Meet Cover Kid Artemis and her mom Rilee Burgan
Rilee Burgan and her daughter, Artemis, love nature and live on their beautiful northern New Mexico farm.
How do you and Artemis like to spend your time?
Rilee: Artemis and I love to spend our time in nature. For example, sitting by a river and touching the water is just such a great reprieve from a semi-modern lifestyle, where indoors-time takes a fair amount of our day. We do some daily fun activities with our farm animals, enjoying time playing with our dogs, goats, and kitties, as well as collecting chicken eggs, and helping her ‘dada’ in the garden. Artemis also loves music and grooving along to a good beat! Most importantly, we love learning about new things and what things are called, which I think gives her the best sense of time well-spent.
What advice do you have for other parents?
Rilee: Parents should know that our children teach us many valuable lessons such as having endurance and patience, on the one hand, and living in the moment with a happy heart on the other. I believe that, as a parent, providing your most potent form of devotional love and protection requires that one cherish and learn from lessons received from our children along the journey, together. When we meet them at their level so to speak, whether through having to cradle them though a fit and tantrum, or by admiring their cute curiosity and new appreciation for the world, our bonding is established. So, with that, comes along our need to deepen or grow that bond in order to expand our child’s horizons. In order to do so, we must engage in a constant learning process. We must ask, “what is good, or right, for you?” They tell us what they need and it our job as parents to listen to those demands. Furthermore, the way our children see the world will be partly shaped by how we respond to their needs. Likewise, our children will bloom into their own sovereign beings, directly as a response to the subtle ways that they were nurtured.
What's the funniest story you have about being a mother?
Rilee: Hmmm… for some reason this is the most difficult question. Although there have been plenty of funny moments where we find ourselves belly laughing together, it always seems to be over something quite silly that I can’t ever remember. Perhaps the funniest and sweetest story about being a mother so far, is when Artemis began blowing kisses to her dada, particularly in the garden right before bedtime, to clearly let him know she wanted to go to sleep. It is a part of the evening ritual now, and was hilarious when it started, watching her tell him how it is, “I’m tired dad, so I’m gonna blow you kisses now.”
What product can you not live without right now?
Rilee: Choosing a favorite product is difficult at the moment because my husband and I are currently handcrafting our own line of traditional herbal remedies. But, if I had to choose one, I don’t think I could live without our fine powder of the herb tulsi, or Holy Basil. It’s such a joyous herb to partake in, used as a tea with some honey and raw cream or milk. Relaxing, and invigorating… We are also working towards our near future goal of offering ceremonial cacao from family farms in Ecuador. You can find our collection of products at devamundi.com (coming soon!)
What are you most nervous about as a parent?
Rilee: I am nervous about a lot of things as a first time parent, and I believe this is a natural and primal instinct to have, especially in our modern world that poses many dangers to our children. Since our society no longer lives as a ‘tribe,’ and, thus, not every relationship is mutual or trusting, I am very protective of who we spend time around. I also don’t want her to grow up too sheltered. So, I think that can be solved by finding a balance between being protective as a parent and giving certain allowance so she can experience the beauty of freedom. My particular worry, however, revolves around the energetic impact that people may have on her psyche. The imprints that we leave behind are not always what we had wished. I have to ask myself the question, sometimes, “are you sure you wanted to do that in exactly that way?”.
What is Artemis’ favorite book or song?
Rilee: Artemis loves reading books, as it is something I have been doing with her since she was a little baby. She loves any story with lots of animals and nature. I often find her turning the pages on her own to the Seasons books (Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall) by Gerda Muller. She loves these books a lot! She doesn’t necessarily have a favorite song quite yet, but does love music and dancing to songs with rythmic drumming and a sweet melody.
What are your hopes for Artemis?
Rilee: My hopes for Artemis are that she will remain a free spirit, walk her path in alignment with her vision, and inspire others with her gifts. She already exhibits a strong personality and is eager to learn new things. She came into this world through a free birth, and I hope she continues to encompass that primal energy, while living in humility and service to the greater good.
What was the first year of motherhood like for you?
Rilee: My first year of motherhood was very dreamlike or surreal. Working from home allowed me to have time and energy for Artemis, without the pressure from the outside world. My husband offered his loving support on a daily basis, and for that I was truly grateful. I would have to say that my mom’s commuting to visit us at our rural abode, about once a month, panned out to be one of the most important parts of my early motherhood.
My mother, dearest to my heart, provided support in every way possible. It was her example of adoration for Artemis that helped my husband and I grow in our understanding of parenthood. Like, if nobody could put her down to sleep, then grandma could. And, when we were burnt out from doing so much work on our own, along with me getting mastitis on and off for the first six months, it was a godsend to have Mom come over with chicken noodle soup, and, of course, offer her moral support and immense love. Early motherhood, for me, could be summed up by learning the importance of having family around through childrearing, as well as gaining the ability to persevere through my struggles.
