Written by: Jack Rasmussen, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
When in Rome. Most of us know about Valentine’s Day, the holiday in the middle of February celebrating “love.” It is celebrated because of Saint Valentine, a priest who preached in Rome during the third century. He stood up for marriage during the Roman Empire when Claudius banned marriage so soldiers could focus on fighting in the army. Valentine was an orphan but was baptized Christian as a child. He lived in a beautiful house with a garden and loved ceremonies. After being asked to marry one couple, he became a minister and started marrying several couples. He became a wedding expert, helping people with vows, the location, and the design of their weddings (Ananda, 2024).
The emperor’s guards arrived to arrest Valentine while he tried to marry four couples. Because it was the eve of Lupercalia, a seven-day feast honoring the Roman God of fertility, Emperor Claudius decided not to execute Valentine but to throw him in jail. The four couples then showed up at his jail cell window, asking him to finish the weddings. It was pouring and windy, and when Valentine acknowledged this, the rain and wind stopped. Their clothes were muddy, and there were not any of the usual doves and music that lit up his weddings. When Valentine acknowledged this, their clothes turned into clean togas, and doves and music filled the air (Ananda, 2024).
From your valentine
When the couples asked for certificates, Valentine decided to create his own. The jailer’s daughter, Julia, provided him with papers from old execution orders. He cut them into trees, doves, and hearts. He wrote the names of each couple and a personal inscription that ended with: “From Your Valentine.” He wedded several more people throughout the seven days, and on the seventh day, as he was leaving the cell, he healed Julia’s blindness by placing his hands over her eyes (Ananda, 2024).
But why was the saint so alluring? Maybe it was due to his mindfulness. Rome was a society of power-hungry conquerors, and many feared the emperor. Saint Valentine had a different value: love. Valentine cared so much about enabling people in love to spend the rest of their lives together that he was willing to break the emperor’s rules dramatically by performing Christian weddings while the emperor outlawed both Christianity and weddings. Not only did people seek him out to bond them together, but he also healed the jailer’s daughter. Some have proclaimed that he learned to heal from Taoist sages (Holden, 2020).
February 14th is for chocolate and jing
Saint Valentine was beheaded on February 14th, around the year 269, due to his fearless dedication to love. His death has had a legacy on the world, pushing people to give gifts and sign notes to loved ones and friends. In qi gong, love is essential for our heart and center base. Love is paramount for the relationship between yin and yang to flourish. Qi gong or tai chi strengthens one's heart and develops unlimited love when facing the world (Holden, 2020).
Love and sexual energy also have an interconnected dynamic. Like the yin-yang symbol, which deals with powerful interconnected forces, humans work with passion and sexual energy throughout their lives, enabling fulfillment and happiness. Sexual energy is referred to as “Jing” in Asia and is held in our lower abdomen. Like chi, this is our life force energy and is at the core, literally and figuratively, of what we do. By cultivating “Jing” energy through the heart, we can elevate our whole body, embracing love (Holden, 2020).
Taoist sage wisdom: The three treasures
Taoist sages, which Saint Valentine could have been, developed tools for people to build “The Three Treasures,” or sexual energy, emotional energy, and spiritual consciousness. Jing lives within us all, and qi gong or tai chi is a great way to embrace this energy and cultivate and work with all three treasures. Understanding this energy and adopting practices that exercise and circulate this energy to develop a wellness routine that enhances all three of these together is essential to living a holistic life (Holden, 2020).
Valentine's skull and bones
In addition to marriage, Valentine is the patron saint of beekeeping, epilepsy, the plague, fainting, and traveling. His skull is displayed in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, Rome. Other parts of his skeleton remain in the Czech Republic, Ireland, Scotland, England, and France (Hanes, 2024). His impact on the meaning of love and marriage will continue forever and may hold a valuable place in Taoist philosophy.
Valentine’s Day may be the new international Yin Yang holiday as of 2024. Gratitude and centeredness come from love. Love heals when fully developed.
Jack Rasmussen, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Jack Rasmussen is a leader in the worlds of performance science, the food industry, religion, education, and entertainment. Growing up in Silicon Valley and studying Business, Cinema, and Journalism at the University of Southern California has allowed him to explore creative pathways to raise people's vibration and meta-awareness within their respective fields. He is the award-winning author of Fine Dining: The Secrets Behind the Restaurant Industry (2022) and Yin Yang: The Elusive Symbol That Explains the World (2023). He has worked with the National Science Foundation, California food banks, and international directors to help alleviate food waste and teach cultural literacy, among other expressions of his storytelling interests. He wants to continue to help serve and inspire global citizens to explore the unexplored and become more cognizant of and comfortable with their authentic presence through sharing his own. His artistic aim stays true: spread thought-provoking peanut butter and connective jelly.
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