Sancte Michael Memento Mei Ante Deum
Horae ad usum Trecensem dites Heures de Michel Berthier, 1415-1420
I think it's really important in deity worship that you just do it. Sometimes when I'm feeling uninspired I can't feel the gods around me. But it's still important work to be done. Today I did yoga to get my body moving and prayed to Atum for creativity and motivation. I gave little lettuce wraps but I didn't feel anything profound. Deity worship doesn't always feel highly spiritual. Sometimes it's just going through the motions and making sure that you act the way that you promised. I think it's really damaging to say that you need to feel something every time you engage with spirit.
Satan as the Fallen Angel
Painted by Sir Thomas Lawrence (1769-1830) in red, white, and black chalk, this creation of phenomenal artistic mastery is a part of a larger group of art pieces. The full collection consists of six different paintings depicting scenes and characters from Milton's Paradise Lost. One is currently at the Royal Academy of Arts, one at Louvre, one in Private Collection, and two are lost.
Satan in this depiction stands in his full humanised glory - imagery typical of the late 18th century Romanticism when the fallen angel lost his beastly, animalistic appearance in art. His features here remind one more of David or Apollo Belvedere in his majestic, heavenly beauty caught right before the fall.
Isn't it actually so beautiful that deities take the time to try and guide and teach us? How wonderful is it that they care for us so deeply that they'd share their wisdom, knowledge, and insight so freely? I think a deity's love is something to be cherished, and I cherish this. 🧡✨
“At last I have found my calling! My calling is love!”
— St. Therese of Lisieux (via sahumerios)