Ever met a saint? I’ll bet you have.
You probably know several saintly people but never thought of them as saints because they didn’t match the image you’ve seen from ancient church paintings—they didn’t have halos and weren’t wearing sandals and tunics.
But being a saint has nothing to do with wearing long, flowing robes and everything to do with one’s character. Saints are not materialistic or ego-driven—they are more concerned with justice and spiritual matters. They are self-sacrificing without being masochistic and good without being self-righteous. You will never hear saintly people talking about how good they are, because that’s the sign of an insecure sinner. And they are not loud, obnoxious, or easily angered—as the cliché puts it, they have “the patience of a saint.”
These are the five birth months most likely to have the soul of a saint because of their inherent grounded nature.
1. March
Widely revered as the most spiritual of all the months—March birthdays snag top spot on this list without even trying. March’s mystical and psychic spirit makes them a soul not afraid to dream. Merciful and compassionate, they can see the divine in anything, whether it’s a freshly sprouted dandelion on a spring morning, a young child’s smile, or a clumsy little puppy chasing its own tail.
2. July
Although females account for only about 15 percent of saints that have been canonized by the Catholic Church, this deeply emotional month brilliantly reps the maternal side of saintliness. July birth months are nurturing, caring, intuitive, and attuned to their loved ones’ needs. Even if you’re a stranger, they will treat you as a long-lost friend. If you are shivering outside in the cold with nowhere to go, they will invite you into their house, throw a log on the fire, and warm up some homemade soup. And right when you’ve finished the soup, in they walk with a tray of piping-hot chocolate-chip cookies. And just like a saint, they expect nothing in return. Nursing you back to health is their reward.
3. February
Just like creative geniuses, saints often go unacknowledged during their lifetime. In extreme cases, they are persecuted and treated as heretics. Those born in February, with their penchant for questioning authority and marching to the beat of their own drum, is probably the most non-conformist sign of them all. They may even scoff at organized religion and reigning moral codes. Yet underlying all that is the fact that they are the sign with the most burning and inextinguishable commitment to social justice and doing the right thing. This gives them an inner strength and purity of motive rarely found in mere mortals.
4. October
This birth month’s most dominant trait is their unerring sense of balance, fairness, and harmony. Those born in October have a deep connection with nature, and nearly all world religions arose from humankind’s fascination with observing and trying to explain the endless miracles and wonders of not only our immediate environment, but the vast expanses far beyond our reach where the stars glitter and dreams are born. Since October babies are inclusive and open-minded, they see a common thread uniting Christian saints, Hindu gurus, and Buddhist bodhisattvas—they are all seeking the same universal truths.
5. September
The end game of many world religions is achieving complete purification. Christians can’t get into heaven if they have any sin on their souls, and even a tiny speck of bad karma means that Hindus must endure the drudgery of reincarnation before they can escape the cycle of birth and death. As the year’s arch-perfectionist, Septemeber birth months are well-suited for the saintly lifestyle. September coincides with harvest season, where wheat is separated from the chaff, symbolizing the purification process.
