Embracing Wild Authenticity: A Journey with the Goddess Artemis

During this Wolf Moon, I decided to follow a ritual created by Nicole Gadbois. This ritual, known as the Initiation of Artemis, is meant to be performed during the Full Moon. As a patron of Apollo, I was eager to explore more about his Wild Luminous counterpart. As I mentioned in my earlier post, the Sun plays a significant role in my astrological chart, and I have always felt a strong connection to Sol. My personal journey has involved embracing femininity and finding balance between my fiery energy and the soothing qualities of water and flow. Nicole plans to publish her Artemis rituals in the future and has generously shared them with me privately. Her profound knowledge of the Goddess is truly remarkable, and I can’t think of anyone more fitting to delve into the mysteries of the Sovereign Goddess.

During this ritual the operator chooses to fast or remain pure from drugs, sex or masturbation, or meat for three days before the Full Moon. On the night of the Full Moon, the magician will begin with a ritual bath infused with three herbs associated with Artemis. Following this, they will present an offering to Hekate and set up an altar dedicated to Artemis. After inviting the Goddess of the Hunt to join them and lighting a candle in her honor, the conductor will dance until they can no longer dance.

I had personally chosen to refrain from eating seafood. Primarily a vegetarian, I occasionally consume fish and wanted to dedicate that fasting to the Goddess Artemis. As I prepared for my bath, I selected lavender, salt, and three bay laurel leaves, as recommended, along with the prayer intentions outlined in the ritual. I also added an extra lavender bubble bath. In addition to the candle for Hygeia, I lit my own candle surrounded by quartz, moonstone, and white sea glass. I prayed to Gabriel, asking him to bless the ritual with the elemental rays of the moon and reveal the luminous blessings.

While relaxing in the tub, I began to envision blue lights in the forest and a doe bounding away. I listened to an Artemis frequency from YouTube (210.42 Hz) and naturally started practicing the ‘Growl and Sway’ technique from Denny Sargent’s Werewolf Magick: Authentic Practical Lycanthropy. My growls harmonized with the pitches of the frequency.

After my bath, I lit a candle for Apollo, and sought his guidance to connect with his older sister. I laid on my bed in my robe, listening to moon-themed music while reading about Artemis. I felt captivated as I realized my limited knowledge of her and her origins, despite my connection to Apollo. As I explored her story, I recognized a deep resonance with her, particularly with Atalanta. Raised as a woman but often rejected for my femininity, I had stripped myself of that identity, which left me feeling fragmented and incomplete. Femininity holds immense value; it is anything but delicate. It embodies the fierce, agile protector like the Mother Bear and can be gentle like a breeze or fierce like a storm. It can also be focused and directed, like an arrow soaring through the sky.

I made my offering to Hekate Angelos and set up my Artemis altar across from my Apollo altar, then cast a circle of protection. I adorned the altar with baby's-breath and pine needles. At this moment, I began to feel a trance state in my third eye, sensing the energies in my space intensifying. It was a full connection of mind, body, and soul, grounded both in the earth and the cosmos. I anointed a candle with oil, lit it, and then began to rub the oil and herbs over myself, choosing rue, wormwood, and lavender. Instead of incense, I sprayed a lavender chamomile mist in the room. A soft warmth enveloped my body and chest, pure and liminal. Rubbing the oil in clockwise spirals felt therapeutic, creating a beautiful intimacy and oneness within myself. I had never intentionally massaged myself before in such a way; it became an act of offering and love.

As I began to dance, I jumped and darted around, balancing strategy with loose freedom. My movements were mostly spirals and flow work. When I eventually collapsed from exhaustion, it felt unique—a full-body fatigue that encompassed not just physical tiredness, but also energetic and psychic weariness. In that moment, I sensed the Goddess beside me, her silvery light emanating, her cloak brushing against my skin, radiating peaceful authenticity. She accepted my offering.

What is pure about Artemis transcends the notion of celibacy. While she is the goddess of the hunt, her true patronage lies not in pursuing deer or running with wolves, but in the quest to uncover our true, authentic selves. Who are you when stripped of the roles you are expected to play? Who is the wild, primal version of you? The Goddess invites you to embark on this journey to navigate the world with genuine grace—dancing around obstacles and, when necessary, cutting through them.

(The information presented on this blog is meant solely for educational purposes. This blog is authored by Calla Marie Rowan of Contemporary Mystic and Witches in the Kitchen.)