Spellmaker Newsletter
February, 2018
Hello everyone! It's that time of year again. Depending on your point of view, St. Valentine's Day might be highly anticipated OR it might be greatly dreaded. Understandably, for some, you might be looking at this holiday as something made up by the card companies. But it isn't. This holiday can be as meaningful or as awful as you care to make it!
Remember, there is real history and a real St. Valentine (two of them, actually) behind the idea of St.Valentine's Day. St. Valentine's Day can be about giving, sharing love, remembering the meaning of love in all of its forms. I copied in below a little bit of the folklore about St. Valentine from goodworksonearth.org. I have heard a few different versions of the St. Valentine story, but this is a nice one and captures the idea of what different kinds of love exist for all of us to embrace. Whether the story is folklore or fact, it is still a reminder of the love that lives in all of our hearts, Valentine's Day or not!
ST. VALENTINE'S DAY - How It All Began
The story of Valentine's Day begins in the third century with an
oppressive Roman emperor and a humble Christian martyr. The
emperor was Claudius II Gothicus. The Christian was Valentinus.
Claudius had ordered all Romans to worship the state religion's
idols, and he had made it a crime punishable by death to associate
with Christians.
But Valentinus was dedicated to the ideals of Christ, and not even
the threat of death could keep him from practicing his beliefs.
During the last weeks of Valentinus's life a remarkable thing
happened. One day a jailer for the Emperor of Rome knocked at
Valentinus's door clutching his blind daughter in his arms. He had
learned of Valentinus's medical and spiritual healing abilities, and
appealed to Valentinus to treat his daughter's blindness. She had
been blind since birth.
Valentinus knew her condition would be difficult to treat but he gave
the manhis word he would do his best. The little girl was examined,
given an ointment for her eyes and a series of re-visits were scheduled.
Seeing that he was a man of learning, the jailer asked whether his
daughter, Julia, might also be brought to Valentinus for lessons.
Julia was a pretty young girl with a quick mind. Valentinus read
stories of Rome's history to her. He described the world of nature
to her. He taught her arithmetic and told her about God. She saw
the world through his eyes, trusted in his wisdom, and found
comfort in his quiet strength.
'Valentinus, does God really hear our prayers?' Julia said one day.
'Yes, my child, He hears each one, 'he replied.
'Do you know what I pray for every morning and every night?
I pray that I might see. I want so much to see everything you've
told me about!'
'God does what is best for us if we will believe in Him,' Valentinus
said.
'Oh, Valentinus, I do believe,' Julia said intensely. 'I do.' She
knelt and grasped his hand. They sat quietly together, each praying.
Several weeks passed and the girl's sight was not restored. Yet the
man and his daughter never wavered in their faith and returned each
week.
Then one day, Valentinus received a visit from Roman soldiers who
arrested him, destroyed his medicines and admonished him for his
religious beliefs. When the little girl's father learned of his arrest
and
imprisonment, he wanted to intervene but there was nothing he could do.
On the eve of his death, Valentinus wrote a last note to Julia -
knowing his execution was imminent. Valentinus asked the jailer
for a paper, pen and ink. He quickly jotted a farewell note and
handed it to the jailer to give to his blind daughter. He urged her
to stay close to God, and he signed it 'From Your Valentine.' His
sentence was carried out the next day, February 14, 270 AD, near
a gate that was later named Porta Valentini in his memory.
When the jailer went home, he was greeted by his little girl. The
little girl opened the note and discovered a yellow crocus inside.
The message said, 'From your Valentine.' As the little girl looked
down upon the crocus that spilled into her palm she saw brilliant
colors for the first time in her life! The girl's eyesight was restored!
A miracle!
He was buried at what is now the Church of Praxedes in Rome. It
is said that Julia herself planted a pink-blossomed almond tree near
his grave.
Today, the almond tree remains a symbol of abiding love and
friendship. In 496 Pope Gelasius I named February 14 as Saint
Valentine's Day. On each Valentine's Day, messages of affection,
love and devotion are still exchanged around the world.
We are always encouraging people to get out of their own heads about things. While it is always lovely to have someone make a fuss over you, why not use Valentine's Day to make a fuss over someone else? Use it as a day to spread good will, work for a charity, volunteer at a shelter or school, make and distribute Valentine's at a retirement home or assisted living facility - the possibilities are endless for filling this day with a very special kind of love - YOUR kind!
Even Pope Francis is encouraging people to celebrate St. Valentine's Day. :-) This is a copy of the actual flyer from the Vatican. (Note that there is a real email address where you can write a petition to be included in prayers for love! I wouldn't want to say the Pope copied what we have been doing for years, LOL. Not saying that at all. We love this Pope!)
 Of course, we don't want you to forget that we always do an in-house free ritual for Valentine's Day. Send in your request for love petitions to be included either for yourself, someone else, or both. We will be petitioning the lovely Erzulie Freda on this special day! It's very easy to get involved in this ritual - just send in your petition to erzulie@spellmaker.com
We do this ritual every year! There is a ritual pack that you can purchase to do the ritual, or you can do your own ritual, or you can let us do the heavy lifting for the ritual while you go out and spread love! Many of the products we carry for honoring Erzulie are also on sale! But, first, read on further in the newsletter for a fabulous coupon code that you can use! It's a good one!
We hope you will join in this special ritual by creating your own space for Erzulie, using one of our special products dedicated to Erzulie, or sending in your petition so that we may include you on this special day.
We hope that each and every one of you will see this season of love not just as a commercial feeding frenzy, but rather as a time to spread joy and love to those who might need it most. Someone out there needs you: Someone is lonely, needs a kind word, needs to feel special and loved. YOU can do that. Never think you don't have anything to offer - we all do! Maybe we can all look at this holiday differently - a time of love and peace for all. Let's all make a pact to offer each other loving kindness on this day whether we are enjoying chocolates and flowers or a sandwich shared with a friend. Love on!
Remember, when you don't make it all about you, it is, indeed, all about you. ;-) We would love to hear about what you plan to do to make Valentine's Day special for yourself and others! Visit us on our Facebook Page and tell us all the amazing things you plan to do!
Love, light, and peace,
The www.spellmaker.com family,
Starting our 23rd year of loving you all!
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