Today is the feast of St. Sebastian. Sebastian was a Roman soldier and Christian. He openly declared his faith before his employer, the Emperor Diocletian, and for this he was sentenced to death by a firing squad of archers. Sebastian was left for dead but miraculously he recovered and again presented himself to the emperor. This time, Diocletian had him clubbed to death and was successful in creating a martyr. Artists in the Renaissance loved to paint St. Sebastian with his body riddled with arrows. It may seem to be an unnecessarily gory subject to be so popularized in art, but the image of Sebastian's suffering can have an empathetic healing quality for those who are also in pain. In the Middle Ages, the plague was believed to be brought on by Apollo's arrows, and those in danger of the plague prayed to St. Sebastian for protection. If you are suffering from an illness, let St. Sebastian's image help you to experience your pain and frustration fully, accept it, and transform it into health. In Santeria and Voodoo, St. Sebastian is associated with the Orisha named Ochosi, the divine hunter.