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What Does Hygeia Do?
Hygeia is a full-service Holistic Health Center located in New Milford, Connecticut. We have herbalists on staff to answer your natural health questions, as well as two private rooms which can be booked for hands-on healing with skilled, certified therapists.
Hygeia offers high-quality natural health and beauty products: organic herbs, teas and coffees, alternative health and metaphysical books, vitamins, candles, gifts, handmade jewelry, crystals and more. At Hygeia, we support local craftsmen and artisans, and carry many local products.
Named after the Greek Goddess of Health, Hygeia closes at night, but she never sleeps! After hours we often offer classes and workshops on various topics including meditation, reiki, gardening and much, much more. Visit us online or in person to get our class schedule, or sign-up for our e-mail newsletter for monthly updates.
What Does Hygeia Mean?
Hygeia, daughter of Asclepius, was revered by the Greeks as the mortal goddess of health and hygiene.
Her father, Asclepius, was a Greek hero who later become the Greek god of medicine and healing: Hygeia often accompanied him on his rounds
to treat patients and became a healer in her own right. Hygeia's cup, always filled with medicinal wine to cure the ills of man, is still given by modern schools of
pharmacoepia and medicine as an award. It is her snake that winds around Asclepius' rod, the modern symbol of
doctors throughout the United States.
While the medical community has chosen the father for their patron, many holistic healers have
chosen the daughter, symbolising that the two are part of each other, interdependent, and together may cure all
ills -- just as father and daughter worked together to cure the ills of Greece.
“O much desired, prolific, general queen.
Hear me, life-bearing Hygeia, of beauteous mien, mother of all;
by thee diseases dire, of bliss destructive, from our life retire;
and every house is flourishing and fair, if with rejoicing aspect
thou art there. Each daidal art they vigorous force inspires,
and all the world thy helping hand desires. Aides [Hades],
life’s bane, alone resists thy will, and ever hates thy
all-preserving skill. O fertile queen, from thee for ever
flows to mortal life from agony repose; and men without
thy all-sustaining ease find nothing useful, nothing formed to please.
Without thy aid, not Aides’ self can thrive, nor man to much afflicted
age arrive; for thou alone, of countenance serene, dost govern all
things, universal queen. Assist thy mystics with propitious mind,
and far avert disease of every kind.”
-Orphic Hymn 68 to Hygeia
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