one moment and gone the next. When emotional distance is an inad-
vertent side affect of intense concentration, a sincere desire to remain
in touch and accessible to those who matter can mitigate this tend-
ency. This remedy applies on a day-to-day basis as well as to peri-
odic “disappearing acts.”
MERCILESSNESS
Artemis was often merciless. For example, the hunter Actaeon
inadvertently intruded on her and lacked the good sense to know
that gawking at a naked goddess was a capital offense. So Artemis
changed him into a stag that was torn to pieces by his own hounds.
And when conceited Niobe demeaned Leto, the mother of Artemis
and Apollo, the twins at once defended Leto’s honor—without
mercy.
Outrage at wrongs done, loyalty to others, strength to express a
point of view, and a propensity to take action can be very positive
characteristics of Artemis and of Artemis women. But the merciless-
ness of the punishment they mete out can be appalling: all twelve
of Niobe’s children were killed by the twin archers so that she would
have nothing to brag about.
The lack of mercy often arises when an Artemis woman judges
the actions of others in terms of unmitigated black and white. In this
perspective, not only is an action either all bad or all good, but the
person who does such a thing is too. Thus, an Artemis woman feels
justified if she retaliates or punishes.
She needs to develop compassion and empathy, which may come
with maturity, in order to change this attitude. Many Artemis women
enter adulthood feeling self-confident and invulnerable. With life
experience, however, their compassion can grow as they too suffer,
are misjudged, or fail at something. If an Artemis woman learns
how it feels to be vulnerable and becomes more understanding, if
she finds that people are more complex than she thought, and if she
forgives others and herself for making mistakes, then these lessons
learned from living will make her more merciful.
THE CRUCIAL CHOICE: SACRIFICING OR SAVING IPHIGENIA
One last myth about Artemis speaks to a significant choice for an
Artemis woman. This is the myth of Iphigenia,
Goddesses in Everywoman