Tag Archives: Cancer

Dog Days, Part 2–with St. Roch

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A statue of St Roch made in Normandy in the early 16th century. His pilgrim’s hat is adorned with the keys of St Peter, indicating Rome as his destination. The dog which brought him food is traditionally shown at his side.

Where is St. Roch when we need him?! The summer has been especially sweltering this week in New York. The combination of heat and humidity has made it officially feel like 100+ on several days. Whew!

St. Roch, the patron of dogs, is celebrated on August 16 during the last period of the sultry Dog Days of summer. (Disease–such as plague–was thought to be especially likely to spread during the hot Dog Days so his association with both dogs and illness contributes to his association with the Dog Days of summer.) He lived from AD 1295-1327 and is invoked against the plague as well as being considered the patron saint of dogs, falsely accused people, and bachelors.

When he was 20 years old, Roch’s parents died. He distributed all his worldly goods among the poor (like Francis of Assisi) and set out as a pilgrim for Rome. Coming into Italy during an epidemic of plague, he was very diligent in tending the sick in the public hospitals and is said to have effected many miraculous cures by prayer and the sign of the cross and the touch of his hand. He himself finally fell ill. He withdrew into the forest, where he made himself a hut of boughs and leaves, which was miraculously supplied with water by a spring that arose in the place; he would have perished had not a dog supplied him with bread and licked his wounds, healing them.

St. Roch is usually portrayed with the dog licking his plague-wounds. Plague-related images of St. Roch often include the most popular symbols of plague: swords, darts, and arrows. There was also a prevalence of memento mori images, such as dark clouds and comets, which were often referenced by physicians and writers of plague tracts as causes of plague. The physical symptoms of plague–a raised arm, a tilted head, or a collapsed body–began to symbolize plague in post-Black Death painting as well.

Plague saints offered hope and healing before, during, and after times of plague. A specific style of painting, the plague votive, was considered a talisman for warding off plague. It portrayed St. Roch or another saint as an intercessor between God and the person or persons who commissioned the painting–usually a town, government, lay confraternity, or religious order to atone for the “collective guilt” of the community. Rather than a society depressed and resigned to repeated epidemics, these votives represent people taking positive steps to regain control over their environment. Paintings of St. Roch represent the confidence in which renaissance worshipers sought to access supernatural aid in overcoming the ravages of plague.

Dog Days, Part 1

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The star Sirius is part of the constellation called the “Large Dog” and is seen during the hot, sultry days of July and August.

The phrase “dog days” refers to the sultry days of summer, especially in mid-late July and August. The Romans referred to the dog days as diēs caniculārēs and associated the hot weather with the star Sirius. They considered Sirius to be the “Dog Star” because it is the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major (Large Dog); the association of the star Sirius with summer heat is found in an early Greek poem, Works and Days by Hesiod in 700 BC.

The Canis Major constellation was classically described as Orion’s dog. The Ancient Greeks thought that Sirius’s emanations could affect dogs adversely, making them behave abnormally during the long, hot “dog days.” The excessive panting of dogs in hot weather was thought to place them at risk of excessive dehydration and disease. In extreme cases, a foaming dog might have rabies, which could infect and kill humans whom they had bitten. For the ancient Egyptians, Sirius appeared just before the Nile’s flooding season, so they used the star as an indicator of the flood and associated the star with water and the wet condition of the land. Greeks and Romans, however, associated the appearing of the star with the summer wildfire season when dry fields of crops could easily be set afire by stray sparks. Their association with the star was not wet and watery but hot and dry.

Astrology associates the constellation Cancer with water and those born June 22-July 22 find it hard to achieve anything unless they feel safe and comfortable in their home lives. As such, they tend to be great at creating home environments for those that they love – both emotionally and physically. The constellation Leo (July 23-August 22) is associated with fire and those born during this period are considered theatrical and passionate people who love to bask in the spotlight and celebrate themselves. They are natural leaders.

Western Christian church calendars even noted the Dog Days. According to the 1552 edition of the The Book of Common Prayer, the “Dog Daies” begin July 6 and end August 17. The 1559 edition of the Book of Common Prayer indicates readings for July 7 and end August 18, the beginning and the end of the “Dog Daies.” This corresponds very closely to the lectionary of the 1611 edition of the King James Bible (also called the Authorized version of the Bible) which indicates the Dog Days beginning on July 6 and ending on September 5.

July birthstone: Ruby

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Rubies are the birthstone of July and are said to guarantee health, wisdom, wealth and success in love.

Rubies are the birthstone of July and are said to guarantee health, wisdom, wealth and success in love.

Rubies are associated with the sun and were thought to preserve mental and physical health. In the middle ages, rubies were viewed as a stone of prophecy. It was thought the stone darkened when danger was near. Ivan the Terrible of Russia stated that rubies were good for the heart, brain and memory. A 13th century prescription to cure liver problems called for powdered ruby. In the 15th-16th centuries, rubies were thought to counteract poison. When rubbed on the skin, they were also thought to restore youth and vitality.

If a ruby were cast into water it would cause it to boil, and if carved and pressed into wax, would melt the wax.

Although the most well-known magical rubies in modern society are the ruby slippers Dorothy wore in the Wizard of Oz movie, the slippers were silver inthe book. The silver shoes, however, did not show well against the yellow brick road inthe film and so the silver shoes were replaced with ruby slippers, which coukld be more clearly seen.

Take a look at my previous post about the ruby slippers in the Wizard of Oz, “I’ll get you, my pretty… and your little dog too!”