The hear symblolize the meaning of love. The heart looks like this: <3. The symbol of the heart is a bit more mysterious. Aristotle though the heart was the center of all emotions. Surely, everyone who has been heartbroken feels that heaviness in the center of the chest. Of course, when someone is excited, the heart beats faster. Thus, it is a natural inclination to associate heart with passion. It means warm thoughts turn to our loved one. And we show eachother our feelings for another.
     Valentine's Day stems from the Roman festival "Lupercalia". As most Roman festivals, it was a sensuous affair. Young women would place their names in a box and young men would draw the name out. The man did not need to ask for a date, plan a dinner setting or a movie. Just draw a name and off to fornicate.
The symbol of the heart is a bit more mysterious. Aristotle though the heart was the center of all emotions. Surely, everyone who has been heartbroken feels that heaviness in the center of the chest. Of course, when someone is excited, the heart beats faster. Thus, it is a natural inclination to associate heart with passion.
The problem is that the heart shape of a valentine really does not look like a heart. The origin of the heart shape must come from somewhere else. The possibilities are tantalizing.
     One of the most intriguing suggestions stems from the seventh century B.C. city-state of Cyrene. Cyrene traded the rare, now extinct, plant silphium. It was known as a means for birth control. The seedpod of the silphium looks exactly like a valentine's heart. Moreover, its use in sex is an obvious connection to love.
Truthfully, the origins of the valentine heart should end here, but what is a story without a salacious ending?
Some claim that the round, soft edges of the heart represent fertility or a female body. Since a Valentine is all about love, it is a reasonable suggestion. Visualizing the heart as a depiction of the pubic mound stirs some interesting comparisons. Some say it resembles the vulva. Others draw the resemblance to the Tantric Hindu yoni.
     However, turn the heart upside down and it becomes a particularly intriguing symbol. Now the heart looks like a pair of plump, dangling breasts. The heart also compares favorably to the female buttocks. Once again, with the heart turned upside down, and the point extending towards the vulva, the comparison is interesting.
    The upside down heart also compares favorably to the male genitalia with two testicles and a pointed penis. Others have suggested the heart image looks like the tip of the penis.
The use of an arrow to pierce the heart has strong male overtones, suggesting the heart as female and arrow as male. Furthermore, the traditional male and female suggests an accurate comparison. The male symbol has an arrow point, just as Cupid's arrow. The female symbol is rounded at the top and narrows to the bottom, just as the heart.

    The comparisons between the heart and human body are numerous. It is amazing that such an endearing image has so many possible erotic connections. Perhaps that is why it has endured for so long as such a powerful and connotative symbol.