------------------------------------------------------------------------ WHO WAS ST. VALENTINE, ANYWAY? by Jerry Pople No one knows who St. Valentine was, but its fun to speculate, so lets plunge in! The Roman Feast of Lupercus At one time, ravenous wolves lived outside the city of Rome. The Roman shepherds, who like other Romans had a god for everything, prayed to the god Lupercus to protect their flocks from the beasts. The feast day was celebrated in February and was called Lupercalia. During Lupercalia, in honor of the goddess Februata, young womens' names were placed in a vessel and drawn. Each girl was matched with a boy. These couples were partners for the year. This is undoubtedly the origin of romance in the celebration of St. Valentines Day. As Christianity became prevalent, the Church replaced the feast of Lupercus with the feast day of St. Valentine. A Man Named Valentine There were seven different stories about men named Valentine. Its is only possible that three of those stories represent the feast of St. Valentine. One story tells of Valentine as a jailed Christian who cured the jailers daughter of blindness. Emporer Claudius had him beheaded 2-14-269. A second story states that Valentine fell in love with the jailers daughter and wrote her letters signed "From Your Valentine". The third story says that Valentine secretly married several Christian couples against Claudius wishes. When the Emporer found out, Valentine was imprisoned and died soon after.Pope Gelasius officially named February 14th as the Feast of St. Valentine 496. At that point all seven Valentine stories were woven into one. For The Birds! It was also believed in England and the European continent that on February 14th, birds chose their mates. Chaucer wrote in "Parlement Of Foules": "For this was Seynt Valentines Day when every foul commeth ther to choose his mate." Whether its birds, wolves, or the saintly acts of an early Christian that begat the tradition, enjoy Valentines Feast Day with someone you love! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CONTACTING YOUR ANGELS by Susan Stamm Everywhere one looks there are angel books, angel calendars, angel cards, and angel jewelry. Hollywood has capitalized on the angelic phenomenon with such films as "It's a Wonderful Life", "Heaven Can Wait","The Preacher's Wife", "Michael", and the popular American television series "Touched by an Angel." An Angel's Purpose Angels play Divine roles, in one form or another, and have done so since prehistory. They are mentioned in various religious scriptures throughout the world. So why are we witnessing an increased awareness for angels in recent years? Is it because of their association with the Divine realm? Is it because we see angels as Divine beings whose purpose is to give us guidance and support here on the earthly plane? Angels take on many appearances and disguises, from ordinary people to magnificent beings in white robes with wings and halos. Whatever their appearance, their purpose for being with us is to offer Divine love. Many of us were taught that we have a guardian angel watching over us since the day we were born. We hear testimonies from people all over the world who claim they have felt the presence of their guardian angels at times of joy, sorrow and crisis. In one story, a woman claims her guardian angel carried her out of a burning building. In another, a woman writes of crossing the street and not seeing an on-coming car, when she hears a voice shouting in her ear, "Get out of the way!", as she is pulled back on to the sidewalk. When she turns around, there is no one there. One woman writes that her father lying on his death bed, stated that he could see angels standing all around, waiting to take him "home". Other more subtle encounters with angels involve individuals who, in times of sadness and grief, say they feel the presence of someone near to them, filling their entire being with love and peace. Angelic signs and confirmation As human beings, we want tangible proof that something we cannot see or hear does exist. There are times even I want some kind of confirmation that someone is near. Some signs that an angel may be near are the scent of flowers where there are no flowers in the room, the subtle feeling of someone caressing your cheek, or touching your head or shoulders. I have a favorite technique. Light a candle, and ask your angel to give you a sign that he/she is near to you. Watch and see if the candle flickers or shows a high flame. Regardless of ones faith, religion or spiritual beliefs, angels are Divine. Regardless of an individuals age, gender, or ethnicity, they are without judgment and prejudice. Simply put... angels come from Divine Love and Light. Suggested reading: THE BOOK OF ANGELS, by Sophy Burnham, Ballantine, ISBN 0-345-36157-1 ASK YOUR ANGELS, by Alma Daniel, Timothy Wyllie & Daniel Ramer, Ballantine, ISBN 0-345-36358-2 WHERE ANGELS WALK, by Joan Wester Anderson, Ballantine, ISBN 0-345-38338-9 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Counting Down! Only three months to go until our website opens. Were busy preparing the software and completing course syllabi. Its an exciting time and we would like you to share our joy in making this happen. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Your Response It is very gratifying to see the tremendous response all of you have given to the concept of courses on the internet. Our continued thanks for your prayers and light and love. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ When is Your Birthday? Please send us your birthdate and we will send you a card on the happy day! No ladies, you do *not* have to disclose the year. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Februarys OBE Tip We live in a technological society. Our technologies can lock us into rigid patterns that cause our abilities to atrophy.The time-honored way to enter the OBE state is through meditation. No audio tapes, light machines, or other expensive paraphernalia is required. Rely on yourself instead of your machines. Meditate - it works! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Recommended Reading HOLY ICE, Frank Dorland, Galde Press, Inc., 1992, ISBN: 1-88090-02-3 (Subject: Crystals) THE INTUITIVE EDGE, Phillip Goldberg, Jeremy P. Tarcher/Perigee Books, 1983, ISBN: 0-87747-344-X (Subject: Intuition) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Feedback If you have questions or comments about the content of this publication, the opening of our website, how to sign up for a class, or other requests, please write. Our email address is: lightstudies@fnmail.com Youll be glad you did! ------------------------------------------------------------------------- HOW TO HAVE AN OBE, Part 2 by Jerry Pople Last month, I abruptly stopped this article in the middle of a list of OBE benefits. Heres the complete list. OBE Benefits 1. Challenging religious concepts. There is no better way to distill belief than through experience. 2. Refining concentration. OBEs are impossible without intense concentration. Developing your focus has obvious benefits. 3. Controlling fear of death. Death is less terrifying when experiences beyond the body are practiced. 4. Experiencing the true extent of human capability. Our abilities exceed those accessible through our bodily functions. 5. Knowing with certainty that you are immortal. Experiencing yourself as separate from your body helps define how your spirit is ageless. 6. Ability to meet other spirits to aid you in development. OBEs are often the key to meeting guides, angels, and those whose interest is helping you. 7. "Nothing ever becomes real till it is experienced...." John Keats. If you yearn to learn about your own abilities, there is no teacher like experience. 8. OBEs turn belief into knowledge. To believe is to have faith in something you cant know or explain. To know is to have full facility and understanding. There is a difference between believing and knowing. 9. OBEs are transcendent experiences that calm us and put us in contact with out true nature. My goodness, couldnt we all use a little more of that? 10. OBEs funnel us into the mysteries of our existence, helping us to understand our purpose. OBEs are valid complements to our physical lives and help us integrate full knowledge of our purpose in this life. Given these benefits, why bother? It is valid to ask "why bother?" Does an Obe give any value to your spiritual life that cannot be found elsewhere? The answer is "No". There is nothing inherent in the OBE experience that makes it a preferred method of experiencing your Truth. For example, practicing Yoga Asanas may be a better method of finding the Truth you seek. (Please also remember that OBEs are a Siddhi, or an advanced by-product of Yoga meditation.) Zen Buddhism teaches that OBEs are Makyo, illusions, that detract your focus from the purpose of meditation. Traditional Christian forms of meditation (aften called contemplation) are also strong tools for spiritual experience. Refer to the writings of St. John of the Cross, St. Teresa of Avila, and others to explore their experiences. A good tradesman, like a carpenter or mason, has a tool-kit filled with everything he/she needs to complete a job. There are often hundreds of tools precisely organized and stored. Each tool has a use for a specific task. Its best to think of meditation, OBE, and other practices as something to have in your tool-kit. At different times and in different stages of our lives, we all need a variety of tools to help us. The OBE is simply another technique that is available to us all. Properly used, it is a helpful, dynamic adjunct to meeting your spiritual goals. Next Month: OBE techniques. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CATHOLIC CHURCH ADMITS CHANNELING IS POSSIBLE! by Jerry Pople In a reversal of its previous position, the Vatican newspaper LOsservatore Romano, acknowledged that deceased persons can actually speak with those on earth as well as intercede on the physical plane. An article in the Raleigh News & Observer on Friday January 10th, 1997 carried the story, written by John Hooper. It included remarks by Rev. Gino Concetti, chief commentator for the LOsservatore Romano. Rev. Concetti said that this was not a change in the churchs approach. He stated: "Communication is possible between those who live on this earth and those who live in a state of eternal repose, in heaven or purgatory. It may even be that God lets our loved ones send us messages to guide us at certain moments in our life." Rev. Concetti indicated that the new Catholic Catechism mentions that the dead could have an effect on the earth. Apparently, the basis for these statements comes from the Catholic doctrine of the Communion of Saints. Under this concept, Catholics on earth are united with those already in heaven. Catholics have long been taught to pray to saints for intercession, help, and guidance through the trials of life. With this new pronouncement, it appears that the Church now endorses verbal guidance, along with the old-style view of direct intercession in human affairs. Millions of New Age practitioners who were raised Catholic would be interested to know that this verbal guidance is considered acceptable by the Church. Having a wordless impact on human events was the only allowable belief formerly endorsed by the Roman Curia. The News and Observer also reported that initial remarks on this topic were made by Rev. John Neuhaus, an American theologian. Neuhaus said that "the important thing is not to deny such things a priori." He was commenting on a friends experience seeing a ghost. There were no comments mentioned concerning how these communications from the dead are verified. Given the Churchs long standing views on possession and exorcism, there is an expectation that some form of guidelines must be issued. Whether or not the Church will take further steps to clarify these statements is unclear. However, this is an important break with tradition and may result in further discussion by Church authorities.