The Lupercalia

The Lupercalia was celebrated on 15 February in Rome up until AD 496.

My historical, witch-burning novel The Serpent’s Tale explores the meaning of this festival:

The Roman Church chose to celebrate the Purification of the Virgin Mary…because purification rites has been held on this date in honour of the wolf goddess Lupa and wolf god Lupercus.

But the ritual lighting of candles and fires held a very different meaning for our ancestors. Instead of celebrating the cleansing of the divine Mother following childbirth, the Festa di Lupercus served to reawaken our ancestors’ primal nature, which is at its most powerful when a woman gives birth.

The filth that needs purging is not the blood of childbirth but the yoke of domestication. On this night, our peasant ancestors cast aside their fears and threw off their shackles of servitude. They ran with the wolves. They ran to freedom!

This story is not only about our need as empowered female and male members of the global village to unite together to overthrow tyranny and injustice.

It also reminds us to look at those parts of our lives where we’re giving away our power to others.

Where are you shackled in your life? Where do you not feel free? Where are you imprisoning yourself through limiting beliefs?

How can you set yourself free and run with Wolf? ???

This stunning 16″ Wolf Remo drum is hand-painted to order by the uber-talented artist Laura Daligan exclusively for my Annabel Du Boulay Shop. For an additional small cost, Laura can add a unique symbol or phrase to personalise the drum for you.

Run wild and free to the beat of your own drum and Soul!

Blessings