Saint Expedite, Candles, Cake and Making it Happen

When my friend Shea gave me a beautiful Saint Expedite candle as a thank you gift for helping her out, I was positively delighted!  She told me that the candle had been made by Judika Illes, as it happens, one of my favorite go-to magical authors which made it even cooler!  I hadn't worked with Saint Expedite before, but I felt that this candle came to me for a reason, so before using it, I set out to learn more about this handsome Roman soldier that had made his way across the ages to land on my old wooden art table.

My Saint Expedite burning happily on my old wooden art table
working on, well, expediting!

Saint Expedite is not a judgy saint, he is happy to help out people of any faith at all, so long as you offer him the proper respect and payment, he is a soldier after all, and you must pay your dues.  So what does this guy specialize in?  Well, he makes things happen, comes to the rescue, rocks out quick solutions.  He's your magical fireman who will rescue you from the metaphorical burning building.  The song, "I Need a Hero" comes to mind.  He's the patron saint of emergency situations, sailors, students, and shopkeepers.  Consider asking him for assistance when you need a quick solution to a problem.

Almost nothing is known about the life of St. Expedite, according to the various legends surrounding him, a crate arrived having been shipped from one location in the church to another containing a statue and relics of a Roman soldier, but the crate had been marked "spedito" or "Expedite" meant to be shipping instructions, but someone upon receipt mistook this instruction for his name.  Although he's not officially recognized on the  Roman Catholic Church's roster of Saints, he has become very popular and venerated all over the world among devotees who ask him for quick favors.

The symbolism behind his traditional images are fascinating to me.  The cross he holds has the word "hodie" on it which is Latin for "today."  His foot is on a crow which has the word "cras" which is how the Romans pronounced the sound of a crows caw, caw, caw sound. Cras, means tomorrow...pro CRAS tinate!  So this symbolism is perfect for getting things moving and quickly too.  Don't worry it's just a metaphorical crow, not a real one! No crows were harmed in the making of this spell candle!

How to Work With Saint Expedite

Wednesday is the best day to work with Saint Expedite.  The first rule when working with Saint Expedite is don't bother asking him to harm another, this soldier will take none of that nonsense, and you'll probably face a backfire you don't want.  Always be respectful when asking for his help, he doesn't have to help if he doesn't want to, so be sure to be polite when you ask.  To that end, he likes offerings made to him.  Choose one favor, don't overload him.

 In general, a red candle is used when asking this Saint for assistance.  He also likes offerings of flowers,  red flowers are his favorite.  I read that some cultures offer marigolds at the time of the request and then offer red flowers upon receiving the favor or help to thank this Saint.  Use a statue, picture, or holy card of Saint Expedite when calling upon him.  If you're using a 7 day candle like mine (pictured) put a glass of water on the altar as you burn the candle.  When it burns out, fill the jar candle with the water and red flowers to thank him for his help.  Pound cake is the traditional offering to thank Saint Expedite.  Be sure to buy or make a nice fresh one, and give him the first slice from the loaf, I sliced a good piece from the middle.  When the flowers and cake are no longer fresh and nice, you may put them outside, leave the remains of the cake for passing critters and compost the flowers or allow them to return to the earth. Do not place offerings in the trash, it would be disrespectful.  

The other thing that Saint Expedite appreciates in return for his quick favors is a public thank you.  You can post a thanks on social media, take out an ad in the newspaper, that kind of thing.  Whatever you do, make sure that you let the Saint know what you plan to do in thanks for his favor at the time you ask, and then be sure to follow through with your end of the bargain.  If you don't, you can loose all you gained and then some.  Roman soldiers must be payed their due.

I decided to create an oil to use for my candle when I requested his help, and I wanted to share the recipe with you.

I looked up several recipes online and came up with this version based upon several versions I found and what I happened to have in my magical cabinet.  I put it in an old oil bottle I cleaned out and made a label using an image of Saint Expedite. This oil smells wonderful!

Saint Expedite Oil 

olive oil
honeysuckle oil
allspice, just a pinch
high john the conqueror root, a couple bits shaved off
sandalwood oil
amber oil

To learn more about Saint Expedite, here's a couple of great links:
http://saintexpedite.org/
http://judikailles.com/?p=546

Brightest Blessings!

Mickie