holiday
The Pagan Origins Of Valentine’s Day
Did you know that the Valentine’s Day that many people all over the world will be celebrating today, has its origins in pagan rituals of the past? This is in fact true of many of our modern holidays. But how did we get our modern day cards, cupids, and hearts?
In ancient Rome, the Festival of Lupercalia was annually celebrated on February 15th. As with similar Roman holidays, such as Ostara (Easter), this was a time to celebrate fertility and love. The deities honored were Lupercus, Patron of Shepherds; Juno, Goddess of Marriage; as well as Pan, a pastoral god who came to be regarded in Roman times as the representative of paganism and the personification of all nature.
In a festival custom that survives to this day in the form of valentine’s cards, young men would randomly draw the names of eligible women from a jar or urn. In the Middle Ages, Emperor Claudius II believed single men made better soldiers so he declared marriage illegal. As a concession, he encouraged temporary romances.
Drawing the name of a lady during the festival determined who a soldier’s partner would be for that coming year. He would then wear her name on his sleeve for the rest of the festival. This gave rise to the saying “wearing your heart on your sleeve.” Whether or not they also exchanged flowers, candy or gifts is uncertain.
It is also interesting to note that Cupid, the son of the love goddess Venus, was not originally linked specifically with this festival, even though he is associated with it today.Venus, it turns out, was particularly fond of red roses and this custom still survives after 2,000 years. As for the symbolism of the heart, this is also an ancient image found across many cultures, including Greco-Roman, Indian, and Meso-American. Instead of romantic love, it was often used to represent rebirth, purity, and spiritual love.
Astrological Forecast January 11 – 17, 2021
You will be up and running early this morning under the diligent Capricorn Moon, plowing through projects at record speed! There’s an additional boost coming tomorrow, as we welcome in a Capricorn New Moon with open arms.
Get done what you can though, as the Moon moves into Aquarius on Wednesday and casts an unpredictable tone to the remainder of the workweek.
Uranus turns retrograde on Thursday, reminding us to be diligent with our new year resolutions, especially those that involve getting healthier, losing weight, and improving our finances.
After a busy busy week, we’ll get to step back and relax under this weekend’s Pisces Moon, as it encourages us to go inward and tend to our spiritual selves.
Meditating, journaling, and venturing out into nature are all great ways to embrace the soulful vibes of this weekend.
Astrological Forecast January 4 – 10, 2021
Back to the grindstone! It could be a bit difficult to get back up and running after all the holiday cheer, but duty calls. Make today all about details, gathering information and making a plan under the Virgo Moon, and then spend tomorrow restoring balance to all aspects of your world, as the Moon dances into Libra.
Wednesday we’ll finally be ready to move as Mars moves into grounded Taurus, making it easy to catch up and start addressing everything that piled up over the holidays.
The trend continues on Thursday, but we may experience a few ups and downs on Friday when Mercury moves into unpredictable Aquarius, and Venus moves into steadfast Capricorn. This could make for a lot of stop and go motion, so practice patience and when one door closes, look for an open window.
The weekend flows along joyfully under the Sagittarius Moon, allowing us a little downtime to regroup, reflect and prepare for the next busy week ahead.
Astrological Forecast December 28, 2020 – January 3, 2021
It’s time to tie up those loose ends and prepare for new beginning as we move into 2021 this week!
Information gathering will be a theme under Monday’s Gemini Moon, as we ground ourselves with the facts and figures we need.
The Cancer full Moon on Tuesday (also known as the Cold Moon) will remind us that putting our family, friends and security first is the way to go as we prepare to exit 2020 and embrace a new cycle. Full Moons are all about releasing, so let’s put closure to the past, make amends where necessary and create a fresh slate before moving into the future.
The New Year arrives under a Leo Moon, reminding us to take better care of ourselves in 2021 with more physical activity, a healthy diet, and watching our budgets.
We can relax until Saturday, but when the Moon moves into Virgo on Sunday, it will be time to pull out those new calendars, update our day-planners, purge our phones of outdated info and phone numbers, and prepare to greet the coming year with open arms and a fresh outlook! Wishing you a safe, prosperous and joyful year, full of hope and love!
The Old Man And The Christmas Bells
With Christmas upon us I have been hearing church bells every Sunday in recent weeks, just like in my younger years. Going back to those years in my mind, I can remember being very young when my mother was stopped by a man who told her he was the new pastor at this church far from our house. He looked younger than my parents and he asked my mother if we had a church that we go to. She told him we did not and the man gave us an invitation to attend his church.
Since this church was reasonably close to where I grew up, it was fun to walk there at first, but after a while it seemed like forever. But my mother made a promise to us kids that after church we could get a soda pop or an ice cream cone if we were good. Mom knew how to persuade us kids to go to church without a fuss.
When I first looked at the church is seemed big, but it looked very different from the Catholic church across the street. We opened the doors and were greeted by two old ladies who handed out the programs for the service. They also told me that I would meet my mother down here in the same place after Sunday school.
Next I met my Sunday school teacher. His name was Rusty and since I was the ‘new kid on the block’, he introduced me to all the other children. Since I didn’t know any of them, I didn’t know what to think. Then Rusty started with the lesson and once again it seemed like forever for Sunday school to be over.
Later, I met mom downstairs and as I was walking down the hall a older man greeted me. I greeted him in return, not thinking much of it. After we had been seated and the pastor opened with prayer, I remember looking around and noticing that the old man was not sitting in the same pews anymore. He seemed to have left.
To Live Gratitude Is To Touch Heaven
One aspect of spiritual living too seldom addressed is our lack of true appreciation and gratitude for all the blessings in our lives, regardless of our circumstances.
Some spiritual seekers tend to be very keen on beating the drum of prosperity, and becoming fixated on the Law of Attraction and manifesting abundance, which is too often merely a thinly disguised obsession with material wealth and earthly comforts.
Most of us simply take too much for granted every day. We experience so many blessings of joy, beauty, forgiveness, protection and Divine grace, which we seldom acknowledge in our lives. We always have something to be grateful, or thankful for, no matter how difficult times may be. As a species we are very good at complaining about what we don’t have, but we seem to find it difficult to give thanks for what we do have.
We seldom express our gratitude and appreciation towards those we love and cherish, and we hardly ever remember to share what we have with those who have less – not because we feel obligated, but because we feel so much appreciation that we simply want to share our abundant blessings with others. Charity is not about lending a helping hand; it is about celebrating all that we have, and to share our joy and appreciation.
Research has demonstrated an indisputable connection between gratitude and spirituality. It is no coincidence that gratitude is regarded as a much cherished and valued quality by most world religions, including the Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu Jewish, and Christian traditions. When reviewing the large body of research done on the subject, gratitude seems to play a much more noteworthy role in our happiness and well-being than most other emotions and personality traits.
Several research studies in recent years have shown that people who have a tendency towards higher levels of gratitude also tend to report higher levels of psychological, emotional and physical well-being. People who are grateful have been shown to be happier, more optimistic and more content with their lives. They also appear to have lower levels of stress and depression, and they are more satisfied with their relationships and social interaction with others.
Pay It Forward With Holiday Gratitude
As the year end approaches, most of us would normally be shopping, entertaining and gathering with friends and family to celebrate the various holidays and the New Year. Lots of special food, drink and laughter would also be the order of the day!
With a few exceptions, many of our usual traditions are however being curtailed this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, at a time when holiday shopping, traditional music and festive lights usually brighten the scene, many of us will have to be low-key and socially distanced, even isolated and alone.
In addition, although many people will be able to celebrate virtually, those with limited access to technology will not, so some loved ones will be forced to limit their contact to the telephone only, or even do without.
It is therefore even more important this year to think of those who will not be able to find an easy way to compromise or ‘make-do’ with alternative online shopping or virtual socializing.
Give thought to those you personally know who may have been cut off from their usual social activities, friends and relatives. Perhaps you can make an extra phone call or two, or send an old-fashioned Christmas card by postal mail, or surprise them with the delivery of an unexpected little gift.
Let just one person outside your intimate family circle know that they are still in your thoughts, even though you cannot visit or see them in person. It can make really make a world of difference for someone who is unable to get out to visit friends, or welcome family this year.
Many people have also lost loved ones in recent months and will be grieving this Christmas, instead of celebrating. If you know someone who is in this predicament, do reach out to them and offer a comforting word and some emotional support. Even just a little can go a very long way!