'Artnlight' in Hindustan Times Mint

Today is momentous for me. This is the day that 'artnlight' makes its appearance in Hindustan Times , one of the leading newspapers in India. When Melissa Bell from HT Mint wrote to me saying she wanted to feature 'artnlight' I really didn't know what to say. We spoke and she had this idea of writing a 'post' for the paper, and when the article would come in print is the day I would upload the post on my blog as well. So here's my post for the day.

Artemis: Goddess of Nature, Independence and the wilderness
To her from whom we derive our strength,
our powers, our vision, our grace,
where does she dwell?
In our dreams, our inspiration,
Our breath, our space?

Who is your Goddess?
Which Goddess are you, in the shape of your beliefs,
in the sweep of your work, in the grace of your home?

I am about to share with you a book which has long been my favourite "Goddess at Home" by A. Bronwyn Llewellyn. This book introduces the seven Greek Goddesses- Aphrodite, Artemis, Athena, Demeter, Hera, Hestia & Persephone and goes on to explain how you can infuse your home with a divine grace worthy of the Goddess in you. Specific characteristics of the goddesses and their symbolism is explained with examples of ways to welcome her home by adding specific objects, colours, patterns or motifs reminiscent of her.

In my last post I featured Goddess Athena and how you can bring home her spirit of art and wisdom. Today I want to speak of my favourite Goddess, Artemis the Goddess of all things natural, wild, free and independent. Each time you think of standing on that cliff with the wind blowing your hair & each time you yearn for the smell of green, know it is Artemis who lives in you. So how do you get more of her into your home? How do you get more of YOU into your home?

"Although Artemis shared the quality of strength with other Goddesses, she possessed an untamable individuality. She knew her own nature well and honoured it. So create a space that announces who you are, where you come from and where you are going. Make it personal, use things that resonate at the core of your being. Don't be swayed by others opinions and choices. Exercise your intuition."

"To summon Artemis, invite nature into the den in all its wildness. Add a vase of tangled twigs or aromatic silvery Artemisia, unrefined containers of clay, drilled stones or wooden containers. This Goddess roamed fearlessly through moonlit thickets. Step boldly into colour realms you may have been too timid to try. Consider warm umber or delicate bamboo, add a woodsy hue of oak or gleaming chestnut."

Cover your floor wit natural fibres like coir or jute.

Frame naturalists sketches depicting natures beauty in every leaf, petal and stem.

Use natural containers of bamboo canes, twigs and basketry for magazines and other storage.

Display photographs of your travel to exotic places, whether a continent away or the next town.

Collect your found objects and souvenirs there, whatever denoted the life you have or the life you want.

To Artemis, everyday is new and overflowing with potential. She doesn't worry of what others think or expect of her. Her spirit is independent, individual and untamed. So bring her home, into you life and let your imagination run wild, literally J

Symbols of Athena
Moon- particularly the crescent
Bow and arrows
Mirror – clarity of self knowledge
Roads and harbours

Her colours
Earth tones and colours of deep woods, sundrenched meadows
Saffron and red
Silver
White

The spirit of Artemis lives in many adventurous self –knowing women, including Jane Goodall, Amelia Earnhart, Georgia O'Keefe, Katherine Hepburn.