Today, on the Winter Solstice, I introduce you to the Greek gods of the Sun — the Titans who gave birth to the radiance of the celestial bodies and the prophetic wisdom that the Greeks believed came from their light. We also learn about the Sun’s connection to the Underworld, grief, and mourning, and meet the plants sacred to the Sun god Helios.

In today’s special episode, we meet Greek multi-disciplinary artist, designer, and ritualist Linda Pappa. Linda is based on the ancient island of Crete, where she has a home and studio in the mountains. She shares with us her artistic process: how she co-creates with the land, crafting ceramic vessels from wild clay she harvests herself and painting with pigments she makes from local plants and soil. Our conversation wanders into some really interesting places, including her reflections on village life, as well as the dark sides of living in modern Greek culture.

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.

Self-portraits.

Self-portraits.

Self-portraits.

In today’s special episode, we meet The Greek Herbalist, Maria Christodoulou. We discuss her experiences as a first generation Greek-American, what it was like encountering the Greek landscape for the first time, how she went from a classics major to studying herbalism to now living in Greece and, among many things, leading the way in herbal immersion tours all over the country.

For those living abroad or without any living relatives in Greece, it can be difficult to find ways to connect with your Greek roots. So in this episode, I share some unique ideas to connect with your Greek ancestry that do not involve genealogy. Instead, I’m going to suggest some other practices for coming home to Greece, even if you are unable to visit in person. If you’re not of Greek heritage, but you feel a deep affinity to Greek culture or mythology, these techniques can also deepen your connection with the mythic Greek landscape.

Journey down, into the depths of the earth, to meet the plants of the Greek Underworld — the trees, flowers, herbs, and shrubs that ancient Greek mythology associates with the Realm of the Dead. Along the way, we meet the Underworld rivers and entrances to Hades; learn about the sacred kykeon of the Eleusinian Mysteries; discover a shocking truth about Persephone's connection with the seasons; and meet the botanical allies for navigating through death, grief, and the Unseen Realm.

October 2023 and all the Pomegranate fruits are dead. By dead, I mean eaten; devoured by a creature, perhaps bird, perhaps squirrel, perhaps Persephone herself. They hung on the tree, hollow and rotting. I picked them all — as if they’d been ripe — and peered into the basket. It seemed fitting that…

October 2023 and all the Pomegranate fruits are dead. By dead, I mean eaten; devoured by a creature, perhaps bird, perhaps squirrel, perhaps Persephone herself. They hung on the tree, hollow and rotting. I picked them all — as if they’d been ripe — and peered into the basket. It seemed fitting that the tree — which every year, for the past five years, has been burgeoning without incident — had been consumed. The fruits offering sustenance to something or someone else. Not me. Not…us.

In Autumn 2024, join me and Maria Christodoulou (The Greek Herbalist) on a mythical and mystical plant journey in northern Greece! This herbal myth and medicine tour will take us to Mount Pangaion, an area sacred to the god Dionysos, as well as to the picturesque Rodopi Mountains at the start of the vibrant autumn season. Celebrate the Fall Equinox surrounded by the botanical bounty of this very special region of Greece.

In Autumn 2024, join me and Maria Christodoulou (The Greek Herbalist) on a mythical and mystical plant journey in Epirus! This herbal rituals and oracles tour will take us to the traditional stone villages of Metsovo and Zagori, as well as to the ancient Oracle of Dodona. Learn about the ancient Greek oracular traditions as practiced at Dodona. Reflect on the teachings of the plants and their role in ancient and modern life.