St. Michael and the People Who Claim to Talk for Him

I've been interested in St. Michael for a long time, so naturally I've done a lot of research on him. And there's a phenomenon on the rise that I think can be blamed on the rise of the internet and the free exchange of information. This phenomenon, of course, is people who say he's in constant contact with them because he wants them to impart his messages on the world. These people are a dime a dozen, but what's really amazing is that they don't seem to know about everyone else making similar crackpot claims.

(Seriously, did these people all wake up today and have a heaping bowl of Crazy O's?)

Interestingly enough, everyone's channelled messages basically start the same way: "You're my children, I love you, I don't expect you to believe everything I say, blah blah blah blah blah. Usually "Michael" refers to God as "the Creator," never as "Father" or "Lord." Then his "chosen" medium goes into a hippie, esoteric diatribe about the nature of the universe; his descriptions and directions for living are detailed enough to fool people into thinking they're real, but vague enough to allow his "chosen" mediums wiggle room. By that, I mean they make outrageous claims that can't be proven or disproven.

I spoke to one of Michael's "chosen" people once, a woman named Carolyn Ann O'Riley, and everything went swimmingly at first. She was forthcoming with advice. She was so friendly, and some of the things she told me about Michael mirrored my own life, so I vaguely believed she really talked to him. But when I asked her how her channeling worked, not out of skepticism but pure curiosity, she became hostile and defensive. She told me she would not tell me how the channelling worked, and that she never wanted me to contact her again. Well, that screamed fake to me, and I sent her one last email to tell her so. I also made it very clear that she should be ashamed of herself for preying on gullible people who looked to people like her for comfort and a sense of connection to something greater than themselves.

My favorites among these new species of pond scum are the ones who charge you to talk to Michael. Part of me is tempted to pay their fee just so I can have the pleasure of catching them in a lie. The amounts they charge vary in price, but I've seen it fluctuate from $150 to $1,500 (Ms. O'Riley charges). Yeah, that definitely strikes me as something the real Michael would encourage...

I try to avoid these people like the plague because they make me so mad, but today I accidentally came across an entire book dedicated to Michael's "thoughts" on the so-called 2012 apocalypse and how he says it will happen. Listen, I don't know what we can expect in 2012. Part of me says this is a repeat of the Millenium hysteria, and part of me, the part that's also studying worldwide apocalyptic literature, can't ignore how all the world's prophecies seem to be converging at that same point in 2012. So honestly, I don't know if I should scoff or panic at the idea. But I do know this: the Bible says that nobody but God, not even Jesus, is privy to the date of the Apocalypse. So if Jesus doesn't know, Michael doesn't either. The fact that this woman doesn't know or remember that little tidbit of info automatically discredits her.

But what bothers me the most are the droves of people who are willing to hang on these so-called mediums' words without so much as an ounce of skepticism. Their lives are so sad, so unfulfilled, so longing for divine approval, that they forget to put their blinders on. I mean, I get that, I really do. I search for Michael for the same reasons. But unfortunately, I also know that most people are liars. So every piece of evidence I find concerning him must be taken with a grain of salt. But these sheep who blindly listen to these messages from "Michael" just automatically believe everything they hear.

Okay, so yeah, I'm a little jaded. I've been studying St. Michael for the last fifteen years, since I had my own mysterious encounter, and I've never found any solid, convincing evidence that anyone can channel him. As far as I can tell, if he wants someone to know something, he shows up alive and in the flesh to tell them. If everything we know about him is true, if he is indeed the archetypal knight in shining armor and most devoted of God's servants, then it stands to reason he's not shy.

And how do I know he doesn't really talk through someone? Admittedly, I don't. He may very well have one or two people he's handpicked for this mission. I can't say for certain that he hasn't because I personally don't know the guy. But again, these "chosen" people can be found in hordes on the internet. I'm pretty sure at least 99% of them are fake. I seriously doubt Michael has enough time in the day to talk to the millions of crackpots claiming to speak for him while still managing to battle demons and whatnot.

In short, if you see someone on the internet claiming to channel St. Michael, you are obliged to call bullshit.