St. Michael - Ransom: Shards of Crystal
Does this seem like a strange image to include in a sci-fi story? Hm. . . maybe it is partly an excuse for a good image of St. Michael, but then again perhaps not! I won’t spoil why he’s in Shards of Crystal, so you’ll have to read the book to find out.
This depiction of St. Michael is inspired by the statue found crowning the Castel Sant’Angelo in Rome, where, according to tradition, after many prayers by the people, St. Michael appeared and put an end to the plague ravaging the city at the time - hence why the original statue is depicted sheathing his sword.
Our version is a little different, but nonetheless depicts the Archangel as a gentle protector of those who call upon him, while simultaneously a great warrior at the service of his Creator. The background also places the star Sirius over Michael’s head, a star I’ve begun to associate with him, due to its Arabic name, which means ‘Lord of Mighty Stars'. It seems a fitting star for him due to its brightness alone, especially due to a book I once read where the stars were considered to be the angels’ campfires. (This was a children’s book on St. Philip Neri). The other stars in the background match their placement in the sky, as well - this was done by taking a screenshot from a star app and placing it over the image to use as a reference for adding them in.
Personally I’m very fond of the three archangels, and for several years now, I’ve been looking for statues or images of them that do them justice, without them appearing too battle-hardened, nor with costumes that seem unfitting; not to mention the number of times that the images I find have something like this in the description “perfect for your witch altar!”
I don’t want to know what they’re doing to the angels, but it makes me angry on their behalf that they’re being misused and misrepresented. Considering that many already do this with Christ and Our Lady, I guess in some ways I shouldn’t be surprised.
I think this image does Michael a bit more justice, and I hope that it also makes a little reparation. I also hope that an image of St. Gabriel and St. Raphael will soon follow!
Side note, yesterday we had a beautiful High Mass for the first class feast of St. Michael, after which our priest allowed us to venerate a piece of stone he brought which is from Mount Gargano in Italy, a special site where St. Michael once appeared. These stones are powerful sacramentals, and you can read more about them here (these stones are not actually considered relics, despite the article title):
The Relics of Monte Sant’Angelo
You can also purchase one of these sacramentals from a few websites, including:
Saint Michael Stone from Gargano
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