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St. Joseph is "Buried" at The Real Estate Lounge Chicago

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Real Estate Agent with @properties

[View in original format at The Real Estate Lounge Chicago]

Let me presume that you're familiar with the notion of "any port in a storm." My take on these words strung together is the equivalent of "by any means necessary." And so here we are in Chicago in the midwest in the United States in this hemisphere in this world in this year 2009 amid this economy. And with me sitting here perhaps as one of the brighter and more personable of folks engaged in the sale of Chicago real estate I wonder if you will allow me the opportunity to conjure up various "ports" that we might rely on if what we are in right now is a storm.

Empty Symbolism - A Blank Cookie Tray and the Smell of Vanilla

From Whence the Scents Doth FlowTime had it way back when that a realtor would drip a few drops of vanilla on an otherwise empty cookie tray and pop that sucker into a heated oven and, voila, the abode would be abundantly rife with the pleasant and suggestive scent of cookies. Ah, this gorgeous and wholesome aroma would tip-toe to the antediluvian part of the brain where it would trigger this most ancient part of the noggin and dance with primitive hopes and desires, some perhaps unrequited. And the attendant result would be action. End result? The home sold because it smelled like a bakery. But simple scents may not be enough today.

Words, Words, Words

So is the pen mightier than the sword of economic unease? And will the wielded pen (or its first cousin the keyboard) subdue unease as the ever-creative real estate professional labors over descriptive terms that paint the home abutting the train as being "close to transportation"? Or the condo above the all-night restaurant painted as "culinary opportunities abound"? Or is it simply that these lovely words fall upon deaf ears? In fact today perhaps the one true port is the one steeped in faith. Meaning? When the 3 am desperation of the soul rises relative to real estate, you may not only want a real estate professional who is great, but moreso someone or something that is divine. And that, for some, is when St. Joseph enters the picture.

Calling on St. Joseph for Help to Sell Real Estate

St. JosephHaving been raised Catholic, I am well-versed in the litany of the saints. If you were not so raised, imagine that every saint has a good and noble cause with which they are associated. Catholics refer to this as the patron cause of the saint. If you haven't heard, the cause of selling houses is that of St. Joseph, step-father to Jesus Christ. Actually that's a bit of a misnomer. St. Joseph, a carpenter by trade, is the patron of families and making a home. But for years, maybe centuries, his divine intervention has been sought to ensure the sale of homes. As I googled about today I unearthed several stories that credited the burying of St. Joseph medallions with an order of nuns getting the land they coveted in 16th century Europe while an order of monks in Montreal who sought St. Joseph's intercession first obtained and then completed the construction of the St. Joseph Oratory. So what's the deal? If you try to distill the various anecdotes what you come up with are the following caveats. St. Joseph was a carpenter, he built homes, he was the step-father to Jesus, he taught the skill of carpentry to Jesus, he recognized the importance of shelter and always provided shelter to Jesus, he was the patron saint of families and making a home. Add all of this up and you come up with a saint whose intervention is sought to ensure the sale of one's home. And how does one go about gaining St. Joseph's intercession? By asking, of course. Or, if we don't shy away from the real word - through prayer. And while it's perfectly conceivable that prayer alone will rule the day, what's truly interesting about St. Joseph is the use and placement of his statue to gain the goal. St. Joseph Home-Selling KitGo online and you will see hundreds, if not thousands, of vendors hawking St. Joseph real estate kits. Running from a few bucks to a lot of bucks, the kits contain plastic statues, prayer cards, and instructions. Pretty much across the board the instructions call for the statue of St. Joseph to be buried upside down in the dirt. Some instructions say exactly 12 inches deep. Others call for the statue to face east. Some allow for flower pots with condos. And they all stipulate that St. Joseph be petitioned to obtain the goal and that upon accomplishing the task (the sale of the home) that the statue be unearthed, cleaned off, and put in an honored place in the new home. As I understand it, the statue is to be placed upside down in the ground so as to trigger St. Joseph's discomfort. Therefore he will be more prone to act more quickly. When I told this to my good friend Mike, he laughed and said "I think I will be more likely to gain St. Joseph's good graces by simply welcoming him into our home." I think to a large extent Mike is right. I'm not one to needlessly go against the grain of belief but I think if St. Joseph is sitting in the kitchen as a family gathers to make a meal as we did last night he will feel the loving energy of the home and be more prone to respond affirmatively to the petition. After hanging out a few nights with the family and kids all working together to boil a pot of pasta or operate the juicer to make an organic smoothie St. Joe will be so impressed that he will absolutely make sure that you get into your new Chicago single family or condo pronto! Which gets me to wondering how I might graciously and truthfully incorporate St. Joseph into the realm of the electronic. What I have come up with is the placement of St. Joseph here at The Real Estate Lounge Chicago below my column of listings. And bearing in mind the compassion expressed by Mike, I and The Real Estate Lounge Chicago will not force St. Joseph to endure being upside down in the dirt to motivate him to get the home sold. I mean, really, it's as though the Freudian slip is showing to imagine that by engaging in quasi torture that somehow we are going to convince St. Joseph to do something that he doesn't want to do. And so?

When You Least Expect It...

One of my favorite teachings is by Thich Nhat Hanh. He says do not be irritated by the sound of the bell but use it as a reminder to return. His teaching was an urging to return to breath, to maintain one's meditation. And here I - raised Catholic, married by a Lakota shaman, with bookshelves sighing under the weight of books on Buddhism and eastern thought - as I consider St. Joseph and the prayers made to him I have felt my faith reinspired. This is not to assign any specificity to what I believe, it is simply to say that I do believe. I believe in this and I believe in that and I believe that positive actions trigger positive results. I believe that we are on the cusp of a rebound and that better days are before us. And while my jury is out about plunging a statue into the earth to get a home sold, I believe that everything surrounding this action related to right thinking and reaching a hand up into the air to a power greater than myself is going to have positive impact. That's what I believe.

Comments (3)

Angelia Garcia
Pure Realtors - Dallas, TX

I have buried a few St. Joseph statues.  I have not had much luck so far.  I am still a believer though.

Apr 23, 2009 10:35 PM
Janice Roosevelt
Keller Williams Brandywine Valley - West Chester, PA
OICP ABR, ePRO,Ecobroker

I have only buried one St. Joseph's statue. Didn't sell the house, but became good friends with the sellers. They listed with someone else, but now want to switch back to me so who knows maybe his blessing be what is needed to sell the house.

Thich Nhat Hanh's wisdom resonates deeply with me and I always remind my yoga students to return to the breath

Apr 23, 2009 10:59 PM
Suma Kakani
Northern IL Realtor - Keller Williams Success Realty - Prairie View, IL

Is this really true ? about St.Joseph's statue. I saw it some time ago on a news channel about St.Joseph's statue burried to sell the house for luck.

Apr 26, 2009 11:03 AM