Saint Joseph of Copertino - The Flying Saint

Saint Joseph of Copertino (San Giuseppe da Copertino) was born on 17 June 1603 in Copertino, a village near Lecce (Apulia, Italy). He died on 18 September 1663 in Osimo (Ancona, Italy).

His life was distinguished by supernatural and spectacular ecstatic states and healing experiences. His miracles draw such crowds and caused so much admiration and also social disturbance that his embarrassed superiors had to send him away from convent to convent.

As a result of his popularity, he was also brought before the Inquisition and accused of behaving like a false Messiah, yet the charge was not proven. He was ultimately ordered to remain confined in his room for thirty-five years. From 1639 to 1653 Joseph was not allowed to attend public places and lived in his cell in the convent of Assisi, where a small private chapel was prepared for him.

During a devotional pilgrimage to Assisi in 1980 a friar accompanied me to a private area of the convent were Saint Joseph’s cell is still preserved. This was a most significant experience on my path, which I described in full details in my early works.[1]

Perhaps his most famous enterprises were his repeated levitations, when his body would fly and remain suspended in the air. More than seventy documented public cases of levitation were recorded only in his early years and this earned him the nickname “the Flying Friar”.

Spectacular instances involved flying to religious images placed in high areas of the church or lifting a Calvary Cross thirty-six feet high, which several workers had failed to move, “as if it were straw” and install it high above the altar. His life was a long succession of visions and miracles. Whatever had any reference to God, the Virgin or the sacred would cause him to enter into an ecstatic state of consciousness: the sound of a bell, the mention of the name or the thought of God or the Madonna or of a saint, a holy picture, the choir, would put Joseph into an ecstatic state.

“Neither dragging him about, buffeting, piercing with needles, nor even burning his flesh with candles would have any effect on him – only the voice of his superior would make him obey”.

His feast is celebrated on 18 September. He is the patron of students, aviators and air passengers.

The story of this saint is depicted in the movie The Reluctant Saint (see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rQZC7pGT-4) and some references are also featured in More Than A Miracle (see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hq0V2eriVs)

Bridal Chamber and "Relationships ®"

Cryptic fragments from a talk on the Bridal Chamber...

One of the most captivating features of the Gnostic Christian mysteries is the Sacrament of the Bridal Chamber, which in the Gospel of Philip represents the Way to Christhood. 

The customary tantalising question here is “was this sacrament merely symbolic, or did it imply an actual sexual union?” 

Although the answer to this question makes a huge difference in conventional and religious terms, from the pure shamanic perspective it is entirely irrelevant. Here what counts is the experience rather than the symbolic elements used to describe the experience itself. In this respect whether it is the physical sexual intercourse, or any other metaphorical expression of sacred unions, such as the Holy Communion, the only pertinent question is: “does it serve the Intent of actually linking human separated reality with the Divine and the ecstatic realms of our True Self? Is this a pragmatic way or generating the Christ? Does this bring healing to me, the others and the whole environment?”, "Does it serve the Plan of Salvation?".

Feast of St Mary Magdalene, 22 July

St Mary Magdalene by Piero di Cosimo

Mary Magdalene, whose feast is celebrated on 22 July, is the Cinderella of the New Testament. Despite her canonical and documented major relevance, she has always been considered with a paradoxical low profile by most Christian official authorities. Only in recent times her popularity has climaxed, due to the discovery of ancient texts and mainly to the attention given by the media.

For a selection of books, CD and DVD see: http://astore.amazon.co.uk/astroshamanis-21?_encoding=UTF8&node=186

She is described in early Christian literature as the Apostle of the Apostles (apostola apostolorum) and is prominently featured as having a very close relationship to Jesus in all canonical literature.

Mary Magdalene (from Magdala, a town near Tiberias) is the only person mentioned in all canonical gospels as being present in all three major final events of Jesus' life: the crucifixion, the burial and and the discovery of the empty tomb. She is also the first person to see the Christ risen, endowed with the task of communicating this to the Apostles.

“The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him. Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre. So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre. And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in. Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie, And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed. For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead. Then the disciples went away again unto their own home. But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre, And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him. And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God. Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her.” (John, 20:1-18). 

St Francis Gazing at the Stars

Every year during our Holistic Healing Retreat in Assisi (Italy), which this summer takes place from 15 to 19 July 2011 (click here for information), we visit some relevant zones related with the life of St Francis.

The Eremo delle Carceri, Francis’ contemplative hermitage caves on the slope of Mount Subasio, is one of them. 

There we were drawn by a cluster of bronze statues portraying St Francis and his disciples, Brother Leo and Brother Juniper, while they look at the stars. 

Brother Leo, the most learned among the three, depicts the Large and Small Dipper on the ground, and after having identified other stars, draws a series of complex measurements with his hands and finally finds the Polar Star.

Brother Juniper, the “clown monk” of the Order, appears to mock Brother Leo and points at the Polar Star straight away. 

Right to the side of the two friars there is St Francis, peacefully lying down with his sandals off, his arms behind his neck, gazing at the whole firmament, perhaps listening to the buzz of cicadas, and saintly enjoying the climax of Summer. 

For a video of these statues and other features at the Eremo see the video below:

The Sacred Heart of Jesus

1 July in the Anglican and Catholic Christian traditions is the solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. This year 1 July is also New Moon (click here for our article)

The Sacred Heart is traditionally depicted as a flaming heart gleaming with divine light surrounded by a crown of thorns and bleeding. A typical illustration shows Jesus pointing with his left hand to the heart and with his right hand to the sky in the act of blessing. This is an exemplification of the function of the hands in many healing practices, such as AstroshamanicHealing Touch, which will be a primary focus in our seminars this month. 

Spiritual Diet for Dummies: On the Eucharist and the Zodiac Sign of Cancer

The Virgin of the Host

By Franco Santoro

In the article titled Gospel in the Stars or Stars in the Gospel? (click here) I referred to the intimate association between the Bible and astrology. I also mentioned the Gospel of Mark and its division in 12 sections, each corresponding to a zodiac sign, set in the natural order from Aries to Pisces. According to this structure, described in details by Bill Davison in The Gospel and the Zodiac, the part associated with the sign of Cancer goes from Mark 6:30 to 8:26.

The sign of Cancer is associated with giving and receiving nourishment, both at a physical and spiritual level, and according both to our separated and multidimensional perception. A major theme here is nourishment, and the discrimination between what feeds our separated identity and what supplies energy to our true Self.

This is a crucial area encompassing ordinary food and healthy diets, as well as spiritual nourishment. Here in both respects individuals seem to have different requirements. Food items that benefit some people may cause harm to others. Nevertheless there are certain elements in food that are vital for every human being, that are typical of all healthy diets no matter how diverse they are, while there are others that are poisonous for all mankind in general. The same situation applies to spiritual food. Hence a few questions on the Cancer’s front are: 

Who is the Holy Spirit?

For most Christians the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). The Holy Spirit, or Holy Ghost, is celebrated on the day of Pentecost, this year on 12 June.

According to the biblical narrative (Acts 2:1-6) on that day while the Apostles were together “suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance…”

According to traditions and cultures there are various ways of describing the Holy Spirit, ranging from “a Person really distinct as such from the Father and the Son, God and consubstantial with the Father and the Son” (Roman Catholic) to “a peculiar effect of divine flatulence hissing into the ears of a few chosen of God” (Voltaire).