Artemis and Other Things

General caveat: This post is pretty much meditational logs and UPG and other assorted ~woo~ things. If you’re not interested, just skip back to the pretty shrine pictures. ❤

Specific caveat: There is discussion here about meditational things I experienced while doing the Pillars of the Naos devotions last month (March 2014), as part of the Covenant of Hekate, including the things found during the last week of meditations. If you’re currently doing the devotions, I’d avoid reading this post until you’re finished with the month-long devotions, to avoid spoilers and whatnot. Which is why it’s all under a cut, so you can’t read it unless you click through. Your choice.

And now that’s out of the way, read past the cut for epic Artemis things, and other assorted updates regarding myths, and Heru, and other things.

I mentioned in a previous post that I’d been doing some work with Artemis. Or, at least, She’d turned up during a month of meditation I’d been doing with Hekate. Because *throws hands up*

Anyway. That month ended, and I’ve had almost three weeks to ponder my notes and the things I was shown and told. As the month came to an end, I remember thinking that I was sure Artemis had turned up about halfway through, but as I went back over my notes, She’d been there since day 4. So. I feel like the month I was meant to spend getting closer to Hekate ended up being hijacked by Artemis.

I’d never had much to do with Artemis before, actually. She’d never really drawn my interest, and I’d never heard from Her to know She was interested in me anyway so I was a little surprised She turned up.

That said, my suspicions began to be raised some time earlier, about a year ago, when I picked up a bunch of Greek stuff from op shops, including two things bearing Artemis’ image. I figured She was trying to get my attention, though why I didn’t entirely know. Both images featured Artemis the Hunter, so I figured that might be significant. I still didn’t do anything with it, though. I think I wanted to be sure it was really Her, which I don’t think was a bad thing to do. So then She did turn up, and I felt I was now being forced to pay attention.

So the first time I saw Her in meditation, I saw Her on the moon, beside some epic brazier with flames and yes. There was a Möbius strip path (-ish) going around the moon, and the brazier was standing at the crossroads where all three paths met. (Meditational maths =/= rl maths.) She gestures me over, and then She kisses me, then walks away, looking coy. So that was weird. That was also when I was shown the rune Eolh and its connection with Artemis the Hunter. This association has not gone away.

The next night involved me looking for Artemis in the gardens, almost glimpsing a stag, and then going after it, only to realise at that point that I was Artemis. And that’s when She brought in Yr, the bow, as well as The Archer card from the Wildwood Tarot.

Didn’t see Artemis again for about a week, where Hekate pointed me to the labyrinthine gardens. I made my way through there and found Artemis in the centre, waiting for me. She was looking much more androgynous than I’d expected. Questions were asked, and She kind of answered them. I said I didn’t know Her, and She said She’d always known me. I asked why now? (as you do), and She said I wasn’t ready.

Last thing I remember asking is, why you?, and She replied, well, you were looking for a horned goddess, weren’t you? All I could manage to reply was, er, yes, I suppose so. To which She replied, well, there you are then. Cue ellipse and blank staring.

I think it was Hekate who triggered the link between the garden where I’d been meeting Her, and the tunnels that led through to Bakhu, where I’d been going to meet Sobek. (More on that later, because Bakhu! It’s a weird place.) I ended up on the hill on the other side of the river away from the Temple, and it was raining and grey and a bit miserable.

I saw a building down the hill I didn’t recognise, and went down there, only to find some sort of roadside shrine to Hekate. I lit the torches and looked out over the bay. And of course that’s when Artemis turned up again, and challenged me to shoot an arrow with Her bow into the moon. First shot missed, second shot made it. She was impressed. Said not many can do it in two shots, nor can many draw back Her bow. Said the children of Artemis could, though. She wouldn’t say if that meant I was one of Hers, though, not at that moment.

This was the night where Hekate told me to honour Her at the new moon, and Artemis at the full moon. Maybe then I’ll understand, quoth Hekate.

The last week of the meditations with Hekate involved finding items in a box at Hekate’s feet. I found six things. These six things were: 1) a tiny silver key made out of a coin; 2) a plain black leather collar; 3) a small figure of a deer/stag with silver bells strung in its antlers; 4) a small bone thimble and needle; 5) a square-cut wooden flute; and 6) a collection of arrowheads.

Yeah! 😀

NGL, that’s kind of when I figured this was ALL ABOUT ARTEMIS. I mean, subtle guys. Srsly. So yes. That’s when that happened.

I did meditations for Her during the last full moon, though I wasn’t able to see the eclipse because I live in the worst place ever for that sort of thing. But I did go out later to see the moon.

That was when She asked for a set of prayer beads, long enough to wear as a necklace, for when I can’t do devotions at shrine. Which leads me to believe She wants Hers done at a time other than right after I get up and just before I go to bed. So. But we’re still working on that, particularly since it’ll have to be the sort of thing I will probably need to memorise. Which is fine, but yes. I made them for Her once I was done with meditations, and then went out to let them kiss the moonlight.

It was during that meditation that She collared me, and said… lots of things. She said Yr was my rune, as much as it was Hers, and that I am Her child, as much as I am Sobek and Heru’s child. (Aset claims me as Hers as well, but IDK how that fits in. I might figure that out later.) She said I have all the necessary skills to serve the gods. I just need courage, and to stop fearing success. You say you can’t read runes, She said, but you can. (She said it in many more words than that, but they were lost to me once I got out of meditation. I hate it when that happens. But I remembered the important bits. I know when I’m being kicked up the arse.)

So I’m working with Artemis now for the time being. I’m not good at being brave, but I don’t think I have much choice now. Might as well get used to it.

—

In unrelated news, I started writing the next myth for Sobek, when they flee Egypt after Wesir’s death. I think that will more easily lead into the battle for the throne, though I want to take a bit more of a look at that myth before I work on it, just so I know it well enough to feel like I’m still doing a rewrite, and not just Making Up My Own Shit. 😀 I won’t know if that’s the last of them until I’m done with them, I think. But I think I will put them all together into an anthology once they’re done, so that they’re a little easier to read. Some sort of ebook, perhaps. I think I’ll aim to have that done by the end of the year. It’d be nice to have that available by then.

This myth-writing has been accompanied by sacred D/s ponderings. I know Sobek wants my submission, but He doesn’t come without Heru-sa-Aset, at least not to me, so I’ve been pondering how Heru fits into this relationship. If I wear Sobek’s collar, what, then, am I to Heru? I still don’t really know, but it was this that fed into some of my fic writing, and the older man/younger man pairings I sometimes write, particularly ones that involve some level of grief. That sense of mentoring, and in exile, Sobek being a friend and mentor. That calming, patient influence that rash, angry, grieving Heru needs to focus on the task at hand. Sobek being particularly needed since Aset’s bereft with grief as well. Sobek has to keep them both strong while Set rages across the Two Lands, not dealing with His own grief at killing His brother.

I’m still thinking on all that, though, for now. I think it’ll be a while before I can figure out how this relates to me and Heru, but that’ll come in time, I think.

Saw Heru today in Bakhu, too, as it happens. Was on top of the ridge, and He was there, this giant falcon, soaring through the skies. Landed on a tree, and caught my gaze. That searing eye that I knew saw straight through me. I felt He wanted to grasp me in His claws and fly through the sky with me. I sometimes get that sensation from Him. Me clinging to Him as we soar swiftly through the air. Or, He has His wings around me, holding me tight. That sense of being close to Him isn’t one I’ve really felt from Him before. I’ve only ever had that with Sobek. But today, I felt that same closeness with Heru, like He wants to be close and begin revealing our relationship to me at last. I feel like I’ve waited eight years for this, but better late than never. XD So that might help with the mythwriting. If He does more than falcon screech. That bird needs to talk to me a bit more. Or teach me falcon screech. Either way, we need to learn to talk to each other, or this’ll go nowhere. Trust me to get falcon!Heru, and pretty much only falcon!Heru. 😀

And now I have to prepare for the Mysteries of Wesir. I think I’ll have the space to mark every day of the festival, so that’ll be nice. I do love the Mysteries. Expect +elebenty posts on that once May begins.

So yes. Between that, the bedroom reno, looking for work, and dealing with Artemis, that’s my life at the moment.