A little bit of Lore for Valentines Day Valentine's Day has its origins in the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia celebrated
every year in mid-february in honour of Lupercus, the god of fertility and
Juno, queen of the Roman gods and goddesses and patron of women and marriage.
The festival was
held in the Lupercal, where Romulus and Remus, the twin founders of Rome,
were said to have been nurtured by Juno-Lupa,
the she-wolf. The festival celebrated the coming of Spring in the Roman calendar and
hopefully ensured the fertility of flocks, fields and people.
At one point in the festival... some say on the evening of February 14..
all the young women in the city would place their names in a big urn.
The city's bachelors would then each choose a
name out of the urn and become paired for the year with his chosen woman.
These matches often ended in marriage.
As Christianity became prevalent, priests attempted to replace old Pagan practices,
so to Christianize the ancient pagan celebration of the Feast of Lubercus,
church officials changed the name.
The most popular candidate for St. Valentine was a 3rd century Roman priest who
practised Christianity and performed secret marriages against direct orders from
Emperor Claudius II, who believed single soldiers were more likely to join his army.
Saint Valentine had been beheaded for helping young lovers marry against the wishes of
the mad emperor Claudius. Legend also has it that before execution, Valentine himself had fallen in love with
his jailer's daughter. He signed his final note to her, "From Your Valentine",
a phrase that has lasted through the centuries.
In recognition of his sacrifice for love... and to lure people away from
celebrating the Pagan way... Lupercalia was renamed.
There is also speculation among linguistic scholars that the name 'Valentine'
has Pagan origins. It was customary for French peasants of the Middle Ages to pronounce
a 'g' as a 'v'. Consequently, the original term may have been the French 'galantine', which
yields the English word 'gallant'. The word originally refers to a dashing young man known
for his 'affaires d'amour', a true galaunt. This seems a plausible explanation since
Valentine's Day has always been associated with the secular pleasures of flirtation
and courtly love.
As Valentine's Day falls falls within the Candlemas season, Wiccans honor this
celebration as well. It has been recorded that ancient pagans recognized this loving
event. If marked by love, they often wore a lover's knot on Valentine's Day.
This symbol of two intersecting circles side by side can either be woven into
clothing or fashioned with a ribbon or yarn and tied to a garment. Love and
merriment are essential in our lives. The joy of giving and receiving special treats
such as chocolate is sacred, as well as just plain fun.
Spells for Love, Romance & Passion
The best love spells help you to open your own heart chakra and put yourself in the path of loving energies.
You can work a spell to feel and therefore appear more attractive, sexy, interesting, and
desirable to others. Or you can work a spell to enhance your own unconscious "love radar" so
that you're in the right place at the right time for romance.
Love is one of the most powerful forces on this planet so
it's not a good idea to try to force someone to love you against his or her own will...
this goes against Universal Law and there will be a price to pay!
But
if you do have a particular person in mind,
a spell can create an opportunity for you to make yourself more known to
to that person and to present yourself in a way that's likely to interest them.
If you're in
a relationship that you would like to be more loving, a spell can improve your own powers of
communication, intuition and responsiveness so you will be better able to know your lover's heart
and have him or her know yours. That said, here are a few spells you can try. Remember,
in spellwork as in most of life, intent is key so
focus all your energy on what you want,
visualizing it coming to pass as clearly as you can.
Spell to dream of and attract your perfect mate by CatAnna
This one one of my "originals" so if you want to use it on your website, please include
a link back to this page. Thanks!
The best time to perform this spell is on a friday night during a waxing Moon, right before bedtime. You will need:
1 deep pink candle
love drawing essential oil such as rose or jasmine or similarly scented incense.
A writing pad and pen or pencil
Light the incense or annoint the candle (stroke a bit of oil from top to center and bottom to center) and light it. Close your eyes. Focus on your breathing. Imagine you are taking in in rich, warm, deep rose-pink light with each inward breath like it is nourishment for your heart and soul. Picture this beautiful color circulating throughout your body. You will feel a little bit more relaxed and open to the loving energies of the God/dess with each breath.
As you relax, also picture yourself breathing out this deep rosepink light, creating a warm, loving rhythm of in-out, in-out. When you feel ready, open your eyes. Look at the flame of the candle or the smoke of the incense and begin chanting:
My love, my love, my perfect mate
We meet in mystic dream tonight
So better as to quicken fate
Our lives to merge in waking light.
Heart to heart, forever one
In darkest night and brightest sun!
Repeat this out loud at least three times. If you like, you can keep repeating it in your mind when you lay down to sleep. Keep the pad and pen or pencil near your bed so you can jot down whatever you remember of your dreams upon awakening. It doesn't matter if they "don't make sense" right away... dreams often speak to us in metaphor, so write them down anyway :-) During the next few days or weeks, be extra observant of your environment, especially of the people who cross your path, and of any intuitive flashes you may have to do a certain thing or go to a certain place. Your soulmate awaits!
You can buy a Soulmates Nightshirt with this spell printed in Celtic style type by clicking
on the design to the left. The spell is also available on a pretty box... great for keeping
magickal stones and such... and a cute little teddy bear.
Opal Beauty Spell
Empower an opal with the following chant:
Inner splendor, shine right through
Radiate my beauty, true.
Rub the stone over your face and/or body for six consecutive days, then carry the
stone with you.
Attract the Perfect Lover You will need:
6 rose petals, 1 tsp lavender, 1 tsp cinnamon, rose quartz, small piece of red ribbon,
1 penny, 6-inch square pink cloth,
green ribbon or yarn, needle and thread
On friday during the waxing Moon, place the first six ingredients in the center
of the cloth. Gather the fabric edges together with your fingers and hold the pouch
to your heart. Chant:
Venus, Queen of Love, divine
Bring the love to me that's mine
Perfect, she/he, and perfect, me,
Together we are meant to be.
Venus, Queen of Love, so warm
Bring my love to me without harm.
Let nothing keep us now apart,
Bring perfect love to fill my heart.
Still holding the pouch against your heart, fill it with loving energy. Secure the pouch
with green ribbons to seal the spell. Carry it on your person and sleep with it under your pillow.
When the lover comes to you, bury the pouch under a tree.
Magic to Prepare for a Love Meeting
OK, you've met a promising canditate and you're probably nervous about making
a good impression early on in the relationship. Here's a spell from Marina Medici's
Love Magic to help you.
Before your meeting take a bath in which you have dispresed six drops of melissa
essential oil. While in the water concentrate on the situation at hand and say these
words:
Melissa suffice for strength and for peace
See yourself relaxed and at ease, holding hands without becoming sweating, holding
a gaze without blushing.
Carry the essence of melissa with you in a small silver flask with a cork that
is easily removable. When you feel the old jitters come back, slip away for a
minute, concentrate yourself, uncork the bottle with your left hand, holding
it with your right, inhale the scent and repeat the magic words to yourself three times.
Charm to Ease the Pain of Divorce
Bittersweet or lemon balm placed under the pillow eases the pain of divorce and brings
fresh perspective necessary to start life anew.
Check out my Recipes for Love page for some romance &
passion enhancing recipes for Valentine's Day or anytime you want to stir up
those loving energies.
MindMovies make wonderful spellcasting aids,
especially for evolving situations like long term relationships.
Or you can make one movie that embodies many different aspects of your ideal life.
The MindMovie program makes it easy to combine the words of your spell with pictures symbolizing your dream
fulfilled and accelerate the process with a song or piece of music that's especially empowering to you.
One of my MindMovies combines aspirations for a growing relationship with the God and Goddess, insightful dreams,
harmonious relationships, prosperity, and healing vibes for the animal kingdom.
Inspirational Books for Attracting & Rekindling Love
Here are some of the best books I know of on love magick.
Click on the title to learn more about the book.
Simple Spells for Love: Ancient Practices for Emotional Fulfillment
by Barrie Dolnick A modern-day guide to easy-to-cast spells & benevolent charms
to strengthen commitment, enhance romance & help put you back in touch
with the powerful rhythms and energies that are a natural part of each of our lives.
Love Magic
by Marina Medici
This book is gorgeous... just paging through it will put you in the mood for love!
Sensual & inspirational spells, incantations & potions for romance
plus color, flower, scent, elemental, astrological & moon phase correspondences.
And Marina's
Good Magic is an equally beautiful & inspirational book on natural magic in general.
Little Book of Love Magic
by Patricia Telesco Spells, scents, exercises, rituals and visualizations for attracting and keeping love in your life.
Patricia really knows her stuff and I recommend any and all of her books.
Your Book of Shadows: How to Write Your Own Magickal Spells by Patricia Telesco OK, this isn't just about love spells but it's so good I'm recommeding it here anyway :-)
A must-have book for anyone who wants to learn spellcraft from the ground up.
The Little Book Of Hot Love Spells by Sophia Focusing on the passionate, sexy side of romance with over 50 incantations to spice up your love life.
Witch's Brew: Good Spells for Love
by Brenda Knight aka Witch Bree Not only is this unique little spell book packed with sensual spells, incantations &
potions for for a loving, romantic life
it's also a miniature work of art printed on fine paper and beautifully illustrated.
Witch Bree has also written similar books for healing, peace & prosperity; they're
all exquisite and worth seeking out.
The Goddess in the Bedroom by Zsuzsanna E. Budapest A Passionate Woman's Guide to Celebrating Sexuality Every Night of the Week
Learn to integrating Goddess energies with your sexuality without losing your sense of humor ;-)
Erotic ideas, recipes, positions, decorating tips, cleansing rituals and energy-focusing techniques galore
from the author of
The Goddess in the Office (also recommended!)
Magickal Shopping
Enchanted Jewelry & Gifts Spell Kits, symbolic Sigils of The Craft, Legends of Rhiannon silver jewelry,
Amulets & Talismen, Heart Chakra jewelry, scented candles & Faery Dust Necklaces
Love & Romance in the Movies a discount poster store featuring romantic images of classic and modern movie and TV couples.
