My Personal Interpretation of the chain of St. Michael
So, as a Catholic Witch and Diviner, when I first found out there was a traditional form of geomancy called St. Michael’s chain, my first reaction was that I needed to find out more about it and incorporate it into my practice as soon as possible. Because I have a tendency to fan girl over St. Michael this seemed right up my alley. However, I ran into a few problems.
First, while I could find pictures of what it was supposed to look like, any information about how to use it was incomplete, defunct, or out of print. I got mostly dead links and a Google books preview that was missing a significant chunk of information I would need to make the chain useable as more than a simple yes/no indication. It was also full of typos and I’m fairly sure was written by someone who’s fist language was not English. Unfortunately, the typos included describing the same Heads/Tails pattern for 4 out of a possible 16 saints. Since only two saints were missing, I was going to plug in two I though most likely and work from there, but the messing up of the pattern made that a headache to sort out.
Secondly, the Chain of St. Michael is from an Italian tradition of folk Catholicism. While it is next to impossible to grow up Catholic on the East Coast and not be exposed to and participate in Italian-American culture, the fact is I myself have no Italian Ancestors. While I have a very strong connection to most of the saints listed, there were a few that I have no strong relationship with. I’m sure that these were probably the 16 most popular saints in Italy when the Chain was first being developed, but St. Martian of Tours, for example, isn’t even the first St. Martian I think of (St. Martian De Pourres). In order for the chain to do the best work for me, I wanted a strong connection to each saint, since you are essentially asking him or her about the solution to your problem.
With that in mind, I decided I would focus on the idea behind the St. Michael’s Chain and prescribe each Heads/Tails combination to one of the Top 16 saints I pray to. This is not the traditional Chain of St. Michael but it is a way that works for me. Since today is the feast of St. Michael and the Archangels I figured I’d write my system down so anyone who wants to use it can get a few ideas about how to incorporate it into their practice. I must warn you that this is a very Catholic practice and you have to be willing to have a good relationship with the Saints. Otherwise you’ll probably get Mixed Results. I will give the basic system for yes/no questions and then go into the 16 saints, why I chose then, their feast days, and what their the patron saint of. They are all very well known saints so if you want to find out more about them, it shouldn’t be a problem. NewAdvent.com is a great place to start.
Part 1: Basic Yes And No. This part is authentic to the original system as best as I can tell. The order doesn’t matter for this part, just the number of heads and tails.
All Heads: Yes, but in an unexpected way, more divination is needed. It is wise to make the sign of the cross and bless the chain and diviner with holy water before continuing.
3 Heads 1 Tail: A strong yes.
1 Head 3 Tails: A strong no.
All Tails: No, with the possibility that the quitrent is cursed. Bless quitrent, diviner, and chain with holy water and the sign of the cross before further divination to confirm or rule out the curse.
So the idea for this part is that each specific combination of Heads and Tails represents on of 16 saints. Your first question should be along the lines of “Who can help with this problem?” or “Who has a message for me?” You pay attention to the answer and then you can ask the specific saint any yes or no follow-up questions you have. This is why it’s a good idea to be familiar with and have a good relationship with these saints already.
HHHH- St. Joseph: Mary’s earthly husband and Foster father of Jesus. He was on the original chain and is a pretty heavy hitter when you want Holy Power.
Patron of: the Universal Church, unborn children, fathers, workers, travelers, immigrants, and a happy death
HHHT- Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception: Mama Mary had to be on here somewhere. She’s the heaviest hitter you can get after the Holy Trinity. The Chain invokes her under the title of Our Lady of Assumption but the feast day in the source I found on the chain gave the feast day as that of the Immaculate Conception, and as an American, I have a stronger devotion to her under that title, so I went with that. Feast Day: December 8
Patroness of: USA, Brazil, Ireland, Korea, Nicaragua, The Philippines, Portugal, and Spain under that specific title, Patroness of pretty much everything in the world as Mary herself.
HHTH: St. Gabriel: One source I found speculated that the chain might have started as a folk Muslim divination method under the patronage of Archangel Gabriel. Since he’s the guy tasked with delivering divine messages, it made sense to include him, even if he wasn’t on the original chain to the best of my knowledge.
Patron of: messengers, telecommunication workers, postal workers
HHTT: St. Francis of Assisi. Another on the original chain and a role model in terms of how I live my spirituality.
Patron of Animals, Merchants & Ecology
HTHH: St. Maria Goretti. One of the saints on the original chain. Another one who has helped me a lot and I felt should be included.
Patron of youth, young women, purity, and victims of rape
HTHT: St. Dymphna: Not on the original chain, but as someone struggling with mental illness, she helps me a lot and I wanted her to be included.
Patron of those suffering from nervous and mental afflictions
HTTH: St. Jude. A good guy to have on your side. Possibly on the original chain.
Patron of Desperate causes, desperate situations, lost causes
HTTT: St. Therese of the Little Flower. She’s really influential about how I see God and live my faith.
Patron of : Missionaries, Florists, gardeners and those suffering from illnesses, especially HIV/AIDS and TB.
THHH: St. Patrick. Just as it is nearly impossible to grow up Catholic on the East Coast without being a part of Italian American culture, it’ nearly impossible to do so without being a part of Irish American culture. The difference is I’m actually Irish. Since this was a melding of traditions, I wanted him to be included.
Patron of: Ireland, engineers, paralegals, and exterminators
THHT: St. Michael: You can’t exactly call your divination method the chain of St. Michael without including St. Michael. If you’ve got any demons on your tail, he’s your guy.
Patron of: grocers, soldiers, doctors, mariners, paratroopers, police, and sickness
THTH: St. Brigid of Ireland. A personal patroness and role model of mine.
Patron of Ireland, dairymaids, cattle, midwives, Irish nuns, and newborn babies
THTT: : St. Cecilia. My confirmation Saint and a personal patroness of mine.
TTHH: St. Anthony of Padua. He was on the original chain and is an absolute joy to work with. He has an excellent sense of humor and is a particularly good finder. He’s basically Unofficial Patron saint of Hufflepuffs.
Patron of: Infertility, Elderly, lost and stolen objects, the oppressed and the poor
TTHT: St. Faustina. She’s the visionary behind the Divine Mercy devotion. Which is a favorite of mine.
TTTH: St. Joan of Arc: She was on the original Chain, and frankly is way too awesome to exclude.
Patron of soldiers and France
TTTT: St. Peter. The Fist Pope, Part of the original chain.
Patron of fishermen, net makers, and ship builders