Spirit Work: Saints and Folk Saints

Spirit work involves working with the saints and angels, as well as the Holy Spirit, etc.

For reasons of convenience, I am going to provide a quick definition here of the these two terms: saint and folk saint.

A saint can be defined as:

  1. an individual recognized as being entitled to public veneration and believed to be capable of interceding for people on earth;
  2. a person acknowledged as holy or virtuous, particularly if officially recognized by canonization by the Catholic Church;
  3. a person of great spiritual power, virtue, or benevolence;
  4. a spiritual or religious patron, founder, or sponsor, capable of interceding for people under her/his patronage;
  5. a person of exceptional holiness, a sanctified person;
  6. the blessed departed, a virtuous person who has died and is existing in heaven, or one of the blessed in heaven; also one of God's chosen;
  7. one of the virtuous spirits in heaven; an angel or archangel;
  8. one who is "holy."
A folk saint incorporates concepts from the definition above, but specifically is a deceased individual or other spiritually powerful entity (such as indigenous spirits), who are venerated as saints, even though not formally recognized by a religious hierarchy.

December 2012, Myth Woodling

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