What stories do the ancient Greeks have to share with us about the power of flame? What Greek gods and myths have arisen from the ashes of their interaction with the element of Fire? And, of course, which plants, trees, and aspects of the Greek landscape are linked to those burning stories?

The Giant Fennel is a drought-tolerant herbaeous perennial growing as tall as 4.5 meters (15 feet). As a plant sacred to the ancient Greek Fire gods — Prometheus and Hephaestus — the Giant Fennel is a vessel of Fire, culture, and craft. When used by Dionysos and his retinue in the form of the sacred thyrsus, the Giant Fennel also becomes a rod or sacred axis for channeling divine revelation.

In the summer of 2021, in two weeks alone, wildfires burned over 100,000 hectares of land across Greece, including the island of Evia, areas of Attica, the Peloponnese, and northern Greece. Wildfires of this magnitude seem to be, from the research I’ve been doing, completely avoidable. But are all wildfires "bad"?

The Pine is a resinous, coniferous evergreen found blanketing the mountainsides and dotting the coastal regions of the Mediterranean. Protected by the oreiades, the Pine is also sacred to the god Dionysos and is used to decorate the sacred thyrsus. A potent teacher of strength in the face of life’s challenges, Pine can be incorporated into daily ceremonies to strengthen resilience and bring protection.

There are stories inside of us: secrets and desires and memories and fantasies piled up and up and up and up. All of them mirrors — all sizes, shapes, designs.

I am in between — wandering a threshold — ghosting through fields of Asphodel — wondering how in the Hades I ended up here.

In this podcast episode, we discuss the Nymphs, the nature spirits that dwell in and protect the waters, plants, and mountains of Greece. And while it may seem that the nymphs take a backseat to the Olympian gods by playing minor roles in the famous stories, I believe they are in fact the most important beings of ancient Greek myth and plant lore, especially for those of us seeking a deeper connection with the Mediterranean landscape.

For the ancient Greeks, the Olive was a sacred symbol of divine blessing and wisdom associated particularly with the goddess Athena, as well as with Zeus and the patron of human culture, Aristaeus. In this podcast episode, we discuss the ancient uses of the Olive, as well as discuss the Olive as a teacher of perspective and a reminder of the ancestral gifts of awe, gratitude and humility.

Despite over 5,000 years under human cultivation, the Olea europaea remains wild-looking and ancient, with some trees surpassing 1,000 or 2,000 years of age.  Surviving fires, drought, and even a complete cutting back to the stump, the olive tree will just not give up. This is a formidable, primordial, and powerful tree, a teacher of perspective, and a reminder of the ancestral gifts of awe, gratitude and humility.  Associated with the goddess Athena as well as Zeus and the patron of human culture, Aristaeus, the Olive was a sacred symbol of divine blessing and wisdom.

Like many Greeks, I come from a family steeped in olive oil. My grandmother’s family tended olives in a small village near Kalamata, the city in the southern Peloponnese famous for its olive of the same name. And as next month's Materia Mythica entry will be the olive tree, I wanted to share with you a little about my own experience of the Greek landscape - a piece of my personal mythology.