Judika Illes - 11 Oct

The Encyclopedia of Mystics, Saints & Sages

A Guide to Asking for Protection, Wealth, Happiness, and Everything Else!

Judika Illes

To Rachel and Jordan, without whose love, patience, and support this book could not have been written.

The dead dont die. They look on and help.

D. H. LAWRENCE

Contents

I f you randomly ask people to identify their favorite saints, they may say Saint Anthony, Joan of Arc, or Saint Christopher, but they are also likely to name the head of their local animal shelter, a selfless physician, or even their long-suffering grandmother. Although all these people may be saintly, if they are still alive then, by definition, they are not saintsor at least, not yet.

A saint is someone who, having died, does not entirely depart this mortal coil but remains accessible in order to provide assistance and produce miracles for the living. That is the simplest and most technically accurate definition of a saint. Over the years, the word saint has acquired additional connotations and so the dictionary may list other definitions as well. However, from a spiritual perspective, a true saint must conform to two criteria:

A saint is no longer alive.

A saint has a history of producing or facilitating miracles from beyond the grave.

Once those two criteria are met, however, all bets are off. Saints come from all walks of life and all spiritual traditions. They derive from every ethnicity, gender, nation, and era. There are child saints and saints who achieved venerable ages. By any definition, many saints were good people while they were alive; they gave to the poor, healed the sick, fed the hungry, and sublimated their own personal desires to the needs of others. However, not all saintly people become saints after they die. Conversely, others who now fulfill all the requirements of sainthood may not have been particularly nice when they were breathingsome robbed, raped, pillaged, persecuted others, and even murdered.

The notion that not all saints were saintly or that saints may derive from spiritual traditions other than Christianity often surprises and even shocks people. Part of the confusion regarding saints derives from linguistic limitations. In the 21st century, the word saint is used to express multiple concepts, many having little to do with the original notion of sainthood.

Saint is used as a synonym for extremely good, selfless, or long-suffering. Thus Mother Teresa was frequently described as a saint while she was alive and operating orphanages in Calcutta. However, now that she is dead, in order for her to become an officially recognized Roman Catholic saint, there must be evidence and testimony indicating that she has produced at least two miracles from beyond the grave. Being considered exceptionally good is not sufficient for being regarded as a true saint. Saintly and saint are not synonyms.

Another reason for the confusion that exists regarding saints is our general cultural reluctance to discuss spiritual matters, especially those with a supernatural tinge. This general disinclination to contemplate or discuss the mystical emerged with a vengeance in the 18th century with the birth of what is now called the Age of Reason.

During the Age of Reason, how people thoughtthe way they thoughtwas dramatically transformed, as were the topics they thought about. Things and concepts once accepted blindly and without question were now closely considered and analyzed. It was the beginning of a new age in which rational thought was revered as opposed to the faith valued by earlier generations. Myth busters and debunkers emerged, questioning previously deeply held beliefs, demanding evidence and proof. Among the topics reexamined and reassessed were the after-life, the soul, miracles, communication between the living and the dead, and paranormal powersall subjects inextricably intertwined with sainthood.

Scientific method was formalized during this era. Scientific method is a system involving a series of clearly defined and mandatory steps, intended as a way of proving things to be true or false, fact or fiction. First a hypothesis is madean assumption or statement to be proved or disproved. In attempts to prove or disprove this hypothesis, evidence is gathered and experiments conducted. In order for the hypothesis to be proven, results must be reproducible by other researchers. By definition, scientific method thus acknowledges and validates events, beings, experiences, and things that are standardized and predictable, while discounting others.

Saints produce miracles, and miracles, by definition, are unique events that defy reason and logic. To fully discuss saintsespecially the extraordinary powers many of them demonstrated in life and the miracles attributed to them after their deaththus defies scientific method and social convention. By this reasoning, to demonstrate familiarity with this topic demonstrates familiarity with superstition. Thus, it is not surprising that many prefer to consider saints as role models rather than as miracle workersat least during public discussion.

From the late 18th century through the 20th century, discussion relating to the supernatural or miraculous was generally avoided in polite, educated society. However, the beginning of the 21st century marked a new revolutionan explosion of interest in the paranormal, as well as a willingness to speak openly about topics previously only whispered. Many are no longer afraid to describe experiences they may have had that cannot be proved with conventional logic and reason. Television programming on many channels is dominated by ghost hunters. And so, it may be time for an honest and frank discussion of saints, our friends and allies on the Other Side.

Ironically, lifes biggest mystery may be what happens after it ends. Philosophers, mystics, theologians, and religious leaders have debated this conundrum for millennia. Their responses can be boiled down to three options, although obviously many fine variations exist.

Immortality: A person possesses an immortal soul that leaves the body at death and travels to an after-life realm like Heaven, Hell, Valhalla, Avalon, the Western Paradise, and innumerable others.

Reincarnation: A person possesses an immortal soul that, through the process of reincarnation or transmigration, passes from one corporeal body to another, lifetime after lifetime, incarnation after incarnation. After you die, you will eventually and literally be born again, albeit in another form or as another person.

Finality: Death is final. Individual existence terminates at death. Our bodies deteriorate and our lives fade from memory, although the names of exceptional or famous people, as well as the basic facts of their lives, may be recalled. Human life is as ephemeral as grains of sand dissolving in the sea.

Each of these theories has its proponentsbillions of them. It is possible that each is correctthat different fates await different individuals. Some may pass into another realm, some may pass into a new form, and some may pass into oblivion. This corresponds with the universal folk belief that souls of the dead differ in how they interact with the living. In other words, not all souls of dead people behave the same way.

Most dead people, whatever their after-life fate, are never heard from again. Most pass from this existence completely, living only in the memories of those left behind. These dead souls neither help nor harm the living. They are literally the silent majority of the dead, but there are exceptions. Saints are among those exceptions.