There is something about March… mystery, magic, romance and danger! Named after Mars, god of war and fertile fields, it is a month of considerable frustration and superstition. The assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BC occurred on March 15, one of three unlucky days, known as ‘the ides of March'. There are also the ‘three blind days' of March, rough, stormy and blustery. Apart from the uncertain weather, wavering between violent winter winds that make us shiver, and warm sunny days that soften the chills, the world is tremblingly alive, gushing and blushing in anticipation... of what? Our step is quicker, our hearts beat faster, our smiling faces express our optimism… the reason is we still feel we are starting a new year. March is heralding the rebirth of the King of Seasons. March was the beginning of our ancient calendar, and should have remained so, but Julius Caesar, botched the calendar, making it the third month. Despite the emperors' intrusion, it is a beginning-- of a new season, a new year, a new life. Wise nature picked Spring for its re-awakening and renewal, filling our spirits with the softly scented air of new hope, and new love. “Spring is nature's way of saying, 'let's party;'”, said the late comedian Robin Williams, and indeed we are ready to party surrounded by Nature's spectacular panorama. Inspired by the warmer weather, many pagan feasts were held during the early days of Spring, paying homage to their gods. In an effort to ‘Christianise' the pagan celebrations, the church replaced those feasts with religious ceremonies. The Romans' celebrations of a young man's annual rite of passage to the god ‘Lupercus', was replaced by St Valentine's Day, February 14, in commemoration of the execution of a kindly bishop who defied the Roman Emperor's laws, and married off couples in love. ., A feast for love right smack in the middle of winter… makes little sense. But when nature sends its gentle messages to all of earth's creatures to wake up, what heart can resist nature's urge to love? Why is it that: “in the spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love”. An unavoidable new energy is born and is contagious. Of course love can come any time, any place, anywhere, but Spring lays the ground for romance with soft cool breezes, blossoming flowers and singing lovebirds. The little blind winged boy, Eros, better known as Cupid, aims his arrows in our direction, striking us with a special madness... the madness of love. What is love? This moment of bliss, when your heart bursts open like a red rosebud, when knees weaken, palms sweat, butterflies flutter in your stomach... you stutter, you stammer, you shake, you blush... you have fallen in love. Blinding us to reality, romantic love becomes the height of un-consciousness, buoyed by hope and optimism... induced by nature's anesthesia, abundant at springtime. The nature of love has baffled man since early times. In ancient mythology, philosophy and literature it has been classically described “bittersweet” and “dolorous”… leaving the lover “trapped” and “possessed”. The mythological concept of love was an ambiguous and confusing involuntary emotion, with both negative and positive qualities. The first known work written specifically to expose the nature of love is Plato's “Symposium”. He described love as a basic human need to be completed one by another. Freud viewed love as the co-existence of “two currents”, affection and sensuality. A child's first love object is the mother. This intense passionate relationship that establishes a holy oneness between a man and a woman continues to influence all concepts of love through the ages. That is the Freudian concept, but when love hits, all theories dissipate. You ask yourself, what just happened? The answer is a disillusion! It is no more than a chemical reaction in the brain. Not too romantic, but that is what modern scientists believe. When you meet someone you are attracted to, a love-related chemical is produced, known as Phenyl-ethalamine, (PEA), which is closely related to amphetamine, producing the same drug effects. Suddenly you are filled with energy. You stay awake you focus longer, texting or talking on your telephone all night. You are on top of the world. You are in love. The brain areas active in love are not the same as those active in other emotions, but more like those active in addicts who snort cocaine, or experiencing intense emotions. The conclusion is… love is an addiction. We are addicted to love… literally. Could a drug be found one day to make us fall in love, or out of love? Could we reduce this most euphoric, exquisite, enthralling emotion to a chemical reaction, induced or cancelled by a pill. Rather than dwell on such morbid thoughts, trust nature, to lead us, to teach us, to enchant us. March is the month of great expectations. Its winds whistle, promising “dreams that fulfill us in sleep with delight”. Seize this moment in time when nature opens its gates to the wonders of love. Winter is over when light and dark are equal, during the vernal equinox. It has a permanent date with March... sad, glad, mad, mad, March. They call it mad but a little madness may be good for you now and then… at least in March.
“One word frees us of all the weighty pain in life. That word is LOVE” (SOPHOCLES, 5th century BC)
