Your heart does not work alone. Your brain tracks the conditions around your climate, stress, and level of physical activity, and adjusts your cardiovascular system to meet those needs.
This month that is often celebrated and related to as a month of love, has it's work cut out for it. I take you back on a bit of a loving history ride as we begin to see how this month all came about and for how many cultures ending up today as a mass commercialized marketable holiday greeting card, candy, flowers you name it production.
If we take a look and read up on what the heart actually is, unless your a doctor or not one to become queasy often...it's pretty gross. The human heart is a muscle designed to remain strong and reliable for a hundred years or longer. We are told that by reducing our risk factors for cardiovascular disease, we may help your heart stay healthy longer. But, I also feel that it is our minds and way of life, that can also extend life beyond for this interesting and vital organ of love and vitality.
Okay, here is the not so glamorous part: The heart weighs between 7 and 15 ounces and is a little larger than the size of your fist. I'd like to believe that the more we love, the bigger our heart grows like the Grinch! By the end of a long life, a person's heart may have beat more than 3.5 billion times.
A heartbeat is a two-part pumping action that takes about a second. As blood collects in the upper chambers (the right and left atria), the heart's natural pacemaker (the SA node) sends out an electrical signal that causes the atria to contract. The second part of the pumping phase begins when the ventricles are full of blood. The electrical signals from the SA node travel along a pathway of cells to the ventricles, causing them to contract.
Diastole, Systole, I-stole-your-mate-astole and on it goes in love.
In the 1960s it was a big time for ghosts. In my father's first book titled 'The Ghost Hunter', he has a chapter entitled, 'Fifth Avenue Ghost' in which he got the call on from the famous Eileen Garrett in New York City. Hans, Ethel Johnson-Meyers (his transmedium) and the rest of the group raced across town with their tape recorders and camera's. A bit ancient sounding today for all you experts with those lovely gadgets. I told you I was taking you back in time this month. They were able to identify the ghost as a man from the civil war who was angered over his death by his girlfriends other bow. Yikes! Love is love in any dimension I suppose. Hans and Ethel put the ghost to rest as they explained to him where he was and that he needed to move on towards the light. Can the heart and the way we live as human beings transfer over to the other side thus bringing us back, from time to time guiding and peeking in to see what's the latest and greatest?
Are ghosts stuck but never to feel as they have no place to release their past existence? Thus creating a cold and spooky atmospheric environment we call a haunting, they call a hell. Are some ghosts who die such as the Fifth Avenue Ghost still in a jealous rage of love and become what my father referred to as Stay-Behinds? What propels them to still re-live those last moments speaking to the transmedium of their broken heart? I think it is safe to say that throughout history as far back as we can go, no matter what dimension we are in including humanoids, other species and life forms on other stars; that love exists eternally perhaps and is the most joyful as well as the most painful of all emotions to be felt, experienced and in existence.
So, how did we get to call it Valentine's Day? Saint Valentine's Day or Valentine's Day is a holiday on February 14. It is the traditional day on which lovers express their love for each other; sending Valentine's cards, donating to charity, gifting candy and flowers. The holiday is named after two men, (it figures) both Christian martyrs among the numerous early Christian martyrs named Valentine. The day became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished.
We all know what that was really about don't we? Men creating this heated, loving and sensual occasion only to reap the rewards as martyrs, picking up all the saviest gals around town. I have said it before and I shall say it again, my own husband in agreement that if men were to perpetuate our species having all the babies, then we as a human race would become extinct after the first male live birth! And no cheating with 'C' sections either, the natural way please. Let's face it that either way the female gives birth, it is the only way to keep the race alive. My husband happily agrees as he has witnessed four births and has no issues with leaving that at the door in 'what woman do well department.'
The day is most closely associated with the mutual exchange of love notes in the form of 'valentines.' I remember the little odd shaped cards that came with little envelopes to hand out at class time. Thinking back on it now, that was a lot of undo pressure wondering how many cards one would rack up with. The least amount obviously stated how unpopular one would be. Nowadays, it's not a choice in the class rooms as they cleverly have every child make a card off the class room list and the parents over see this. Not only is this is a great writing exercise for the children, but also a great lesson as not to forget anyone whether your good friends or not. Always be kind and spread love. I feel we lose that as we age and so spirituality comes into play and the game becomes harder.
Modern Valentine symbols include the heart-shaped outline and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten notes have largely given way to mass-produced greeting cards and in the mid-nineteenth century; Valentine's Day trade was a harbinger of further commercialized holidays in the United States to follow.
'The Night of Sevens', is a Chinese holiday that also relates to love and 'White Day', is a similar holiday celebrated in Japan and Korea one month after Valentine's Day.
Then we come across February's fertility festivals though popular modern sources link random Graeco-Roman February holidays, said to be devoted to fertility and love to St. Valentine's Day. Jack Oruch showed that prior to Chaucer, no links between the Saints named Valentinus and romantic love existed. Thus whether or not in the ancient Athenian calendar, the period between mid-January and mid-February was the month of Gamelion, was dedicated to the sacred marriage of Zeus and Hera is immaterial.
If Zeus were around now I think he'd be a little angered at that proclamation and ask for a new ceremony with Hera being that now is a great time for love, as we are in much need of it. Could you imagine that ceremony in todays' times? Oprah certainly would cover it along with every media outlet known to man as were talking beaucoup flowers, gold and silver ornaments, food as far as the eye can see and let's not forget the incredible mountainesque views the guest would have.
Chaucer's love birds is a portrait of the English poet named Geoffrey Chaucer by Thomas Hoccleve (1412). The earliest known link between Valentine's Day and romance is found in Chaucer's Parliament of Foules. The first recorded association of Valentine's Day with romantic love is in Parlement of Foules (1382) by Geoffrey Chaucer:
"For this was on seynt Volantynys day
Whan euery bryd comyth there to chese [choose] his make [mate]."
This was a poem written to honor the first anniversary of the engagement of King Richard II of England to Anne of Bohemia. A treaty providing for a marriage was signed on May 2, 1381. They married eight months later as they both were around the age of fourteen.
The earliest surviving valentine is a fifteenth-century rondeau written by Charles, Duke of Orleans to his "valentined" wife, which commences:
"Je suis desja d'amour tanné
Ma tres doulce Valentinée… (Charles d'Orléans, Rondeau VI, lines 1-2)"
In 1415, at the same time the duke was being held in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt.
In 1600-01, Valentine's Day is also mentioned ruefully by Ophelia in Hamlet : "Tomorrow is Saint Valentine's Day."
In Dublin, Ireland, St. Valentine of Rome was donated by Pope Gregory XVI to the Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church. 1960s, the church was renovated and relics restored. In American culture in the 1840s, Saint Valentine's Day was remade as a writer in 'GFTraham's American Monthly' said "Saint Valentine's Day... is becoming, nay it has become, a national holyday."
In the 1969 revision of the Roman Catholic Calendar of Saints, the feastday of Saint Valentine February 14th was removed from the General Roman Calendar for the following reason: "Though the memorial of Saint Valentine is ancient, it is left to particular calendars apart from his name, nothing is known of Saint Valentine except that he was buried on the Via Flaminia on February 14."
The feast day is celebrated in Balzan and Malta where relics of the saint are said to be found, as well as throughout the world by Traditionalist Catholics who follow the older, pre-Vatican II calendar.
The second part of the twentieth century, exchanging cards was extended to the United States, usually from a man to a woman. My question here is how do we really and truly know that same sex partners didn't also exchange? Because of it's time, perhaps it was not documented but I believe it has always been that way in history. In the 1980s, the diamond industry began to promote Valentine's Day as an occasion for giving jewelry. It's 2008 and I am still waiting for that gift!
The day had come to be associated with the platonic greeting of "Happy Valentine's Day." As a joke, Valentine's Day is also referred to as "Singles Awareness Day." Isn't that a cruel joke at the very least? If your single and choose to be then it is not an issue. But for those who are and do not like to be single, means more candy purchases as well as perhaps movies leading to the inevitable weight gain.
Valentine's day is also celebrated in Europe, Middle East and Africa, The Americas and Asia.
A counterpart to Valentine's Day, called "The Night of Sevens" (??); according to legend the Cowherd and the Weaver Maid, had meet in Heaven on the 7th day of the 7th month of the lunar calendar. That is exactly what I was referring to earlier in the article. What if love is everywhere in in all forms of life. The afterlife as well as those about to be born are still souls and spirits all coming from the same origin. A slightly different version of this day is celebrated in Japan as Tanabata, on July 7th of the solar calendar. Here is my own quote as I will be mentioning some of my favorites for this month: "Folks, let's face it, love...is love in any dimension."
On Cute Cupid:
In Roman mythology, Cupid is the god of erotic love and sex. Now were getting things a bit heated here. He is referred to the Greek god Eros, and another one of his Latin names Amor (cognate with Kama). Cupid is shown shooting his bow to inspire romantic love and sex, often as an icon of Valentine's Day. That really has not changed and only increased with all types or creative art depicting a modern day Cupid. But, some art also depicts traditional and old style Cupids thus giving us a huge variety on this adorable, little angel of love.
There are many stories about Cupid's parentage that I will break it down to simplify the tales of woe. Cicero provides three lineage's: Son of Mercury (Hermes) and Diana (Artemis), Son of Mercury and Venus (Aphrodite), and the Son of Mars (Ares in Greek mythology) and Venus. Plato mentions two of these, and Hesiod's Theogony, the most ancient Greek theoography, says that Cupid was created coevally with sex, Chaos and the earth. Pretty much how I was created! Nice to see how some things never change.
There are two Cupids or two sides to the figure of Cupid (sex), throughout ancient mythological writing. One is the Son of Jupiter (Zeus) and Venus. He is young and lively delighting in jokes and spreading love. The other is a Son of Nyx and Erebus who is known for riotous debauchery.
Cupid's power was supposed to be great over the dead in Hades, the creatures of the sea and the gods in Olympus. Some of the cults of Cupid say that Cupid as Son of Night and Hell mated with Chaos to produce both men and gods. It may have been a good thing to be born from that family seeing as to what powers they have over many realms. This puts to shame Growing Up Haunted! Placing some pesky ghosts elsewhere is no match for Cupids godly powers.
The most common representations of Cupid include a baby with wings, bow and arrow. Sometimes the arrow has a heart for a tip. Cupid is most often seen naked, diapered and blindfolded which symbolizes the figure of speech "love is blind." It is said that if Cupid's arrow hits you, you will fall hopelessly and madly in love with the next person you meet. Cupid hit me, hit me! Just a little loving humor. And now, I would like to leave you with my favored February quotes. Enjoy this month and whether your alone, together, content or discontent please try in your hearts to find a place of happiness, spiritual growth and remember: if the Grinch could do it, anyone can!-Always be well-Alexandra Holzer
"Those who love deeply never grow old; they may die of old age, but they die young."
-Sir Arthur Pinero
"Only connect! That was the whole of her sermon. Only connect the prose and the passion, and both will be exalted, and human love will be seen at its height. Live in fragments no longer. Only connect..."
-E.M. Forster
"...the more the soul knows, the more she loves, and loving much, she tastes much."
from the journal of his Himalayan expedition
-W.H. Murray
"Love doesn't make the world go 'round; love is what makes the ride worthwhile."
-Franklin P. Jones
"Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love."
-Albert Einstein
"Love at first sight is easy to understand; it's when two people have been looking at each other for a lifetime that it becomes a miracle."
-Amy Bloom
"Love does not consist of gazing at each other, but in looking together in the same direction."
-Antoine de Saint-Exupery
"If I am not worth the wooing, I am surely not worth the winning."
-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
"A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous."
-Ingrid Bergman
"When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace."
-Jimi Hendrix
"Love makes mutes of those who habitually speak most fluently."
-Madeleine de Scudery
"Let us not be satisfied with just giving money. Money is not enough, money can be got, but they need your hearts to love them. So, spread your love everywhere you go."
-Mother Teresa
"Do you love me because I'm beautiful, or am I am beautiful because you love me?"
-Oscar Hammerstein, II
"What the world really needs is more love and less paperwork."
-Pearl Bailey
"I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge -- myth is more potent than history -- dreams are more powerful than facts -- hope always triumphs over experience -- laughter is the cure for grief -- love is stronger than death."
-Robert Fulghum
