One of the many Artemis stories is about consecrating virgins before marriage,
To be part of the goddess Artemis.
Here we are called to play.
The ceremony is titled to be a bear.
The following is a meditation transmitting benefits of being a bear before the transition to womanhood.
The voice will guide us to experience Artemis energy.
Now coming into the fullness of our physical bodies,
Hand on heart and belly we breathe.
Exhale then inhale through the nose.
Letting the tongue rest in the closed mouth with the tip behind the upper teeth.
Hands can move to arms or legs or wherever,
Enjoying the experience of having a body,
Feet,
Legs,
Pelvis,
Belly,
Back,
Chest,
Shoulders,
Neck,
Face,
Head,
Aura.
Letting our instinctual energy vibrate,
Stabilizing our embodiment through the breath.
Now imagine ourselves as girls,
Young women outside of Athens in the town of Baron.
We are in an idyllic natural location,
Running and playing with other youth.
Beautiful hills,
Olive trees,
Thyme bushes,
A fresh stream.
The encouragement is to fully experience movement,
Play,
Dance and adventure.
We run,
We swim,
We tumble and laugh.
All that is wild and natural and young is encouraged.
Through each cell,
Vitality pulses.
We are guided and encouraged and mentored towards an exuberant expression of animal play and deep natural connection.
In the early years of this gathering,
Bear skins were provided.
With bear skins on our back,
We dance.
Letting the physical body sway slightly,
We feel into being a bear,
A bear cup,
Energy flowing through our bodies,
Shoulders,
Hips,
Paws,
Face,
Playfully enjoying the youthful joy of frolicking as a cub.
Then we pay attention and notice the acuteness of our hearing,
To hear what is distant and faint and also to hear between the lines of what is said,
To truly understand what is meant.
We have an excellent sense of smell.
Though something is not visible,
Our intuition can smell it.
Our sight sees with clear pragmatic eyes.
Illusion is washed away.
We can see what is in front of us and we also have the ability to hold a healthy vision of our future.
Our appreciation of playful friends swells.
During our time,
We have fully and deeply come into harmony with and acceptance of the wise animal self.
Let us breathe with this now for a few breaths,
Magnifying the felt sense of joyful,
Youthful play.
Before we leave Barone as an interlocation,
A ceremony will take place.
In the ceremony,
Which marks our shift from youngsters to women,
We are asked to release the outer garment of youth.
We cross over a metaphorical river leaving behind some innocence and add to our lives the rational analysis and social forms expected of women in society.
We grow.
We only leave behind the playful animal childhood after fully integrating this wisdom and we keep it close to call on,
Ever revitalizing.
Now let us feel grace as a woman,
A goddess.
Our bodies fill with divine light.
The light radiates from our center core outward.
The physical body is moving.
The light moves throughout every cell beyond the perimeter of our flesh through the auric field,
Pulsing,
Pulsing,
Pulsing.
We have aligned with instinctual play and knowingness.
We add the goddess grace,
Letting these feelings combine joy and wisdom,
Grace and light.
The hands move somewhere on our bodies,
Deeply integrating whatever shifts have happened,
Breathing.
Before we bring this Artemis alignment to a close,
We notice the adjustments that have been made,
How this changes our vibe now and in the hours and weeks ahead,
Noticing what specific actions are calling.
Moving the feet,
Deepening the breath,
Being wise and free.
With an exhale,
We slowly open the eyes,
Partway looking down,
Ever maintaining the new inner location.
Slowly,
We open the eyes more fully,
At a pace which lets us maintain our deep inner connection,
Playful,
Wild,
Free,
Wise,
Light-filled.
