Cards 1-10: Adalgis - Andrew - Voices of the Saints
Cards 1-10: Adalgis - Andrew - Voices of the Saints
Cards 20-29: Bonaventura - Cosmas & Damian
Cards 30-39: Cyrus - Francis of Paola
Cards 40-49: Francis Xavier - Joachim
Cards 50-59: Joan of Arc - Mark
Cards 60-69: Margaret Alaoque - Peter
Cards 70-78 : Philip Benizi - Zita
Voices of the Saints: Keyword Guide
Transversal Theology: Technical Glossary
1. Saint Adalgisius Nocariae Ep. Conf. (9th-cent. Italy)
Hagiography
Feast day: October 7
Saint Adalgis of Novara: Bishop and influential churchman. From 830 to circa 850, Adalgis served the diocese of Novara, Italy. He also served Emperor Lothair I of the Franks.
Archetypology
The hagiography on Saint Adalgis of Novara is scarce. He is the first card in the deck and, though we will not be employing numerology with regards to the order of the cards, this may be our exception. Saint Adalgis is such a standard “bishop” saint that to pull him is almost like pulling the standard archetype of “Bishop/saint”. This signifies wisdom passed on formally through an institution and the orderly rule of an institution according to a masculine model. There is not much more than that to go. He could be likened to Saint Agnes, who is the template for the “virgin Martyr saint” or Saint Matilde who is the archetype of the “noble woman”. Each represents the most general application of their archetype.
Visual Symbology
Saint Adalgis stands arrayed in typical bishop garb, he is wearing his miter and holding his crosier. He holds a scroll, but much like his hagiography, it is unclear what is written there. Again, being the archetypal “bishop/saint” he seems to be standing in heaven and is accompanied by a cherub, whom he seemed to take no regard of, and who takes no regard of him. The cherub offers a crown but is so low to the ground that it does not seem feasible that Saint Adalgis could even take it given his gaze. Since it is a golden crown as opposed to a crown of thorns, it could be a symbol of his sainthood, but when those are offered to saints in iconography, they are usually received. More likely it is the crown associated with Emperor Lothair I. The symbolism implied reminds the observer that a bishop will be an influencer of powerful people, but must not be drawn to that power himself. Humble service of the divine is the only path to sainthood for a bishop, hence the gaze of Saint Adalgis is upward not toward the crown.
Application
When Saint Adalgis appears in a pattern he presents authority well used. This means action, organization, and concern for truth all with the compassion of a humble servant. He also presents a leader who is not tempted by corruptive power. In reverse Saint Adalgis presents power that corrupts or well intentioned power that is exerted too rigidly. In the oppositional position, Saint Adalgis could also present someone who is too distant from the people they are meant to serve or to overly rigid in their law making.
2. Saint Aegidius Abb. (7th-cent. Greece)
Hagiography
Feast Day: September 1
Saint Giles the Hermit: Born to a wealthy noble family, when his parents died, Giles gave his fortune to help the poor. Known as a miracle worker. To avoid followers and adulation, he left Greece for France where he lived as a hermit in a cave in the diocese of Nimes, a cave whose mouth was guarded by a thick thorn bush, and a lifestyle so impoverished that, legend says, God sent a deer to Giles to nourish him with her milk.
One day after he had lived there for several years in meditation, a royal hunting party chased the hind into Giles’ cave. One hunter shot an arrow into the thorn bush, hoping to hit the deer, but instead hit Giles in the leg, crippling him. The king sent doctors to care for hermit‘s wound, and though Giles begged to be left alone, the king came often to see him.
From this, Gile’s fame as sage and miracle worker spread, and would-be followers gathered near the cave. The French king, because of his admiration, built the monastery of Saint Gilles du Gard for these followers, and Giles became its first abbot, establishing his own discipline there. A small town grew up around the monastery, and upon Giles’ death, his grave became a shrine and place of pilgrimage; the monastery later became a Benedictine house.
The combination of the town, monastery, shrine, and pilgrims led to many handicapped beggars hoping for alms; this and Giles’ insistence that he wished to live outside the walls of the city, and his own damaged leg, led to his patronage of beggars, and cripples since beginning was the only source of income for many. Hospitals and safe houses for the poor, crippled, and leprous were constructed in England and Scotland and were built so cripples could reach them easily. On their passage to Tyburn for execution, convicts were allowed to stop at Saint Giles’ Hospital where they were presented with a bowl of ale called Saint Giles’ Bowl, “thereof to drink at their pleasure, as their last refreshing in this life.” One of the Fourteen Holy Helpers.
Patronage
against breast cancer
against epilepsy
against leprosy
against mental illness
against noctiphobia
against sterility
beggars
blacksmiths
breastfeeding
cancer patients
disabled people
epileptics
forests
handicapped people
hermits
horses
lepers
physically challenged people
paupers
rams
spur makers
Woods
Archetypology
Saint Giles offers a hermit in tune with nature to the point of offering a substitutional sacrifice. In his hagiography, the deer represents his relation to nature. He is fundamentally sustained by the deer. When violence is sought against nature Saint Giles literally takes the place of a suffering dear sanding in its stead the way Christ stands in our place at his death. What results from his feat is a reordering of local life, symbolized by the establishment of a monastery as opposed to a secular “kingdom” and literal healing all around.
Visual Symbology
As expected Saint Giles stands in a lush wilderness, mountains and forests span the backdrop. The scene plays up his integral relationship with the natural world (harkening all the way back to Adam). This is accented by is radiating halo is barely visible and seamlessly blending into the environment evoking a blending of the inner-spiritual and the external-natural. He holds a book but it is turned down implying disengagement or disinterest. At his side on the ground lays a miter and a crosier covered in lilies. The miter and crosier laid aside represent his transcendence from traditional human power structures, even legitimate religious ones. The lilies represent his singular focus on living his hermetic and contemplative vocation. His gaze is turned away from these trappings of power toward a deer that is in his embrace. The deer is the animal who sustained him and with whom he self identified to the point of a replacement wounding.
Application
To meet Saint Giles is to meet a deep connection to nature. It could announce the presence of or a need to return to a simpler mode of being, less invested with synthetic human construction and more reliant on systems the cosmos naturally supplies. The card could also indicate the presence of healing. In reverse Saint Giles could present an over investment in the synthetic to the detriment of the natural order and balance. It could also draw focus to diseases or unhealthy situations that lurk unnoticed.
3. Saint Agatha V. M. (3rd-cent. Italy)
Hagiography
Feast: February 5
Saint Agatha: Young, beautiful and rich, Agatha lived a life consecrated to God. When Decius announced the edicts against Christians, the magistrate Quinctianus tried to profit by Agatha’s sanctity; he planned to blackmail her into sex in exchange for not charging her. Handed over to a brothel, she refused to accept customers. After rejecting Quinctianus’s advances, she was beaten, imprisoned, tortured, her breasts were crushed and cut off. She told the judge, “Cruel man, have you forgotten your mother and the breast that nourished you, that you dare to mutilate me this way?” She was then imprisoned again, then rolled on live coals; when she was near death, an earthquake struck. In the destruction that followed, a friend of the magistrate was crushed, and the magistrate fled. Agatha thanked God for an end to her pain and died.
Patronage
against breast disease
against earthquakes
against fire
against natural disasters
against sterility
against volcanic eruptions
bell-founders
fire prevention
jewelers
martyrs
nurses
rape victims
single laywomen
torture victims
wet-nurses
Archetypology
Agatha’ narrative presents the height of misogynistic evil. She symbolizes both stalwart morality and helplessness in the face of patriarchy that is not only power hungry and hedonistic, but even sadistic. Her passivity speaks to the classic damsel in distress who, in this case, is “rescued” by God. The rescue involves her sainthood and a tale of divine justice in the form of an earthquake. But more importantly for us still here a legacy that condemns misogyny and displays its evil manifestations. This is most displayed in the sexual blackmail and subsequent envious destruction of her breasts (symbols of maternity and sustenance).
Visual Symbology
In this card, Agatha stands in front of the fire in which she will be burned to death. In her left hand, she holds a book and a palm, signs of knowledge and martyrdom. In her right hand, she holds a cruel instrument of torture, likely the one the flattened her breasts. Her face is turned away from the torture device toward the direction of the book and palm, but upward to heaven. This indicates that the focus should be on the legacy of her martyrdom and not a voyersitic indulgence of cruelty. But the gaze goes even beyond all of the suffering, and lessons thereof, in this world to abidance in the next.
Application
Saint Agatha presents a hard lesson. Good can come even in absolute powerless victimhood. This card urges us to look beyond ourselves and realize that our suffering can benefit others. It also offers the hope that God will bring both relief and justice, though we may not directly benefit from it in this life. In reverse Agatha calls for swift action and advocacy against cruel oppression, especially oppression rooted in disordered masculinity.
4. Saint Agnes V. M. (4th-cent. Italy)
Hagiography
Feast: January 21
Saint Agnes: Foster-sister of Saint Emerentiana. At age 12 or 13 Agnes was ordered to sacrifice to pagan gods and lose her virginity by rape. She was taken to a Roman temple to Minerva (Athena), and when led to the altar, she made the Sign of the Cross. She was threatened, then tortured when she refused to turn against God. Several young men presented themselves, offering to marry her, whether from lust or pity is not known. She said that to do so would be an insult to her heavenly Spouse, that she would keep her consecrated virginity intact, accept death, and see Christ. Martyr.
Patronage
betrothed couples
bodily purity
chastity
crops
gardeners
girls
rape victims
virgins
Archetypology
Again, this card can be likened to Saint Adalgis in that both present the prototypical narrative for their archetype. In the case of Saint Agnes, the typology is the virgin martyr. In this narrative virginity represent dedicating one’s life in a uniquely singular way to God so as not to be distracted by other deeply binding relationships (sexual or maternal). In the standard virgin narrative, the saint is always tempted by oppressors to give in to sexual activity in order to spare their lives and they always refuse. The name Agnes means lamb, which calls to mind the sacrifice of Jesus and brings her story into focus as a narrative of disciplined abstinence.
Visual Symbology
The most striking visual accent of the Agnes card is that the saintly figure is surrounded by an abundance of lilies, crowned with lilies, and holding a lily, which her head is turned toward. Again, we noted the symbolism of lilies above stating they are a symbol of purity. We there defined purity as the focus on a cosmological truth as opposed to a “worldly appearance or a focus on teleological goal or direction as opposed to worldly distractors. But in this case, lilies are most certainly indicative of holy virginity. In the image Agnes is also holding a lamb, representing her sacrifice.
Application
When Agnes presents the querent should be aware of singularity of purpose and prioritizing of relationships. This could be generally applied, but better applies specifically to one’s relationship with God as opposed to neighbor. Sexuality and parenting are deep human relationships which are naturally good, but their expression and engagement are meant to be micro-expressions of our love for the divine. A reverse Agnes brings the mind to those things we value beyond their worth, at the expense of greater goods. Again, sexuality and parenthood But to value them over one’s relationship to God turns a good into a harmful obsession
5. Saint Albertus Messanae Conf. (13th-cent. Italy)
Hagiography
Fest: August 7
Saint Albert of Sicily: Albert’s parents promised that if they were blessed with a son, he would be dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Educated in a Carmelite monastery, and joined the Order at age 18. Priest. Teacher in the monastery. Mendicant preacher to the Sicilians, making many conversions. Miracle worker.
When the city of Messina, Italy was under siege and blockade, disease ridden and facing imminent starvation, the Messina city fathers asked Albert and the monastery for intervention. Albert celebrated Mass, offering it as a plea for God‘s deliverance. As he finished, three ships loaded with grain ran the blockade. The city was saved from starvation, and Robert lifted the siege. Albert was so well remembered for this intervention that a city gate was dedicated in his honor over 300 years later.
In his later years, Albert retired to a small monastery near Messina and spent his time in prayer, meditation, and communion.
Patronage
Carmelite schools
Archetypology
There are two major points to the narrative of Saint Albert, first, that one can have a destiny, and Saint Albert’s was to be a Carmelite. His destiny is set both by his parents’ desire and divine imprimatur. The second revolves around preservation of life, particularly symbolized by bread. Saint Albert celebrates Mass in petition to save the life of the city, a ritual involving the deification of bread itself. At its conclusion life is preserved through three grain ships breaking the siege. The great miracle of Saint Albert seems to re-present the multiplication of loaves by Christ and reminds us of the connection of sustenance, suffering, and sacrifice the mass makes to the wider world. Thus Saint Albert represents an integrated view of sustenance and life.
Visual Symbology
In this card, Saint Albert is seen wearing his Carmelite garb. He holds a lily in one hand and the Christ Child in the other, reflective of another great miracle worker Saint Anthony of Padua, who, in most of his iconography, holds the same symbols and delivers bread to the needy. However, Saint Albert is not holding bread. Instead, he hovers over the city of Messina as its protector as three ships are seen sailing into port. One can take away from the comparison a healthy contrast between universal charity of Anthony of Padua and “charity begins at home”. One can also see in the narrative comparison, the contrast between charity as personal and singular as opposed to personal and of larger scale and lasting effect.
Application
To meet Saint Albert is to meet the entire system that sustains life, the physical in bread and the spiritual in the body of Christ as well as the spiritual growth of sacrifice and the miraculous salvation offered through these integrated systems. The querent should focus on the integration of lifegiving systems present in the query. In reverse, Saint Albert could indicate a sense of ingratitude and offer the need for greater appreciation toward the complexity involved in sustaining the totality of one’s life. OR it may present a situation of compartmentalization, where one attends to religion, but only “as religion”, or bread, but only as bread. And not as a system of life giving sustenance.
6. Saint Alexander Sauli EP. Conf (16th-Cent. Italy)
Hagiography
Feast: October 11
Saint Alexander Sauli: Alexander was from a prestigious family and became a page at the court of Emperor Charles V in Milan. When Alexander asked for entry into the Barnabites, they asked young Sauli to carry a large cross through the streets of Milan, dressed as an imperial page, and to preach in public about the love for God and the renunciation of the world. This would give them an indication of whether or not his choice was authentic. With the heavy cross on his shoulders, he crossed the city. When he reached the square called Piazza dei Mercanti, he asked a vendor for his stand. He erected the cross on it, and with great fervor, he addressed the crowd about the worship of God and the love of neighbor. When Sauli returned to the Barnabite residence after performing this charge, he was received as a postulant. Clerk Regular of the Congregation of Saint Paul (Barnabite). Taught philosophy and theology at the University of Pavia, Italy. Bishop of Aleria, Corsica; there the faith was all but dead, and the clergy and people were in a state of deplorable ignorance. With three companions, he reclaimed the inhabitants, corrected abuses, rebuilt churches, founded colleges and seminaries, and returned the Church in Corsica to health. Left a number of catechetical works. He was a friend of Saint Charles Borromeo.
Archetypology
Saint Alexander Sauli represents institutional transition. He moved from a promising career in secular governmental structures to actualizing a career of reform in the Church. He also had an impressive academic career, without formally attending university school himself. He reminds us that human society consists of many parallel, yet integrated power structures. Alexander represents the ability to maneuver between these structures seamlessly, even when members of that structure don’t expect one to be able to.
Visual Symbology
In the image, Saint Alexander Sauli holds the cross that he presumably carried when rejecting his life as a page and taking on a life of religious investment. This symbolizes his aforementioned maneuverability. A radiation of light shines from the heavens through clear halo demonstrating divine favor, but his right hand is extended downward as a gesture of worldly application. His miter and crosier sit neatly on a table to his left with two lilies. They are ready to be used but are not obsessed upon by the saint, showing how well he used his authority with appropriate detachment.
Application
When Saint Alexander Sauli is presented it is time to contemplate where one is applying one’s effort. Are the social structures one is abiding in serving the querent's best need? Is the querent serving the social structures best need? Saint Alexander Sauli right side up implies a focus on where one is as a good location and begs an exploration of how to better utilizes one’s current position. Saint Alexander Sauli in reverse implies a need for additional structures or even an outright change and rejection of former structures.
7. Saint Aloysius Gonzaga Conf. (16th-cent. Italy
Hagiography
Feast: June 21
Saint Aloysius Gonzaga: Born to the Italian nobility who grew up in a castle as a prince in the Holy Roman Emperor and a compulsive gambler. He trained from age four as a soldier and courtier. Served as a page in the Spanish court. He suffered from kidney disease, which he considered a blessing as it left him bed-ridden with time for prayer. While still a boy himself, he taught catechism to poor boys. He received his First Communion from Saint Charles Borromeo. At age 18, Aloysius signed away his legal claim to his family’s lands and title to his brother and became a Jesuit novice. Spiritual student of Saint Robert Bellarmine. Tended plague victims in Rome, Italy in the outbreak of 1591 during which he caught the disease that killed him at age 23.
Patronage
against sore eyes
AIDS care-givers
AIDS patients
bodily purity
Catholic youth
Jesuit students
relief from pestilence
teenage children
teenagers
young people
Archetypology
Saint Aloysius Gonzaga represents the epitome of youthful exuberance. His ability to throw himself into cause without hesitation, even to his own sacrificial destruction demonstrates all the power of adolescent zeal. Saint Aloysius Gonzaga shows the dedication to Christ that signs away all worldly goods and benefits in order to serve plague victims, those whom society deems least worthy of help.
Visual Symbology
Much like Saint Agnes, the youthful purity of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga is pictured in a veritable forest of lilies and he is garbed in the robes of a subdeacon, having not reached ordination because his passion burned to hard and fast. Unlike Saint Agnes, his sacrificial death is not passive but active. His halo radiates out from the sphere toward the greater world. He holds a crucifix, which he gazes upon and sitting next to him is a book and a skull (memento mori). Each of these reminds us that the specter of suffering and death looms large in his short life, both in his ministry and in his manner of death.
Application
Should Saint Aloysius Gonzaga show up in a reading, the card focuses the querent on youthful passion and/or active service to those forgotten or cast off by society. It is a card of fearlessness in pursuit of the good. In reverse Saint Aloysius Gonzaga presents a general burning of the candle at both ends to the detriment of the querent. Or undertakings not achieved due to over applied exuberance.
8. Saint Alphonsus M. de Ligorio Ep. Doct. (18th-cent Italy)
Hagiography
Feast: August 1
Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori: Born to the nobility, Alphonsus was a child prodigy; he became extremely well-educated and received his doctorate in law from the University of Naples at age 16. He had his own legal practice by age 21, and was soon one of the leading lawyers in Naples, though he never attended court without having attended Mass first. He loved music, could play the harpsichord, and often attended the opera, though he frequently listened without bothering to watch the over-done staging. As he matured and learned more and more of the world, he liked it less and less and finally felt a call to religious life. He declined an arranged marriage, studied theology, and was ordained at age 29.
Preacher and home missioner around Naples. Noted for his simple, clear, direct style of preaching, and his gentle, understanding way in the confessional. Writer on asceticism, theology, and history; master theologian. He was often opposed by Church officials for a perceived laxity toward sinners, and by government officials who opposed anything religious. Founded the Redemptoristines and the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Liguorians; Redemptorists).
Appointed bishop of the diocese of Sant’Agata de’ Goti and worked to reform the clergy and revitalize the faithful in a diocese with a bad reputation. Alphonsus vowed early to never to waste a moment of his life, and he lived that way for over 90 years. Declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius IX.
Patronage
against arthritis
against scrupulosity
confessors
final perseverance
moralists
scrupulous people
theologians
vocations
Archetypology
Saint Alphonsus Liguori represents the best example of a renaissance man. He has innate talent, he recognizes it, develops it to its full potential, and when he recognizes that it is misapplied he changes focus and appropriately utilizes his skills. In a standard Tarot deck, he would be comparable to the magician, one who is able to synthesize and apply. He represents a life fully lived in every facet.
Visual Symbology
The image on the card pictures Saint Alphonsus Liguori closely cropped. His halo is dark and stands out against the rather plain backdrop. There is no indication of where Saint Alphonsus is, and all focus is on his person. He seems to be embracing nothing in particular and holds a rosary in his left hand. His very being seems to fade as is descends to the bottom of the card and he stares just to the right of the observer in vacant ecstasy. Even though Saint Alphonsus Liguori founded a very well known order, the card seems to draw the observer to the figure himself as a person of accomplishment, beyond anything he may have accomplished.
Application
If one sees Saint Alphonsus Liguori in a reading one should consider the use of their talents. Has the querent identified their talent and sought to develop them? Has the querent assessed whether or not their talent is applied in the correct way? The card is also a call to seize life to the fullest. Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori in reverse seems to indicate stagnation or a rut of acceptance of mediocracy. It could also suggest talent untapped or unutilized.
9. Saint Ambrosius Ep. Doct. (4th-cent. Italy)
Hagiography
Feast: December 7
Saint Ambrose of Milan: Born to the Roman nobility. Brother of Saint Marcellina and Saint Satyrus. Educated in the classics, Greek, and philosophy at Rome, Italy. Poet and noted orator. Convert to Christianity. Governor of Milan, Italy.
When the bishop of Milan died, a dispute over his replacement led to violence. Ambrose intervened to calm both sides; he impressed everyone involved so much that though he was still an unbaptized catechumen, he was chosen as the new bishop. He resisted, claiming that he was not worthy, but to prevent further violence, he assented, and he was baptized, ordained as a priest, and consecrated as bishop. He immediately gave away his wealth to the Church and the poor, both for the good it did and as an example to his flock.
Noted preacher and teacher, a Bible student of renown, and writer of liturgical hymns. He stood firm against paganism and Arians. His preaching helped convert Saint Augustine of Hippo, whom Ambrose baptized and brought into the Church. Ambrose’s preaching brought Emperor Theodosius to do public penance for his sins. He called and chaired several theological councils during his time as bishop, many devoted to fighting heresy. Proclaimed a great Doctor of the Latin Church by Pope Boniface VIII.
The title Honey Tongued Doctor was initially bestowed on Ambrose because of his speaking and preaching ability; this led to the use of a beehive and bees in his iconography, symbols which also indicate wisdom. This led to his association with bees, beekeepers, chandlers, wax refiners, etc.
Patronage
beekeepers
bees
bishops
candle makers
chandlers
domestic animals
geese
honey cake bakers
learning
Livestock
police officers
schoolchildren
security personnel
starlings
students
wax melters and refiners
Archetypology
Saint Ambrose is a towering figure in Western Christian history. He is actually the first person in recorded history to read silently. This ability so amazed Saint Augustine (himself a pillar of Western Christianity) that he wrote of it in his Confessions. Because of his relationship to Saint Augustine, having converted him and baptized him, Saint Ambrose could represent greatness that begets greatness. He also definitely represents the ability to engage in an intellectual field and defend the truth in debate to the healing of the community. Presenting this bishop and doctor of the church the card implies an intensity of knowledge, publicly recognized and used with authority and union of the community through intelligent dialogue and exposition of poor thought and belief.
Visual Symbology
In this image, Saint Ambrose looks away as he points to a large book he holds. This signifies his knowledge and his ability to intellectually impart it. He is wearing his miter, which shows his authority to teach. The rather vacant background could imply the universality of his scope as a doctor of the church. Lastly, there is a beehive sitting next to him on the ground. These bees symbolize two things. First, as mentioned, his moniker is “the honey tongued doctor” so by that sweetness the hive represents his ability to teach palatably, which is an important skill. However, the bees themselves are known for being hyper communal. Ambrose’s career began as a communal compromise, and he spent his life educating in order to heal division in the church. So the hive very much represents a well ordered community.
Application
If Saint Ambrose appears during contemplative prediction, focus should turn to use of the intellect to build community and consensus. The querent may want to analyze people or ideologies they see as dividing or incorrect and make sure they are confronting them but paying attention to the palatability of that confrontation. The querent may also want to make sure that they are listening to good authority when it comes to those s/he is learning from. In reverse, the querent may want to make sure that they are keeping inside the realm of their proper authority when they are trying to educate. It may also represent apparent education that is actually communally divisive. Truth isolated from coherency and/compassion is easily weaponized and becomes a tool of prideful provocation or harassment.
10. Saint Andreas Ap. (1st-cent. Isreal-Palestine)
Hagiography
Feast: November 30
Saint Andrew the Apostle: The first Apostle. Fisherman by trade. Brother of Simon Peter. Follower of John the Baptist. Andrew went through life leading people to Jesus, both before and after the Crucifixion. Missionary in Asia Minor and Greece, and possibly areas in modern Russia and Poland. Martyred on a saltire (x-shaped) cross, he is said to have preached for two days from it.
Patronage
against convulsions
against fever
against gout
against neck pain
against sore throats
against whooping cough
anglers
boatmen
Butchers
farm workers
fishermen
happy marriages
mariners
miners
old maids
pregnant women
rope makers
sailmakers
sailors
Singers
spinsters
textile workers
unmarried women
water carriers
women who wish to become mothers
Archetypology
Saint Andrew represents the typical unsung hero. He is an apostle, which is of primary importance, but he comes off as a lesser character to his brother Peter. The lack of development of Saint Andrew as a character allows him to retain his identity as a fisherman of Galilee, while at the same time being in the inner circle of Jesus. He represents all of those who move in important circles behind the scenes, not drawing attention to themselves, and maintaining their humble origins while ascending is skill and effectiveness to great ends. Because of that, people of little clout feel comfortable approaching him as a mediator. This happens twice in the Gospels, when Saint Phillip wants to introduce some Greek outsiders to the company, and the nameless boy during the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. In this Saint Andrew represents the “good ol’ boy” who has reached a high place, but doesn’t forget his roots.
Visual Symbology
Saint Andrew stands barefoot on the ground, representing the humble origins that he never abandoned. His hair is shaggy and he is half stripped, presenting him as a rough or basic man of the earth. This is accented by the soil he stands on, sporadically sprouting grass and leading away to rugged mountains approached by various paths. These are the unassuming ways that Andrew quietly strode toward and spread spiritual awakening.
He is draped over the Saltire on which he will be crucified and appears to be about to kiss the cross. This again shows his humility at play. Tradition states that the peculiar shape of this instrument of torture was chosen by Saint Andrew because he deemed himself unworthy to die in the same manner as Christ.
Application
To meet Saint Andrew is to meet the summation high authority that in no way presents as such. It is a time to seek recognition of authority where one may not expect. It could also be time to divest oneself of the trappings of authority and get a thankless job done without thought of reward, especially the reward of prestige. In reverse, the card represents the putting on of heirs and an over investment in the appearance of status. Or it could present the use of an exalted status to good ends.
Comments
Post a Comment