VALENTINE’S DAY- JUST ANOTHER WHITE PAGAN/RELIGIOUS MONEY MAKING RITUAL

When I first began working as a Mental Health Professional, I immediately became aware of the anger and rage that many Black African American women harbored towards their significant other.  These women’s rage was all because their significant other failed to fulfill their fantasy on Valentine’s Day. (As in all of my posts, underlined words are links.)  Either their significant other totally forgot to give them anything on Valentine’s Day or they did not give them enough of what they wanted.

Although we call it, “Saint Valentine’s Day,” very few celebrants or participants have any idea or knowledge about the origin of this pagan/religious ritual, which dates back to antiquity.  Neither do they know they are actually celebrating two fictitious individuals – St. Valentine, and Cupid.

As far back as 44 BCE  (“Before the Common Era”) (if not further), pagans celebrated a fertility and health ritual known as “The feast of Lupercalia,” from February 13^th -15^th.  Initially, the emphasis was on the shepherds and it was supposed to make their cows and sheep healthier and fertile.  During the Lupercalia festival, priests sacrificed goats and dogs because these animals were, thought to have robust sexual prowess.

After the sacrifices, the celebrants consumed copious amounts of food and wine, then, men wrapped their naked bodies in the goatskins and streaked through the city hitting women (Today, we call it – “Being hit on”) in hopes that the pregnant would deliver and the barren would become pregnant.

Women placed their names in a bowl to be drawn by the men.  Those selected were paired together for the duration of the festival.  If they liked each other afterwards, they would marry; if not, they would go their separate ways.  This was the first formalized matchmaking program in recorded history.

Throughout their conquests, the Romans incorporated the “feast of lupercalia” into their rituals as the celebration of “Lupa,” the female wolf who allegedly nursed both Romulus and Remus (founders of Rome) back to health.

 

Around 496 AD, Pope Gelasius banned this pagan ritual, claiming it was making a mockery out of Christianity. However, he felt that if you can not beat them, rename them, so the ritual continued under another name.

As we know, Christians cannot denounce a holiday, without replacing it with one of their own creation; so Pope Gelasius declared February 14^th as, St. Valentine’s Day, although he was not sure which St. Valentine he was actually celebrating, because there were several.

Allegedly, there was a St. Valentine, who was beheaded in the third century because he disobeyed Emperor Claudius‘ edict, declaring it illegal for any of his soldiers to marry.  Emperor Claudius reasoned that an unmarried soldier was more loyal and a better fighter because he had nothing to lose.  There are several other fictitious accounts of other St. Valentines, who also met their untimely deaths in the name of L-O-V-E.

Geoffrey Chaucer is credited with our still celebrating Valentine’s Day when he wrote “Parliament of Foules” in 1382 as an anniversary gift to King Richard ll of England and Anne of Bohemia.  Allegedly, this was the first Valentine love poem.

Today, the Catholic Church is still clueless about which St. Valentine they are celebrating, so, in 1969, Pope Paul VI removed St. Valentine from the church’s official Calendar of Saints, so it is now a purely commercial celebration.

Ester A. Howland, a White American female entrepreneur received a Valentine card and realized she could make a fortune by selling them in her father’s bookstore.  By the 1850s, she had cornered the American market.  Today, Valentine’s Day is a “cash cow,” second only to Christmas in the number of cards, flowers, candy and jewelry sold.  In fact, 25% of all Greeting Cards sold in America are for Valentine’s Day.

During the 1980s, the diamond industry came on board and declared; “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend,” and foolish men failed to hear the real message.  If the “diamond” is your girl’s best friend, what were you, “her second best friend?”

Last year, Valentine’s Day candy sales ranked #1, and 13 billion dollars were spent in America on this pagan/religious ritual, averaging about $116. 00 per consumer.  Be mindful, this is just the average, because many of you go overboard in your spending.  By the way, elementary school teachers receive the most Valentine cards, because they are the ones brainwashing their young students into adopting this pagan/religious ritual.

Men, when you need to blame someone for having to spend money for flowers, candy, cards and diamonds, remember Pope Gelasius.

If it were not for him, you would still be able to eat, drink, get nude and run around the city “hitting on” women without having to spend money on a one-day event or making a permanent commitment to the women you spent those few days with.

How can you celebrate Valentine’s Day without acknowledging “Cupid?”  In fact, “Cupid” is synonymous with love.  As the fantasy goes, if Cupid shoots you with his arrow, you will immediately fall fanatically and insanely in love with the very next person that you meet.

However, I never could understand the depiction of Cupid as a White male toddler with wings, a bow and arrows, until I realized White Romans were and still are (Roman Catholic Church) deeply engaged in pedophilia and the creation of ritualistic fantasies.  Today, super-rich and powerful men (only men) meet annually at the Bohemian Grove in Northern California, to fulfill their fantasies.

Just like many other things created by the Romans, Cupid is just another pagan creation of theirs.  Supposedly, Cupid was seeking someone to pierce with his arrow and he accidentally pierced himself.  He then saw Psyche and fell madly in love with her.  Unfortunately, for Psyche her new mother-in-law, Aphrodite was extremely jealous, as well as was Psyche’s sisters.

Because Cupid was a god, he told Psyche never to look at him.  Consequently, he would only creep around to see her during the nighttime, and he would be gone before sunrise.  However, Cupid would lavish Psyche with beautiful gifts and jewelry.  (Sound familiar, ladies?)

Finally, with much meddling, Psyche’s sisters persuaded her to look at Cupid, telling her that he does not want her to see how grotesque and ugly he was.  Her own curiosity finally got the best of her, so Psyche lit a candle and held it over Cupid while he was asleep.

To her amazement and joy, Cupid was the finest man she had ever seen.  He was so fine, that she could not take her eyes off him, (Nancy Wilson) resulting in the hot candle wax dripping on him.  This is probably not what Teddy Pendergrass meant when he sang, “Turn Off The Lights.”

Of course, that “burning hot wax” (Teddy) caused Cupid to immediately awake and realizing Psyche broke her promise never to look at him, he immediately left her, not intending to return.  Psyche was heartbroken (pun intended) and she pleaded with her mother-in-law, Aphrodite to help her get Cupid back.

Aphrodite agreed upon the condition that Psyche successfully complete four tests, with the fourth test consisting of her searching for a box of “beauty cream” and returning it to Aphrodite.  Once Psyche retrieved the box, which she thought contained “beauty cream,” she wanted some for herself, so she opened it, only to find it was empty.

It was a trick, which Aphrodite knew would work and Psyche immediately fell into a coma.  Cupid rescued his wife, and brought her to Olympus and gave her nectar of ambrosia, turning her into an immortal.  Psyche gave birth to their child, Pleasure and Aphrodite became a doting grandmother, and they all lived happily thereafter.

Now that you have the fictitious stories of both Valentine’s Day and Cupid, I have a question for my Christian readers.  How does God feel about your celebrating pagan rituals such as, Valentine’s Day?  For those who are interested, you will find the answer in Deuteronomy 12:29-32, KJV, which reads as follows:

^“29 When the Lord thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their land;

³⁰ Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.

³¹ Thou shalt not do so unto the Lord thy God: for every abomination to the Lord, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.”

³² What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.”

Of course, many Christians only use God as a spare tire.  If there is not a need for God, He is stored in their closed trunks in order for them to be able to pursue Cupid and other pagan/religious rituals.  Yet, the moment they encounter a flat along life’s highway, they immediately go to their trunks and pull out their God for help and salvation.

Oh, what a blessing it is that my people do not read, think, or use common sense says the Pastors, Pimps, and Politicians.

 

BLACK AFRICAN AMERICANS ARE TOO SUPERSTITIOUS

Just the other day, my girlfriend and I was discussing superstition and it’s impact on Black African Americans.  A few days later, I was reviewing some of my ancient emails on my external hard drive and came upon this one and decided to share it with my readers.  Initially I did not know the origin of this information, only that a friend shared it with me many years ago.  However, once  I decided to use it as a post, I let my fingers do the walking and Googled “Top 20 Black Superstitions,” (All underlined words are links.) and found a probable source.  I am posting the entire e-mail, with only one modification.

The modification I have made is the term of identify used for people of my race as evidenced by italics.  As you have noticed in my posts, I choose to identify myself and my race as “Black African Americans.”    Now to the email.

“Black African American superstitions originate from a mixture of ancient African religion, Native American traditions, and European folklore.

Growing up do you remember hearing that an itchy palm means you are going to receive money soon? Or stepping on a crack can break your mother’s back?  Or dreaming of fish means someone you know is pregnant?

In our technologically savvy times some of these are regarded as foolish wives tales, but superstition was part of a legitimate belief system during slavery.  There are many recorded instances of slave masters who stated they saw Black magical conjurers that healed the sick, performed spells and curses, and taught others these superstitions.

Although many typically won’t admit they are superstitious, there are many superstitions Black African Americans believe in because of how deeply ingrained they are in Black African American  culture.

I have compiled a list of 20 superstitions that many Black African Americans pass on generation upon generation.

1. Step on a crack, break your mother’s back.

I remember learning this rhyme as a child, and always thought of it as an innocent childish game, but feared the repercussions of stepping on that infamous crack in the pavement.  I recently learned that the original rhyme was far from innocent: “Step on a crack and your mother will turn black.”  It is believed to come from the late 19th century racism.  Who would have known?!

2. If your ear is ringing someone is talking about you.

I know many people who believe this one.  This superstition creates paranoia in many because nobody wants to find out someone is talking about them behind their back.

3. Don’t cut a baby’s hair before his/her first birthday.

If you do so they will have “bad hair” or bad luck.  This wives tale may hold valid reasoning.  African American hair naturally changes consistency and texture many times throughout their lifetimes, and methods of hair cuts can affect the look or texture.  This old wives tale originates from the fear of coarse, “harder to manage” hair many refer to as “bad hair,” along with a recorded history of babies who have gotten sick because they did not have hair to help in keeping them warm.  I’d probably research more before I tried it on my child.

     4.  Sunshine, Raining, and Thunder at the same time: The devil is beating his wife.

This is called a Sunshower when the sun is shining and it is raining and/or thunder and lightning at the same time.  Sun showers are very rare occurrences.  Does that mean that the devil keeps his wife happy typically?

5. If you keep making funny faces, one day it will get stuck that way.

As a child I always believed this one.  I remember seeing a man with very big eyes, and believed that the condition was self-inflicted.  It is a humorous superstition, although we all know that your face will not really get stuck.

6.  If your palm is itching that means that you are coming into some money.

An itching in the right palm means coming gain; in the left, coming loss.  Whenever my mom’s right palm would itch, we would go buy lottery tickets.  We have yet to win, but the itchy palm superstition is one of my favorites to this day.

7. Don’t talk on the phone or turn on the TV while it is thundering and lightning.

Apparently you can get struck by lightning.  I always thought of this as a superstition, but recently found out that this one was true.  If you are using a landline telephone, you can be shocked by a lightning bolt. There have been lightening related deaths, due to the lightning hitting a home and the current passing through wires.  Preventative measures have been implemented into most home appliances, but the risk still exists.

8. Don’t put your purse on the floor or you’ll stay broke.

I think this superstition is used to teach people accountability.  A magic curse may not be the reason you’re broke if you put your purse on the floor, but it might be the issue if you’re not paying attention to your purse and the valuables inside of it.  Although I don’t believe this superstition, I avoid removing a woman’s purse off of the floor at all costs.  It would be disrespectful on one hand, and I wouldn’t want to be blamed for “cursing” someone to be broke.

9. Don’t go to the zoo when you are pregnant.

Your baby will come out looking like an animal, particularly a monkey.  This superstition sounds like it was also created from racist notions.  I was unable to find the origin of this superstition, while there has yet to be a baby who has transformed into an animal.  I am sure this superstition keeps pregnant women away from the zoo.

      10. Fish dreams means that someone is having a baby.

A friend from college once received a call from her grandmother, asking her if she was pregnant.  Her grandmother had a dream of fish.  Believe it or not, my friend was pregnant.  Call it mothers intuition, or mysticism, it is a very interesting superstition.

11. Animals know when you are pregnant.

This superstition is somewhat true.  Some scientists believe that a dog’s keen sense of smell allows it to notice a hormonal difference in a woman when she’s pregnant.  This phenomena is not completely explainable, but does happen.

12. If you break a mirror, you will have 7 years of bad luck.

Luck is a funny thing.  We avoid things that can create bad luck, and believe that we can use lucky items to change our bad luck to good luck.  I’ve broken a few mirrors in my life, possibly the reason I have yet to win the lottery.

 13. It’s bad luck to cross a black cat’s path.

This is a timeless myth that originates from multiple cultures.  Black cats seem to be mystical, sneaky, and even evil.  It is always creepy to cross paths with a black cat at night when you are walking alone.  It kind of makes you wonder what might happen next.

 14.  Never buy your boyfriend or husband shoes as a gift.  Because he’ll walk out of your life with them.

I know many women who believe this superstition.  I never heard of anyone who this has happened to, but I can imagine there are people who can lay claim to this.

15. You will catch a death of cold by walking around with wet hair.

This one is true.  Your head releases most of the heat in your body.  If your hair is wet and you are in cold temperatures, you are  putting your body at risk of getting a cold.

16. Girls are carried high; boys are carried low.

This is a myth about predicting the gender of a baby during pregnancy.  Doctors have proven that this superstition is not true.  In fact the way the baby is carried depends on muscle tone or the way the baby has positioned itself in the uterus.  It is fun to speculate or guess the gender, but this one isn’t scientifically true.

17. If you allow children to sweep the floor, they will sweep up unwanted guests.

I have heard this one before and believe there is some truth to it.  Children typically take a long time to do mundane tasks like cleaning, so I can imagine that any guests who arrive during your cleaning process are “unwanted.”

18. When you cross the railroad tracks you touch a screw for safe crossings.

I never listened to this superstition as a child.  I always thought it was better luck to get across the tracks as fast as you could.

19. Never put your hat on a bed, or you will have bad luck (or worse die).

I have been guilty numerous times of putting a hat on a bed, and never thought twice about it until I saw a superstitious friends’ reaction.  The worst consequence I can remember was when someone laid down on my hat.  Poor hat.

20. Splitting the Pole Gives you bad luck.

If you are walking with someone, never let a pole, sign, or scaffold, break the plane between the both of you.  After a bad experience, I always take heed to this superstition.  One day during the winter I was walking down the street with a group of friends towards a pole.  My friends warned me not to split the pole, and said I should walk on the same side of the pole they were walking on.  I ignored them, and after a few steps, slipped and fell on black ice.  From now on, I don’t split poles at all, or I say “bread and butter” to protect myself from the ensuing bad luck.

Oh, what a blessing it is that my people do not read, think, or use common sense says the Pastors, Pimps, and Politicians.