Lupercalia: the bloodier precurser to Valentine's Day

Back before Christianity when Rome was barely even a Republic, the ancient Romans celebrated a ritual every year on February 15th called Lupercalia. Though many of the origins and original practices are lost to the mists of time, there is enough literature mentioning the ritual that it's basic form can be devised and its purposes can be conjectured at.

The myth most often associated with Lupercalia is that of Remus and Romulus, the two founding brothers of Rome. Remus and Romulus were thrown into the river by their uncle who wanted to seize their kingdom. Saved by driftwood, the twins were found and raised by a she-wolf (Lupa).

Lupercalia, which derives from the Latin root "lupus" meaning "wolf" started off in the cave called the Lupercal where Remus and Romulus were theoretically suckled by Lupa. There two sets of men (which was later made into three by Julius Ceasar) called the Luperci Quinctiales and the Luperci Fabiani would gather and sacrifice a goat, and often a dog. The goat is said to represent the fertility aspect of the ritual, especially since goats were sacred to Pan or Faunus, a fertility and lust god. The dog is more obscure, though it is suggested that it was sacrificed because dogs are seen as the enemy of wolves. The blood of the sacrifice would be smeared on the Luperci and strips would be made of the skins to use as small whips. The Luperci would then laugh and feast on the meat before starting their ritual run through Rome by the "sacred way," the Palatine. As the Luperci ran through the city purifying it they would whip married women with the skin thongs they carried. This was supposed to impart fertility on the women, as can be seen represented by the picture below:

These actions may seem a bit distasteful to modern ears but Lupercalia was an incredibly popular ritual. It was practiced all over the Roman empire, theoretically since the founding of Rome up to 494 CE, when the Pope finally outlawed it's practice. Even so it was still practiced in some Roman Orthodox countries for quite some time afterwards.

Some people like to claim that Valentine's Day was made popular in order to eradicate Lupercalia, or that Valentines Day was made to replace it. Though the former was probably true in some manner or other, Lupercalia and Valentine's day hold very few similarities other than date which argues against the latter. Unlike All Hallow's Eve, Christmas and Easter which quite clearly borrowed Pagan traditions, Valentine's Day does not seem to borrow any traditions from Lupercalia unless you consider the broad connection of love and marriage with fertility and lust. The renewal and purification aspect of Lupercalia is certainly lost however, even if the Catholic Church was trying to convert the ancient Roman ritual into a more "acceptable" pattern.

As Neo-Pagans, Lupercalia proves an interesting ritual. The symbolism is clearly very potent and visceral, as can be proved by it's huge and lengthy popularity. However I'm pretty sure if you ran down the main roads of your city or town naked and bloody whipping women today you would most likely get arrested. Be that as it may, the baby does not have to be thrown out with the bathwater. February 14th can still be celebrated by interested Pagans by following it's major themes of lust, abandon, fertility and purification. Maybe instead of sacrificing a goat you can eat some goat curry at your local West Indian restaurant. Instead of blessing and purifying your city by running naked through it's streets (which would be pretty uncomfortable in most of Canada anyways), maybe you could use a map or a labyrinth as a representative. Lupercalia might also be a good time for those with Wolf as a totem to give praise to their guides or even donate some money for preservation of wolf packs in the wild. Those who worship the ancient Greek and Roman gods can take this opportunity to make an offering and a prayer to Pan, Faunus, Bacchus or Dionysus. And for those of you who are fond of Ancient Rome, Lupercalia can be used as a way to read the myth of Remus and Romulus and toast to one of the worlds greatest civilizations.


References:
http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/socialcustomsdailylife/a/010908Lupercal.htm
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/351677/Lupercalia
http://www.manygods.org.uk/articles/festivals/lupercalia.shtml

Don't Let the Muggles Get You Down!

Feeling tired, stressed, restless? Do you feel like you are surrounded by psychic vampires sucking the energy out of you or like the heat is leaching your vitality?

There are many reasons we leak energy. Being ungrounded, stress, anxiety, taking too much care of others without having time to ourselves, and most notably at work or other social situations: by absorbing other peoples negativity.

But in the wise words of Ronald Weasley:

Here are some ways to prevent the less magically inclined (or the more negative, or the energy sucking) people in your life from influencing you:

1- Ground and center. Energy that is floating around is more likely to siphon or be siphoned off than energy that is following it's proper course to the ground. To avoid energy leakage or psychic vampires it's best to make sure you are grounded and centered. Here is a quick meditation: imagine you are a tree. As you breath out, all your negativity comes out of your roots into the earth. As you breath in, draw clean energy up from your roots imagining them drinking from a subterranean pool and filling your whole being. Breathe out and imagine negativity being expelled through your leaves. Breathe in and imagine the sun on your leaves being transferred into energy, bringing vitality to your whole being. Repeat.

2- Shield. It is actually simpler to shield your energy from outside influences than you think: Just imagine yourself with a stone or brick wall around your aura. As long as this visualization is kept in the back of your mind, you will be less susceptible to outside influences and you will also protect others from your own energy.

3- Remember that most people aren't doing this on purpose. My father always told me that most people are too self-absorbed to actually be negative towards you on purpose. If someone is sending off negativity, it is more likely that they are just having a bad day then that they are feeling malicious towards you specifically. If someone is draining you of your energy, it probably has more to do with them being drained and tired then that they enjoy it. Remember the Threefold Law: send out forgiveness, positivity, and love and you will get it right back. Don't resent those around you who are getting you down: that just feeds the negativity and makes it stronger.

4- Take care of your self. Ever heard the expression "healthy body- healthy mind, healthy mind- healthy body"? Well the same holds true with your energy and spirit. If you are eating right, exercising, sleeping well and generally being good to yourself you will be more solid and down-to -earth which in turn will help you be less effected by the energies around you.

5- Get your energy flow back to normal. When we are stressed or influenced by outside negativity the energy flow in our bodies gets redirected, blocked or misplaced. Doing chakra meditations or Qigong exercises can help but you can also get your energy re-aligned by an alternative healer. Reiki, Osteopathy, and Shiatsu all help to promote natural energy flows in the body and to rid you of negativity. Take advantage of Melange's Healers Monika, Valerie and Matt to help get your energy flowing back to it's best! Check them out on our website at http://www.themagicalblend.com/consultations

Ritual Tools: Limited Items

For a limited time Melange has in stock beautifully hand-tooled leather tomes: This stunning handcrafted Book of Shadows is an heirloom-quality tome which will serve you for years. Each book has a sword on its 3" binding. The front cover overflows with the ancient Celtic symbolism of Morrigan, who appeared as a crow to lead warriors into battle, and escort souls to the afterlife. The back cover celebrates the harvest, prosperity, and fertility. This book is 8.5" x 10", weighing in at a hefty three pounds. The covers are made out of high grade vegetable, tanned leather that softens with use and age. This spell book is coptic bound with 3" binding so that its pages always lay flat! Featuring: Handmade, Old World, tree-free, acid-free, archival quality linen parchment paper!

  Also back in stock are our ritual horns: A ceremonial horn, made from waterbuffalo horn-- approximately 6" in length. Excellent for representing the horned god on your altar or being used as a drinking horn. Magical properties include strength, stamina, masculinity, and virility. Elemental associations with fire. Bull horns are also associated with the astrological sign Taurus and therefore earth and stability.

Order them online or come to the store before the fly away!

The Yule Sabbat

Tonight is the longest, darkest night of the year; it's also an important holiday if you celebrate the Wheel of the Year. The Sabbat known as Yule is celebrated on the Winter Solstice, which falls on December 22nd this year. By tradition, we consider Yule to begin at sundown, the night before the 'calendar date'. That means that many Pagans will be celebrating Yule tonight!

The God's Rebirth

If Samhain is the end of the year, then Yule represents the beginning. On Samhain, the Goddess mourns the passing of the God. On Yule, the God is reborn from the Goddess once again, and we celebrate his return to the world. Since the God is associated with warmth and sunlight, we consider dawn the moment of the God's arrival: the moment of his rebirth.

Symbolism

Yule is just as much about the symbolism of kinship, family, and rebirth as it is about the God's actual rebirth. The winter months can be cold and bleak, and that's why it's more important than ever to remember our better qualities and help the people around us.

In many ways, the dark cold winter is the perfect time to keep a fire going in our hearts, minds, and hearths. Yule is about sharing your warmth with others, and about being with your family-- both the family you grew up with, and your second family: the friends you've chosen yourself. All beings are the children of the God and the Goddess, and kindred in spirit and divinity, so remember during this season that even complete strangers on the street are a part of your larger family. Give what small kindnesses you can to those you can, and allow yourself to shrug off the everyday irritations and upsets of life. Take care of yourself, knowing that a new day is just around the corner.

Ritual Celebrations

Most Pagans will light at least one candle when the sun descends in order to keep the light going and encourage its return tomorrow morning with the sun. Another common Pagan tradition on Yule involves a night-long vigil, held until the first rays of dawn; during this vigil, by candlelight or firelight, you are given a chance to review your past year and make resolutions for the new year ahead.

Though the release of old things is more of a Samhain tradition, I personally enjoy writing down my anger, upsets, regrets, and embarrassments from the past year and throwing them into the Yule fire in order to symbolically let them go and move on to new things. Alternatively, you might write down your dreams, wishes, and goals for the new year and tie them to your Yule tree to strengthen your resolution and keep them in your mind. When the Yule tree comes down, bury your resolutions somewhere and let them spur on new growth, or burn them in a cauldron and spread the ashes somewhere with verdant plant-life.