#naritive

Quick full-circle / validation moment: (it’s long - don’t say I didn’t warn you)

When I was about 10 y/o, about a week before my first holy communion, I found this scapular in a cardboard box that was left unpacked after a move. I asked my family about it and no one knew who it belonged to; and so as a “early communion gift” my mom handed it back to me and said, “It’s yours, it’ll protect you”. Over the course of the next few years, I lost interest in church and subsequently, God. I felt a lot of inner conflict between my religion and being gay. I stopped believing and stopped caring about all things Godly. I packed up my saint statues and paintings and icons galore (Catholics am I rights), I put every Bible into a box, and threw it to the furthest corner of my bedroom for it to remain hidden. My life remained like that for years… Empty and dark. Around 2017, through what was most likely a random Tumblr post, I started becoming interested in paganism and Herbalism and occult things (“Into” as if I haven’t been a magic - magnet since I was born [that’s a story for later]). I found my self bouncing through traditions and esotarotcisms and got no magical results. I went back to my roots and started reconnecting with the saints and spirits I’ve always known and now they’ve asked me to share my journey. This scapular ( the original point of this weed-induced tangent) portrays 2 saints I’m honored to work with and to call my friends. I just think it goes to show you that no one can run from their calling. It’s also SUPER validating to know that these saints have always been with me.

I give thanks to the Blessed Virgin, Queen of heaven and earth. I give Thanks to St Jude the apostle. I give thanks to El Santo Niño de Atocha. I give thanks to Saint Michael, the Archangel. I give thanks to the litany of saints, to the angles of heaven, and to my ancestors passed.