There are two legends about Santa Lucia’s eyes: one is she gouged her own eyes out to make herself unattractive to the pagan man to whom she was promised; another is that in the skuffle of her arrest, the Roman soldiers mutilated her. In both cases, the miracle is that her eyes grew back!
Eyes represent sight, certainly, but they also represent insight. A knowing. And I think in Lucia’s symbolism, that’s what they mean. They are asking you to consider: What do you need to see that you aren’t seeing? What insight do you have about yourself or a problem you are seeking to understand? She is asking you to shed light in the dark. She is reminding you to look. To examine. To see. And also to look inside yourself for the answers. She is in awe of what she knows – – the divine spirit she has encountered, and she wants to share that with you. She wants you to step into her light. She is a messenger of grace. She asks you to consider your own grace. To see yourself. To see the light within you. Viva Santa Lucia!
