Showing posts with label saint. Show all posts
Showing posts with label saint. Show all posts

Celebrating St. Dymphna



St. Dymphna is the patron saint of incest survivors, runaways and people with mental disorders. She was the daughter of a pagan Irish king and his Christian wife in the 7th century AD. She was murdered by her father for refusing to marry him after her mother died. She was only 15 years old when she was killed.

St. Dymphna is sometimes called Lily of Fire in reference to her purity and glorious martyrdom. It is said that at a very young age she consecrated her virginity to Jesus Christ and to his Blessed Mother with a vow of chastity.

All of the stories I have read about the unfortunate and tragic plight of this young girl explain her father’s advances on the fact that he was grieving the loss of his wife. As far as I know, grief has never been a precursor or cause of incest and rape. These conditions have much more to do with power and serious psychological problems of the perpetrator. It does no one any good to attempt to turn her story into some sort of tragic fairytale or a glorious story of Christian martyrdom. It was no fairytale—she obviously lived in extreme fear and likely suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. Before she was brutally murdered, a priest, Father Gerebran, did everything he could to keep her safe by helping her flee her country. One would think that would be the end of it and her father would move on to someone else but he was so obsessed with marrying his daughter that he tracked her down in a little village called Gheel in Belgium. Her father, along with his companion brutes, confronted her and Father Gerebran who defended Dymphna and refused her father access to his daughter. This only enraged the king who then ordered the priest murdered, a task eagerly carried out by his thuggish minions who promptly beheaded the priest.

Dymphna’s father continued to intimidate her and attempt to force her to return to Ireland with him as his wife. When she continued to refuse his perverted advances, he once again became enraged and took his own sword out of his belt and beheaded her on the spot. At the age of 15, on the 15th of May sometime between 620 and 640, she became a martyr.

As the story goes, the bodies of the two martyrs, Father Gerebran and Dymphna, lay at the spot where they were murdered for quite awhile until some of the locals found them and moved them to a cave as was their custom. After a few years, folks decided that given the circumstances of their deaths and statuses as martyrs, Father Gerebran and Dymphna deserved a better burial. So, they set out to disinter them and move them elsewhere. When the earth covering the entrance to the cave where they were buried was removed, the workers were surprised to find two clean, white tombs seemingly carved by angels. When the tomb of Dymphna was opened, There was a red tile laying on her breast that read:
Here lies the holy virgin and
martyr, Dymphna.
Dymphna’s remains were placed in a small church. Later, the magnificent Church of St. Dymphna was built on the site where the bodies were first buried. There, St. Dymphna's relics are kept in a golden reliquary. Miracles and cures began to occur in continually increasing numbers at her shrine. St. Dymphna became known as patroness of victims of nervous diseases and mental disorders. The stories of miracles spread from country to country. An increasing number of people with psychological and emotional problems made the pilgrimage to her shrine with hopes of healing. Novenas were made, and St. Dymphna's relic was applied to the patients. Reports of remarkable cures continued to spread throughout the land and more and more people came to believe in her healing powers. In the beginning, the people who came for healing were put up in a little building that was built onto the church. Later, there were so many people coming that the people in the village of Gheel opened their homes to them. As a result, Gheel was renowned for its care of the insane and mentally afflicted.

To work with St. Dymphna, dedicate a sacred space to her. Place her image and anything that helps you feel emotionally and psychologically balanced in that space. This can be special rocks, a crucifix, rosary, flowers, etc. These things need not be Catholic—the important thing is that they bring you comfort within your own belief system. St. Dymphna is often depicted with a sword which represents her martyrdom so you could place a sword on her altar. She is also depicted with lilies which represent her as female, a blue book and a little green devil representing insanity.

Get a white or green 7-day glass encased candle and anoint with Lilly of the Valley and Clarity oils. Write a petition stating your needs on parchment paper and place under the candle. Light the candle and say a devotional to her each day. You can use the following prayer:

Hear us, O God, Our Savior, as we honor St. Dymphna, patroness
of those afflicted with mental and emotional illness.
Help us to be inspired by her example and comforted by her
merciful help. Amen.

After the prayer, you should speak to her from the heart letting her know that you need her help. A variation of this work would be to get a picture of a devil, color it green and name it for the affliction you wish to remove or heal. Place that image face down under the candle and proceed as above. Once the candle burns to the bottom but has not yet extinguished, take the image of the devil and burn it in the flame of the candle. Then allow the candle to burn out. Take the candle to a cemetery and bury it there to symbolize the death, burial and/or transformation of your affliction.

Reference

Benedictine Convent Sisters (1946). Tabernacle and Purgatory, Clyde, Mo.

______________________________
*This article first appeared in the Hoodoo Almanac 2012 which can be purchased here.

Invoke St. Expedite for Quick Results


I receive so many emails from people wanting to know how to get relief, and how to get relief fast so I thought I would share a couple of spells here that involve petitioning St. Expedite. Truth be told, I need to share his name and work because he has been extremely helpful to me and others that I have shared his talents with and one of the conditions of him helping you is that you have to agree to spread his name and tell others about how he has helped you. So don't forget that if you try one of these spells and find that he answers you.

Saint Expedite is the patron saint of those who need fast solutions to problems, who strive to put and end to procrastination and delays, and who seek financial success. His feast day is April 19. In Haitian Voodoo, Baron La Croix is often represented by St. Expedite. In New Orleans Voodoo, he often represents Baron Samedi, the spirit of death.

In hoodoo, it is customary to offer St. Expedite pound cake, flowers, and a glass of water. In New Orleans, we typically offer him Sara Lee pound cake. He is believed to grant any request within his power provided the petitioner recommends his invocation to others. In this tradition, his image in the form of Holy Cards and medals are used in gambling charms and crossing rituals.


According to a legend, Saint Expeditus was a Roman centurion in Armenia who was beheaded during the Diocletian Persecution in 303. On the day he decided to become a Christian, the Devil took the form of a crow or a snake and told him to postpone his conversion until the next day. Instead, Expeditus stomped on the animal and killed it, proclaiming, "I'll be a Christian today!"


Here is a popular spell that you can use to petition St. Expedite for just about anything you need fast.

St. Expedite Spell to Get Things Fast


Perform this spell on a Wednesday. Light a red candle in a glass jar. I used a cinnamon candle. Place a Holy Card of St. Expedite on your altar and set a glass of water next to his image. Write your petition on a piece of paper and place it under the candle. Then, say the following prayer:

Saint Expedite, you lay in rest.
I come to you and ask that this wish be granted.

____________ (Express exactly what you want, and ask him to find a way to get it to you.)

Expedite now what I ask of you.
Expedite now what I want of you, this very second.
Don't waste another day.
Grant me what I ask for.
I know your power, I know you because of your work.
I know you can help me.
Do this for me and I will spread your name with love and honor
so that it will be invoked again and again.
Expedite this wish with speed, love, honor, and goodness.
Glory to you, Saint Expedite!

Recite the prayer once a day until your prayer is answered. Allow the candle to burn down. When your request is granted, pour the water  into the empty glass candle holder, and place fresh cut flowers in the candle glass. When your request is granted, thank St. Expedite by offering him a piece of Sara Lee pound cake (In New Orleans we are rather adamant about this, but I have heard reports from others that using any brand of pound cake will do) and be sure to tell someone how he has helped you. If you do not thank him in this manner, he will take back your request and then some, so be sure to remember this step.

St. Expedite Spell to get Rid of an Enemy

Okay, here is another version of the spell from my book The Voodoo Doll Spellbook.

Perform this spell on a Friday. Write the name of your target on a helium-filled red balloon. Make a very small Voodoo doll out of red fabric, anoint with Fast Luck Oil or St. Expedite Oil, and attach a medal of St. Expedite to the doll. Light a red candle. Place a Holy Card of St. Expedite on your altar and offer him a glass of water and say the following prayer:

Saint Expedite, you lay in rest.
I come to you and ask that this wish be granted.
____________ (Express exactly what you want, and ask him to find a way to get it to you.)
Expedite now what I ask of you.
Expedite now what I want of you, this very second.
Don't waste another day.
Grant me what I ask for.
I know your power, I know you because of your work.
I know you can help me.
Do this for me and I will spread your name with love and honor
so that it will be invoked again and again.
Expedite this wish with speed, love, honor, and goodness.
Glory to you, Saint Expedite!

Tie the balloon to the Voodoo doll and release into the air. The person should leave in whatever direction the wind is blowing. When your request is granted, thank St. Expedite by offering him a piece of Sara Lee pound cake. If you do not thank him in this manner, he will take back your request and then some, so be sure to remember this step.

St. Expedite Spell for Financial Relief


Here is a spell for money emergencies. Take a white and a green candle; carve your name on them lengthwise with a pin. Anoint the candles with St. Expedite Oil or Fast Luck Oil. Light the candles and pray to him until he grants your request. Pray to Saint Expedite:

I call forth the Power and the presence of St. Expedite in my time of financial trouble. I offer my body, heart, mind and soul upon your altar of light. I have faith and trust and complete confidence that you will be my strength in this time of need. Quickly come to my assistance.
Bring to me ____________ (Clearly express what you want, and ask him to find a way to get it to you.)
My financial need is urgent. Be my Light and Guide in this situation so that I may live with peace, love, prosperity and abundance and in the Praise of God.
Amen.

Now promise to give Saint Expedite some Sara Lee pound cake if your desire is granted. Tell him you will spread news of his work as well by taking an ad out in your local newspaper so that his fame will grow.


Article Copyright 2010-2016 Denise Alvarado, All rights reserved worldwide.

____________________________________________________________





Abramelin Oil, the Ceremonial Jewish Holy Anointing Oil as Described in the Biblical Book of Exodus

Abramelin oil, also called Oil of Abramelin, is a ceremonial magical oil blended from aromatic plant materials. Abramelin oil became ...

More Articles of Interest

Popular Posts