Lupercalia the wolf festival of rome

In this blog post I share in more depth about the magic, medicine and wisdom of both Goddess Lupa, the She-Wolf of Rome and the Ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia!

I hope these resources and insights support and inspire you, Rachel xx

Run wild and untamed with the wolves,
Run for joy,
Run with hope,
Run with courage.
Run free from the limitations, expectations and conditions placed upon you.
Run, run, run,
Until you find yourself at the Cave of the She-Wolf.

There.
With Lupa, give presence to what was, what could have been, what died, what birthed, what hurt and what brought pleasure.
See it all and let her hold you in her warm wolf body.

Here.
Honour the past, the versions of before, the lineage and the inheritances.
See them, feel them – for the powerful alignment and discernment
of what is truth and what is falsity.
Then let that which held you back, held you small, held you unfulfilled, become bones; sacred offerings, returned to earth, to nurture authentic and powerful re-emergence back out of the cave.
Fearlessly be in the pregnant pause with the Wolf-Mother
and having found clarity, affirmation and reassurance,
return back out and begin your time of Sovereignty.

Then.
Run for joy,
Run with hope,
Run with courage.
Run for all that is possible and potential,
Run for a new legacy; one of compassion, integrity, honesty and trust.

The stars are watching, the earth is holding, the Wolf is guiding – what will you create? What is beginning? What is stirring? How will you unfold?

Listen and answer.

*ahhhwwoooooooooooooo*

Lupercalia is the week when, in our community, we all start howling and running wild around the woods (yes i know you do that anyway, but this week we do it collectively 😉 hehe )

Because it is the week of Lupercalia!

And even if you are new here, you will already know that Goddess Lupa, the She-Wolf Goddess is not only one of my guardians, she is one of YOURS as well.

Because she is one of the principal teachers of my wisdom school and is the governing goddess that looks after all of you, my students 🙂 (She is the ultimate teacher and protector after all!).
It does make me laugh with joy how many of you report that the white wolf appears in dreams/signs/images.thoughts before you find me/my school/books, or maybe a few days before I message you 😉 Yup, that is Lupa, calling you to her (your) pack. 😀 And you will receive her powerful medicine just by being here 😀

So, who is Lupa and why is this week and month her sacred time???

⭐ In this blog I will share:

~ Who is Lupa and how can she support, inspire and guide you
~ What exactly is the Lupercalia festival – History, myth, symbology
~ A reminder of where to find meditations and nourishing experiences with her (and me).

Keep reading to find out more . . .

Here is more about her magic & wisdom in these slides . . .

Which aspect of her lands most with you right now?

You can of course find out more about her in my book ‘Lupa’ and Lupa’s book page HERE

Lupercalia

Here is my answer to a really interesting question I received recently about Lupercalia and why I personaly choose to celebrate, especially when it is Ancient Roman, and I am not . . .

The person asked ‘Why do you celebrate Lupercalia?’

It is actually the same response for why I wrote a book about Goddess Lupa.

The answer really is as a simple as, I choose to honour Goddess Lupa at this time especially but I also love to honour the foundation of a city I love & admire, & a culture & historical people that has been a HUGE part of my life.

Mostly, my own personal Lupercalia celebrations consist of candle lighting, incense & thanksgiving for the presence of Goddess Lupa in my life. My Wolfy mama who supported me through a dark night of soul & walked with me into the Cave of the She-Wolf & held me, affirmed me, led me to trust, authenticity, belonging, purpose & destiny in the dark & then supported me back out again, deeply rooted in knowing of Self & WHY i am here & WHAT i am meant to do. Because I know her medicine intimately, have lived and breathed it again and again, I can teach and share it – it is what I know, so when I teach and share with you, it’s not theory or conjecture, it real life experience 🙂

There are several deities associated with Lupercalia in its history but I also personally celebrate it with Lupa specifically, as I believe it was originally matriarchal – that is Mother centered. (Many gods were later added/suggested as ‘the’ deity of Lupercalia, because you know there has to be a dude to qualify it right? *ugh*!!)

Although I am not Roman (though my land & my ancestors were once part of the Roman Empire), I adore the city & its history & I love to feel & affirm a connection to it. This history & the Roman Pantheon are also that which my professional career is focused on for the same reasons.

AND in the spirit of the ancient Roman month of February, it is now that I honour the end of winter & the beginning of spring (their first month of the year was March, the start of the agricultural & military year). I do so by, like the ancient Romans, remembering what has been in the past year & in the past in general. Looking back, I remember the foundations & experiences of my story, THE story & move forward and on, strongly grounded, centered, rested – move forward with a new breath & my sights on what lies in front.

~~~

I hope this answers your question and I hope it inspires you to also mark this day somehow and/or to follow where and how your heart and soul know they can be fulfilled! 😀
I believe we can ALL find value & presence, by bringing this festival time, of remembrance, ritual, pause and celebration, into our lives.

I hope that if you do, it nourishes & inspires you!

The Roman Festival of Lupercalia was celebrated on the 15th February.

This single day was arguably one of THE most important days of the WHOLE Ancient Roman calendar.

Why?

Here is Lupercalia in 3 words (see slides below)

These 3 words are THE energy of Lupercalia, a reminder of:

– what was important to the ancient Romans
– why it was celebrated
– what was energetically aligned with the festival
– and its themes and deities

As you can see, Lupercalia is a festival of death and birth, legacy and ancestors, family devotion and cultural identity.

Want to discover more about the history and importance of Lupercalia to the ancient Romans, do check out my full-length article all about it via the Moon Books Publishing BLOG HERE

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