The True Story of Valentine's Day

 

Well, today is the day, February 14th, 2022, the day of the candied hearts, red roses, and all things romantic.  However, does it have to only relate to that of romantic love, but can it be a day reflective on the supreme meaning and power of that four letter L word?

With that said, I would like to share a bit of the history surrounding this day and how it came to be how it is known today.

The Catholic Church recognize three different martyred saints from their historical records with the name Valentine or Valentinus.  The first tells the story of a young priest who lived during the time of Emperor Claudius II, most famous for outlawing marriage in favor of needing young men for military purposes, and this priest Valentine secretly wed for young lovers, as he saw this decree as unjust and unfair. When Claudius discovered this, Valentine was beheaded.  However, some believe that Bishop St. Valentine of Terni was the one that gave Valentine's Day its name and origin.

Next, many believe that Valentine was a priest that aided in helping prisoners escape from Roman prisoners.  Legend tells that when he was imprisoned he sent a note to a young girl he had fallen in love with, possibly the jailer's daughter, and signed it "From Your Valentine", thus the origin of the Valentine's card.

But, moving away from Christianity, we find ourselves in the Pagan origin of the day, that of "Lupercalia", celebrated on the 15th of February.  Indeed, some believe that Valentine's Day was an attempt by the Catholic Church to christianize this Pagan holiday.  Lupercalia is celebrated as a fertility festival in dedication to Faunus, the god of agriculture, and to the founders of Roman, Romulus and Remus.  As the festival commenced, members of the festival, an order of the Roman priests, would gather at sacred cave meant to be where Romulus and Remus had been cared for by the she-wolf or lupa.  The priests would then sacrifice a goat for fertility and a dog for purification.  Once done, they would strip the goat's hide, dip it into blood, then take to the streets slapping crops and women with the bloodied hide.  Women were not fearful or angry by this but believed that this would help them become more fertile the rest of the year.  At the close of the festival, the women would place their names in a great urn, drawn out by eligible bachelors leading to partnership and marriage.  So, if a priest hits you with a bloodied goat hide, ladies, love and babies are on their way!

For more information on Lupercalia, click here: https://journeyingtothegoddess.wordpress.com/tag/lupercalia/

Journaling Through The Years, Episode 33: Unconventional Me & A Tour Th...

This week I share more of my time studying in Italy, ponder how my relationship addict self as well as my "propensity for polyamory" was present even then. I reflect upon how I gravitate towards the unconventional and how that actually is beneficial for myself and others, ie I stand up for what is right when others are afraid to....(here's to the crazy ones...)...& show how that has made a difference in a profound way, that I never realized, until now.

My Love Journey #relationshipaddiction #polyamory

In honor of the V-Day weekend, I share my journey coming to love myself and love others, having healthy and intentional relationships, both with romantic partners and others.

Outta The Box

 

Get Outta The Box

All of this successes I have had in my journey as a thriving artist has become reality when I allow myself to think out of the box of normalcy.

So, recently I was talking to a two good friends of mine who are local actors(and so much more) , about their desire to be the working actors they were trained to be, and again, what they believe their calling in life is and has been since they were old enough to toddle about.

I truly love and respect them as well understand the frustration that they have, as I can surely relate, yet due to the tumult of these last few years, my perspective on the matter of pursuing our dreams has shifted.

To be a thriving artist means not that we have our name on the Hollywood walk of fame, a novel on the New York Times bestseller list, art in the highest of galleries, these are all worthy goals and amazing at that, but to thrive is to be and to be is to thrive.  A thriving artist is a way of life, our art can be found in every ounce of our lives, even in the minute and mundane.  

To thrive is to be and to be is to thrive

Throughout these past few years of craziness, I have had the luxury to step back from the rat race to truly prioritize and meditate on my dreams and my values.  From this time of repose, I have developed the ability to hold space in my heart for gratitude and thus realize the gifts of life afforded to me, whether it be minute or major.  

Currently, I consider myself a working actor, model, and artist, yet it may not appear as society dictates.  At present, I am not working as a paid actor in a theatrical or film production, but I am getting paid for what I love to do.  As a gig-worker, I have worked since 2013 as a fine art model for the local university and community college at a rate well above the minimum wage, added to that my paid modeling career has expanded outward to other galleries and photographers throughout my county and state in a fluid fashion unforced in anyway.  In addition, I have worked since 2015 for the local nursing college as a simulated patient, where given a 'script' I improvise the character for the betterment of the students' skills.  Not only am I helping them become the best nurses they can ever be, but I am getting paid to perform and am deepening my abilities as an actor as well, for well above, minimum wage.  

I say this, with no desire to appear as if I am bragging or better than another, but to emphasize that when one allows themselve to open beyond the narrow reach, opportunities become available in ways unseen before but wider and more powerful than once imagined.  Connections are made and as one continues forward, these opportunities keep expanding continuing with each next step taken.

This morning, I talked with an a dear old college chum who is struggling to find his identity within himself and not based on what he does.  In this capitalist society of which is deemed as acceptable, all too often the question after we greet another is "what do you do?" as in the identity of oneself is made by their occupation not on who they are inside.  With my actor friends as in so many, is the struggle not merely to succeed at your calling but are we finding ourselves locked in our identity formed as 'what we do' and not 'who we are'.  The cure, then, is to sit with oneself, in so doing, discover who we truly are without the exterior busyness and applause, and thus to truly thrive within.

All of this successes I have had in my journey as a thriving artist has become reality when  I allow myself to think out of the box of normalcy.

My good friend, Kurk Kasparian, shares:

"If you want something you don't normally have, then you have to do something you don't normally do."

Am I Wrong

Am I wrong for thinking out the box from where I stay?

Am I wrong for saying that I'll choose another way?

I ain't trying to do what everybody else doing

Just cause everybody doing what they all do

If one thing I know, how far would I grow?

I'm walking down this road of mine, this road that I call home

Journaling Through The Years, Episode Thirty One: On Hold With Me

In this episode, you get a peek into my life as a business entrepreneur start up person as we wait on hold with the OR business registry, fun times with cool waiting on the line rockin' music. Meanwhile, I continue through the life as a study abroad student in Italy, and somehow, end up discussing relationship addictions, the cause, the way out, leading to intentional relationships. For more information on the links mentioned in this episode: Subscribe to TimeKeys for the upcoming episodes of MindSick & TimeSick here: https://www.youtube.com/c/TimeKeys Find out how to listen to the FanGirlHour, including the upcoming episode with Taylor as well as past episodes, here: https://anchor.fm/fangirling

Subscribe to this youtube channel for Dracula! Also, check out their website: www.wanderlusttheatre.co Listen to Multiamory podcast: https://www.multiamory.com/

Blessed Uncertainty

 

Embrace

For starters, I hope you aren't thinking that this is going to be some blog about religion and how finding certainty in the LORD is the antitode for all the craziness of life.  No, those days for me are long since passed, even though the process of deconstruction, which gets less and less difficult through the years, still is a process lifelong.

No, I wish to reflect on the nature of our union, national, world-wide, personal, and universal.  Here we find ourselves in these crazy 2020s, amidst an ongoing pandemic, political and social upheaval rampant with racism and a variety of other isms we wished were non-existant, too afraid and asleep we were to admit, financial situation precarious for all, and in these times we as a collective wish to cling to some form of certainty.

These days everyone, regardless of political or religious affiliation, has their factual information about the current state of affairs of which they believe wholeheartedly to be valid.  Often times, these beliefs can become so rigid that one fails to express compassion needed in these shaky times.  That alone is another coping strategy to find certainty in times where there is none.   It appears then that even if one does not promote themselves a Christian or Muslim Conservative, as it were, they still can attribute facets of fundamentalism in their rigid beliefs. 

What I believe wholeheartedly is that there is no certainty.   I believe in being informed and educated, yet with the bias of all news stations, networks, and informative devices, it is difficult to truly know what is accurate and what is commercialized.   Furthermore, some news reported can be both fact and conjecture, somewhere in the shades of grey of partial truth as it were.  

What, then, is the answer? Cling to some form of knowing, whether it be proven or not, as some means of regulating one's peace of mind, one way of seeking certainty and solid ground, especially if one has not a belief in a god or of a higher power (which is okay, recall I'm no longer a fundie christian).  

The answer, solely, lies in embracing the blessed uncertainty in life.  One valuable lesson I have gained from these last couple years is the full reality of that truth, life is ever changing, the future never known.   Finding the grace within myself to embrace that truth has allowed me the freedom to release clinging to some form of rigidity in my mental structure, allowing the personal discovery of enjoying life in child-like fashion, the wonderment of all unfolding becomes magical and with a purpose perhaps not yet known but more powerful than any I could conceive or control.

So, dear one, take a breathe, in and out, find stillness in the craziness, look within, and embrace that which is not known, embrace the blessed uncertainty, for then comes upon a sense of calm bringing back a stability within, able to face whatever the bends and turns of life brings. 

What in the world are we going to do?

Look at what everybody's going through

What kind of world do you want it to be?

Am I the future or the history?

'Cause everyone hurts

Everyone cries

Everyone tells each other all kinds of lies

Everyone falls

Everybody dreams and doubts

Got to keep dancing when the lights go out

Everyday Life

Journaling Through The Years, Episode 30: My Italian Savior & The Watch

In today's episode, I start out by sharing the new decorations on my wall, then ponder the upcoming fundie-journals and how that time of my life has actually made a huge difference in a positive way, in shaping my life's purpose (not the way they may have wanted, but still), then dive back into my the journal detailing my time studying abroad in Florence (Firenze), Italy (Italia), which makes me miss the place so much & yeah, I will return 100% as well will voyage through so much of other wonderful places in Europe, like Switzerland, France, Spain, England, Scotland, & of course, Ireland. (Maybe the Northern most places, maybe.) That's a big trip planned for someday...soon....