Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

Milagros: A Book of Miracles
Milagros: A Book of Miracles
Milagros: A Book of Miracles
Ebook92 pages44 minutes

Milagros: A Book of Miracles

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

()

Read preview

About this ebook

Let the ancient power of milagros work miracles for you! Based on traditional Latin American talismans, these tiny silver charms are reminders that a miracle can fit in the palm of your hand. Throughout Latin America and the American Southwest, milagros are offered at shrines and sacred sites by believers as requests for divine assistance, or as thanks for blessings received. Modern day milagros may be carried in a pocket to protect from illness or harm, kept in the office to insure success, or placed in the car to avoid accidents--whenever you need a little magic in your life.

Milagros: A Book of Miracles is a wonderful introduction to this ancient tradition. Filled with beautiful milagro-inspired imagery, thoughtful meditations and reflections to enhance your daily life, and inspiring true stories of real people who have been touched by the magic of these ancient charms, this book proves that miracle do happen!

IF YOU BELIEVE ...

A young newlywed pins a milagro to a statue of St. Francis after her husband suffers a near-fatal accident. After his miraculous full recovery, she returns every year to give thanks. A heartbroken man carries a heart-shaped milagro in his pocket after losing the love of his life-shortly after, they are reunited. A surgery patient fastens a milagro above his heart and is restored to better health than his doctors ever anticipated.

Milagros--Spanish for miracles--come in an endless variety of shapes and sizes. Since before recorded history, these offerings to the gods have been an essential part of Latin American culture. More than just symbolic gifts, milagros are thought to be magical: if you believe and make your desire known with good faith, the milagro may work its wondrous power. This book is an inspiring introduction to the beauty anddivine blessings of these ancient talismans.

LanguageEnglish
PublisherHarperCollins
Release dateMay 3, 2011
ISBN9780062018588
Milagros: A Book of Miracles
Author

Helen Thompson

Helen Thompson is an editor and writer for Metroploitian Home and the author of the In Celebration series. A former writer and editor at Texas Monthly and managing editor of Domain, an arts and lifestyle magazine, she has written for Worth, Men's Journal, and Southern Style. She lives in Austin, Texas.

Related to Milagros

Related ebooks

Related articles

Reviews for Milagros

Rating: 3.4999999799999997 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

5 ratings0 reviews

What did you think?

Tap to rate

Review must be at least 10 words

    Book preview

    Milagros - Helen Thompson

    INTRODUCTION

    THE SPANISH WORD milagro is usually translated as miracle. We live today in a world that seems short of miracles, a world where the miracles that do happen go unremarked. Based on traditional Mexican talismans, the tiny, personal charms known as milagros remind us that miracles can be small, they can be numerous, and they can happen every day. Often intensely personal, milagros are individual and universal, and they offer a way to close the gap between the spiritual and the commonplace.

    As charming folk art, milagros are talismans against illness, trouble, and pain. But they are more than just a quaint remedy for problems. They are symbolic of a covenant between a believer and a higher spirit, tangible testimony that a promise has been fulfilled—a marriage has been saved, an ailing parent has been restored to good health, a love has been found. Whether you look at their place in your life as a symbol that you are trying something new or as a means to focus yourself on a transition, milagros offer an alternative approach to spirituality.

    From the earliest of times, humankind has wanted to communicate with a higher power. We have been giving thanks and propitiation in the form of offerings to gods for thousands of years. The early Sumerians, Persians, Minoans, and Egyptians gave votive gifts depicting animals and people, and evidence of milagros as an ancient custom exists throughout Europe—from Greece, where offerings were given to Aesculapius, the Greek god of healing, north and west into what is now Ireland and Scandinavia. Charms have been offered by such illustrious historical figures as Anne of Austria, who showed her gratitude for giving birth to an heir to the French throne with a small, winged, silver representation of the infant; and Hernán Cortés conqueror of Mexico, who is believed to have presented a gold scorpion emblazoned with emeralds, rubies, and pearls at the shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe to show his indebtedness for having been saved from a scorpion bite.

    Adopted into the rituals of Christianity as a way to thank the saints for answered prayers, the pagan tradition of milagros found its way to the Americas with the Catholic conquistadores. Because the invaders destroyed holy sites throughout the Americas and punished the indigenous peoples for practicing their religion, many traditions of worship have been lost. However, the newly Christianized people of these places took up milagros and their use has continued

    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1