The Origin of Valentine's Day

When you Google the history of Valentine's Day you get a number of variations of the origin of this lover's holiday. One version is that in Ancient Rome, February 14th was the day set aside to honor Juno, Queen of the Roman Gods and Goddesses. Apparently during those times girls and boys were segregated, however the custom was that on the eve of the Festival of Lupercalia (Feb 15th), the names of the girls were written on pieces of paper and inserted into jars. The boys then each drew the name of a girl from the jar. These two where then partners throughout the Festival. After being paired up in this way, the children often would continue to see one another throughout the year and some of them even married.

The story goes that Emperor Claudius II of Rome was having trouble recruiting men as soldiers. Because he believed the reason was that the men did not want to leave their sweethearts, he canceled all engagements and marriages throughout Rome. St. Valentine, a Christian Priest, was caught secretly marrying Christian couples. He was arrested and imprisoned. Apparently Claudius took a liking to this prisoner but when Valentine tried to convert the Emperor he was condemned to death. He was beaten with clubs and stoned and then finally beheaded outside the Flaminian Gate [circa 269].

St. Valentine is the Patron Saint of affianced couples, bee keepers, engaged couples, epilepsy, fainting, greetings, happy marriages, love, lovers, plague, travelers and young people. He is represented in pictures with birds and roses.

There is still time to make a special Valentine's Day gift yourself and to get you started here are a couple of ideas from my e-book Aromatic Gifts For All Ages And All Seasons.

Chocolate Mint Truffles

Ingredients:
500gm bittersweet chocolate
2 cups heavy cream
15 drops spearmint essential oil
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Method:

1. Chop chocolate up into small pieces of roughly the same size. Alternatively you can use chocolate melts, which are already in smaller pieces.
2. Melt the chocolate either in the top of a double boiler or in a slow cooker.
3. When the chocolate is almost all melted add the cream and remove from the heat and stir well.
4. Add the spearmint essential oil and mix well.
5. Pour the mixture into a container and refrigerate until firm. This will probably take 2 hours or longer.
6. Spread the cocoa powder on a baking tray.
7. Have a bowl of warm water available.
8. Remove the cooled mixture from the refrigerator and scoop out balls to make the truffles. Use a melon scoop if you have one, otherwise use a spoon and gently roll the truffle in your hands to make it round. To make the scooping easier dip the melon scoop or spoon in to the warm water between scoops making sure to shake off any excess water. Place the truffles on the baking tray with the cocoa powder.
9. Gently shake the baking tray to coat the truffles in cocoa powder.
10. Refrigerate until the truffles firm up a bit. They are served at room temperature.

Bay Rum Tonic

Ingredients:
10 drops Bay Laurel essential oil
1 drop Orange essential oil
1 drop Clove essential oil
30 ml (1oz) Vodka or grain alcohol
Dark Bottle

Method:

1. Add alcohol/vodka to the dark bottle.
2. Add the essential oils and mix well.
3. Allow the aroma to develop over the next week to 10 days.

Hair Care with Essential Oils

Essential oils are used a lot in the beauty industry and they can be very effective in hair care.

Not only do they smell great but adding essential oils to our hair care products can really enhance the way our hair looks. By adding the right essential oils to a good base shampoo one can really enhance the look and feel of one's hair and bring out its true beauty. Different oils will work best with different hair types so for more information on what oils to use with what hair type simply check out the article on Essential Oils and Hair Care. on WCIA's Article Archive Page.

Ideas for Hair Care Blends can be found on our Hair Care Blends page.

Roman Chamomile and/or Lemon essential oils give golden highlights to hair; Basil, Rosemary and Peppermint essential oils promote hair growth; Lavender, Lemon, Tea Tree can be considered for the elimination of Lice.

For dry, lifeless or chemically treated hair try an oil pack to condition the hair and promote a healthy shine. Add 3 drops of essential oil to 2 teaspoons (10 ml) base oil (Jojoba is one of the best choices but you could also consider coconut, or even Olive Oil if that's all you have access to). Choose from the following oils: Roman chamomile, frankincense, geranium, juniper, lavender, rose, sandalwood and ylang ylang.

Pour about one third of the mixture into the palm of your hand and massage it well into the scalp. Pour the second third of the mixture to the palm of your hand and once again massage it well through the hair. Pour the final third into your hand and once again massage it through the scalp and hair. Using small, circular movements gently massage the scalp for about 5 minutes. This will really help the circulation. Cover the hair with a towel and relax for at least 20 minutes. Some people choose to leave the oil in over night. Once you are ready shampoo, rinse and condition your hair as usual. You may find that you have to wash the hair a couple of times to remove the excess oil but this should leave your hair feeling really soft and revitalized.

Neroli - Orange Blossom Citrus aurantium var. amara

This is actually one of my most favorite essential oils. I just love the smell.

Orange Blossoms have long be a traditional feature of weddings. They were seen as a symbol of purity and virginity. The orange tree was widely associated with weddings and nuptial feasts. Young brides used to wear a wreath woven from orange blossoms. In Crete, bride and groom were sprinkled with orange blossom water. In Sardinia orange blossoms were fastened to the horns of the oxen pulling the honeymooners’ cart. In Sicily sprigs from the orange tree are used to decorate images of the Virgin Mary. So it is interesting to also note that Neroli was once used as the standard perfume by the prostitutes of Madrid.

You can find a mini profile of Neroli - Orange Blossom on my website.

On a subtle level, Neroli can help one to develop the inner trust which will allows self-acceptance and produces feelings of security and protection. Neroli brings in positive energy. It helps one to relax as well as face our emotional fears. It can help to promote sensual comfort. It eases grief and also helps one to experience joyful love. It can reunite the conscious and subconscious minds and can promote direct communication with the spiritual world. Neroli can help one to become aware of unresolved issues so that one can deal with them. Neroli can also help to facilitate all kinds of creative activities when they are inspired by spiritual aspirations. Neroli is often used in happiness and protection blends.

Generally considered non-toxic, non-irritating and non-sensitizing.

Winter Blues

As the holiday season is behind us and everyone gears up to get back to 'normal' whatever that might mean to you, I am coming across quite a few people who are feeling stressed and a bit down.

Quite a lot of people get quite stressed over the Holiday Period and then feel a bit flat once everything is over. Of course the winter weather doesn't necessarily help, especially here in Vancouver, BC where we do seem to get a lot of rain and dull weather at this time of year.

Happily we have our essential oils with which to bring some sunshine back into our lives. Diffusing, spritzing or inhaling one or more of the uplifting oils can work wonders, making a real difference on a cold and dreary day. The citrus oils are particularly good but there are other oils that are uplifting as well. You will find a number of mini profiles on my website highlighting one or other of the uplifting oils. Pick your own particular favorite and have it handy to sniff the blues away. My own personal favorite is Grapefruit, which always makes me feel happier but there are others, like bergamot, lemon, orange, mandarin. If you are interested in reading more about any of these check out the Articles page on the web site where all the articles presented on the Newsletter are archived. By the way I updated the Newsletter on the website this weekend. The mini profile this quarter is Spikenard and I also have an article on Childhood Development and Behavioral Difficulties.

My special blues away blend for the day is: of course my favorite Grapefruit 5 drop, Juniper 3 drops, Orange 2 drops.