She is the Goddess of Fertility, Grain, Corn, Agriculture.
She is responsible for all living and growing things.
She is also the Goddess responsible for creating Winter.
Once Upon a Time in Mythology....
Demeter was happy.
All was well.
Her daughter Persephone lived with her and life and love was cherished.
Knowing that she would never want to come and live in his dark, gloomy Underworld of her own accord.
Hades did what any lovesick suitor would do. He tricked Persephone into having to stay with him.
When Persephone was missing,
Demeter GRIEVED.
The world became a cold place.
Plants died and the snows and ice came that matched Demeter's chilly heart without her daughter.
Animals died.
All life was dying without her care and love.
So a deal was struck, as is often the case, and COMPROMISE was agreed upon.
Persephone would spend 1/2 the year with her mother Demeter in the World at large.
This is the time of spring and summer, lambing, life, growth and plenty.
Demeter is happy at this time of year and so is the world.
Persephone would go to the Underworld to live and be with her husband Hades.
Then Demeter would grieve once again and the world would experience a time of quiet, darkness....
and winter would commence.
How like our lives.
With loneliness, death, divorce, separation, the loss of love or health, we feel like Demeter, don't we?
Like there is the chill of winter upon our soul.
It seeps into our very bones.
But know what?
It's OK to grieve.
It's perfectly natural to sleep, cry, hibernate and rest.
Let the land and our hearts and souls lie fallow.
We need this time to recover.
We warm our friendships and our hearts and live and breathe again.
Our energy comes back to us with leaps and bounds!
Now is the time to leap for joy and love is rekindled for ourselves and others!
It feels so RIGHT.
We feel like dancing at Beltane and Summer Solstice!
The grain and corn are ripening as our hearts are warmed with faires and parties and gardens.
Then when the seasons turn, we grieve losing our light, our life and our love and a coldness comes into our hearts.We hope and live for the day when winter's cold and harsh rain and snow and dreary weather will end and our life and love will come back to us.
Dear Demeter, my love for you is unbounding in my compassion for your loss.
Like a sorrowful mother or lover, I understand your heartache.
It is as deep and unrelenting as the winter is long.
But hear this, Dear grieving Mother Goddess: All is not lost!!
For life and love WILL return to you in the Spring, when hope springs Eternal.
And all will be well once again when Spring and Persephone comes!
This is the promise of the Universe.
Spring is just around the corner.
HANG ON.
3 comments:
She grieved and she RAGED! The Earth and her kings trembled at the sheer rage of Demeter,at Her refusal to let the Earth bear new life to sustain humans.Persephone had been tricked by Hades into eating six pomegranate seeds.She would be required to spend six months of the year with her dark lord. Even the king of death,dark,and decay needs love!
To this day,pomegranate is forever associated with the underworld of women's mysteries. Even now,it is one of the most powerful remedies for women.
Demeter LAUGHED! The hag (a good word,ladies & gents)Baubo had compassion for the Mother who lost her daughter. She knew what Demeter needed,a good belly laugh. Baubo,with her ancient crone body,did a slinky,snakey,sexy dance for the Great Mother.Demeter was mildly amused.Until,like any good Shiela naGig,Baubo squatted and exposed her dry, private Lady Parts.She wiggled and waggled for Demeter,who finally could not contain Her mirth. She laughed.And for a brief moment in the midst of Winter's death grip upon Nature,a bright beam of Joy lit the dark! We can find this in our lives as well.We only need to let it in.
Wonderful post. I have also read mythology that states Persephone ate anywhere from between 3 and 7 pomegranate seeds, but that is not important it is the cycle that is important. I enjoyed reading your post, especially since Persephone had made her presence known in my life right now.
When I was a little child, my mum used to read the story of Demeter to me (I still keep the book it comes from, it's got beautifully drawn pictures of Her). So when I became pagan, I assumed that She would be my matron. It turned out that I was claimed by Anann, who has quite similar attributes, being an Earth and Mother Goddess, but I still have a special place for Demeter in my heart.
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