Love hearts and Valentines.

Valentine's Day, celebrated on February 14th, has evolved over centuries, merging ancient traditions, Christian martyrology, and folk customs into the celebration of love and affection we know today. The connection between Valentine's Day and the heart symbol, as a representation of love, has deep historical roots that intertwine with the day's origins and the symbolic use of the heart in art and literature but there’s also some cutting edge current science that suggest the heart is so much more than a mechanical pump and could be considered an organ of perception, albeit perhaps working on a more subtle subconscious level.

Origins of Valentine's Day

Ancient Roman Festival:

***Saint Valentine in a romantic Roman setting- AI Generated by DALL-E***

Some trace the origins of Valentine's Day back to the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia, celebrated from February 13th to 15th. Lupercalia was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, and to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus. However, the direct connection between Lupercalia and Valentine's Day is a subject of debate among historians.

Christian Martyrs Named Valentine:

The day is named after Saint Valentine, a title that may refer to one or more early Christian martyrs. The most famous legend involves a priest named Valentine who was executed on February 14th, around 270 AD, under the Roman Emperor Claudius II. According to various stories, Valentine was imprisoned for performing weddings for soldiers who were forbidden to marry and for ministering to Christians persecuted under the Roman Empire. One legend suggests that during his imprisonment, he healed the jailer's blind daughter, and before his execution, he wrote her a letter signed "Your Valentine" as a farewell.

The Catholic Church recognises several different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, and due to the confusion and lack of specific information about them, the feast of Saint Valentine was removed from the General Roman Calendar in 1969, though he remains recognized as a saint and February 14th can still be celebrated as his feast day in some local and national calendars.

In the 5th century, Pope Gelasius I replaced Lupercalia with St. Valentine's Day, establishing it as a feast day in the Christian calendar. However, it wasn't until the Middle Ages that Valentine's Day became associated with romantic love.

Connection to the Heart

The heart symbol has been used as a representation of love and emotion since ancient times. In medieval and Renaissance art, the heart symbol began to be closely associated with love, but it was during the late Middle Ages that the heart shape became definitively linked with romantic love, partly through the popularization of courtly love—a conception of nobly and chivalrously expressing love and admiration.

The connection between Valentine's Day, love, and the heart was further cemented in literature and art. For example, the heart symbol and its association with love were popularized in the 14th and 15th centuries by authors such as Geoffrey Chaucer, who is credited with authoring the first recorded association of Valentine's Day with romantic love in his poem "Parlement of Foules" (1382).

Valentine's Cards:

The tradition of sending love messages on Valentine's Day began in the Middle Ages, but it was in the 17th and 18th centuries that the practice of exchanging hand-written love notes and tokens of affection became widespread in England and later in America. By the 19th century, with the advancement of printing technology, mass-produced Valentine's Day cards featuring heart motifs and declarations of love became popular, solidifying the heart's role as the emblem of love and the celebration of Valentine's Day.

The heart as an organ of perception

Here’s where things get a little more esoteric… Throughout history thinkers have viewed the heart as an organ or perception.

Goethe

Johann Wolfgang (von) Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German polymath and writer, who is widely regarded as the greatest and most influential writer in the German language.

In the context of Goethean science, the "heart" can be metaphorically understood as an organ of knowing — not in the physiological sense but as a symbol for the human capacity for empathy, intuition, and holistic perception. Goethe believed that to truly understand nature, one must not only observe it externally but also resonate with it internally, recognizing the interconnectedness of all life forms. This perspective suggests that knowledge comes from a deep, empathetic engagement with the world, which could be described as "knowing with the heart."

While Goethe did not specifically focus on the heart as a physical organ of perception in the way some modern thinkers like Stephen Harrod Buhner have, his epistemological approach embodies the essence of what it means to perceive and know through the heart. Goethe's method encourages an intimate, intuitive connection with the natural world, where understanding arises from an empathetic relationship with what is being observed.

Goethe's ideas have influenced various fields beyond literature, including philosophy, psychology, and even alternative approaches to science and medicine. His holistic, integrative view of knowledge and understanding continues to inspire those who seek a deeper, more connected way of engaging with the world, highlighting the importance of intuition, feeling, and the heart in the broadest sense.

Stephen Harrod Buhner

"The Secret Teachings of Plants: The Intelligence of the Heart in the Direct Perception of Nature" by Stephen Harrod Buhner is a book that delves into the idea of the heart as an organ of perception, particularly within the context of understanding the natural world. Buhner explores how the heart, according to emerging research and various indigenous and historical wisdom traditions, plays a vital role in our perception of and interaction with the world around us. But what does the hard science say?

The idea of the human heart as an organ of perception is a fascinating intersection of scientific, philosophical, and spiritual perspectives. Traditionally, perception is attributed to the brain and the sensory organs (eyes, ears, nose, skin, and tongue), which collect and process information from the environment. However, the heart has also been considered an important organ in various cultures and spiritual traditions, often associated with intuition, emotion, and deeper forms of understanding.

Scientific Perspective

From a scientific standpoint, the heart is primarily seen as a vital organ responsible for pumping blood throughout the body, delivering oxygen and nutrients to tissues, and removing carbon dioxide and other wastes. While the heart does have a complex neural network and can communicate with the brain via the nervous system, influencing emotional experience and cognitive functions, it is not considered an organ of perception in the same way as the eyes or ears.

Recent research in the field of neurocardiology has explored the heart's intricate communication network with the brain, suggesting that the heart may have a more significant role in emotional processing and decision-making than previously understood. The HeartMath Institute, among others, has conducted studies suggesting that the heart is involved in the processing and decoding of intuitive information.

We're often taught that the heart responds to the brain's neural signals, but it's less known that the heart sends more signals to the brain, influencing our emotions and higher cognitive skills like attention and problem-solving. This means the brain also reacts to the heart.

Research over the last 40 years shows how the heart's activity patterns affect brain function. HeartMath studies have found that these patterns, reflecting our emotional states, can either hinder or enhance our cognitive abilities and emotional well-being. Stressful emotions lead to disorganized heart signals that impair cognitive functions and intensify stress. In contrast, positive emotions create stable heart signals that improve cognitive function and emotional stability. Thus, fostering positive emotions and heart rhythm coherence is crucial for our mental, emotional, and physical health.

Heart-Brain Communication

Just as the gut can communicate with the brain (as discussed in a previous article) new evidence suggests the heart also communicates with the brain in several key ways:

Neurologically: Through the transmission of nerve impulses between the heart and brain via the autonomic nervous system, affecting emotional and cognitive processing.

Biochemically: Via hormones and neurotransmitters. The heart is part of the hormonal system, releasing atrial natriuretic peptide and contributing to the body's stress response by interacting with the adrenal glands.

Biophysically: Through pressure waves and the heartbeat, which can influence the brain's rhythm and electrical activity.

Energetically: The heart generates a powerful electromagnetic field that can be detected by the brain and may influence mental processes, emotional states, and the physical health of individuals.

The Heart's Role in Emotional Processing and Decision-Making

Research indicates that the heart plays a crucial role in emotional experiences. The concept of "heart intelligence" suggests that the heart can make independent decisions and influence our emotions and reasoning processes. For instance, studies have shown that the heart sends more signals to the brain than the brain sends to the heart, particularly in the processing of emotions.

One of the most compelling areas of research is the heart's involvement in intuitive information processing. The HeartMath Institute has conducted experiments suggesting that the heart can respond to emotional stimuli before the brain is consciously aware of them, a phenomenon they describe as "pre-cognitive intuition" or "heart intuition." These studies indicate that the heart may play a significant role in processing and decoding intuitive information, potentially contributing to our ability to make rapid, effective decisions based on gut feelings or intuition.

Practical Implications

The implications of this research are profound, affecting how we understand human cognition, emotion, and health. It suggests strategies for managing stress, emotional well-being, and decision-making could benefit from incorporating techniques that synchronize the heart and brain, such as focused heart-based meditation, deep breathing, and the cultivation of positive emotional states (e.g., gratitude, compassion).

HeartMath and other organizations have developed techniques aimed at achieving heart-brain coherence, where the heart's and brain's rhythms synchronize, which is associated with improved emotional states, cognitive performance, and overall health. Practicing such techniques has been reported to enhance emotional stability, increase resilience to stress, and improve personal well-being.

The emerging field of neurocardiology and research conducted by institutions like the HeartMath Institute have begun to reveal the heart's significant role in emotional processing, intuition, and decision-making. This body of work suggests a more integrative view of the heart and brain's relationship, challenging traditional notions and offering new pathways for enhancing emotional and psychological well-being.

The heart in Eastern thought

It’s not just Goethe who was ahead of our current research into the heart as an organ or perception, in the eastern traditions the body’s energetic system was represented by chakras and the 4th chakra was called Anahata, otherwise known as the heart chakra.

Located in the center of the chest, near the heart, it is associated with the color green and sometimes pink. The heart chakra is believed to be the center of love, compassion, empathy, and forgiveness, acting as a bridge between the lower three chakras associated with material existence and the upper three chakras related to spirituality and higher consciousness.

Significance and Qualities

1. Love and Connection: The heart chakra is primarily associated with unconditional love and connection. It's believed to govern our ability to give and receive love not just from others but also from ourselves. An open and balanced heart chakra is said to foster deep, meaningful relationships, compassion, and a sense of unity with all beings.

2. Emotional Balance and Healing: Anahata is also crucial for emotional balance and healing. It's thought to help in releasing pent-up emotions, overcoming grief or loss, and healing emotional wounds. The heart chakra plays a key role in transforming negative experiences into lessons of love and resilience.

3. Bridge Between Body and Spirit: The heart chakra serves as a central point within the chakra system, linking the physical and spiritual aspects of our existence. It harmonizes the material focus of the lower chakras with the spiritual aspirations of the upper chakras, facilitating a balanced and integrated life.

4. Compassion and Empathy: This chakra is the center from which compassion, empathy, and forgiveness flow. It enables one to see beyond their personal needs and connect with the universal condition of being human, fostering a sense of altruism and benevolence.

Practices for Balancing the Heart Chakra

Various practices can help to open or balance the heart chakra, including:

Meditation and Visualization: Focusing on the heart area and visualizing a glowing green light or a blooming flower can help to open and balance Anahata.

Yoga: Specific yoga poses, like the camel pose (Ustrasana), cobra pose (Bhujangasana), and bridge pose (Setu Bandhasana), are believed to stimulate and balance the heart chakra.

Breathing Exercises (Pranayama): Practices such as the "breath of love," where deep, intentional breaths are focused on the heart area, can enhance the flow of energy through Anahata.

Chanting and Mantras: The seed sound for the heart chakra is "YAM." Chanting this mantra can help in aligning and balancing this energy center.

Gemstones and Crystals: Stones like rose quartz, green aventurine, and jade, associated with the heart chakra's energy, can be used in meditation or worn as jewelry to help balance Anahata.

Acts of Love and Kindness: Engaging in selfless acts of love and kindness can naturally open and balance the heart chakra, reinforcing the flow of compassionate and loving energy.

So back to Valentines day….

On Valentine's Day, the heart symbolises more than romantic love; it represents the universal language of connection and the deep, intuitive understanding that bonds people. It reminds us of the importance of listening to our hearts and the wisdom it offers in navigating relationships. The heart, seen both as an organ of perception and as the seat of the heart chakra, embodies the complexity of love—its vulnerability, its strength, and its capacity to heal and transform. In this light, the heart is not only an apt symbol for Valentine's Day but also a potent reminder of the depth and breadth of love itself, encouraging individuals to engage with one another in a manner that is emotionally intelligent, spiritually aware, and deeply compassionate.