A Story: The Woman Who Heard the Voice of Artemis

She was in her late thirties, spending most of her days and energy dealing with a life that — most of the times — seemed meaningless. She didn't make a bad living, had a cosy one-bedroom apartment, a couple of good friends and a steady job but, somehow, she had fallen out of love with herself and the world around her.

When did that happen? She didn't really know. Looking back, she had tried to spot the moment several times until she realized she didn't have a clue. Did it make any difference, anyway? What she felt, however, is that she definitely needed to find a new source of ... something. Healing, empowerment, love, whatever its name was, she had to find it.

Planning her summer holidays, she could hear the Greek sun and sea calling her. Four months later, she was on the tiny shuttle boat taking a day trip from Mykonos to Delos. She had read somewhere about the abandoned ancient city and the thought of walking the same alleys as people used to do 2000 years ago was exciting. Besides, it was a welcome break from her beach-and-bar holiday that, after a week, was starting to turn into yet another routine.

When she arrived in Delos, she nodded "no" to the tour guide standing at the gate, waiting for the occasional stranded tourist. She didn't want anybody to show her around, she had the strange feeling this was a journey she had to take on her own.

Flicking through the book she had bought at the last minute, her eye fell on the Minoan fountain chapter. Why not start from there? She let her footsteps lead her to it and read the book a bit further. It was an ancient spring of water, embedded into an extremely simple yet visually powerful construction, bearing a dedication: "To Nymph Minoan." She looked down at the water shimmering below her and then closed her eyes. How peaceful it was. Her mind emptied little by little and started to wander ... A public well, a source of life, under the scorching sun. It was no coincidence. She wanted cleansing and rejuvenation, and there it was. In her mind's eye, at the spring, she saw herself as nymph Minoan bathing, every drop of water cooling and cleansing her skin, body and mind. She was surprised by how intensely she felt this. She felt her vital spark illuminated.

Excited and, curiously at peace with this unexpected state of mind, she knew she needed to see more, to experience more of this place. Next, she went to the tomb of the Hyperborean maidens, the ancient place for fertility. In myth, these mystical maidens came on the wind from the North and helped deliver Artemis, the Goddess of the moon. She sat down next to the stone markers and waited, her eyes closed but still aware. In her imagination, she felt each maiden give her a gift, she saw garlands of flowers made and offered to make her as well a mystical maiden. Each garland seemed to fill her with the fertility of feminine energy. She was surprised to discover she felt, at last, genuinely happy in a strange way. This power place made her experience a sense of charm and fecundity, something she hadn't felt for years.

Her next stop was clearer to her now. She went towards the temple of Artemis, goddess of the moon, the main site of grace and feminine power for thousands of years. As she was approaching, she read that this was the place that reorganized the feminine psyche for women in ancient times. She didn't know why, but she knew she was in the right place, at the right time.

She stood there, thinking. "Who is Artemis? What did people do in this place?" She walked through the old foundations, entered what was once Her temple. Walking amongst the remnants, she found a large flat stone. It was hot and she sat, her mind quiet, her body loose. She breathed in and out slowly while everything was quiet around her.

Then, in her imagination, she heard Artemis's voice:

"Do you remember the memories of all women of all time?"

She said, "No."

She heard a cry escape from deep in her womb, and then felt tears rolling down her cheeks, her body shaking, electric from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. She gulped, cried, swallowed, and wiped her cheeks. What was happening to her?

She said, "How could I have forgotten? What happened?"

Artemis replied, "I will help you, I will remind you. I will change your moons to mine, make you, once again, a daughter of the moon."

She shook and cried, surrendering completely. She let it all out and then felt relief in the silence. She was emptied, releasing tears until she sighed again and then started laughing. The heaviness was gone from her, she realized she was now nourished and safe. She felt her cheeks against Her breast, perfectly fed, feeling Her hand patting her on her back. She was complete.

She stayed there for an hour. She simply sat at the temple of Artemis and let the goddess of the moon give her grace and power through the stones, the marble, the sky, the landscape. She let the energy and the place restructure her feminine...