Tag: Decius

February 5 – Fortuna & Saint Agatha’s Day

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February 5 – Fortuna & Saint Agatha’s Day

Fortuna & Saint Agatha’s Day

St. Agatha was a Christianized aspect of the Greek Goddess Tyche, known to the Romans as Fortuna and to the Anglo-Saxons as Wyrd. It was the custom to set this day aside for the reading of omens and divining the future, especially by those desiring marriage.

Magickal Activity

Crystal-Gazing

Items Needed:

A bowl of water

One small clear-quartz crystal

One white candle

Place the crystal in the bottom of the glass bowl and cover it with water. Place the candle just behind the bowl and light it. With your right index finger, slowly stir the water around the crystal as you chant:

Blessed spirits of the night

Bless me now with second sight.

Gaze into the bowl. The water will begin to cloud over and a psychic mist will appear. When the mist begins to flow out of the bowl, stop stirring the water and look directly into the bowl. Focus your attention on the crystal and repeat the following:

Fire and water, crystal clear

Let the visions now appear.

Visions of the future will begin to appear. When the visions begin to fade, make a mental note of what you saw. Snuff out the candle and place the crystal under your pillow. The crystal will provide you with more information during your dream time. Later, write your visions down in your diary or dream journal.

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Saint of the Day for August 21 is St. Christopher

St. Christopher

Before the 1969 reform of the Roman calendar, Christopher was listed as a martyr who died under Decius. Nothing else is known about him. There are several legends about him including the one in which he was crossing a river when a child asked to be carried across. When Christopher put the child on his shoulders he found the child was unbelievably heavy. The child, according to the legend, was Christ carrying the weight of the whole world. This was what made Christopher patron saint of travelers and is invoked against storms, plagues, etc.. His former feast day is July 25.

Before the formal canonization process began in the fifteenth century, many saints were proclaimed by popular approval. This was a much faster process but unfortunately many of the saints so named were based on legends, pagan mythology, or even other religions — for example, the story of the Buddha traveled west to Europe and he was “converted” into a Catholic saint! In 1969, the Church took a long look at all the saints on its calendar to see if there was historical evidence that that saint existed and lived a life of holiness. In taking that long look, the Church discovered that there was little proof that many “saints”, including some very popular ones, ever lived. Christopher was one of the names that was determined to have a basis mostly in legend. Therefore Christopher (and others) were dropped from the universal calendar.

Some saints were considered so legendary that their cult was completely repressed (including St. Ursula). Christopher’s cult was not suppressed but it is confined to local calendars (those for a diocese, country, or so forth). His name Christopher, means Christ-bearer. He died a martyr during the reign of Decius in the third century.

Article By Terry Matz