The mugwort is in flower and the bear circles close. 

 

Every morning I go for long walks down the road, past familiar stands of mullein and jewelweed. Rounding the bend, a young bear jumps out of a tall thicket of mugwort and we both are completely surprised by the sudden company, just two feet apart from each other. I take a step back, unsure if mama bear is close by and the young one darts off into the woods, leaving me with the scent of thick fur and mugwort in the air. It all happens so quickly and feels like a dream.

 

Bear sightings are not uncommon for those of us who are tucked between the Catskill mountains and the west side of the river. But they are rarer on my road; I’ve seen more of the elusive Copperhead snake than black bear on this old quarry hill where I live. I often wonder if that is also true for my neighbors; perhaps they see black bears weekly and I am just the strange lady who has snakes surround her door. I do believe that the animals and plants that grab your attention and make themselves known to you over and over again do so for a reason. That this is an ancient, glittering invitation of relationship. For four years, I have been invited into the realm of Snake.

 

This past month, something has changed. I keep crossing paths with Bear. Within a period of ten days, I have three close encounters, where I find myself a few steps away from a black bear on my morning walk. Completely out of the blue, on the day of the third encounter, my dear friend Mena sends me a photo from Rome of the statue of Artemis Ephesus with the suggestion, “She is waiting for you to ask for support.” Ah! There it is. Artemis.

Some say the name Artemis is connected to the greek word for bear, árktos. There was a famous temple to Artemis in Brauron where she was worshipped in her form as the Great-She-Bear. Young women would visit this temple during life thresholds (puberty, marriage, childbirth) and become arktoi, she-bears. They wore bear masks and danced the slow, sinuous steps of the bear dance to touch in on the holy force of the wild that Artemis holds sacred. They would ask for her protection, vision and guidance as they prepared to cross these intricate life thresholds, carrying this wild power of the great bear mother with them when they returned home. The wilderness of Artemis was then infused into daily, domestic life.

 

The context comes alive around me in these weeks of preparing for my own wedding ceremony: Invoke Artemis. Invoke the Great-She-Bear. I immediately think of Mugwort. For me, working with Mugwort is akin to summoning the goddess herself. Mugwort is even named after Her: Artemisia vulgaris. Like Artemis, mugwort is a plant that is invoked during initiatory thresholds: menarche, menstruation, childbirth, menopause. Mugwort brings magic to these great moments in life, awakening a sharp inner-knowing and providing guidance. And just like Bear who hibernates all winter, Mugwort knows the medicine of deep dreaming. I decide to harvest the flowering mugwort around my house. I make a herbal oil for nightly use the week leading up to the ceremony. I let the herb dry wilt for a night on the porch, under the moon. Then I cover it in olive oil and let the jar infuse on the altar in the apothecary. I shake the oil daily for two weeks. These are the rich, mythic medicines that are meeting me at this time. Anointing the body each night, under the light of the moon, moving toward the equinox with the Great-She-Bear.

 

With mugwort smoke,

Liz

 

~ All 2025 dates are listed for Flowering Round and Herbal Mystery School. Applications will open in November! I'll send more info about these programs at the end of next month. (Turning Toward The Flower dates are also posted!)

 

~ Bride of Fennel: the playlist I have been listening to non-stop. If lots of oud, medieval drone, laments for the fall of Constantinople and instrumental Greek folk music sounds appealing, this is the mix for you! ;) Highly recommend listening with heavy incense lit. 

 

~ The equinox quickly approaches! Have you checked out Veil Opener: Autumnal Plant Magic? This pre-recorded class is still available for purchase for only $33. Comes with a pdf full of recipes and rituals to carry you through the season ahead. Thank you to everyone who has joined in so far! 

 

~ This video of the Polish ‘Oczepiny,' a threshold bridal tradition that takes place at midnight, full of wedding folk songs & involves a ritual hat-change. 

 

~ Last words from Wintergreen Ridge by Lorine Niedecker :

 

           Old sunflower 

               you bowed 

 

     to no one 

               but Great Storm 

                      of Equinox

 

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