The Winged Bull is the traditional emblem of the evangelist Luke. In Abbé Julio’s collection, it accompanies a request concerning fertility and family. The image of the animal bears an inscription evoking the vine and young olive trees around the table: the life of the household thus occupies a central place in the meaning of this pentacle.
This sign belongs to the group of the four Gospel emblems. Yet Julio gives it a purpose distinct from that of the Winged Lion, the Angel of Justice, and the Eagle. The bull does not summarize its application on its own; it is the relationship between the animal and the text that clarifies its meaning.
Essential reference points
| Tradition | Emblem of Saint Luke |
|---|---|
| Figure | Winged bull and family verse |
| Applications | Fertility and family |
| Source | Abbé Julio, 1908, notice no. 40 |
Reading the symbolism
The bull traditionally evokes effort, power, and work. The wings indicate its belonging to a spiritual representation of the evangelist. The psalm printed around it uses another family of images, that of plants: the fertile vine and the olive trees recall the growth of the household.
The notice names Saint Luke and explains the bull through work and fertility. Its inscription evokes the vine in the house and the young olive trees around the family table. The animal figure and the verse echo one another around the theme of generation.
The juxtaposition of the animal and the text expresses patient growth, to which Julio associates the desire for a child. The inscription should remain the key to interpretation, without automatically assigning the bull an astrological correspondence with the zodiac sign of the same name.
Origins and traditions
In Christian iconography, the bull was associated with Luke as part of a group inspired by the four living creatures in the visions of Ezekiel and Revelation. This tradition was established many centuries before Julio. The Secret Book adopts a familiar figure and integrates it into its system of blessings.
The wording of the psalm shows that the pentacle draws on an ancient family prayer. This biblical connection helps explain why the notice is not limited to the symbol of animal strength.
Attributed effects
The application given by Julio concerns sterility and the desire to have a child. It reflects his spiritual conception of fertility. The symbolism of labor is present in the explanation, but the notice does not promise financial wealth through the mere wearing of the sign.
The historical application concerns the desire to have a child and what Julio calls sterility. These terms belong to his religious framework and do not describe a medical method. The mention of work in the explanation is not a guarantee of financial success either.
The figure should be understood as a request for the blessing of the household, rather than as an amulet capable of indiscriminately producing gains, harvests, or offspring.
Usage according to Julio
The pentacle is understood within the framework of Julio’s blessed and consecrated supports. The request focuses on fertility and family. The notice prescribes neither any particular material nor a specific wearing period for this figure.
Julio places this sign among the blessed and consecrated supports he describes in his practical advice. The notice imposes neither an agricultural rite, nor a metal, nor a planetary schedule. The meaning of the engraving results from the association between Luke’s emblem, the verse, and the family request.
To study it, it is useful to compare it with the Grapes, which also address fertility, while retaining a different figure and another spiritual development.
Understanding the place of the sign
Personal reflection may focus on what you wish to help grow: a bond, a home, or a shared project. Observe the meeting of strength and patience, then formulate an intention of care toward this beginning.
Sources and variants
Abbé Julio, The Secret Book of Great Exorcisms and Blessings, Vincennes, published by the author, 1908. Explanation and application no. 40, pp. 435–436. Practical advice on blessed and consecrated supports: pp. 462–463.
Classical directory numbering: 13 of 44. This numbering differs from the inventory of engravings in the old volumes.
Read the notice in the 1908 edition
Image: historical reproduction distributed by Oracles.ch. The reproduction does not make it possible to identify its edition precisely; it is preserved at its native resolution, without redrawing the characters or artificial enlargement. The text of the page is based on the 1908 notice.
