Don’t you want this day to belong to the sweet goddess of love?

This is an updated encore post from an event I’ve done over the past few years for an alternative February 14th celebration.in the name of blessing Aphroditelet us regain our lives on this day full of love real A spirit of celebration and respect for sacred gifts Atwo like. all pleasure. Only mutually agreed unions, All kinds. Sending you my warmest joy and best wishes! ~Beth

Oh, Aphrodite! Heavenly, illustrious, laughing queen, born of the sea, lover of the night, terrible in manner; cunning one, of whom Ananke is his ancestor; birth, night, lady of all connections.

This is your world, held together in harmony, for everything originates from you, O Divine Power.
Orphic Hymn 55 to Aphrodite, composed between the 3rd century BC and the 2nd century AD

FBest wishes to all on this oldest of days like!

Yes I know.patriarchy is called Valentine’s Day.But you see, for years I’ve been trying to reconsider whether we real I would like to associate this day with a group of obscure, martyred Christian priests named Saint Valentine.

Our culture is no longer filled with a fascination with death, consumerism, sexual conflict and tragic love; I Gifts that love celebrating powerful people Aphroditewhich focuses on life-affirming joy, sacredness, and sexual pleasure.

Pre-Christian Origins

this parentsThe Roman festival, which lasted for eight days and commemorated dead ancestors, was celebrated at this time. All temples are closed, weddings are not held, and government officials do not show their rank. People bring milk, wine, honey, oil and spring water to worship the graves of their parents and other relatives.

Tonight’s sunset is exactly what “Parentalia” calls ” Lupekar.It is a day dedicated to fertility Juno-forgetgoddess Juno Transform into a she-wolf mother. certainly, Juno Also considered the Roman version Heragoddess of wise advice, love and marriage.

A woman’s request for a child was granted and this is how she was connected to the origins of humanity Valentine’s Day. The custom of sending love letters may have originated from the practice of drawing lots to draw your partner’s name during these celebrations.

(The church later tried to abolish the practice, suggesting the names of saints instead, but as the beloved late Waverly Fitzgerald once pointed out, not surprisingly, this failed to cause a stir).

Celtic similarities

Coincidentally (or maybe not), according to some interpretations of the Celtic calendar, today is also a holy day Donate ordered to step over her uncle’s magic wand, mathto prove her chastity.

Some neo-pagans also celebrate this day as a wedding party bearmother earth and Cernunosthe god of nature and the cycle of life.

However, since this day falls during such an important and well-documented holiday honoring the Greek goddess of love, I have been calling for us to Aphrodite.

History of the Goddess of Love

This great Olympian goddess had many incarnations and represented joy, pleasure, beauty, love and fertility. Her power transcends culture and time. She is called “Aphrodite Pier,” “sea ​​maiden,” “Aphrodite Urania,” and simply “goddess of love”.Her Roman identity is Venus.

Although she is one of the most widely recognized Greek goddesses, she may not have originated in Greece, but was originally an aspect of Greece. goddess mother Maritime traders from the Eastern Mediterranean.Some scholars believe Aphrodite It is a version of the old goddess, Astartes.

certainly, Aphrodite She is famous for her love stories, which were numerous and spectacular and produced many descendants, including her sons, cupid.Her most famous lovers were the gods Ares, Dionysius, Hermes, Poseidonand mortals, Adonis.

However, she is not generally considered to be Mother Goddess of the Greeks. On the contrary, she is a very important representative. girl Side view of the three goddesses.

But remember, girls are no usually an untouched virgin, and Venus Aphrodite is an obvious example.Rather, the word refers to the fact that she is free A connection to a marriage or relationship and not dependent on the power, identity, or safety of the lover or husband.

Golden One

Although Aphrodite Very beautiful and loved by people all God of Olympus (no small feat in itself!), she was no wimp. She takes her respect for the gifts of love and sex very seriously and can be harsh with those who hinder the natural flow of all living things.

To punish Glaucus for refusing to breed his mare, she had the mare throw him off his chariot during a race and then eat him.The moral of the story is: Don’t joke Aphrodite!

She is often called the “Golden One” and is worshiped with gold gifts and decorations that, like her eternal youth and beauty, will never fade. Doves, snow geese, and lovebirds are also often associated with her for their gentle nature. She is also the goddess of flowers.

This day commemorating love and choosing a mate has existed in folk customs and celebrations for thousands of years, such as the medieval belief that birds choose their mates on this day.

To commemorate the bird’s marriage, to gain people’s favor Aphrodite, you may want to prepare special food for the birds on this day. Or attend the annual International Backyard Bird Count, which takes place in just a few days.

Of course, any other The way you celebrate this day is only limited by your imagination!

rise for freedom
create new culture

Especially today, let us reject the violent message and cruel subtext of the Valentinian martyr.Instead, embrace a powerful message AphroditeI ask you again to join me One billion rise revolution.

Like most women, I endure prejudice, profanity, and even violence just because we are women. In fact, one in three girls and women on this planet – billion Women and girls – will be raped or beaten throughout her life.

Since starting the commemoration through my website a few years ago, we have had many great breakthroughs.I thank the great Aphrodite Our prayers, courage, and efforts to change the systemic abuse, assault, and shame against girls, women, and gender fluid people are finally being heard.

But in today’s world, we are still faced with the persistence of increasingly desperate systems of patriarchy, imperialism, capitalism, and racism.

In a report released by the Centers for Disease Control last year (February 13, 2023), one fifth Teenage girls say they have suffered sexual violence in the past year. That number has increased by 20% since 2017, the first year the CDC began monitoring the measure.

Additionally, more than 1 in 10 female students (about 14%) said they had been forced to have sex, a 27% increase from 2019 and the first increase since the CDC tracked this statistic.

“If you think about every 10 teenage girls you know, at least one or more have been raped,” said Kathleen Ethier, director of the CDC’s Division of Adolescent and School Health. The highest level we’ve ever seen.” He said the increase in sexual violence was almost certainly causing the sharp increase in depressive symptoms. “We were really shocked,” she said.

In particular, in the 16 months after all abortions were outlawed in Texas, there were an estimated 26,313 rape-related pregnancies, including Without exception For survivors of rape or incest, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on January 24, 2024.

This cannot be ignored. We rise because, like it or not, we are in a destructive, all-encompassing power war over the bodies of trans and cisgender women and the bodies of Mother Earth.

take back our sovereignty

us able and must The effect changes. educate You know for yourself who truly supports the causes that matter to us, both in politics and in our consumer culture.

Who doesn’t?

Spread this message to your sisters and allies, unite, starve Power to those who continue to hurt us!

Let us join hands with the 2024 plan of “One Billion Rising” to rise up for freedom and create a new culture! Billions Rising is based on studies showing that one in three women worldwide will be assaulted or raped in their lifetime.That is One billion women and girls.

So let us join them in solidarity.

In 2024, we will further call for rise for freedom Because violence continues to increase – continued rape, hatred, exclusion, killing, discrimination, exploitation, abuse, war, division, occupation and domination. Control over our bodies, minds and resources. Unprecedented fascism and fascist governments destroy all freedoms. We can’t stop now.

Let’s accelerate the career changes of the scum who destroy Medicare, overturn basic rights, steal our resources, rip public school funding to shreds to benefit their elite, private enclaves, and do nothing but damage to women’s bodies and women’s Choose to know nothing.

Checklist

by Aphroditethis year I declare again:

A woman’s body is sacred. We are not ashamed. We don’t hide who we are.

Our bodies belong only to us. We are not a commodity. Our sexuality is a sacred gift, and we share it only when we want to, and with whom we want.

We are sacred and have the right to education and safety. Entrenched cultures of tolerance for violence, misogyny, intimidation and exploitation must change.

I suggest we fight back obey Aphrodite’s Instructions we recognize OK and blessed The power of sexuality within ourselves and throughout life. We respect our bodies and claim our right to decide what to do with our bodies.

Then resist and wage a love war as best we can.

Every day, especially on this day of celebration, show off your stuff, any Your gender may be, and is happy Your sacred sexual desire! Enjoy this wonderful day of liberation and celebration.

Live as if the love within you matters.

all acts of love and joy yes Her ritual.

Bless this Aphrodite’s Day.