Embracing Artemis By Kathy Bowden Her Archetype Worshipped as one of the most popular Greek Goddesses, Artemis was viewed as sustaining life. She kept her places safe from those who would invade it uninvited, and who set about killing what was sacred to her for sport. She protected pregnant animals in the same way. She herself hunted to cull her flocks. She protected women, especially pregnant women. She protected the virginity of the woodland nymphs and kept prying eyes away from them. She had little to do with men, including her twin brother Apollo. She craved physical freedom Her Story Her mother was Leto. Leto was the "mistress" of Zeus (although given Zeus’ history in his "relationships" with women, I would question if this was consensual, as Leto was a pre –Greek nature goddess, at the start of this story we already see patriarchy overtaking the ancient female paths). She became pregnant and as she was cursed to be unable to give birth in any place where the sun shone (in some stories this curse was placed upon by Zeus’ wife Hera, thus setting woman against woman). She was also pursued by a monstrous snake (draw your own conclusions!) that kept her from pausing to give birth in places of refuge such as caves. Her sister Asteria created a magical island balanced on pillars just beneath the waves to enable Leto to safely give birth. Artemis was born and immediately became her mother’s midwife to comfort and deliver her twin brother Apollo. Zeus, entranced by Artemis, promised her anything she wanted. Artemis asked for a silver bow, a quiver full of arrows, a pack of hunting dogs, a sisterhood of nymphs, freedom to roam the mountains and wilderness, and eternal chastity. (I see echoes here, years later, of the life and death of Queen Anne Boleyn and the life of her daughter Queen Elizabeth 1, the "Virgin Queen". I think the archetype identifiable in Elizabeth is clear). Later, queen Niobe bragged that her many children were better then the 2 children of Leto. Leto called upon Artemis for vengeance and Artemis used her silver arrows to kill Niobe and all her children, leaving a block of stone with an endless fountain. Artemis continued to use her arrows to revenge against those guilty of moral or ethical violations; the serpent Python and the giant Tityus, who had both tormented her mother. She changed Acheton, who had been spying on her while she was bathing, into a stag and set her hounds on him. She cursed Teuthras with a drawn out painful death from leprosy after he killed one of her sacred pigs. There were many more. Embracing Artemis Artemis acts as a protector of women and our rights to physical safety and personal space. This is imperative for younger and older women alike. Many of us have had those rights taken away from us, been acted upon and invaded. She is our anger, our expression of loss. She helps us reclaim our dignity and our sense of self and personal space. She advises us to take self -defence classes, to be vigilant for each other and ourselves. She suggests we who have been abused work with others who have been also invaded, while acknowledging that we have a personal space, that we have a right to that space inside us and around us, and that no one should succeed in persuading us that it is permissible to take that away. She reminds us to stay fit, to enjoy our bodies’ strengths and develop our sporting skills if we find we enjoy the sense of using our bodies positively to achieve at a sport. She reminds us that our own mothers will also be affected by the wounds we ourselves feel, may have experienced themselves and have little resources from their own personal circumstances to heal these issues, and that we may be able to support them as parents to them even while they are parents to us. For men, there is great opportunity for personal healing and growth in approaching Artemis, but she will demand a lot from them, challenging them to consider how they may have participated in wounding women, the earth and aspects of themselves and each other, including their own attitudes to their family. Artemis Affirmations - I honour my body and expect that others should respect my personal and physical space - I believe it is wrong for my body, mind and space to be invaded by any unwanted intrusion - I am strong, balanced and independent with clear personal boundaries and choose intimacy and relationships that respect me as I am - I support others around me in their personal journey and respect that they too have had obstacles to overcome

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