Were there really nine muses in ancient Greece? Where were they worshipped? And what do their stories tell us about artistic inspiration and the Greek landscape? In this episode, meet the Muses of ancient Greece and learn more about their special relationship with music, winged messengers, springs, and the Greek gods of prophecy and sleep.

Named for the gorgeous Boeotian youth who fell in love with his own reflection, Narcissus is a perennial bulb in the amaryllis and daffodil family. The flower blooms in late winter and early spring, reminding us of its connection to youthfulness and the awakening of desire after the numbness of winter. Although all parts of the flower are toxic to ingest, the Narcissus can be used in ceremony to awaken desire and bring awareness to our capacity for self-love.

In this episode, we’ll be meeting the Greek gods of Night, Sleep, and Dreams — Nyx, Hypnos, the Oneiroi, and more. We’ll explore dream rituals in ancient Greece, in particular dream incubation as a means for healing and divination. We’ll learn about how the Greeks understood their dreams, and how they are connected to the Underworld. And we’ll meet one of my favorite flowers of the Greek landscape, the often controversial — and even illegal in some countries — Poppy.

In this podcast episode, we discuss the myth of Narcissus, that beautiful youth who fell in love with his own reflection, and the nymph Echo, whose obsession with Narcissus led to her own dissolution. I adore this myth, not because Narcissus suffers for his ego or pride, but because I believe there is a deeper message in this story - a message about numbness, obsession, and human desire - a message I think that most people miss...