I ♥ YOU! By International Hypnosis Federation President, Author, Artist and More Shelley Stockwell-Nicholas, PhD
Valentine’s Day, was established in 496 in honor of a saint who performed secret marriages for lovers.
In the Victorian era, during Valentine’s Day, folks sharing elaborate greeting cards.
The actual origins of the heart symbol are sketchy at best.
In Ancient Japan. hearts on shrines, castles and weapons were used to ward off evil spirits. To these folks, the symbol (Inome or 猪目) represented “the eye of a wild-bore.” (I know someone who married one of those.)
Medieval courtly lovers embraced heart-shapes (that mainly looked like an upside-down pine cone) and Galen (a father of medicine) said “the human heart is three-chambered organ that is shaped like a pine cone.”
By the fifteenth century, the heart symbol more closely resemble what we use today, and became a popular suit on playing cards and even coins.
Some claim a heart shape models the seedpod of the silphium plant that was used as an ancient contraceptive and then became associated with body parts and love.
Ancient Egyptians equated the heart symbol with soul and truth-telling that weighed heavily on the outcome of judgement day. In its many incarnations, heart shapes appeared in alchemical stained glass, texts, armor and later was adopted as a “sacred heart.”
Then in 1977, the “I NY t-shirt became a meme and today the heart emojis means– well, your guess is as good as mine– love, thumbs up approval or?
Local Personality, Shelley Stockwell-Nicholas, PhD is a hypnotherapist, mindfulness and NLP trainer, artist and the author of 25 books. She certifies practitioners through the International Hypnosis Federation. You can call her at 310 541-4844. Website: https://www.hypnosisfederation.com/
