images of St Patrick: Wikimedia commons (left and right).
The veneration of St Patrick is celebrated on the 17th of March, supposedly the day of his death.
In my analysis, it is very unlikely such a person ever actually existed in literal history. The details of his life found in the supposedly autobiographical account "
Confessio of Saint Patrick" indicate that his story is based on celestial metaphor rather than historical terrestrial events.
According to the story as recorded, Patrick was kidnapped by pirates (this episode is reminiscent of the story of the Greek god Dionysus, also kidnapped by pirates and also associated with the very same constellations with which the figure of Patrick is associated, as I have demonstrated in other places including in my 2016 book on the celestial foundation of the myths of Ancient Greece).
The leading away into captivity is also reminiscent of the account of Joseph in the book of Genesis, which can be definitively shown to be celestial and metaphorical (I have an entire presentation on the Joseph account in one of my on-demand courses, specifically in
Celestial Bible Tour, Part Two).
Depictions of Joseph being sold into captivity often depict Joseph in a posture which evokes the constellation Sagittarius, with the bow of Sagittarius being seen as hands that are crossed and bound rather than as a bow in some ancient myths and associated artwork (see for example the image below, from an illustration published in the 1100s of the scene from Genesis):
image: Wikimedia commons (link).
In the Confessio attributed to Patrick, the author has Patrick say that after he was sold into captivity and taken to Ireland, Patrick spent time tending sheep (see Section 16 of the Confessio, linked above). The constellation Sagittarius often plays the role of a young shepherd who tends to sheep or goats, owing to the slender appearance of the constellation itself (see star chart above) and to the fact that Sagittarius is located immediately adjacent to the Goat of Capricorn in the night sky (not visible in the chart above, but located immediately to the right of Sagittarius as the image is oriented above -- that is, immediately to the east of Sagittarius).
Thus, Joseph as a youth (sold into captivity in Egypt) is associated with Sagittarius, and Patrick as a youth (sold into captivity in Ireland) is also associated with Sagittarius. As I have demonstrated elsewhere, the god Dionysus (who was also captured by pirates in one episode) can also be shown to have been associated with both Sagittarius and also Capricorn in his youth, as a way of hiding from the wrath of the goddess Hera.
When Patrick becomes a bishop, however, he can be shown beyond any doubt to be associated with the pivotal figure of Ophiuchus (and, intriguingly enough, as I have also shown with abundant supporting evidence elsewhere, both Joseph and also the god Dionysus can be shown to be associated with Ophiuchus as well).
Depictions of St Patrick almost universally depict the bishop standing atop one or more serpents, as can be seen in both of the depictions in the star-chart above. Standing above or atop a serpent or multiple serpents (or atop a serpent with multiple heads) is a very strong indication of association with the constellation Ophiuchus, because Ophiuchus in the sky is positioned directly above as if standing atop the constellation Scorpio -- and Scorpio often plays a serpent in ancient myth and ancient scriptures, including a serpent with multiple heads.
Additionally, St Patrick is usually depicted carrying a staff, sometimes a crook-staff, and Ophiuchus figures in myth often carry rods, staffs, or spears, for reasons which should be obvious from the outline of the constellation itself shown in the star chart above. Note that Moses is also a figure who can be confidently shown to be associated with Ophiuchus, and Moses of course also carries a staff -- and one which can turn into a serpent. There are some depictions of St Patrick in which the serpent at his feet is actually winding its way up the base of Patrick's staff.
Patrick is also often shown with his hand in a gesture associated with the "serpent's head" feature of the constellation Ophiuchus -- with thumb and two fingers raised. The top of the "serpent's head" of Ophiuchus (on the right side of the constellation, as seen in the star chart above -- that is to say, the west side of Ophiuchus) is formed by three stars:
This "serpent's head" of Ophiuchus with its three stars is also the likely origin of the shamrock carried by St Patrick in many depictions -- a shamrock with three lobes.
Intriguingly, in the text of Confessio, the author has Patrick also state (in Section 12 of the Confessio) that he felt like a stone lying deep in the mud, until "he who was powerful came and in his mercy pulled me out, and placed me on the very top of the wall." As I have shown in some of my discussion of the myths of ancient Mesopotamia in my 2019 book
Ancient World-Wide System, Ophiuchus can be shown beyond any doubt to have played the role of a wall in some ancient myths. Thus, Patrick's statement in Section 12 about a wall is another piece of evidence supporting his identification with Ophiuchus in the sky.
If the Patrick story is not literal and historical, but rather celestial and metaphorical, then what is its meaning to us? Like the ancient myths mentioned above involving the same constellations, including the myth of Dionysus and the Biblical accounts of Joseph and of Moses, ts meaning is esoteric and intended to tell us something about our own condition.
The account of captivity and being rescued from captivity can be seen as representative of our own condition -- and, to go even further, as representative of the condition of our own true, authentic Self, which can be cast down, suppressed, and even "buried" (like the stone lying deep in the mud described in Section 12 of Confessio, or like Joseph in Genesis being sold into captivity -- after being cast down into a deep pit or cistern).
The figure of Ophiuchus, for a variety of reasons discussed at length in my online courses, often plays the role of this authentic Self -- our higher Self, or as I also like to say, our deeper Self -- and the restoration of Self is one of the central themes and indeed one of the central purposes of the ancient myths.
I hope that this discussion of the celestial elements of the Patrick story will be a blessing to you on this day, and throughout the year and the future heavenly cycles.
