible human behaviour. Shaped by empathy stories and confectionary marketing, when we are brought face to face with tales of retribution and punishment, of annihilating all but a few of the human race because of ill-begotten astronomical knowledge, expertise with metals, fighting with swords, wearing bracelets and eye make-up, it's natural to balk a little.

The result of our vast pool of empathy stories is often a general eagerness to listen, to try and relive these experiences, to understand what our life could be for us in different circumstances, to make life easier for the people around us, to alleviate suffering. The credo of the reader or movie goer could be, sort of like Google's: don't do evil. Our sense of community is built on the importance of shared individual experiences, as much as on tribal concerns. The ethics of our times is mostly extrapolated by the individual on an ongoing basis from an endless supply of news stories, books and films, not promulgated by religious leaders in a series of behavioural instructions. We are encouraged instead to think of the vulnerable, to preserve life, to improve living conditions, to be helpful, to be kind. The story works as an empathy tool. The cult of kindness, it must be remembered, is promoted by deeply corrupt organisations and individuals. Being aware of this is probably more important than kindness alone. In fact, the will to understand is a necessary precondition of empathy, and empathy is only one of several possible outcomes of the will to understand. The stories we hold dear also show us that most people's lives are full of laudable and not so laudable elements, and that it's a good idea to question motivations, and try and understand others, and try and understand ourselves. I think I'd rather read Treasure Island than Enoch for moral guidance, and muse on the fact that Jim's side is no less motivated by gold or adventure, no less inclined to double-cross or use a pistol than the pirates. I'd rather read Anne Frank's Diary to remember what condemning people because of the group they belong to does. The retribution and violence we come across in ancient texts seems abhorrent to most of us. Stories are also a way of protecting future generations from atrocities that have happened to others, they work like a sort of preventative magic, which is how James Frazer defines taboo. Great films such as Schindler's List , Rome, Open City , or The Lord of the Rings, all rooted in the second world war, remind us that evil must be fought constantly. It is a perpetual struggle between darkness and light. (How we should react today to the rise of the far right across world is another question. Kindness alone is unlikely to correct it.) All this to try and show how at odds the Book of Enoch is, in our world. And what are we, today, to make of the link between the movement of the sun and moral guidance? At first, they seem odd bedfellows. In the passage I quoted above, the interest of the writer of the introduction, and translator or the Book of Enoch, R.H Charles is stirred when 'an ethical thought is brought in'. Why is that? And why is an ethical thought even linked to talk of astronomy? R.H. Charles describes the Book of Enoch as an 'apocalyptic work', and introduces the text in this way: "Hope is, indeed, the main underlying motive-power which prompted the writers of the Apocalypses. And this hope is the more intensive and ardent in that it shines forth from a background which is dark with despair; for the Apocalyptists despaired of the world in which they lived, a world in which the godly were of no account, while the wicked seemed too often triumphant and prosperous. With evil everywhere around, the Apocalyptists saw no hope for the world as it was; for such a world there was no remedy, only destruction; if the good were ever to triumph it must be in a new world. Despairing, therefore, of the world around them, the Apocalyptists centered their hope upon a world to come, where the righteous would come to their own and evil would find no place. It is this thought which underlies the opening words of the Book of Enoch: "The words of the blessing of Enoch, wherewith he blessed the elect and righteous, who will be living in the day of tribulation, when all the wicked and godless are to be removed." What the nature of evil is, or what the nature of the divine is, we can only speculate. It's certainly not hard to think of times when people have lost everything and the perpetrators of crimes have gone unpunished. Happiness and well-being are absolutely not the necessary consequences of trying to be a decent person; behaviour that shows consideration towards others does not shield you or your family from harm. Only in some other world can that be so. So with this thought in mind, that people who have lost hope in the face of evil have placed their energies into imagining another world, we can move on to the subject of light and darkness. And this is where the Archangel Michael comes in, protector of people, psychopomp, weigher of souls, and solar figure. I have looked at the parts of the Book of Enoch where the archangel Michael is mentioned, and they are as follows. In the first section, Michael appears already. This is why I began reading the book, in fact, to try and understand what Michael represents. Two hundred angels, 'the children of heaven', arrive on Earth and take women as their wives. The offspring are giants, who devour mankind, 'sin against birds, and beats, and reptiles, and fish, and drink the blood.' These angels teach men how to 'make swords and knives and shields and breastplates, and made known to them the metals of the earth and the art of working them, and bracelets, and ornaments, and the use of antinomy, and the beautifying of the eyelids, and all kinds of costly stones and all colouring tinctures.' Incidentally, antinomy is the preferred raw material of alchemists in Europe I think, and so this is already possibly an indirect reference to gold. Men are also taught about enchantments, astrology, and the course of the moon. This is the point at which Michael is first mentioned, together with Uriel, Raphael and Gabriel. In chapter IX, they 'looked down from heaven and saw much blood being shed upon the earth, and all lawlessness being wrought upon the earth. And they said one to another 'The earth made without inhabitant cries the voice of their crying up to the gates of heaven. And now to you, the holy ones of heaven, the souls of men make their suit, saying, "Bring our cause before the Most High." The Most High speaks. 'Tell him in my name "Hide Thyself!" and reveal to him the end that is approaching: that the whole earth will be destroyed, and a deluge is about to come upon the whole earth, and will destroy all that is on it. And now instruct him that he may escape and his seed may be preserved for all the generations.' Raphael is instructed to bind the hand and feet of the leader of the Watchers, Azazel, and cast him into darkness, in the desert, on jagged rocks. Michael is instructed to 'bind Semjâzâ and his associates' and carry out punishments. Why exactly are these people being punished? For mating with or being an offspring of angels / watchers and women, and knowledge of things that are for some reason forbidden, and also non-marital affairs and war. It's an odd mix. Because humans can fight with swords, mine and smelt metals, wear jewelery and make-up, they need to be punished. Fighting with swords seems a greater offence that wearing eye-liner. The watchers are punished because it's all their fault, for teaching humans the technologies needed to fight and seduce others in new ways. The archangel's job is to carry out punishments on these semi human beings. It's worth noting that if we too have knowledge of metals and the moon, decorate our eyelids and wear bracelets, then we too would be fair game, with regard to this punishment. It seems that to be considered righteous, you must not know about the course of the moon or metals or eye make-up - but how can you un-know it once it has been taught to you? And while metals and eye-lines can be linked to killing and seduction, and thus not necessarily laudable actions, knowledge of the course of the moon seems at odds with any moral code conceivable in our time. What's more, we've seen already that the sun and moon themselves can mislead men, so perhaps they are both thought of as divine entities with wills of their own, and who must not be understood if you are to escape punishment.

It's worth quoting the entire section here, which shows what Michael is asked to do. X. "And the Lord said unto Michael: 'Go, bind Semjâzâ and his associates who have united themselves with women so as to have defiled themselves with them in all their uncleanness. 12. And when their sons have slain one another, and they have seen the destruction of their beloved ones, bind them fast for seventy generations in the valleys of the earth, till the day of their judgement and of their consummation, till the judgement that is for ever and ever is consummated. 13. In those days they shall be led off to the abyss of fire: 〈and〉 to the torment and the prison in which they shall be confined for ever. And whosoever shall be condemned and destroyed will from thenceforth be bound together with them to the end of all generations. 15. And destroy all the spirits of the reprobate and the children of the Watchers, because they have wronged mankind. Destroy all wrong from the face of the earth and let every evil work come to an end: and let the plant of righteousness and truth appear: and it shall prove a blessing; the works of righteousness and truth shall be planted in truth and joy for evermore. 17 And then shall all the righteous escape, And shall live till they beget thousands of children, And all the days of their youth and their old age Shall they complete in peace. 18 And then shall the whole earth be tilled in righteousness, and shall all be planted with trees and be full of blessing. 19. And all desirable trees shall be planted on it, and they shall plant vines on it: and the vine which they plant thereon shall yield wine in abundance, and as for all the seed which is sown thereon each measure (of it) shall bear a thousand, and each measure of olives shall yield ten presses of oil. 20. And cleanse thou the earth from all oppression, and from all unrighteousness, and from all sin, and from all godlessness: and all the uncleanness that is wrought upon the earth destroy from off the earth. 21. ⌈And all the children of men shall become righteous⌉, and all nations shall offer adoration and shall praise Me, and all shall worship Me. And the earth shall be cleansed from all defilement, and from all sin, and from all punishment, and from all torment, and I will never again send (them) upon it from generation to generation and for ever." (All quotations from the translation by R.H. Charles)

Michael is mentioned again in chapter XX.

"1. And these are the names of the holy angels who watch. 2. Uriel, one of the holy angels, who is over the world and over Tartarus. 3. Raphael, one of the holy angels, who is over the spirits of men. 4. Raguel, one of the holy angels who takes vengeance on† the world of the luminaries. 5. Michael, one of the holy angels, to wit, he that is set over the best part of mankind over chaos. 6. Saraqâêl, one of the holy angels, who is set over the spirits, who sin in the spirit. 7. Gabriel, one of the holy angels, who is over Paradise and the serpents and the Cherubim. 8. Remiel, one of the holy angels, whom God set over those who rise." And again here: "CHAPTER XXIV. 1. ⌈⌈And from thence I went to another place of the earth⌉⌉, and he showed me a mountain range of fire which burnt ⌈⌈day and night⌉⌉. 2. And I went beyond it and saw seven magnificent mountains all differing each from the other, and the stones (thereof) were magnificent and beautiful, magnificent as a whole, of glorious appearance and fair exterior: ⌈⌈three towards⌉⌉ the east, ⌈⌈one⌉⌉ founded on the other, and three towards the south, one upon the other, and deep rough ravines, no one of which joined with any other. 3. And the seventh mountain was in the midst of these, and it excelled them in height, resembling the seat of a throne: and fragrant trees encircled the throne. 4. And amongst them was a tree such as I had never yet smelt, neither was any amongst them nor were others like it: it had a fragrance beyond all fragrance, and its leaves and blooms and wood wither not for ever: and its fruit ⌈⌈is beautiful, and its fruit⌉⌉ resembles the dates of a palm. 5. Then I said: '⌈How⌉ beautiful is this tree, and fragrant, and its leaves are fair, and its blooms ⌈⌈very⌉⌉ delightful in appearance.' 6. Then answered Michael, one of the holy ⌈⌈and honoured⌉⌉ angels who was with me, and was their leader. CHAPTER XXV. 1. And he said unto me: 'Enoch, why dost thou ask me regarding the fragrance of the tree, and ⌈why⌉ dost thou wish to learn the truth?' Then I answered him ⌈⌈saying⌉⌉: 'I wish to know about everything, but especially about this tree.' And he answered saying: 'This high mountain ⌈⌈which thou hast seen⌉⌉, whose summit is like the throne of God, is His throne, where the Holy Great One, the Lord of Glory, the Eternal King, will sit, when He shall come down to visit the earth with goodness. 4. And as for this fragrant tree no mortal is permitted to touch it till the great judgement, when He shall take vengeance on all and bring (everything) to its consummation for ever. It shall then be given to the righteous and holy. 5. Its fruit shall be for food to the elect: it shall be transplanted to the holy place, to the temple of the Lord, the Eternal King. 6 Then shall they rejoice with joy and be glad, And into the holy place shall they enter; And its fragrance shall be in their bones, And they shall live a long life on earth, Such as thy fathers lived: And in their days shall no ⌈⌈sorrow or⌉⌉ plague Or torment or calamity touch them.' 7 Then blessed I the God of Glory, the Eternal King, who hath prepared such things for the righteous, and hath created them and promised to give to them." And again here: "CHAPTER XL. 1. And after that I saw thousands of thousands and ten thousand times ten thousand, I saw a multitude beyond number and reckoning, who stood before the Lord of Spirits. 2. And on the four sides of the Lord of Spirits I saw four presences, different from those that sleep not, and I learnt their names: for the angel that went with me made known to me their names, and showed me all the hidden things. 3. And I heard the voices of those four presences as they uttered praises before the Lord of glory. 4. The first voice blesses the Lord of Spirits for ever and ever. 5. And the second voice I heard blessing the Elect One and the elect ones who hang upon the Lord of Spirits. 6. And the third voice I heard pray and intercede for those who dwell on the earth and supplicate in the name of the Lord of Spirits. 7. And I heard the fourth voice fending off the Satans and forbidding them to come before the Lord of Spirits to accuse them who dwell on the earth. 8. After that I asked the angel of peace who went with me, who showed me everything that is hidden: 'Who are these four presences which I have seen and whose words I have heard and written down?' 9. And he said to me: 'This first is Michael, the merciful and long-suffering: and the second, who is set over all the diseases and all the wounds of the children of men, is Raphael: and the third, who is set over all the powers, is Gabriel: and the fourth, who is set over the repentance unto hope of those who inherit eternal life, is named Phanuel.' And these are the four angels of the Lord of Spirits and the four voices I heard in those days."

So what do we know about the archangel Michael?

He is "merciful and long-suffering", "is set over the best part of mankind over chaos", and he is one of the "holy angels who watch". He is one of four angels of the Lord of Spirits, four presences, who "blesses the Lord of Spirits for ever and ever", the other three are Raphael, Gabriel and Phanuel. Michael is their leader. He explains something about a tree and the great judgment to Enoch. This section is intriguing because it mentions proportions of light: "CHAPTER XLIII. 1. And I saw other lightnings and the stars of heaven, and I saw how He called them all by their names and they hearkened unto Him. 2. And I saw how they are weighed in a righteous balance according to their proportions of light: (I saw) the width of their spaces and the day of their appearing, and how their revolution produces lightning: and (I saw) their revolution according to the number of the angels, and (how) they keep faith with each other. 3. And I asked the angel who went with me who showed me what was hidden: 'What are these?' 4. And he said to me: 'The Lord of Spirits hath showed thee their parabolic meaning (lit. 'their parable'): these are the names of the holy who dwell on the earth and believe in the name of the Lord of Spirits for ever and ever.'' Again, Michael is mentioned here: "CHAPTER LIV. 1 And I looked and turned to another part of the earth, and saw there a deep valley with burning fire. 2. And they brought the kings and the mighty, and began to cast them into this deep valley. 3. And there mine eyes saw how they made these their instruments, iron chains of immeasurable weight. 4. And I asked the angel of peace who went with me, saying: 'For whom are these chains being prepared?' 5. And he said unto me: 'These are being prepared for the hosts of Azâzêl, so that they may take them and cast them into the abyss of complete condemnation, and they shall cover their jaws with rough stones as the Lord of Spirits commanded. 6. And Michael, and Gabriel, and Raphael, and Phanuel shall take hold of them on that great day, and cast them on that day into the burning furnace, that the Lord of Spirits may take vengeance on them for their unrighteousness in becoming subject to Satan and leading astray those who dwell on the earth.' LIV. 7.-LV 2. Noachic Fragment on the first World Judgement. 7. 'And in those days shall punishment come from the Lord of Spirits, and he will open all the chambers of waters which are above the heavens, and of the fountains which are beneath the earth. 8. And all the waters shall be joined with the waters: that which is above the heavens is the masculine, and the water which is beneath the earth is the feminine. 9. And they shall destroy all who dwell on the earth and those who dwell under the ends of the heaven. 10. And when they have recognized their unrighteousness which they have wrought on the earth, then by these shall they perish." The link between light and righteousness is made clear here: 'CHAPTER LVIII. 1. And I began to speak the third Parable concerning the righteous and elect. 2. Blessed are ye, ye righteous and elect, For glorious shall be your lot. 3. And the righteous shall be in the light of the sun. And the elect in the light of eternal life: The days of their life shall be unending, And the days of the holy without number. 4. And they shall seek the light and find righteousness with the Lord of Spirits: There shall be peace to the righteous in the name of the Eternal Lord. 5. And after this it shall be said to the holy in heaven That they should seek out the secrets of righteousness, the heritage of faith: For it has become bright as the sun upon earth, And the darkness is past. 6. And there shall be a light that never endeth, And to a limit (lit. 'number') of days they shall not come, For the darkness shall first have been destroyed, [And the light established before the Lord of Spirits] And the light of uprightness established for ever before the Lord of Spirits." Michael is mentioned again here: "CHAPTER LX. 1. In the year five hundred, in the seventh month, on the fourteenth day of the month in the life of †Enoch†. In that Parable I saw how a mighty quaking made the heaven of heavens to quake, and the host of the Most High, and the angels, a thousand thousands and ten thousand times ten thousand, were disquieted with a great disquiet. 2. And the Head of Days sat on the throne of His glory, and the angels and the righteous stood around Him. 3. And a great trembling seized me, And fear took hold of me, And my loins gave way, And dissolved were my reins, And I fell upon my face. 4 And Michael sent another angel from among the holy ones and he raised me up, and when he had raised me up my spirit returned; for I had not been able to endure the look of this host, and the commotion and the quaking of the heaven. And Michael said unto me: 'Why art thou disquieted with such a vision? Until this day lasted the day of His mercy; and He hath been merciful and long-suffering towards those who dwell on the earth. 6. And when the day, and the power, and the punishment, and the judgement come, which the Lord of Spirits hath prepared for those who worship not the righteous law, and for those who deny the righteous judgement, and for those who take His name in vain--that day is prepared, for the elect a covenant, but for sinners an inquisition. 25. When the punishment of the Lord of Spirits shall rest upon them, it shall rest in order that the punishment of the Lord of Spirits may not come, in vain, and it shall slay the children with their mothers and the children with their fathers. Afterwards the judgement shall take place according to His mercy and His patience.' 7. And on that day were two monsters parted, a female monster named Leviathan, to dwell in the abysses of the ocean over the fountains of the waters. 8. But the male is named Behemoth, who occupied with his breast a waste wilderness named †Dûidâin†, on the east of the garden where the elect and righteous dwell, where my grandfather was taken up, the seventh from Adam, the first man whom the Lord of Spirits created. 9. And I besought the other angel that he should show me the might of those monsters, how they were parted on one day and cast, the one into the abysses of the sea, and the other unto the dry land of the wilderness. 10. And he said to me: 'Thou son of man, herein thou dost seek to know what is hidden.' 11. And the other angel who went with me and showed me what was hidden told me what is first and last in the heaven in the height, and beneath the earth in the depth, and at the ends of the heaven, and on the foundation of the heaven. 12. And the chambers of the winds, and how the winds are divided, and how they are weighed, and (how) the portals of the winds are reckoned, each according to the power of the wind, and the power of the lights of the moon, and according to the power that is fitting: and the divisions of the stars according to their names, and how all the divisions are divided. 13. And the thunders according to the places where they fall, and all the divisions that are made among the lightnings that it may lighten, and their host that they may at once obey. 14. For the thunder has †places of rest† (which) are assigned (to it) while it is waiting for its peal; and the thunder and lightning are inseparable, and although not one and undivided, they both go together through the spirit and separate not. 15. For when the lightning lightens, the thunder utters its voice, and the spirit enforces a pause during the peal, and divides equally between them; for the treasury of their peals is like the sand, and each one of them as it peals is held in with a bridle, and turned back by the power of the spirit, and pushed forward according to the many quarters of the earth. And the spirit of the sea is masculine and strong, and according to the might of his strength he draws it back with a rein, and in like manner it is driven forward and disperses amid all the mountains of the earth. 17. And the spirit of the hoar-frost is his own angel, and the spirit of the hail is a good angel. 18. And the spirit of the snow has forsaken his chambers on account of his strength--There is a special spirit therein, and that which ascends from it is like smoke, and its name is frost. 19. And the spirit of the mist is not united with them in their chambers, but it has a special chamber; for its course is †glorious† both in light and in darkness, and in winter and in summer, and in its chamber is an angel. 20. And the spirit of the dew has its dwelling at the ends of the heaven, and is connected with the chambers of the rain, and its course is in winter and summer: and its clouds and the clouds of the mist are connected, and the one gives to the other. 21. And when the spirit of the rain goes forth from its chamber, the angels come and open the chamber and lead it out, and when it is diffused over the whole earth it unites with the water on the earth. And whensoever it unites with the water on the earth . . . 22. For the waters are for those who dwell on the earth; for they are nourishment for the earth from the Most High who is in heaven: therefore there is a measure for the rain, and the angels take it in charge. 23. And these things I saw towards the Garden of the Righteous. 24. And the angel of peace who was with me said to me: 'These two monsters, prepared conformably to the greatness of God, shall feed . . "

There is a spirit for almost every form of water: the, spirit of the sea, the spirit of the hoar-frost, the spirit of the hail, the spirit of the snow, a special spirit that is frost, the spirit of the mist, the spirit of the dew, the spirit of the rain. It reminds me of Shinto.

After all the complaining previously about the Watchers explaining too much to the humans, the angels now explain to Enoch about the stars, and the wind, and thunder and lightening.

Two monsters are mentioned: a female monster named Leviathan, to dwell in the abysses of the ocean over the fountains of the waters, and a male monster named Behemoth, who occupies a waste wilderness named Dûidâin on dry land. Again Michael is mentioned, in an odd section about fire and water. "CHAPTER LXVII. 1. And in those days the word of God came unto me, and He said unto me: 'Noah, thy lot has come up before Me, a lot without blame, a lot of love and uprightness. 2. And now the angels are making a wooden (building), and when they have completed that task I will place My hand upon it and preserve it, and there shall come forth from it the seed of life, and a change shall set in so that the earth will not remain without inhabitant. 3. And I will make fast thy seed before me for ever and ever, and I will spread abroad those who dwell with thee: it shall not be unfruitful on the face of the earth, but it shall be blessed and multiply on the earth in the name of the Lord.' 4. And He will imprison those angels, who have shown unrighteousness, in that burning valley which my grandfather Enoch had formerly shown to me in the west among the mountains of gold and silver and iron and soft metal and tin. 5. And I saw that valley in which there was a great convulsion and a convulsion of the waters. 6. And when all this took place, from that fiery molten metal and from the convulsion thereof in that place, there was produced a smell of sulphur, and it was connected with those waters, and that valley of the angels who had led astray (mankind) burned beneath that land. 7. And through its valleys proceed streams of fire, where these angels are punished who had led astray those who dwell upon the earth. 8. But those waters shall in those days serve for the kings and the mighty and the exalted, and those who dwell on the earth, for the healing of the body, but for the punishment of the spirit; now their spirit is full of lust, that they may be punished in their body, for they have denied the Lord of Spirits and see their punishment daily, and yet believe not in His name. 9. And in proportion as the burning of their bodies becomes severe, a corresponding change shall take place in their spirit for ever and ever; for before the Lord of Spirits none shall utter an idle word. 10. For the judgement shall come upon them, because they believe in the lust of their body and deny the Spirit of the Lord. 11. And those same waters will undergo a change in those days; for when those angels are punished in these waters, these water-springs shall change their temperature, and when the angels ascend, this water of the springs shall change and become cold. 12. And I heard Michael answering and saying: 'This judgement wherewith the angels are judged is a testimony for the kings and the mighty who possess the earth.' 13. Because these waters of judgement minister to the healing of the body of the kings and the lust of their body; therefore they will not see and will not believe that those waters will change and become a fire which burns for ever." And again in the following chapter, where he is astonished by the severity of the punishment. "CHAPTER LXVIII. 1. And after that my grandfather Enoch gave me the teaching of all the secrets in the book in the Parables which had been given to him, and he put them together for me in the words of the book of the Parables. 2. And on that day Michael answered Raphael and said: 'The power of the spirit transports and makes me to tremble because of the severity of the judgement of the secrets, the judgement of the angels: who can endure the severe judgement which has been executed, and before which they melt away?' 3. And Michael answered again, and said to Raphael: 'Who is he whose heart is not softened concerning it, and whose reins are not troubled by this word of judgement (that) has gone forth upon them because of those who have thus led them out?' 4. And it came to pass when he stood before the Lord of Spirits, Michael said thus to Raphael: 'I will not take their part under the eye of the Lord; for the Lord of Spirits has been angry with them because they do as if they were the Lord. Therefore all that is hidden shall come upon them for ever and ever; for neither angel nor man shall have his portion (in it), but alone they have received their judgement for ever and ever." In Chapter LXIX, Michael is mentioned in connection with a secret. "14. This (angel) requested Michael to show him the hidden name, that he might enunciate it in the oath, so that those might quake before that name and oath who revealed all that was in secret to the children of men. 15. And this is the power of this oath, for it is powerful and strong, and he placed this oath Akâe in the hand of Michael. 16 And these are the secrets of this oath . . . And they are strong through his oath: And the heaven was suspended before the world was created, And for ever. 17. And through it the earth was founded upon the water. And from the secret recesses of the mountains come beautiful waters, From the creation of the world and unto eternity. 18. And through that oath the sea was created, And †as its foundation† He set for it the sand against the time of (its) anger, And it dare not pass beyond it from the creation of the world unto eternity. 19. And through that oath are the depths made fast, And abide and stir not from their place from eternity to eternity. 20. And through that oath the sun and moon complete their course, And deviate not from their ordinance from eternity to eternity. 21. And through that oath the stars complete their course, And He calls them by their names, And they answer Him from eternity to eternity. ⌈22. And in like manner the spirits of the water, and of the winds, and of all zephyrs, and (their) paths from all the quarters of the winds. 23. And there are preserved the voices of the thunder and the light of the lightnings: and there are preserved the chambers of the hail and the chambers of the hoarfrost, and the chambers of the mist, and the chambers of the rain and the dew. 24. And all these believe and give thanks before the Lord of Spirits, and glorify (Him) with all their power, and their food is in every act of thanksgiving: they thank and glorify and extol the name of the Lord of Spirits for ever and ever.⌉ 25. And this oath is mighty over them And through it ⌈they are preserved and⌉ their paths are preserved, And their course is not destroyed." This brings us to chapter LXXII, the book of the courses of the luminaries of the heaven. This is the bit that intrigued me the most the first time I read it, and gave me the idea to find out the ratio of daylight to darkness in various places at various times. I'm going to quote the whole chapter, even though its long. ''CHAPTER LXXII. 1. The book of the courses of the luminaries of the heaven, the relations of each, according to their classes, their dominion and their seasons, according to their names and places of origin, and according to their months, which Uriel, the holy angel, who was with me, who is their guide, showed me; and he showed me all their laws exactly as they are, and how it is with regard to all the years of the world and unto eternity, till the new creation is accomplished which dureth till eternity. 2. And this is the first law of the luminaries: the luminary the Sun has its rising in the eastern portals of the heaven, and its setting in the western portals of the heaven. 3. And I saw six portals in which the sun rises, and six portals in which the sun sets and the moon rises and sets in these portals, and the leaders of the stars and those whom they lead: six in the east and six in the west, and all following each other in accurately corresponding order: also many windows to the right and left of these portals. 4. And first there goes forth the great luminary, named the Sun, and his circumference is like the circumference of the heaven, and he is quite filled with illuminating and heating fire. 5. The chariot on which he ascends, the wind drives, and the sun goes down from the heaven and returns through the north in order to reach the east, and is so guided that he comes to the appropriate (lit. 'that') portal and shines in the face of the heaven. 6. In this way he rises in the first month in the great portal, which is the fourth ⌈those six portals in the cast⌉. 7. And in that fourth portal from which the sun rises in the first month are twelve window-openings, from which proceed a flame when they are opened in their season. 8. When the sun rises in the heaven, he comes forth through that fourth portal thirty mornings in succession, and sets accurately in the fourth portal in the west of the heaven. 9. And during this period the day becomes daily longer and the night nightly shorter to the thirtieth morning. 10. On that day the day is longer than the night by a ninth part, and the day amounts exactly to ten parts and the night to eight parts. 11. And the sun rises from that fourth portal, and sets in the fourth and returns to the fifth portal of the east thirty mornings, and rises from it and sets in the fifth portal. 12. And then the day becomes longer by †two† parts and amounts to eleven parts, and the night becomes shorter and amounts to seven parts. 13. And it returns to the east and enters into the sixth portal, and rises and sets in the sixth portal one-and-thirty mornings on account of its sign. 14. On that day the day becomes longer than the night, and the day becomes double the night, and the day becomes twelve parts, and the night is shortened and becomes six parts. 15. And the sun mounts up to make the day shorter and the night longer, and the sun returns to the east and enters into the sixth portal, and rises from it and sets thirty mornings. 16. And when thirty mornings are accomplished, the day decreases by exactly one part, and becomes eleven parts, and the night seven. 17. And the sun goes forth from that sixth portal in the west, and goes to the east and rises in the fifth portal for thirty mornings, and sets in the west again in the fifth western portal. 18. On that day the day decreases by †two† parts, and amounts to ten parts and the night to eight parts. 19. And the sun goes forth from that fifth portal and sets in the fifth portal of the west, and rises in the fourth portal for one-and-thirty mornings on account of its sign, and sets in the west. 20. On that day the day is equalized with the night, [and becomes of equal length], and the night amounts to nine parts and the day to nine parts. 21. And the sun rises from that portal and sets in the west, and returns to the east and rises thirty mornings in the third portal and sets in the west in the third portal. 22. And on that day the night becomes longer than the day, and night becomes longer than night, and day shorter than day till the thirtieth morning, and the night amounts exactly to ten parts and the day to eight parts. 23. And the sun rises from that third portal and sets in the third portal in the west and returns to the east, and for thirty mornings rises in the second portal in the east, and in like manner sets in the second portal in the west of the heaven. 24. And on that day the night amounts to eleven parts and the day to seven parts. 25. And the sun rises on that day from that second portal and sets in the west in the second portal, and returns to the east into the first portal for one-and-thirty mornings, and sets in the first portal in the west of the heaven. 26. And on that day the night becomes longer and amounts to the double of the day: and the night amounts exactly to twelve parts and the day to six. 27. And the sun has (therewith) traversed the divisions of his orbit and turns again on those divisions of his orbit, and enters that portal thirty mornings and sets also in the west opposite to it. 28. And on that night has the night decreased in length by a †ninth† part, and the night has become eleven parts and the day seven parts. 29. And the sun has returned and entered into the second portal in the east, and returns on those his divisions of his orbit for thirty mornings, rising and setting. 30. And on that day the night decreases in length, and the night amounts to ten parts and the day to eight. 31. And on that day the sun rises from that portal, and sets in the west, and returns to the east, and rises in the third portal for one-and-thirty mornings, and sets in the west of the heaven. 32. On that day the night decreases and amounts to nine parts, and the day to nine parts, and the night is equal to the day and the year is exactly as to its days three hundred and sixty-four. 33. And the length of the day and of the night, and the shortness of the day and of the night arise--through the course of the sun these distinctions are made (lit. 'they are separated'). 34. So it comes that its course becomes daily longer, and its course nightly shorter. 35. And this is the law and the course of the sun, and his return as often as he returns sixty times and rises, i.e. the great luminary which is named the sun, for ever and ever. 36. And that which (thus) rises is the great luminary, and is so named according to its appearance, according as the Lord commanded. 37. As he rises, so he sets and decreases not, and rests not, but runs day and night, and his light is sevenfold brighter than that of the moon; but as regards size they are both equal."

So we have an explanation about divisions in the sky, on the horizon: six to the east and six to the west. As the sun progresses over the course of the year from south-east to north-east and back south again, it is said to rise in one of six portals and set in one of six in the west. The portals are defined in terms of both ratios of day and night while the sun rises in that part of the sky and also thirty day periods.

This is one of the most fascinating parts of the Book of Enoch. Does it at least partly explain the Michael network of lines through Europe? I think it is a strong contender. Which portal does the winter Phi day sun rise in at Skellig, or at Saint Michael's Mount, or any of the other places associated with this line? Is there a seventh portal? One which marks the point in the sky where the sun rises and gives the precise amount of daylight, between rising and setting, as against darkness, which defines life itself, that is to say, Phi? The final part of the Book of Enoch is about rewarding the righteous and punishing the wicked. If this cannot happen in this world, we can begin to look to the skies, perhaps to the constellation that looks like a weighing scales, Libra, or perhaps to the constellation which corresponds to the Archangel Michael who holds those scales, Ophiuchus. We can imagine a world beyond these stars, or perhaps even in these stars, where the rewards and punishments are given. Ophiuchus gives hope to those who have suffered on earth and who feel the perpetrators of crimes have gone unpunished.