Blue Meadow - Boundary 3: Meli (Alsa)

This boundary is a specific instance of overwhelm that needs a lot of extra help - anger.

These Greek nymphs will help me remember that I am safe even if others are angry, and that my feelings of anger are not some unseen monster coming out of nowhere and taking over - I do have ways to keep some control. They will help me to keep talking and to work through whatever is making the angry feelings go out of control.

These nymphs are the ones I talk to whenever I'm at my Mom's farm, they live in the fields and trees where we take the goats.

This boundary works in a similar fashion as the other ones:

1. Artemis is struggling because the dogs are getting out of control - anger is a huge trigger for me, and causes immediate withdrawal, avoidance, and despair.

2. Persephone notices, hopefully before the dogs sink in the mud and she pulls Artemis down to the underworld. 

Persephone chooses which boundary is needed - in this case, it is Meli / anger. Artemis calls her dogs over - love, the twins strength and courage, fear who needs reassuring, then anger and remorse who need the boundary the most.

Meli is a bee nymph, or a Melissae. They were strongly associated with Demeter, Persephone and Artemis.

The Melissae: Bee Priestesses of Ancient Greece | Bee Inspired Goods



3. Fee-la is the Athena part of the boundary - the one who guards my mouth and helps me to communicate. She is the wise mind, the one who helps with strategy, logic, and talking things through.

Fee-la is a Napaiai nymph, guardian of the valley I live in with my Mom. Fylax (pronounced Feelax) means keeper, look out, tender, watchdog.

Napaiai, who are nymphs of valleys, are Oreads (mountain nymphs) who find solace in the serene valleys that lie nestled between majestic mountains. With grace and poise, these nymphs watch over the flow of rivers, the gentle whispers of breezes, and the diverse array of flora and fauna that thrive in these fertile landscapes.

Napaiai embody the serenity and rejuvenating energy that emanates from these cherished valleys. This serenity gives Fee-la the state of mind to deal with angry people. The picture above is full of the feelings that my valley gives me when I am out among the fields and trees. It is a hanging valley in one of the highest towns in Canada, and we are at the top of the valley. I can see from one side to the other, and the whole valley unfolds before me.

4. Pim holds the boundary.

Pim is the protector of the High Pasture and all who graze them, especially the sheep and goats. My pastures are super, super steep and we are the highest farm in the valley. Pim is an Epimelide nymph. Commonly referred to as the highland pasture nymphs, they were usually seen protecting the sheep flocks from any dangers. Epimelides also protected fruit trees, and my valley is full of old orchards. Pim is white-haired (epimelides have white hair, the color of blossoms) and lives in the plum tree in the middle of our field.

As followers of Artemis, epimelides are especially suited to put up boundaries for the dogs. Pim 'wraps my heart' to keep anger out so that it doesn't harm me, as well as keeping my angry words and actions inside so that they don't hurt anyone else. I visualize the dogs in my fields, with fences - they are safe from sinking into the marsh of the yellow meadow.

Epimeliades | Guardians of Orchards: Mystic Nymphs of Greek Lore

5. Grandmother tree is my Demeter, she counsels integrity, and to not be impulsive.

 She is a Hamadryad, a nymph of oak and poplar trees, who finds solace in the sacred groves near rivers and forests. They possess wisdom and grace, guarding and nourishing the tree that they live in. Legend has it that each Hamadryad is born bonded to a specific tree, and their lives are intricately tied to the well-being of that tree. They possess a unique ability to communicate with their trees and protect them fiercely.

My Grandmother tree is an aspen tree, a type of poplar tree. Old and gnarled, each year she shows less and less life. But around her stands her children, younger aspen trees in a perfect circle, and they share a root system that can live for hundreds of years. This is the sacred grove that grows in my field. 

Are Aspen Trees Connected by Their Roots? - ScienceInsights

I think of my own mom when I talk to Grandmother tree. Each day I say "I am honored to be in the circle around you, as you teach us about the wheel of the seasons, the circle of life and the connections between all things. I ask for your patience as I learn from your wisdom and experience." My mom has taught many people about what she has learned over the years - about plants, animals, people and more.

She is 82 now, old and gnarled, each year she shows the effects of age more and more, but she is outside on her farm every minute she can spare. The quote below reminds me so much of her:

6. Alsa is my Hestia, she calms and grounds me.

Alsa is an Aleside nymph, and tender of my sacred grove.

Alseids are nymphs in Greek mythology associated with valleys and groves. According to ancient Greek beliefs, Alseids guarded and protected groves. They have a deep connection with plants, with each nymph intertwining with a specific plant and choosing it as their symbol. Despite their adoration for flowers and plants in general, Alseids can also be linked to water sources that inspire them. They provide a calming and soothing effect on humans, creating conditions for a pleasant rest. They share similarities with Dryads, being nymphs of the forests and connected to trees. However, it’s essential to remember that Alseids don’t use trees, shrubs, and flowers as their dwelling but associate with them as symbols.

Her sacred grove, in my fields, is my new favorite place - so beautiful, so peaceful, that it fills my soul with contentment.

Alseids: Nymphs of Sacred Groves in Greek Mythology

7. Isira is my Hera, the Queen who demands that 'I am worthy' and that others are worthy of kindness and respect too.

Isira (sanskrit for brightness ((the sparkles of sunlight on water)) and sacredness), is a Pegaiai, who are known as the Naiad nymphs of springs. They are the living spirits of freshwater springs. They live close to people, sustaining and protecting the springs that households, herds, gardens, and fields depend on. Each Pegaia lives in and is bound to one specific spring. They cannot leave their spring so their lives are dependent on weather, natural events, and humans - if the spring runs dry, the nymph fades and dies with it.

Isira is the nymph in my sacred spring. Despite the construction of a subdivision behind our farm, and the diversion of the water we used to drink, a small stream continues to grace our fields. 

Pegaeae: Greek Spring Nymphs of Healing Waters

8. The Anthousai are all the little ways to talk to others, to respect them.

The Anthousi are nymphs specifically associated with flowers, symbolizing the life force of Spring and the delicate balance of the ecosystem - if their flowers die, they die. They nurture and protect their flowers, influencing the magical and healing properties of the plants, and guiding the pollinators like bees and butterflies to ensure the health of their meadows.

The picture here is of the root children from a children's book of the same name (one of my favorites!) Each child looks after one flower - for this boundary, each flower represents ways to interact with the people around me.

Read more about nymphs at the link below:

https://olympioi.com/demigods/nymphs

Blue Meadow Boundaries - Syrinx

Each boundary has a nature spirit symbolizing the boundary. When Persephone has to choose which boundary is needed, she has a friendly face to put to the problem.

So far, I have 4 separate boundaries defined, each with it's own nature spirit. For any other issue needing a boundary, Syrinx is going to be my nature spirit.

Synoro is the greek word for boundary. Syrinx is one of the nymphs that lives with Artemis. She escaped Pan by hiding in the Ladon River, after the Ladonides (the daughters of the River Ladon) turned her into hollow water reeds along the bank of the river. 

Syrinx

Ladonides

Norse Goddesses - Boundary 2

 One of the things to come from re-doing my Blue Meadow Step is the Norse Goddesses.

The Blue Step had a focus on boundaries, which took me forever to get my mind wrapped around. I was finally able to use my boundaries with actual results this winter.

One of the things my hubby and I struggle with is my 'back seat driving', although I have always viewed it as 'helping'. It is especially bad in the winters since I am so anxious driving in the bad weather, and where we live, the winter weather is pretty bad! Lots of snow and ice and fog.

I was able to visualize my goddesses holding my boundary so that I didn't force my anxiety onto my hubby, and so that I kept his frustration from triggering me. Here, I switched up my Greek goddesses for Norse ones, because I needed Sigyn to be my Hera/married goddess.

Eira (ay-ra) – “Mercy” or “healing,” signifying a compassionate soul with the power to soothe and restore, tied to Nancy Greene Lake

Landvættir — Grokipedia

Nancy Greene Lake — Rossland Museum & Discovery Centre

It goes like this:

1. Skadi and her wolves are my Artemis and dogs. I call certain wolves to me - the twins, Strength and Courage; Love, who is with me always; and Fear, whom I comfort, which in turn, comforts me. 

2. Skadi is joined by Hel, my Persephone, who helps Skadi with the wolves. Skadi is linked with the underworld, and Hel can leave the underworld with her Hellhound and Hellhorse.

3. Next, I call upon four of Frigg's handmaidens to hold my boundaries. The handmaidens are goddesses who are not bound to a god. 

Snowtra is a goddess of wisdom, she is my Athena - the logical voice of reason. She fills my head with self-talk - 'Stay in the present, everything is fine right now. Focus on the present. Breathe.' 

Var is another goddess of wisdom, specifically integrity of words and actions, something I learned a lot about last year. She guards my words.

Lofn is a goddess of love, reminding me to lead with love in all things. She also gives permission - in my case, I am permitted to give up control, she reminds me there is nothing I can do because I am not driving. That has always helped me in things like flying on airplanes where I literally have no control. 

And Syn guards my boundary the way she guards Frigg's door, so that I keep quiet and so that I don't let hubby's emotions destroy me.

4. Sigyn, Loki's wife, also joins us. She is often seen as a subservient, devoted wife because she shielded Loki when he was trapped and burned with acid. Some people see her though as a loving, accepting person for Loki to come home to after he deals with anger and disdain from the other gods all day. I channel this into: I trust my hubby's driving, he is an awesome driver. He loves me so much, he would never do anything to hurt me. He loves his car, he would never do anything to hurt it.

 5. Nerthus is my Demeter. She is an Earth goddess, and Freja's mother. She helps me with my impulse control. When I am driving, I take some risks at first, like passing without a lot of room. Whether I am trying to follow hubby in his car, or I'm driving on my own, it often takes one risky pass before I remember to slow down and go with the flow. This mother-figure helps me to be mindful of safety.

6. Freyja is my Hestia. Freyja is love and beauty, cats and magic - all things that mean home to me. I hold this feeling to ground myself and remember the important things in life.

I visualize them all riding through the air like Valkyries, fiercely and joyfully surrounding me with protection. Because I don't want to call Sigyn away from her children, I imagine that they all are pulled away when needed, and returned to the same spot, so that they lose no time. Then they can fight with me guilt-free.

The other day I was driving our huge suburban, and I said "Road trip!" when I called to them. I smiled to think of my truck full of happy excited women, blasting music and eating junk food.

My other Norse goddess is not needed for this particular boundary help, but she is:

Nissa, a selkie, is my Aphrodite. Norse selkies are in many stories. My selkie sheds rules and inhibitions to become a fun and sexy partner, without losing her independence. 'Nissa' means 'friendly, mischievous elf'.

Yellow Meadow - Boundary 1: Eleni ( a Leimonide nymph)

Originally my boundaries were in the Blue Meadow, which was part of Persephone's realm. Even though boundaries are now a part of the Green Zone since I need to use them daily, they will still be in a Blue Meadow, it will just be in a corner of the Green Zone.

 The Yellow Meadow is also in the Green Zone, and is where Artemis starts to struggle with the dogs (emotions). I know I took it out of my plan awhile ago, but I just put it back in, lol. Artemis and the dogs go to the Blue Meadow with Persephone when she helps them.

I have now made my Yellow Meadow into a wetlands area where the river runs into the lake. It transitions from green grass to buttercups, which grow in wet areas. The dogs can run around in the buttercups and cause some trouble, but Artemis can still get them under control after awhile by using some strategies. These strategies are the Amnisades, river nymphs who are Artemis's handmaidens. 

This is when Persephone needs to come and help, and bring a boundary with her, or the dogs will go too far into the wetlands. Before, everyone ignored Artemis's struggles until it was too late. If the dogs go deeper into the wetlands, they get bogged down in the muck where the cat-tails grow. Because cat-tails grow tall and packed together, the further the dogs go, the more lost they get and the more panicked they become. Artemis wades in after them, but she has essentially no control over them.

Eventually the dogs start to get into sinkholes. Artemis tries to pull them out, but she herself begins to sink. This is where Persephone used to yank Artemis down to the underworld, leaving the dogs behind in the muck. 

Persephone's first boundary will be to protect herself and Artemis and the dogs from overwhelm. Boundary 1 keeps the dogs out of the cat-tails and sinkholes. Once they all move over to the blue meadow, the other goddesses are called to come and help.

Eleni is a Leimonide (a nymph of the marshes and watery wetland fields), and will be my personification of being swamped. If I can keep her in my mind, and run through the steps below, I might be able to stop the cPTSD shut down.

The steps look like this:

A) Deal with cPTSD

When Persephone sees that Artemis is in trouble, she knows that she should go and help her. Before, she ignored the problem until she felt her only choice was to yank Artemis to the underworld. Now, Hemara and Nyx help Persephone deal with Pandeia (cPTSD) so she can move forward. 

Persephone puts up the boundary to keep the dogs from going too far, and they all move over to the blue meadow. The boundary step here is to stop and visualize a fence, limiting access to the boggy section of the wetlands.

B) Identify the problem and the boundary needed. Ask "What is wrong?" and "Why/How is it wrong?"

Persephone will know that the problem is overwhelm when she can see that the self-care strategies from the buttercup section are not working for Artemis. The overwhelm could be lifestyle (too busy, too tired, etc) or it could be chronic emotional overwhelm. The cues are withdrawal and feelings of  hopelessness.

 This is the time to pull out the goddess book and go through everything, especially the safety plan (the green journey), and remind each other that they are not alone. 

 

C)  Reframe / positive self-talk. Clarify the situation with others, remind myself of the boundary and what I need to feel better, then do the work.

Athena, Inyx and Pallas come to help Artemis and Persephone manage the emotions, and reframe their negative thinking with positive  self-talk and growth-mindset thinking. 

If it is life overwhelm, then redo my schedule, focusing on only the most urgent things and making 'me' a priority. I learned last time not to drop all of the social things - I became isolated and spiraled into freefall fast!

Athena and Inyx share this step, using logic and love to talk it through with others - mostly because I have a huge problem with saying 'No'.

Hold the boundary - Pallas holds my negative reactions inside the boundary, and stops negative things from coming in and overwhelming me. As I learned in my sessions with Donna, the boundary is not a wall. It is a fence with gates, so things can still go in and out UNLESS I close the gate. I can also have more than one fence, some things can come in but only so far if I close the inner gate.

They use a calming action with breathing and mantras to calm her down 

5. Recover from the stress of holding my boundary - the 3 charities and their Mom from Step 6 of the Apology Bridge. This is a step I often forget, this step-by-step plan should help.

Another change

 

Well, I have made some progress but that means changing things around again. I don't mind though, it will work better anyway - as I learn more, I can see how it fits together better.

My progress at my last session was:

1. For the first time I could see 'Me' in the green zone instead of Artemis and Persephone. I am feeling confident enough that I don't need them the same way - before it was too scary, so Artemis and Persephone did everything. They so help me to understand and visualize things as I rewrite my story though, so I'm not getting rid of them!

2. I've been working on the Blue Meadow for over two years, but not getting anywhere with the boundaries. I have finally realized that almost everything I had put into the Blue Meadow needs to be in the Green Zone. I need to do these things every day, not only when things are going wrong. I don't need a yellow meadow and a blue meadow to be separate from the green zone, they can be in the green zone. 

Tree Alphabet Oracle Cards

 

I'm going to double up on my tree alphabet to make an oracle deck, so each letter has two cards. I'll do the artwork and a little booklet with the tree information and rune connections. I'm thinking that the artwork will be a large landscape of the valley, and the cards will fit on top, so each card's landscape will have the background of the larger picture. For example, the willow tree background will fit in along the waterway that flows through the valley.

It now looks like this, lol:

Letter          Celtic tree                My tree #1                         My tree #2

B                    Birch                   Paper Birch                          River Birch

L                   Rowan                Rowan (Mtn Ash)                     Cascara 

F                     Alder                       Alder                                     Larch

S                   Willow                     Willow                              Pussy Willows

N                     Ash                      Red Ash                                   Maple

____

H              Hawthorn                  Rosehips                               Thimbleberry

D                  Oak                     Garry Oak                                 Chestnut

T                  Holly                   Oregan Grape                           Snowberry

C                 Hazel                    Beaked Hazel                          Black Walnut

Q                 Apple                         Apple                               Pacific crabapple

____

M                Vine                        Purple Vetch                          Pink Vetch

G              Ivy (bramble)               Raspberry                           Salmonberry

Ng              Fern/Reed                    Bracken                               Horsetails 

Z              Blackthorn(sloe)        Canada Plum                          Saskatoon

R                 Elder                          Elderberry                         High Cranberry

____

A               Fir                            Douglas Fir                                 Cedar

O             Furze                          Juniper                                       Thistle

U            Heather                     Strawberry                                   Clover                                   

E              Aspen                         Aspen                                     Cottonwood

I                Yew                            Yew                                         Hemlock

____

EA           Poplar Grove          Poplar Grove                            

OI            Spindle                 Red Osier Dogwood                    Fire Cherry

UI            Honeysuckle            Honeysuckle                            Yerba Buena

IA            Gooseberry              Gooseberry                                 Currant

AE           Witch Hazel              Fireweed                                    Lupine

P               Pine                            Pine                                       Ponderosa

                 

Blue Meadow - Persephone's Boundaries

 Now that Persephone is ready to connect with people, she needs some boundaries. 

Persephone will use the boundaries here in the Blue Meadow, and instead of ignoring Artemis's struggles in the Yellow Meadow, Persephone will take Artemis and the dogs to the Blue Meadow so they can work together.

This is a work in progress, as always, but here is what I have come up with so far, all of which ultimately affects her connections with others. Most of the boundaries have the same format:

1. Either Artemis has trouble with the dogs (emotions) or Persephone realises that a boundary needs to be made.

2. Nyx and Hemara help Persephone with fears of Pandeia (cPTSD) so that the problem is not avoided.

3. Artemis and her dogs join Persephone in the blue meadow to manage the emotions. 

4. Persephone identifies the problem and which boundary is needed. She chooses from Eleni (swamped), Eira (driving), Meli (anger), Geely (mirror) or Syrinx (any other boundary needed). She can use her more confident Queen of the Underworld persona if needed.

 5. Athena, Inyx and Pallas join Artemis and Persephone in the blue meadow to support them. Athena is wisdom, she reframes my thinking and offers positive self-talk. She clarifies the situation and the boundary, notifies them that the limit is reached and what they need to do next. She takes over the talking so that it comes from the head, not the emotional overload. Inyx makes sure that any words spoken are made with love. Pallas holds the boundary.

6. Hestia helps to ground Persephone with breathing, visualization, etc. Demeter offers comfort.

7. Recovery - the 3 charities and their Mom (Persephone's Aunt) from Step 6 of the Apology Bridge.

Athena and Pallas were raised together as warriors by Pallas's father Triton, son of Poseidon. Athena is the sister of Persephone, and they often spent time together. She is the goddess of war so she is my choice for using strategies and negotiating and keeping a level head during conversations. Pallas is fierce and will hold the boundary when they experience push-back.

Inyx is an oread, a mountain nymph. 'Iynx' means 'that which attracts the spirit to desire and love'. She invented a magical love-charm known as the iynx--a spinning wheel with a wryneck bird attached. The Wryneck is a migratory bird, traveling long distances to reach its breeding grounds. It navigates using a combination of celestial cues, such as the position of the sun and stars, and landmarks on the ground. This remarkable ability to navigate across vast distances will be needed as Inyx helps Athena navigate conversations so that love is the goal, not defeating the other person and making them do what I want.