It's easy enough to imagine that to ancient people, the snake symbolized power, speed, cunning, and even deadliness, and at times these attributes were respected and revered. While the normal academic interpretation of this may tend to tell us that the ancients sought through sympathetic magick, by supplicating or revering the images of serpents or their attributes, to gain the favor of the creatures, or the boon of peace with them. Perhaps this is so…

But perhaps also, we have seen or may see enough of traditional ways, in the sense of the sizable and elaborate efforts to make material provisions that subtly accompany the powerful ancient figures of myth, and in the development of sizable and elaborate pharmacopaeae, such the enormous lists of "snake-bite remedies", to surmise that such sympathetic interactions have are supported by relatively weak arguments, if one view must exclude or take precedence over the other. In observing such a formidable effort to take matters in their own hands, we may be seeing what can clearly indicate that there was no substantial expectation for the magickal to prevail here, as opposed to the prevalence of the ancient and honored crafts of herbalism and healing.

In other words, when we find the image of the serpent in ancient works, we have some cause to experimentally consider in each individual instance if it is not first and foremost a symbol used to indicate certain groups of healing issues. Such methods have seemingly proven to be true time and again, that central figures from various pantheons and the attached stories and legends have, of necessity, served as a vehicle for dissemination of various folk and earth wisdom, just as, too, has the craft of the herbalist prevailed even alongside of more spiritually oriented kinds of shamanism.

While of course the values of symbols are matters of individual interpretation, and it is unfair to assign labels such as the "right way" or the "wrong way" to interpret them, there remains a relevant and practical dimension that is sometimes missed. In this dimension, the association of various plants with Artemis may exceed the groups of affiliations with a small number of plants and then the Artemisias and some other members of the Composites.

The Aztec goddess Coatlicue (Coatlique) is depicted with unusual squaring of her features. She is recognizably a birth or maternal goddess, comparable to Artemis. The Mesoamerican pantheon also features other comparable goddesses and appropriately, it's own Mugwort goddess. Such attributes as the squaring of features, however, may never have been well explained, if at all.

We can see here another application of the Doctrine of Signatures at work in associating the serpent icon with the maternal issues, for not only is such an association typical in the folklore of , since they are known for repelling venomous creatures and having pertinence to women's medicine, but we can also be called upon by the powerful iconography to further contemplate appropriate issues. The Doctrine can be made to apply so that serpents or other reptiles symbolize infants at birth, because the umbilical cord is serpentine, and because babies are, if somewhat fancifully, smooth, slippery, and hairless at birth. Hence, whatever medicines fulfill both of these categories may be commemorated and taught in such a fashion.

Such commemorations are also seen in the ethnobotany of the Hopi. Certain plants were known to the Hopi as "weasel medicines", because weasels tunnel or burrow, recalling the passage of the infant through the birth canal, and therefore used internally and externally in cases of protracted labor. That is, an animal's attributes was used to complete the connection between various concepts and its use in a method that is part of the Doctrine of Signatures.

Hence, the snake or worm would likewise serve as symbols of this capacity. This could easily be extended to other creatures which fulfill these criteria: dolphins or other sea creatures such as seals, for example, or any rodents which are known for burrowing homes.

Some of the other appropriate issues that can be expressed in such rationale as used as maintained by various native peoples might be that the serpent should symbolize birth or triggering of labor because if a pregnant woman is frightened by a serpent, the fear and excitement may trigger a miscarriage. If there is something that nature provides to prevent this from happening in fact, it too is capable of being effectively commemorated with the basic iconography and use of ideograms that is incorporated.

The squaring itself may for one thing refer to a loss of this ability to pass smoothly through something, and hence symbolize the difficult births for which Artemisias and other similar plants would be applied medicinally. Even to recount the difficult or discomfort we would associate with the expression, "a square peg in a round hole", and apply it conceptually to the process of birth, would be relevant.

Such concepts surrounding the act of birth are indeed noted to be part of the lore of Coatlicue, and there is more.

Still, something we should not overlook here is the possibility that the features of Coatlicue in the image are like the breasts of Artemis of Ephesus; that is, that they are directly symbolic of some members of the vegetable kingdom and their characteristics, just as the breast of Artemis may correctly symbolize pine nuts, figs, grapes, and other relevant botanicals.

Such squaring is found in the stems of the Mint Family, Lamiaceae (fomerly Labiatae). It is generally regarded as one of the most characteristic features of this family, along with lipped flowers- which occur, however, in many other families (Ochidaceae, Lobeliaceae, Balsaminaceae, etc.). The square stem may be the identifying feature of the family of plants overall, occurring in other families of plants with very few exceptions.

Just as the pine in it's association with Artemis comprises a "hard and fast" lesson in rudimentary survival, this same kind of connotation may be affiliated with the Mint Family as well; plants of the Mint Family in general seem to possess astonishingly low occurrences of toxic members. As a general rule of thumb, if risking ingestion of any plant where a lack of botanical expertise could lead to misidentification and subsequently, poisoning, the lowest risk may be when ingesting a plant with a square stem if resorting to an unknown plant out of sheer hunger and desperation.

While the Mint Family is not without plants which have been utilized both as safe medicinals and for food, it should be remembered that the most fundamental need in human survival is the need for water. The use of any plant material as a source of minimum human needs of water, and the ability of the Mint Family and it's square-stemmed members to provide for this need with the least risk of accidental toxicity, may therefore cause the square-stem to conceptually synonymous with water.

Quetzacoatl as a serpent with the squared mouth from serpent fangs, surrounded by water along with another universal Aztec symbol of water, seashells. Note the forms surrounding the head and to the right; the head bears a collar that more resembles the petal arrays of the Asteraceae or Composite family, a family that is second in utility and ease of recognition by this feature, to the mint family.

The shapes to its right may be given to interpretation, but one thing they bear incredible resemblance to in the context that is purported in this work is the labiate flowers of the Mint Family.

Here is powerful evidence of the use of mythological characters and symbols to communicate the basic initial rudiments of botany to the average person, knowledge that can prove inevitably essential to both the survival of the individual, and to the conservation and protection of the plant specie on which human and other life relies.

The association of it with these peculiar images of squared serpents, serpents which occur symbolically along with water, may serve as further reinforcement of this basic premise of human survival in adverse or wilderness conditions, and the maternal aspects of Coatlique may, like the same associations with Artemis, help underscore the importance of imparting this knowledge of survival skills to children at as an early and age as possible.

While it is indeed an over-generalization to proclaim a whole family of plants safe for consumption of indefinite amounts or sloganize, "If the stem is square, don't be scared", it is nonetheless an over-generalization potentially capable of saving countless lives.

Not ironically, one of the most striking exceptions to this rule is Mentha pulegium (English pennyroyal), containing pulegone, which can trigger labor, and therefore, like the Artemisias, must be avoided by pregnant mothers to fully rule out any risk of triggering miscarriage. Possessed of an unusually pungent and sweet mint scent, it might be all to easily mistaken as a safe herbal tea by mothers who are giving up caffeine and other substances in order to insure a healthy pregnancy. It is not as a rule sold with appropriate warnings, nor often enough included in informative literature, and still constitutes a genuine risk. Perhaps we will find that what such a risk calls for, is a campaign of public awareness which will ultimately be in its own way similar to the one which it is implied here that the ancient Aztec and other cultures undertook. (It may yet be borne out that other mints, perhaps in great excess, should be eyed with similar cautions. It may be correct to regard American Pennyroyal, Hedeoma pulegiodes, exactly as one regard English pennyroyal in this respect).

It can be difficult for the Signature herbalist, or any herbalist, to be wary of such dangers at face value when looking at the plant in question. It tends to require encountering the plant at times when it is given to partial prostration or geniculation of the stem, just like wormwood, and a reddish coloration that can anomalously appear that is not natural to the genus Mentha nor to all of the genus Hedeoma. Still, the plant has been known to seemingly announce this caution, according to the Doctrine of Signatures.

Based on such a premise alone, that the square stem may have become synonymous with water, we might expect certain water or rain deities to also possess an unusual squaring. This is exactly the case. Numerous images of rain deities such as adorn some of the Mexican pyramids feature squared dragon or serpent-like forms, whose alignment of teeth in the mouth also form squares, giving these figures an unusual and distinctive look.

Hence, adding some iconography which combines ethnobotany with pictograms or ideograms, we can cause to rise from the rubble of views which promote the idea of human sacrifice and elitist preisthoods, another view of a benevolent people taking great public pains to promote both the preservation of human life and the appreciation of the plant environment, two responsibilities which inevitably belong to within any hierarchy in question.

There is still more to be added, if necessary. Coatlique seems, somehow, associated with hummingbirds; the attraction of hummingbirds is also a characteristic of a number of Mints indigenous to Mexico or the southwest, including not only many Salvias, but a number of members of the wild hyssops (genus Agastache) as well.

And even yet, there is a great deal more that might be added. Had the ancients noticed high amounts of coincidence between plants which treated snakebite, and those which pertained to gynecological or obstetric medicine? Had they noticed recurrences of the same plants amongst those which treated snakebite and those which treated water? Indeed, a sizable number of the Mint Family do in fact yield both antiseptic agents, and have reputations for treating snakebite going back hundreds and even thousands of years. Thymes and oreganos are two groups of herbs which often yield thymol, which enjoys vast popularity as an antiseptic, and is exceedingly common in mouthwashes and rinses.

This particular rendition of Tlaloc does not seem to contain much to affiliate him with the Signature morphology of the Mint Family. Nonetheless, the very seat he is sitting on is squared. Here, his mustache is stylized as a serpent. In context, this can signify the utility and significance of filtration of water as a means of purification. It is by no means ruled out that the ancient sailors of the Mediterranean received similar instruction and reminders from various versions of Artemis, such as those which feature a rope headband. Such a possession, if correctly made, might allow the wicking up of water while resisting some of the salt which it contains, thus acting as a water purifier and allowing someone marooned on an island or adrift at sea to obtain a minimum of fresh water when surrounded by salt water alone. Likewise, the Cretan form of Artemis, Diktyanna, and her affiliated plant, Origanum dictamnus (Dittany of Crete), or similar plants, might have served a purpose of either accumulating moisture or water purification by means of filtration, or both.

Note that the following image of the Cretan "snake goddess", who may be a form of Artemis, is wearing a rather unusual and perhaps uncharacteristic "petticoat", which might be better explained as a stylization and personification of the flower bracts of Dittany of Crete itself. The outermost garment possess the cross-hatching that is characteristic of the actual structure of the bracts, and a conceptual associative of the sea-goddess, a fish-net. The multiple skirts may inevitably symbolize the efficacy of using multiple filters or filtering water numerous times. So too does it conveniently manage to enfold once again the topic of hair, the very absence of which (or presence), once again, can be construed as an indicator or mnemonic device for the commemoration of various plants which can play roles in the birth process in natural medicine.

Thus, rather than merely magickally or wishfully seek the desirable attributes of serpents alone, so too did the ancients seem to have had a great likelihood of creating the desired abilities within themselves through keen understaning of the mechanics of life and the characteristics of the natural products which were at their disposal. Rather than a goddess of morbid and threatening images of power and intimidation, we may produce evidence of a goddess of wise and gentle nutrition and medicine, carved timelessly into striking and unforgettable figures.

Still, there is a great deal that more that might be inferred from this particular sort of image, in reference to the contexts of survival and motherhood as well. One issue which it seems to conjure up rather eloquently by employment of ideograms associating the lightning-fast serpents with the forearms might be how fast a Cretan mother's arms have to move to snatch hold of the clothing of a wayward child and pull them away from the edge of the sea-cliffs of the island- the very sea-cliffs from which Diktyanna is forced to jump in her myth, and from which Diktyanna's "vegetable effigy", Origanum dictamnus grow, with it's pendulant blossoms dangling from silver plants which arise from cracks and tiny ledges in cliffs hanging over the sea. How fast indeed, might one react, to quickly snag a child from the path of this or a great many other dangers?

Thus, too, we might wonder what nature provides for the rapid reflexes and alertness of mothers for whom dangerous places may be part of the everyday environment of their children. What is clear is that a great many stimulants are contraindicated by the continual need for such blessings, since most of them are inappropriate for long term use, and many can cause liver damage. Not ironically, not only are many of the herbs associated with Artemis are known in endless numbers of cultures as stimulant without being stimulants, that is, they are known for their ability to promote stamina and alertness through being tonics instead, and with the number of them that are recommended for use in the form of being put in the shoe, may act on the nerve endings addressed in acupuncture in order to act, and may promote alertness and fast response without acting on the organs directly. Also intriguing but not ironic here is the amount of material implying or confirming that Artemisias correctly and skillfully employed can be healing to the liver.

This, however, must all address one other very important thing owing to the reputation of many of the Goddess' herbs of causing miscarriage if there is exposure earlier than an appropriate time for birth, and that is the question of how a woman who is presently with child might yet enjoy such tonic herbs, if there are any, which are safe, in order to better attend previous children while carrying the next.

The answer to this may even lie not in enhancing her own cognitive powers, but striking at the root of the dangerous disobedience by enhancing the cognitive powers of mischievious children.

At present, such cognitive enhancers are found amongst the "smart drugs" or brain-boosting nutritional suppliments which already include a number of amino acids; they have already been established to be useful in promoting behavioral modification nutritionally in various cases of both problematic children and adults.

Thus, in the case of the Mints especially, there is another possibility we should not rule out, besides relatively safe tonic effects and obtaining water for survival, and that is the possibility that the tonic effects arise nutritionally, as suggested by the researches of Alan Kapuler. One of astonishingly few people to investigate the mint family for the presence of free amino acids, and perhaps the only person to do substantial research in the area, the results are promising. Alan suggests exactly this, that certain free amino acids found in substantial amounts may be responsible for the tonic effects of some mints. (Additionally, certain chemicals which may be precursors to free amino acids may either possess similar biological activity, or even serve as precursors to free amino acids in the body).

There are many Signatures which occur in the Mint Family which imply free amino acids also; many sages for example, possess leaves which are pebbled as to rather resemble the skin of certain cooked poultry. Poultry in turn is a noted source of certain free amino acids such as tyrosine, which is known to have significant anti-depressant properties. Hence the ethnobotanical use of certain Salvias as anti-depressants, or to restore a sense of "euphoria", may yet be proven to lie in free amino acid components rather than their diterpene consitutents alone, as a rule.

Perhaps such free amino acids might also play a role in inhibiting venom enzymes. One possible corroborative would be if the phosophorylated tryptophan associated with HIV is by phosphorylation deprived of any ability to inhibit such enzymes as trypsin, perhaps significantly related to the therapeutic role of protease inhibitors in HIV.

What this may mean ethnologically is that certain artifacts may be carrying these messages under the appropriate icons, and by understanding the icons better, we can better appreciate any universal nature they may possess. Already, it is easier to see the possible powerful connections between European and Mesoamerican goddesses by taking such issues into consideration.

In this case, some of the less mentioned forms of Artemis may be applicable. Artemis, besides the formidable association with the pine, is also associated with certain nut trees, such as the walnut, as in her form, Artemis-Carya.

The walnut, besides being a splendid example of the Doctrine of Signatures for its resemblance to the brain and its astronomically unlikely content of neurotransmitters that are exceedingly rare in the plant kingdom, may illuminate Artemis as a goddess of wisdom, or again, alertness and vigilance. Failing the occurance of serotonin, similar needs may be again supplied by similar substances such as certain free amino acids like tyrosine, but also notably, certain ethnobotanical use of the walnut refers to worms, such as the application of parts of the plant as a vermicide or vermifuge. So, too, is the walnut worthy of approach with caution in the case of pregnancy, just like the Artemisias, for this effect too is reported from collection of ethnobotanical information.

So far, we have hardly touched on some of the forms of Artemis, or the way in which the ancients also incorporated Astrology into their iconography. Such enhancements of mental clarity might be assigned, by such classical herbalists as Nicolas Culpeper, to the planet Mercury, and the sign Gemini, if not Virgo, because of such properties. Not inappropriately to these attributes, is the form of the head of Coatlicue, and its divisive appearance, nor once again the theme of vigilance and alertness.

(Likewise is the theme of serpents literally used as clothing by Coatlicue. It is not far from an interesting application of the Doctrine of Signatures. Under the premise that the Doctrine promotes, namely that whatever one needs will almost literally be found under someone's own feet when they need it, certain persons have demonstrated the great resourcefulness to literally do so in the case of snakebite, quickly killing and skinning the poisonous snake that bit them, and peeling off the skin to use as a tournequet. Having happened to one of a pair of pedestrians walking along a highway, the physician who treated him said that this quick and creative thinking is very likely the only thing which saved his life. We cannot afford to feel unprovided for, when in fact, given a small amount of alertness, and quick thinking we are not unprovided for at all.)

Even more so, does the symbol go deeper? Does it universally symbolize the presence of nearby water? Underground water? Or, in a fashion typical for the miraculous science of the ancients found on the pages of this site, did they use their "magick" to make water flow from these stones, after the fashion of Moses? Similar patterns to the one on the left are found in crop circles, implying harmonic, magentic, and vorticular sciences may be at work, and such a simple extention of dowsing technology is easily capable of the feat.

Another interesting example of quite possibly the very same things might be found in the petroglyph of Tsagalala, "She who watches". An ancient Amerindian artwork found on a stone cliff face, found in Horse Thief State Park, east of the town of Stevenson, in Southern Washington state, she stands intriguingly and enigmatically watching with owl-like eyes. The image is a combination petroglyph and pictograph, being both carved into the rock face, as well as painted.

One feature that is immediately striking, especially in context, is that the mouth seems to be squared, as if the shape should signify food, and water, and vigilance and alertness… those very possible attributes of certain herbs which we have been discussing thus far.

One tourist attraction close to the area sells small and rather faithful reproductions of Tsagalalal. I have yet to determine if the addition of a sign resembling that of Pisces, a water sign of the Zodiac, can actually be found in the petroglyph by careful enough examination, or whether it represents perhaps something of a sacred intuition on the part of the artist. An additional icon that associates the square with water, and the protein staples of fish and fowl, it does little to discourage the train of though. Instead, it propels it forward… we might stop to recognize that water itself possesses tonic properties… that the responsible mother in potentially inhospitable environment cannot afford the sluggishness of heavy meals, poor ones, and might promote her alertness and agility with adequate water as well as light meats… and even by employing the same tonics once again to promote both stamina, and to suppress appetite.

The cleft head that is characteristic of the image of Coatlicue is far more pronounced here. Peculiar and impossible for animals, the cleft head bears great resemblance to cleft lip of many flowers plants of the Mint Family, particularly some of the Salvias. Such a morphology may, eclectically speaking, symbolize both the brain, and the pelvis or hips.

The implications of the former are obvious, owing to the context and a sizable number of Mexican or Southwestern Salvias whose seed is utilized as food, often known as "chia" and their protein content, and the context present, but the latter may also involve Astrology, since the pelvis, hips or thighs may be placed under the rulership of Sagittarius, conveniently opposite the avian, cereberal Gemini but also symbolizable as an owl, is frequently assigned the Sages. The words, "sage" and "Sagittarius" may both derive from a common root.

Interestingly, and not suprisingly, just to name an example, an Agastache that is found in the Southwest, through Oregon, and even into Eastern Washington, happens to also be the same Agastache which Dan Moerman's "American Indian Ethnobotany" database contains a record of having had its seeds utilized as food.

Much could be added of the science that underlies the superstition of creating luck, and luck in hunting, for it may be the same brain chemistry that promotes feelings of confidence and competence, and actual coordination, i.e., "luck", through the use of certain plants, which also promotes alertness and vigilance and the ability to skillfully and rapidly move to someone's rescue, thereby avoiding incidences which the greatest healings may still find most challenging to repair.

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