Artemisia - Mater Herbarum

With the beginning of the Sacred Year, also the Nature, in her cycles, starts again her vegetative activities. For this reason I think that it could be useful to make some considerations about some concepts I consider extremely important also for an Arvalic Sister and Brother.

I would like to provide some detail about Artemisia, as foundamental component of the Sacred Knowledge and Sacred Science which Tradition, even if not so easily, has transmitted to us: this is a Via capable to link some experienced women and men to the Deities through some important Divine expressions.

Artemisia  is a Feminine Sacred Force intrinsecally inherent to the Nature which mainly (but not exclusively) is linked to plants, herbs, flowers, roots, mushrooms, trees. She is a real Hidden and Secret Power, concealed in the Nature whose knwoledge implies great efforts and long experience. Tradition has transmitted to us Artemisia as a Great Goddess, a Potnia, often known as Mater Herbarum: she is also linked to Artemis - Diana. Being a Feminine Force, Artemisia firstly is related to Women: this Potnia mainly (but not only) cures and recovers women and children. Being connected to Diana, as well known by now, Artemisia can be healthy but she can also drive to Death.

Inside the plants, flowers, herbs, mushrooms, roots, trees a complex secretd power is hidden from which it can be possible to obtain remedies and medicaments as well as poison. We all know that approaching this Goddess without adequate discernment, wisdom and knowledge can produce very serious consequences.

The knowledge and the respect required to approach this Goddess are at the base of the  Theobotanica or the Sacred and Divine Science of Plants and Herbs, one of the fundamental component of the Arvalic Knowledge.

Artemisia is the "Goddess of the Garden" above all the (wild) garden composed of Simples or those foundamental plants and herbs not requiring other herbs to be beneficial to health.

Plants, herbs, flowers, roots, mushrooms, trees not only have specific properties and signs but also relevant symbolic values. Creating an Arvalic Garden implies a global knowledge about values, propertie and functions of these Simples which Artemisia symbolizes as a whole.

Artemisia is therefore the wild "Creating Spontaneous Force" of the Nature and Earth, something, more than the idea of fertility, being capable to clearly evidence the link between Life-health-Death.