A Bit About St John of the Cross
St John of the Cross is one of the most well-known and well-loved Catholic Saints. He lived in Spain between 1542 – 1591. Today, 14 December, is the Feast Day in memory of Saint John of the Cross.
At age 21, St John entered a Carmelite monastery and was given the religious name of John of St Matthias which he himself later changed to John of the Cross. Four years later he was ordained a priest. After what must have been an inspiring meeting with St Teresa of Ávila in 1570, they both set out to reform the Carmelite Order by having it revert to the much stricter Primitive Rule of 1209.
St John soon encountered opposition from his fellow monks who opposed the stricter Rule. They incarcerated him in 1577. During his incarceration, he spent nine months in a tiny dark prison cell. There the monks fed him a meagre diet of bread, water and a few scraps of salted fish.
It was during these nine months that he composed the epic poem The Dark Night of the Soul.
He eventually managed to escape. Some nuns nursed him back to health and sheltered him from persecution. He died 14 years later, aged 49, still disgraced by his fellow Carmelites.
St John is one of 37 Doctors of the Church–a remarkable feat in light of the fact that he came from a poor family. The Church refers to St John as the Mystic Doctor.
St John of the Cross Tarot Spread (with quotes)
1. Where am I on my journey to becoming God?
“To love is to be transformed into what we love. To love God is, therefore, to be transformed into God.”
~ St. John of the Cross
2. What is robbing me of peace?
“Strive to preserve your heart in peace and let no event of this world disturb it. Reflect that all must come to an end.”
~ Saint John of the Cross
3. Surrender this to God
“In the dark night of the soul, bright flows the river of God.”
~ St John of the Cross
4. Speak less of this
“Speak little and do not meddle in matters about which you are not asked”.
~ Saint John of the Cross
5. A desire of mine I should deny
“Deny your desires and you will find what your heart longs for. For how do you know if any desire of yours is according to God?”
~ St. John of the Cross
If you enjoyed this Tarot Spread, you will love the St Lucy Tarot Spread!
