Artemis: Howl of the Amazon

Artemis’s connection to the Thermodon Amazons will assist us with strengthening the Solar Plexus and our personal power.

We will build our personal power in a balanced way–not over or under expressing it–especially now, in the glow of the cosmic balance of the Equinox– when Day and Night are equal! 

Plus she has something special related to sound, which is our theme this week!

Artemis, is not a Greek name.  She has pre-Greek origins and was absorbed into Greek culture becoming one of the most popular deities. Copies of her cult statue have been excavated all over the Roman Empire.

It is said that the Thermodon Amazons created the original temple at Ephesus (eastern Turkey) ‘under an oak tree’, sacred to Artemis,  before 700 BCE.  They came from northern Turkey on the southern shores of the black Sea.

Her multi-breasted cultic statue, also known as Ephesian Artemis, highlights her life-giving Mother Goddess aspect and all the animals and insects in relief on the statue reflect her title as ‘Mistress of the Animals.’  

In fact, I chose this copy of her ‘Ephesian’ statue because the Zodiac appears above her breast area– enhancing her cosmic connection to animals and life.

Artemis and Bees

On many of the copies of the Ephesian Artemis, we see several bees on both sides.

Marguerite Rigoglioso goes into extensive detail about the significance of bees and how they are a parthenogenetic symbol as they were understood, in antiquity, to be “chaste” and born spontaneously from flowers or the carcasses of bulls. (Cult of Divine Birth)

Biologically speaking, she notes that bees are partially parthenogenetic, meaning that the queen bee can produce male drones without having ‘sex’. 

She produces female worker bees when she has sex with a male- which they accomplish in mid-air, no less!  Truth is stranger than fiction!!

Also found in connection to Ephesian Artemis worship–  she is represented  with insect wings and the body of the bee, dating as far back as the 7th or 8th century BCE.

Bees were also associated with the Egyptian Goddess Neith who we learned was a parthenogenetic Goddess and was also associated with the Libyan Amazons.

Artemis’ Nymphs as Virgin Amazon/Warriors

In this picture, we switch to Greek Artemis (also known as Diana by the Romans) – she is commonly depicted  with a bow, quiver, arrows or spear. 

Like Athena, she held the title Parthenos, Virgin. She was named “Virgin of Profuse Arrows”  as well as “Revered Virgin.”  She is the huntress and patron Goddess of the Amazons and insisted that her nymphs be chaste.

Rigoglioso shows that this requirement of virginity was because ‘ “nymph” was in many cases a marker for divine birth priestess, a holy parthenos.’  Nymphs were also  in many cases, athletes and hunters who accompanied Artemis on her hunting trips like Amazons and enjoyed footraces.

They also joined her in her bath in the wild, and performed circle dances with her, singing her praises. 

Artemis: Goddess of Nymph Song & Dance

Artemis loves to dance and sing! 

Virgil says, she ‘foots the dance’ and has a thousand mountain nymphs weaving a constellation around her, ‘who in grace of movement excels all goddesses.’

In the Iliad, Homer calls her ‘the sounding one’, or ‘clamorous’ Artemis, ‘dancing in the choir’ among the nymphs.

(Homeric Hymn 5 to Aphrodite 19) Artemis…’loves the lyre and dancing and thrilling cries.’  Rigoglioso points out that the ‘thrilling cry’ is the equivalent of ‘ululating’- which you hear belly dancers do by moving the tongue back and forth while sounding a high pitch tone.

“Herodotus (4.189.2) says that the Greek women learned how to make this cry from the “Libyan women,” who emitted the sound ceremonially during religious rituals.” Depending on the intention of the ‘ululating’, it may have also been used as a war cry or a way to stimulate and motivate.

This ties Artemis to Neith and Athena and brings in the element of sound to build our personal power!


We will play with:
? ululating
? howling (at the moon!)
? buzzing bee sound
? humming

as alternative doorways to stimulate the Solar Plexus. 

We’ll explore the Solar Plexus area:
?wake up the digestive organs
?bring more flow into the ribcage
?allow more ease of breath and sound.
?connect the Womb and the Solar Plexus


I hope you’ll join us this, Thursday March 25th, 5-6:30 pm PT.

?? ???? ?? ???? ????? ?????, ?????? ???? ?? ?? ?????- just let me know you’d like to come!

If you’d like to invite friends, they can join here.

This is a practice, where the journey is more important than the destination.
Thursdays at 5pm-6:30 PT / 8pm ET/ 10:00 am Sydney, AU—
$15 for single // $50 for 4 classes/replays- (save $10)
International: paypal US dollars to michelle@michellewhitehart.com
USA Venmo me: @Michelle-White-Hart
 
You will receive Zoom + Music link before class
Replay will come a few days later- lasts a few weeks
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions to make sure you have the tech sorted out 😉

Very much looking forward to diving in with you!


Michelle