Inspired by Bryn

Note: As this post was part of a temporary series on The Busy Witch website, the full text of the essay is below!

Valentine’s Day occurs on February 14th and has long been associated with love, fertility, and relationships. There is speculation that this day, originally named after Christian Saint Valentine, may have had connections to the Roman celebration Lupercalia, which traditionally occurred on February 15th. Lupercalia was a fertility festival involving sacrificial offerings of animals (to honor Remus and Romulus and the she-wolf that suckled them) and feasting and carrying on, striking women with animal hides to promote fertility while nude. Although Lupercalia has nothing to do with love or relationships, you can probably gather why some people associate the two holidays, being that fertility is a common link as well as the calendar date. Valentine’s Day, however, has adopted a much more lovey-dovey sentiment in our culture rather than being strictly about fertility. In the spirit of both holidays happening this month, we’re going to discuss some love charms and fertility charms.

Looking for some love to come your way? Try carrying a rose quartz in your pocket to promote self-love and drawing love energies to you. Ritual baths are also very popular in terms of showing love to yourself, cleansing oneself of negative energies, and if you sprinkle some rose petals in your bath, you’d be promoting beauty and love to give you a new glow! Another idea is to write a letter to your future dream partner, listing reasons why you love them and releasing your intentions into the universe for your ideal relationship to manifest. As for fertility, it’s said that rose and/or smoky quartz crystals can aid your body. Or you can try creating a sachet to keep under your pillow at night filled with dried peas, basil, and moonstone to encourage fertility. Charging an egg with your intentions and burying it is also another spell to try.