February is a month full of highs and lows, fire and ice, with it's name derived from the Roman Goddess Februa, mother of Mars; also named after Juno Februa and St. Febronia (from Febronis, the "fever of love"), whose orgiastic rites are are still celebrated on February 14th, or St. Valentine's Day. Yet another derivation of the month's name is from the Roman februarius, meaning "to purify," and strongly correlates with the February message of initiation and purification.

The color of the month is red, with the month's activities focused on purification, growth and healing. The trees are the Rowan (Quickbeam) and the Laurel; the representative flowers are the violet and pansy; and the month's gem is the amethyst.

The Victorian's loved the pansy, a type of violet, its name taken from the French "panse" or, "romantic thought"; it was also known as "heart's-ease" and "tickle-my-fancy," certainly appropriate for a flower defined in this month of the heart. The pansy was one of the primary ingredients in Celtic love potions with magical powers and was reportedly in the potion drunk by Tristan and Isolde. The petals are heart-shaped and for millenia were thought to cure a broken heart. This flower has long been associated with St. Valentine's Day and, according to legend, should not be picked while the dew is still on them, as that would cause the death of a loved one. In Shakespeare's "Midsummer Night's Dream," Titania fell asleep with pansy juice in her eyes, and upon awakening, fell in love with the first creature she saw.

"We are spinning our own fates, good or evil, never to be undone." ~William James

February Holidays

Holidays in February were initiated with the Lesser Elusinian Mysteries (Greek) on February 1st; an elaborate preparation that began the rituals leading to the Spring Equinox in Mid-March. February 2nd, is the old Celtic Imbolc, or the Irish adaptation of the "Feast of St. Brighid", the patroness of bards, inventions, good harvests and healthy children. February 3rd, is the Celtic Celebration of Brigantia, the all-seeing Goddess represented by straw solar crosses to protect the house from harm. February 5th, or St Agatha's Day was an update on the Greek Goddess Tyche, or the Roman Goddess For Fortuna, and is a propitious day for all forms of divination.

February 9th, is the Feast Day of Apollo, deity of the sun, celebrating the increasing light of the new year following the darkness of mid-winter. In France, February 11th, is the date of the manifestation of Our Lady at Lourdes. February 12th, was a holy day in honor of Diana or Artemis, representing the power of the force of good throughout the world and a harbinger of victory and ascendancy over darkness.

February 14th, (Juno Februa/Vali/St. Valentine), has long been a festival of love that amalgamates pagan Roman traditions with those of Northern Europe. Beginning after sunset on February 13th, girls decorated their pillows with five bay leaves to dream of their lover or husband-to-be. February 15th, is the ancient Roman observation of Lupercalia, the day when animals help humans; it also celebrates the she-wolf responsible for the survival of Romulus and Remus.

The Sun enters Pisces on February 20th; a day to celebrate intuition and harmonious emotion. On February 21st, the spirits of the dead were believed to be abroad in the Roman world, so provisions were left at graves for family members as this action was believed to be effective for placating ghosts. February 22nd, was the Roman Festival of Concordia, the Goddess of Goodwill and was a time for the living to reconcile their differences. In North Africa on February 26th, Hygeia's Day was observed by tending to good health and the healing process. This would be a good day to see a doctor or tend to outstanding health issues.

Although the 1960's were heralded as the "Age of Aquarius," it was just a rather bright point in a 150-200 year transition process. There were such other points of light beginning in the mid-1800's with the Transcendentalist Movement, closely followed by the Victorian fascination with death, spiritualists and trance channeling. The Twentieth Century saw the explosion of new ways of thinking, including the cross-pollination of Eastern and Western concepts and practices. Consider that 2000 year epochs don't shift in the course of a few years. Have a look at the attached PDF for a brief over-view of the past 10,000 years - give or take a few thousand years.

During any time of transition, it is best to remain open to positive influences and await the inevitable changes that come. Rejoice in the clear understanding that we are in that difficult and magical time between epochs and that no one is here by chance. We all have lessons to learn and if you are alive on the planet there is work to be done.

"The Universe is change; our life is what our thoughts make it."