The Hare Moon

Today is rather magickal, for not only does it herald the new Hare Moon, but also a solar eclipse, albeit, it could not be seen from the UK.
The hare was a sacred animal to the Celts and was symbolic of fertility. They thought that as the earth was warming up during this lovely month, then so were human passions. Both sun and moon are in the sign of Taurus so what better time for celebrating earthy and sensual pleasures!
The photograph of Pan (who better to illustrate earthy pleasures?) was taken outside the Witchcraft Museum in Boscastle in Cornwall and is currently on loan to them. Well worth a visit if you're in that part of the world.
Meanwhile enjoy all that the Merry Month of May has to offer!
Read more 'Mrs Darley's Moon Mysteries'

The Roman Festival of Lupercalia

The Romans saw the month of February as a month of cleansing, hence its name 'februa' meaning purification. The festival of Lupercalia, held on 15 February, saw the priests of Pan racing through the streets and whipping women with goat skin thongs as an act of purification and fertility.
This  is a great time of year to spring clean, whether it's your home, your body or your thoughts.

May Lupercalia bring you a whisper of spring.
Read more 'Mrs Darley's Pagan Whispers'

Romance, Love, Lust and Fertility

The 15th February was the time when the Romans celebrated their purification festival of Lupercalia, when the priests of the Goat foot God, Pan danced through the streests dressed in wolf skin thongs and whipping the women with goat skins as an act of both purification and fertility.

A popular aspect of this festival was to invite single women to write their names on a piece of paper and place it in a box. The men of the town would then draw a name and subsequently take that woman as a lover for the forthcoming season. This tradition survived into Christian times, at which time the pieces of paper were called 'Valentines' after the Christian Saint and eventually became the valentine card with which we are all familiar today.

Enjoy both days of romance, love, fertility and lust!