by Jill Lowy,
Happy Valentines Day! What a nice day to celebrate that special day with your loved one. But was Valentine’s Day always celebrated as Valentine’s Day? Well no, it wasn’t. In ancient times, the pagans celebrated the time period around February 14th as Lupercalia. Lupercalia was a Roman festival dedicated to the pagan god, Lupercus who was the god of the shepherds. Lupercus was identified with the Roman god, Fauna and the Greek god, Pan. For those of you who are not aware, Pan was a nature god and ruled over the woods and fields. He was pictured as half man, half goat with horns and hoofs. He often played a flute and was known for his sexual prowess.
Lupercalia was later abolished by the Church and replaced by St. Valentine’s Day. Now according to the Legenda Aurea, St. Valentine was a Christian priest who was being interrogated by the Roman Emperor, Claudius II. Claudius tried to convert St. Valentine to roman paganism and when he would not, he ordered him to be executed. While St. Valentine was in jail, he made friends with the jailer’s daughter who was blind. Before his execution he was known to have performed a miracle by healing her. It was purported that just before he died, St. Valentine wrote a note to the girl, calling her, his beloved and signing the note, from your valentine.
The actual practice of exchanging Valentine’s Day cards later became popular in England during the 1800’s.
I find it fascinating that historically this period has been celebrated as a time of love and fertility, regardless of the ruling authority. It is a time to reach out and tell your friends and beloved that you love them. It is a time to remember to practice Jesus’ commandment to Love thy neighbor and to practice Buddha’s doctrine of compassion for all human beings regardless of nationality, religion, race, gender or creed. We should all strive to live more harmoniously together as one world and one people under God.
About the author: Jill was born in Waukegan, Illinois, and currently resides in the Rocky Mountains near Denver. She received her BA from Wisconsin University, an MA in psychology from Illinois Institute of Technology and a Master of Divinity degree from Andover Newton Theological School. Jill was initiated into the hermetic and esoteric arts at Lotus Temple, and into kriya yoga under the lineage of Paramahansa Yogananda. She has been practicing and teaching yoga and astral projection for many years. Yoga and The Art of Astral Projection is her first book; she is currently completing another, To Jill with Love: Short Stories of Spirituality and Esoteric Wisdom.
In5D Addendum
Gregg Prescott, M.S.Editor, In5D.com
The half man, half goat Pagan god, Pan, has been associated with Saturn while Saturn rules Capricorn. Capricorn is represented by a goat/fish hybrid:
Can you think of another horned deity who is associated with Saturn?
“Pan was a composite creature, the upper part–with the exception of his horns–being human, and the lower part in the form of a goat. (…)The pipes of Pan signify the natural harmony of the spheres, and the god himself is a symbol of Saturn because this planet is enthroned in Capricorn, whose emblem is a goat.”I find it very interesting that Christmas (Saturnalia) and Valentines Day both honor Saturn, better known in astrotheology as Satan.
–Manly P. Hall, The Secret Teachings of all Ages
Similar to the Saturnalia/Christmas connection, any given holiday boils down to the intention you put into it. If love is your intention, then how bad can it be?
What we may sometimes overlook is finding the need to celebrate the holiday we call “Valentine’s Day” one day out of the year when each day could be a celebration for the ones we love.
Sending love to all!
http://in5d.com/esoteric-meaning-of-valentines-day/