FAQ
These are questions that I would anticipate being frequently asked, considering the information I have up on my page.
If Artemis is the goddess of the hunt, why is She also the goddess of the Moon?
Well, in my opinion, there are a couple reasons for this. The first is that as She is one of the Virgin Goddesses, She is one of the aspects of the Triple Goddess, based on the waxing, full, and waning moon. Also, as She is the sister of Apollo, the Sun God, it would be logical to assume that she would be the Moon Goddess.
If Artemis protects the animals, why is She a huntress?
This is said rather well in Christianity... "The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away." I think that's the quote. Artemis not only brings life, She also ends it, in keeping with the natural balance of Life. All things that live must die.
If Artemis is a kind, giving goddess, why does She kill those who betray Her?
As I mentioned earlier, Artemis is a Virgin Goddess. As such, She is extremely pure, and She expects all of Her followers to maintain the same extremely high standards She does. The Greek pantheon is known for volatile tempers and eager willingness to show them. If you take a look at some of the things Hera has done when angry at Zeus, for example, you'll notice that Artemis' actions pale in comparison. Perhaps Artemis is harsh, but She is fair. She sets Her rules, and attacks only when the rules are broken.
Why Artemis? Laura, out of all the goddesses out there, what's so great about this one?
Out of all the questions I could ever be asked (and I actually am asked this one rather often), this is absolutely the hardest to answer. The best I can explain it is that it just feels right. You might wake up one morning in the mood to wear green, and you'll look at this green thing and it's the wrong shade; it doesn't harmonize quite right. Again, this is extremely difficult to explain. I feel like I harmonize well with the Artemis energy; She's a character that makes sense to me, that I can relate to. Why would anyone believe in a divine figure that he/she couldn't relate to? I never did understand that. Where's the comfort in believing that there's some big, omniscient, omnipotent, masculine being towering over everyone. No one can talk to this divine figure who's supposed to be perfect, but of course damns to hell everyone who's not of whatever religion. Artemis, on the other hand, is someone I can talk to if I want to figure something out. Instead of "Please, God, I ruined my life, help me..." my attitude is more like "Artemis, I'm so upset because blah blah blah and I'm worried that blah blah blah might happen. What do you think about my situation? Do you have any advice that can help me? Am I missing anything?" That interaction and that connection is very valuable to me, and the sense of friendship is something I have with Artemis. That's why.
You're going to hell, pagan.
Sorry, that wasn't in the form of a question, so I suppose that if you were thinking that, you can just go fuck yourself. Artemis agrees with me on that one.
What's the difference between Artemis and Diana? Aren't they the same?
No! As you probably know, Diana is the Roman counterpart to Artemis, who's a Greek goddess. Even though Diana is supposedly an image of Artemis, I strongly disagree with this; the energy is so different. I feel as if Artemis is more powerful and independent than Diana. And weak women bother me.
Aren't you afraid that Zeus will zap you in the ass for talking about the gods?
*snort* Yeah right. A lovely thing about not being bound to an organized religion is that I don't have to worry about those silly little intimidation factors. Divinity is divinity. It exists, and it does not change based on who believes in it, and what people believe it is. I choose to interact with divinity in the form of Artemis, because She's a form that I can relate to. I already said that. If I had an easier time interacting with an amorphous cloud of orange gases with purple polka dots, I could do that and name it and call it a god. It doesn't make any difference. Therefore, when I reject Diana, I'm not rejecting any form of divinity at all, just that aspect of viewing divinity.
But aren't gods and goddesses supposed to be perfect?
*deep sigh* I suppose it depends on who you ask. I'll always say, without hesitation, that they certainly aren't perfect. We witches have a saying: "As above, so below." The macrocosm reflects the microcosm and vice versa. Simply, everything is connected and if any one thing is imperfect, the whole is not perfect. Unless you're Martha Stewart, I'm sure you can think of several things off the top of your head that aren't perfect. So, how is divinity going to be perfect if everything else is flawed? Think about it...
Back.