I Say Goodbye To Greece

"Herself a warrior, Athena protects the brave and valorous.
When Hercules, a victim of Hera's hostility, undertook his arduous labors Athena stood at his side to help and comfort him. It was she who gave him the brazen cymbals whose sound frightened the birds of Lake Stymphalus. It was she who escorted him when he brought Cerberus from the underworld. Finally it was she who, after his death, welcomed him on the
threshold of Olympus."
Athena, Goddess of the City, the protectress of civilized life, of artisan activities, and of agriculture has been by my side on this adventure, but also stands by the side of the Greek people to this day. The nation of Greece is in a terrible state economically. You can feel it on the streets of Athens, protesters, riot police, homelessness, begging old women, soup kitchen lines, drugs, pick-pockets. You can see it in the eyes of shop keepers and hoteliers and nearly everyone you meet, there is a sadness, an almost desperate plea for any kind of answer to why people are loosing their homes, jobs and chance at a good life for their families. The moment that anyone hears I'm American, the questions start flying, " What does America think of Greece, What should we do, the crisis came over from America what will you do". Questions I don't really have an answer for. I met a man on the street that over heard my accent, he came up and instantly wanted to tell me his story. "I'm an old man, I have lost my job, I'm hungry, I don't have anyone to help me, what I'm I to do? What do Americans think of this?" I didn't know how to explain that Americans don't really know of the heart ache of Greece, or how to give this man any hope that America has an "answer" to this situation. I met a woman later that day, she told me that she was working in a public office making 3,000 euro a week, a very nice living, able to provide for her family. With the budget cuts, her office was closed along with most like it, she lost her job as did many others. She is now on the most unemployment the government allows, 359 euro a week. She has lost her house, and has moved her family to her mothers home. These are just two of the thousands of stories of the people of Greece. With every boarded up shop and public office closed, there is a Greek family that is left to fend on their own. The riots in Athens were not just the young but the family man, the old women and everyone in between, everyone here is affected. 48% of people 16 to 25 are unemployed, making the youth, the future of Greece, desparate for hope, looking to move out of Greece to find work. There is a need in the people for a hero, a Goddess, a protector of civilized life. People are looking to for anything to give them hope. Athena, the warrior Goddess, is who they are turning to. The Greek people are pulling out their inner Athena, turning to their ingenuity and warrior mentalities to find a way out. People are in the streets, bringing attention to and education about the economic collapse via protests and sometimes riots. The news around Europe is covering the elections and votes in Greece, making the corruption known and hopefully bringing a solution to many of these problems. Athena is present in the people, coming through in every word spoken to reporters, every stone thrown at police, every vote cast, the people are showing that they are warriors, they will fight to protect civilized life, their freedom and their families. Over the last two months I have had a glimpse into the lives of the Greek people, I can see the heart ache this situation has brought to such a beautiful country but I can also see a country full of Athenas standing up and fighting. Greece is in an economic crisis, but the people are coming together, they are organizing protests, filling voting halls and not letting the corruption of the government take away their inner Athena. I have a new understanding and sympathy for the people of Greece. The trickle down from the mess in America has poured into Greece. The corruption of the American banking system has left Greece with huge hole to pull themselves out of but people are putting on their war regalia and siding with their warrior Goddess Athena in battle a for their country and their livelihood. With the power of 11 million Athenas fighting back, no amount of corruption can stand a chance.
I say goodbye to Greece with a sadness for the people, a heart ache that I can relate to , but also with the hope that with the help of the a Goddess by your side any struggle can be overcome.

I will be posting pictures when I have access to a computer so check back for the last sights of Greece. I am now in Dublin relaxing with a few pints and reflecting on my wonderful time spent in Greece. I have made life long friends, gained some great stories and filled my belly with the most delicious food in the world. I LOVE YOU GREECE!

Ideal Human Form

The mythology surrounding beauty, ideal beauty to be exact is inescapable here. Everywhere you turn there are sculptures and paintings depicting what in both the past and present is considered to be “beauty”. This idea of beauty is one of the most noticeable aspects of this country. From the landscapes of seas and sprawling olive fields to the dramatic architecture adorned with paintings and sculptures, all that surrounds me strikes me with a feeling very similar to that of lust. I want to hold it in my mind, photograph, and draw it, to in some way make it tangible, make it more “real” than the reality that lies before me. The image of beauty in my mind is transformed from what I see to encompass a feeling, an unspeakable ideal of what has taken centuries to create and express. I find myself questioning this sensation of what is considered beautiful.

Myth after myth describe the Goddess and Gods, their perfectly toned bodies, their musical talents and warrior mentalities in such a way as to make them the pinnacle of what a perfect human should look and act like. Apollo with his unbeatable musical ability, Aphrodite with her unattainable beauty and charm, Athena and Zeus with their powers of war and protection all seem to be the standard for what we still see today at the “perfect” human. We look for these characteristics in lovers and friends, “Is he handsome? Is she skinny? Can they protect me? Fight for me? Create music or dance?” All ideals which have been personified in Greek myth and art. But how real are these standards, how can any mortal ever live up to these kinds of perfection?

I have talked with some of the most “beautiful” people I know and listened to them all speak of their lack of this “perfection”. From my eyes, they evoke an overwhelming sensation of beauty, but when looked at through their own eyes they see a void, a pedestal unreachable, reserved only for the Goddesses and Gods of today that fill pages of magazines and dominate television and movies. The way I see beauty is by all means influenced by this design of ideal beauty. Every westernized country is filled with advertisements directed at the very impressionable youth, teaching them from a young age what “beauty” is and how to embody it. The more I interact with this ideal the more I begin to see it as a fallacy, almost the opposite of what real beauty is. I have started drawing these people that will never live up to their own idea of beauty. I sit and stare at, what in their minds are imperfections, and think how much character and life these “imperfections” hold. The wrinkles around the eyes, the womanly curves around a belly button, the shadow cast by a breast, all features I focus on and see as the most beautiful, are grounds for plastic surgery, dieting, and lack of self-esteem. This contradiction between what my eyes see and what the world of ideal beauty sees is strengthening my drawing skills everyday. The more I focus on my version of ideal beauty the more I see the faults in a society driven by such an unrealistic standard of beauty. I see the plastic faces of television and airbrushed features in advertisements and feel only a sense of disgust with no urge to draw them or recreate them in any way. On the contrary the wrinkles of an old women or the double chin of the man across from me send my mind into a full on artistic frenzy.

My ideal beauty is life, lived hard with struggles shown in lines on the face and weight around the belly, scares and horns. I find myself photographing and drawing people most wouldn’t give a second look, and finding the most beauty in their “imperfections”.

It is amazing how in a time span of over 3,000 years the stories of the myth of beauty are still the same. Aphrodite, the beautiful, is still the one the boys fight over; Artemis, the virgin, is still trying to be conquered; Hera, the older women, is still being cheated on with younger women; Hephaestus, the lame, is still being ridiculed by his friends and family, and Zeus, almighty man, is still in power. The ideals of the perfect human are still being perpetuated today. Every mainstream television show and movie has the same base of characters as the mythology surrounding the Greek pantheon of Gods. Only now, rather than watching a play in a beautifully designed outdoor theater, we sit and watch via cable and satellite, being force feed commercials after commercial telling us what “real beauty” is all about; white teeth, flat bellies, long flowing hair, designer jeans and a new car.

The myth of the ideal human, their beauty and power, have become more than just a myth of the Gods acted out on stage, it has become the impossible reality of a whole society. This myth turned reality is what is driving my artistic choices and catching my attention turning my daily drawings and thoughts into my own version of ideal beauty. I am rewriting the myth of ideal beauty in my mind to create my own version of this age-old myth.

The Myth of Beauty

Ideal Beauty: the term most used to describe the classical period of Greek sculpture, yet also splashed across magazines and billboards of today. Idealized human forms, bodies of immaculate muscular tone, breasts full and round, gazes subtle but striking, cloth draped just falling off the hip, the “perfect” human. The Greeks of the 4th and 5th century were seemingly obsessed with creating the perfect, idealized human. The sculptures that fill museums and adorn tops of buildings are the symbols of, what most would call, ideal beauty. A picture of beauty so unattainable, yet so desirable, that it holds much of classical mythology in its grasp and at the same time has created a version of beauty society still clings to to this day. Aphrodite, goddess of beauty and love, symbolizes and perpetuates this ideal beauty. She transcends time and has represented the standard of beauty throughout the centuries, helping to create our modern day version of what is classified as beautiful. From the sculptures representing Aphrodite by Polykleitos, dating back to 440 BCE to the photographs of super models that plaster modern day streets, the design of ideal beauty has not changed much. In the classical era sculptors took liberties with their art, taking a human model and literally chiseling their bodies to “perfection”. In the same way photographers use the chisels of today, photo shop, to create the same unattainable version of beauty.
For the past two weeks I have had the pleasure of mingling with the modern day version of classical Greek sculpture: professional models. Just as 2000 years ago, these models are beautiful, more so than the average person on the street, yet no more perfect than anyone else. As we sit and chat over dinner I see them as humans, full of imperfections just like myself, but once made up by professional make-up artists, wearing designer clothes, light to perfection, photographed by world renowned artists, photo shopped, and printed in high resolution, the are the, no pun intended, the picture of ideal beauty.
This myth, the myth of beauty has worked its way around time and through space only to show up right back where it stated, here in Greece. It is almost too perfect that I should meet these people here, in the birthplace of ideal beauty. The stories of the beauty of Aphrodite, her tampering with the love lives of mortals and those of the gods transcends into the photographs taken of my new friends. Each photo is like a myth in itself: the tension of lovers, the unattainable, the temptation of ideal beauty, all show themselves in the advertisements plastered in the windows of every clothing store you pass.
The myths of Aphrodite and her beauty have grasped the imaginations of artist of the past and also the present. They have all tried to express her beauty, hold her power over love, and recreate her legend. Her myth has turned into our myth, her ideal beauty has become our idea of beauty, her unattainable nature drives the myths of Hollywood and world of fashion, and confines many of our ideas of love to the world of “Prince Charming and Cinderella”. Aphrodite has been the symbol of Ideal Beauty for centuries and still is today, transformed from a goddess ruling high on Mt. Olympus to the advertisements that fill the streets.

Shout Out To My Foodies

I have been here in Greece for a little under a month now and I have failed to mention my favorite part of this beautiful country... THE FOOD!!!!! Oh my, oh my, oh God!!!! Everywhere you turn there is something to eat. The markets of Athens were seemingly unchanged for the last 3000 years. The meat market, or rather, city block of goats, pigs, chickens and sides of beef hanging in free air, a river of blood beneath your shoes, men screaming, "Marry me Marry me!!! Beautiful girl!!!", pinching my cheek, fingers slick with animal fat and blood, would make the USDA have a fucking stroke! All you have to do is point at what kind and show with you hands how much and with terrifying speed and grace , CHOP, SLAM, BAG, DONE, lamb chops and rosemary for dinner. Just out side the scent of fresh baked bread, citrus fruit and the sea combine inside your soul to the point of pure extacy. The cheese market oh, the Cheese, let me say it again, CCCHHEEESSSEEE, oh the chesse!!! Everyday, without the least bit of shame, I watch my feta belly grow. I never dreamed that there so many different kinds of feta: goat, cow, sheep, creamy, brittle, sour, sweet, the list could go on for days and that is just the feta!! Last night I had a four year old piece of Mizithra from the city of Delphi: salty, dry, crumbling goodness. I was also lucky enough to taste olives from the same region, harvested from a 400 year-old tree; vibrate purple busting with the aroma and flavor of the earth, filling your mouth the purest oil this land has to offer. Each and everytime I eat; eggs, bread, cured meats, cheese, I shout out, unable to stop myself, "I LOVE THIS COUNRTY!". Every bite of food I taste with my eyes, lips, taste buds, but most of all, my soul. With every meal I can taste the earth, the richness of the soil that feeds all that I eat. At almost every meal with friends I say, "You will make me fat!" only to hear in return," Good, it gives you life!"; I don't think I could ask for a better answer. I would rather have a belly bulging with freshest feta and richest olive oil than live all my days skinny and lacking life!!! To all of my foodies out there, and you know who you are, be jealous, be sooo jealous!!!!

Archaic Creative Knowledge

“Along with this recollection there came to me, for the first time, the conviction that there are archaic psychic components which have entered the individual psyche without any direct line of tradition… the creative impulse being one.” Carl G. Jung

We all share some kind of link to the people that have walked this earth before our time. There is some ruminate of their lives that hangs around in this one. The way we feel we “know” things that we have no reason for knowing is a perfect example of this connection. Here, in Greece, I have felt that I somehow know the stories of the Gods before I read them, that there is some archaic knowledge that I have inside me, some connection to the past. The monomyth is the only was for me to understand this shared knowledge.

The idea that there is an archetype that all stories fall into is so present here. Each myth has some part that has transcended years of history and magnitudes of cultural tradition to reach each of us in its own way. The stories of the Greek Gods are mirrored in many Christian stories written, sometimes, thousands of years apart. The story of Noah and the great flood directly follows the story of Zeus’ wrathful decision to have Poseidon flood the earth. In the story of Zeus, he keeps two humans alive in a wooden chest that floats the sea for many days until he feel pity for them and tells Poseidon to make the waters recede. The Greek pantheon of Gods also mirrors many Hindu Gods. In each the Gods take many shapes, each having a multitude of avatars. Both share the sometimes confusing nature of changing names and powers. The Goddess’ Kali and Athena both change names and powers with their moods and circumstances, changing from Gods of creation to Gods of destruction.

The creative impulse to tell myths is one every culture around the world shares. Each myth mirrors another, back and forth throughout all of time. With this kind of knowledge being shared through story it is no wonder we all share more than just what lies right in front of us, we share ideas, we share each of our own stories through the greater collective mind. There is an archaic knowledge we tap into every time we use our creative minds. Through story, sculpture, painting, music and all art forms, we share a piece of ourselves with the future and the past connection all times and culture through one net of creation.

Rainy days, Oly mind!

Rainy day on the island, makes me feel at home. I am on the island of Mykonos. It is about a 6 hour ferry ride from Athens through the turquoise waters of the Mediterranean sea. Lola and I are staying at a great family run hotel called The Lefteris, the owner Costis is amazing, he has been checking up on us every day and making sure we are safe and sound. He has a degree in philosophy of art, perfect person for me to know! The island is so slow, all the stores are closed and the streets are empty. Everywhere you look there are signs for Rolex and Cartier, hard to imagine that in the summer this is the party town of Greece. It is so nice to be out of Athens. I looooved it but it was a bit too much for my slow paced Oly mind to grasp. Lola and I going to the small museum here that Costis recommended. hopefully the rain lets up tomorrow and we can hit the streets on our scooters and see the rest of this beautiful place!
I am working on a map of Greece that I will post soon so you all can put a place to a name! More to come soon!!!!!

Apollo and Artemis… Lars and I

Here on the island of Mykonos, dotted with the picturesque blue and white buildings of the Greek Isles, I look across the Mediterranean to the tiny island of Delos. On the island of Delos, the birthplace of Apollo and his twin sister, Artemis, the children of the God Zeus and the Titaness Leto, sits one of the many sacred archeological sites in Greece. The only inhabitants are the gods themselves. The island holds a temple dedicated to the brother-sister duo that are know for their love and protectiveness toward each other. Here, in Greece, the bond of a brother and sister is one not to be tampered with or taken lightly. This bond is something god-like, unbreakable by any circumstance. Every restaurant, travel agency, hotel and bar is either owned or operated by sibling and cousins. The family is of utmost impotence in daily Greek life. On the streets, in the cafes and everywhere you turn you see brothers and sisters laughing and fighting, loving and sharing life. The family unit is much like the pantheon of Greek Gods, a mess of drama and rivalry held together by love and overwhelming protectiveness.

Almost all of the stories of Apollo and Artemis are about how they protect and love each other. In one, Artemis is fighting off two brothers trying to rape her. Just in the nick of time Apollo sends a deer between the two brothers. The brothers shoot for the deer, miss, and accidentally kill each other. In another Artemis and Apollo team up to kill the giant Tityus after trying to rape their mother, Leto. Many stories tell of the brother-sister duo avenging their mother’s honor by killing off any being trying to bring harm upon her. Defending family honor is the responsibility of every sibling in Greece. If any man is rude or inappropriate to a Greek women, he better be ready for the wrath of her brothers. It goes for any women, if you break a boy’s heart you better know his sisters will hunt you down!

I see myself and my brother, Lars, mirrored in every story of Artemis and Apollo. Apollo is the god of youth, music and healing. Lars, my younger brother is a musician with one of the biggest hearts I have ever encountered. He has always been concerned with the well being of others, stopping his own life to care for those around him, healing them with his music and kind words. Lars, without a second thought, has many times offered to kill the men that have broken my heart. He would gladly but himself in danger to protect my honor and safety just as Apollo would for his sister, Artemis. Artemis, the goddess of wild animals and the hunt reminds me of my own love for the wildness of nature. I have lived most of my adult life in the wilderness of Idaho and Montana hiking and fly-fishing their great mountains and rivers. As a team, Artemis and Apollo and Lars and I, have taken on the world, protecting our families and each other. The myths of family ties of the gods and the myths of my family ties are one in the same; love and protection rule the family here and on Mt. Olympus.

PS: Lolas blog is.... www.medicineandmythology.wordpress.com

and her Fliker is....http://www.flickr.com/photos/medicineandmythology

And my Flicker, that has been taking WAY too long to upload is...www.flikr.com/photos/andreaerpenbach

Athens, Athena and Me

"When Zeus swallowed his wife Metis she had been about to give birth to a child. Shortly afterwards Zeus was tortured by an intolerable headache. To cure him Hephaestus - split open his skull with a bronze axe and from the gaping wound, shouting a triumphant cry of victory, sprang Athena - fully armed and brandishing a sharp javelin. At the sight, all the Immortals were struck with astonishment and filled with awe. Great Olympus was profoundly shaken by the dash and impetuosity of the bright-eyed Goddess. The earth echoed with a terrible sound, the sea trembled and its dark waves rose. . . " (www.goddess-athena.org)
Here in the city named in her honor, Athena rules from high atop the Acropolis. Her Parthenon is the center of every view in Athens. Athena is everywhere here, not only in the hundreds of sculptures throughout the city but also in every Greek woman I see. The Athenian women are warriors, goddesses, fully armed and ready for battle. They walk with heads held high, voices steady and booming, showing no fear of any man or beast. Women, young and old, own this city. The men here might be the heads but the women are the necks, and the head moves in which ever way the neck tells it to. They all seem to be, just as Athena, born fully grown, ready to take on the world. Girls no more than 7 years old sit alone on the streets, playing music with no fear of the outside world. Old women bearing canes and crooked backs weave in and out of the hundreds of market goers, shouting orders over the crowds. The men here, young and old, see the goddess in them all and respect her with the fear she deserves.
I also feel the goddess Athena in the streets and in myself. Being born fully grown and ready for battle is something I'm sure my mother will will say embodies me perfectly. I have been ready to take on the world from the time I was born. When my father tells the story of my birth he makes a point to say that I came out bright-eyed and without tears, crying, or fear, ready to be a fighter in this world. I have always seen myself as "grown-up". My first memory is of running away from my mother at the age of 2. I remember vividly saying to myself, "I don't need Mom, I am going out on my own". I left her at the shopping mall and found a home of my own under a rack of dresses. I was "missing" for well over an hour, my panicked mother doing everything she could to find me while I sat peacefully in my new home under that rack of dresses in the middle of Bellvue Square. I feel the connection to the power of Athena. Her warrior attitude is something I carry with me everyday and feel has given me the fearless face to take on the world. I have traveled all my life with this feeling, not knowing exactly where it came from, but here in the city which bares her name, I have found my inner Athena.

Athens and Andi

Alright, here we go! I am officially in Athens!!! 40 hours, 2 epic plane rides, 10 hours in Amsterdam, one good nights sleep and here we are! The city is amazing and the people are epic! We have made friends at every turn, Im sure it helps that we are two ladies who look a bit lost at every turn. Everyone has been more than helpful! Vaios, a beautiful man from Athens, helped us find our bus, talked to the driver, made sure he stopped at our hotel, offered to walk us to the door and has invited us to dinner tomorrow night. I feel that we are off to a pretty amazing start!
I have been reading Carl Jung's, "Memories, Dreams, Reflections" today. In the first few pages he speaks of his memories of travel and the people he has met along the way, "...all memory of outer events has faded, and perhaps these 'outer' experiences were never so very essential anyhow, or were so only in that they coincided with phases of my inner development." He speaks of the parts of memories that stay with us, the feelings, the senses, the meaning behind the faces we see, the energies and interconnectedness we see from inside. I feel that these faces and places will fade in my mind but the feeling I have now will be a part of my inner being, growing and changing for all time. Being a part of this culture, this city, this moment is all the proof I need to know that the collective unconsciousness, is and always has been, a part of my inner world. An inner world that reflects and projects the same story all of us follow, the one myth that we all know, each our own, yet so individual that sometimes we forget that it is the one truth in this life, the string that connects us all, the story of me, the story of you; It is OUR myth, together and alone, one and many, each linked in this translucent web we all hang in. My myth is yours to read, but also yours to create, follow and live.

Amsterdam..1 pm to the city, 4 am to me...

Ahhh, Amsterdam, beauty, sex, bikes, more bikes and more sex! This city is amazing! 10 hour layover, what to do...? Visit the Sex Museum!!! The history of sex from the ancient world to now. The best 4€ I have ever spent!! Lola and I are enjoying Dutch cheese and the sights, headed to catch a flight to Athens this evening... More to come once I get my euro legs on!!

Pre-Travel Jitters

Here is my call to adventure, 24 hours until take off, one bag, 5 books and a sack of broken charcoal and pastels. 5 countries, 10 weeks, 2 bunnies and the world at our feet!!! I will be posting from my iPhone so please excuse the small type-o's from the auto correct! Stay tuned for more to come, aero port entry tomorrow, Amsterdam here I come!!!