St. Patrick’s Day musings

Last updated on: March 17, 2011 at 7:50 am by Lynn Hayes

St. Patrick’s Day musings 2011-03-17T07:50:50-04:00 Lynn Hayes

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Art by Jim FitzPatrick. Every now and then I do think about things that are not astrological in nature, and occasionally I like to indulge those wanderings in this blog. So please forgive my digression as I delve today into the meaning of St. Patrick’s Day.

I am a bit of a freak about Ireland (also West Africa, but that’s another story for another time). I love the music, am thrilled by the legends and mysterious beauty of the country. So you would think I would be a big celebrant when St. Patrick’s Day comes along.

Like many Christian myths, the origin of St. Patrick is shrouded in mystery and the actual history is lost to time. It appears likely that he was the son of a Roman chieftain living in Roman Britain who was kidnapped and taken to Ireland where he was held captive. There is an elaborate mythology around his eventual conquering of the local Druidic rulers that may or may not be true.

The simplified legend of St. Patrick that has come down to us today claims that St. Patrick drove all of the snakes in Ireland into the sea. Historical records show that there were no snakes in Ireland during the period in which St. Patrick was said to live there, yet images of snakes abound in the ancient carvings and sculptures in Ireland.

Snakes and serpents are symbols of wisdom, and serpents were most particularly symbolic of the Druids and other Celtic peoples in Ireland. The serpent continually sheds its skin, thereby representing eternal life and cosmic transformation as well. So the legend of St. Patrick clearly describes Patrick’s heroism in driving the Druids from power in Ireland and replacing the old religions of the natural world with the power hierarchies of the Catholic Church.

This doesn’t seem like much to celebrate, but over the centuries as the Irish diaspora of famine and hardship has spread the Irish people all over the globe, St. Patrick’s Day has become a day to celebrate Irish culture and legend. So I leave you with this lovely video of Irish mystery and magic with music by the appropriately-named band Celtic Legend. (Yes, I know, Stonehenge is actually in Britain and not Ireland. Just enjoy the video!) And read more about St. Patrick and the ancient Celts on Beth Owls Daughter’s blog.

St Patrick's Day astrology

Previous Post

March 15, 2011

Uranium and Plutonium = Uranus and Pluto

Next Post

March 18, 2011 Nate Dogg: The effect of Chiron and Uranus on health

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category 2012 Age of Aquarius Astrology Astrology in my world Astrology in the news Astronomy Business Celebrities Consciousness Conspiracy Crime Death Ecology Events Fate Favorite posts Featured posts Financial Markets Future Shock Generations Health & Healing Holidays Inspiration Jupiter in Leo Lessons Life Lynn's favorite posts Mercury retrograde Miscellany Money and markets Moon Mysteries People Planetary cycles Planets Podcast Politics Popular Culture Predictions Psychology Relationships Religion Saturn in Scorpio Saturn Return Science Signs Skywatch Sports Sun Sun signs Technology Uncategorized Uranus square Pluto Wonders of the universe

Select a Month September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 August 2000

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

True or False: In Revelation, Satan is bound in the Abyss for 500 years.

Select your answer to see how you score.

FALSE TRUE