February is a tough time of year for many. It’s still pretty dark and cold days. But the sun is creeping in a bit more as time goes on. It makes sense to me that our ancestors from all global belief structures would be holding hope and love ceremonies for the Spring to come.
St. Valentine’s Day- Lupercalia Festivals were from the Roman times. Lupercalia was the festival of “Natural Heat” The sexual readiness that permeated nature, especially the wolves in our great northern climates.
Lupa is the wolf. She was a sacred animal symbolizing Earth’s breeding aspects.
The valentines customs originated in Rome. Willing, young maidens would write their names on papyrus and place them in a box. Young men would pull the name of their valentine. to spend the day with. The elders were careful to ensure the maiden names were equal to the young men pulling papyrus. No one would leave this event unchosen. Later this tradition turned to ladies writing their Valentine’s Love letters.
Before the Roman’s and Valentines, there was Hagia Sophia. In modern times Hagia Sophia holds a strong connection to the church and is now a museum. The structure has celebrated and held space for Christians and Muslims. The name it’s self has a much older meaning.
Hagia shares some ancient Germanic meaning with Diana. Hagia has red cheeks from the cold winds as she walks the earth plumping and preparing the ground for Spring. You can’t see her work yet but she is there, waking up nature. She wears white flowers in her hair that match the snow. She calls up the sap in the old-growth trees. Energy is rising. You can hear the animals going into heat at night. They howl with wild desire. She knows her wolves are ready to mate, their love is strong. They mate for life. She feels some of the loneliness of the 2 legs. She is a mother, but her love can only go so far with her children. It’s time for them to find their partner and the love of another kind, new beginnings.
Hagia Sophia brought with her prosperity, new homes, and new life. I imagine rich complicated feelings abound. I know this as I have children at the ages of finding their love and footing outside the safety of my hearth.
Sophia brings Hyssop to wash the eyes and see the true reality, the kind of reality that lives on your inner scapes. The wisdom from cycles of beginnings and endings, but mostly the wisdom of rebirth.
I hope that you are getting to spend time with people you love this time of year. I sometimes hear people say “I don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day. It’s a marketing gimmick.” Or, “It makes me feel lonely as I don’t have a partner.” I say now is a great time to celebrate friendship. Love and support come in many forms. I say, I think consumerism will always look for opportunities to sell us something we don’t need. Celebrate more!!!!!
I think we should also remember the importance of celebrating the now, the life we have. It never hurts to have a time set aside to offer love and support to the partners in our life. Time can escape us with the busy lives we all lead.
Enjoy this simple recipe for truffles. They are nourishing and delicious.
Love Truffle
Ingredients:
8 ounces of Dark Chocolate ( the higher the Cocoa amount the better)
2/3 cup of coconut milk (organic from the can with lots of fat)
2 Tsp of almond extract. I like almond but vanilla works if you can’t have nuts.
1 Tsp-powered cinnamon
Powdered Cocoa for dusting
Potential alternatives to Cocoa are hawthorn powder, rose or hibiscus powder
Instructions:
Chop dark cocoa into small pea size pieces that will melt easily.
Place the chocolate pieces, almond (or vanilla) extract, and cinnamon powder in a small glass bowl
Warm the coconut milk slowly. Remove from the burner just before it boils and add to the bowl of chocolate. Let this stand 30 seconds to a minute. Stir the mixture with a whisk till the chocolate has melted.
If the chocolate doesn’t melt, you can add the mixture to a double boiler and slowly heat it till everything is melted and combined.
This mixture now has to sit in the refrigerator till it hardens just enough to scoop out and roll into a truffle ball with your hands. It takes my refrigerator about 15 minutes. Start checking after 5 minutes until you learn your environment and get a feel for the texture.
Take a small spoon and get a bite size amount to roll into a ball with your hands. Think of all the ways in which you are grateful for the person who is going to receive your love truffle. This is part of the magic. Making truffles instead of buying them has a special effect our mates appreciate. This might be a nice time to say blessings.
Now roll the truffle in your powder of choice. I like hibiscus and rose. It’s a bright and tart flavor to go with the bitter and earthy taste of the chocolate. But Hawthorn is never a bad choice. Choosing this powder for your beloved is part of the LOVE medicine in these truffles.
Benefits of:
Rose-You don’t need to be an herbalist to know that roses are for love and are a symbol of the heart. Everywhere that roses grow, we are enchanted with them. We are so enraptured by roses that we’ve bred thousands of different varieties in all colors and sizes and growth patterns. Rose petals have been used for centuries in traditional medicine and offer several potential health benefits. They are rich in antioxidants, which can help protect cells from damage and reduce inflammation. Rose petals are also known for their calming properties and may help alleviate anxiety and improve mood. Plain and simple, roses are for the heart. Roses are given as a sign of love. And what better than a “love herb” as an aphrodisiac? The silkiness of the petals, the sweet smell that emanates, and the beauty of the flowers all awaken the senses and call out to the heart.
Chocolate– Chocolate, particularly dark chocolate, is rich in antioxidants that can protect your cells from damage. It may also help improve blood flow and lower blood pressure ( this comes in handy for certain activities), contributing to better heart health. Some studies suggest that chocolate can enhance brain function and boost your mood.
While there isn’t a single large-scale study directly focused on roses and heart health, research published on PubMed indicates that some Key points about the research done on viewing roses and heart health https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10493007/:
- Mechanism:Studies suggest that viewing roses can trigger a relaxation response, leading to decreased sympathetic nervous system activity and increased parasympathetic activity, which is beneficial for heart health.
- Measured effects:Research has shown that viewing roses can lead to a decrease in heart rate, a reduction in blood pressure, and improved heart rate variability (HRV) – a marker of autonomic nervous system balance.
Hibiscus flower– Hibiscus flowers have been cultivated around the world for thousands of years. They belong to the same family as marshmallow (Malvaceae) and are known for their moistening and healing qualities. Hibiscus is high in antioxidants and can help reduce excessive or chronic inflammation.
Hawthorn for the Physical Heart
Hawthorn is easily our most loved herb for the heart. While we can classify it with a handful of medicinal herbal actions such as anti-hypertensive, anti-anginal, or anti-cholesterol, a better understanding is that hawthorn nourishes and protects the heart. As a result, hawthorn’s virtues benefit a wide variety of heart-related problems. Studies have specifically shown improvement in ankle edema, and general cardiac performance including reduced blood pressure, improved cholesterol, fatigue, pain with increased exertion, and palpitations. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7047282/
Hawthorn for the Emotional Heart
Hawthorn not only protects the physical heart in ways that we can objectively measure such as blood pressure and cholesterol levels, it also nourishes the soothes the spiritual and emotional heart. Herbalists regularly use hawthorn as a general relaxing nervine for symptoms related to heartbreak and grief.
Green Blessings Wild Friends!
Chrystal Cocek