Cassandra Sagram November, 2010

Every year the Earth goes through a series of changes. Where the change begins isn’t rightly

known but the beginning is assumed to be Spring; a season of rebirth and new beginnings.

Spring is the time when the world wakes up from it’s winter induced slumber and takes on

a new look. The tree leaves and flower buds peek at the world around them and decide

to be a part of it. The newborn animals begin to learn how to survive and become adults.

After spring comes Summer; a season of growth and destruction, of good times and on

occasion bad times. Summer is a time of temperment, sometimes Mother Nature’s temper

is good, at times it’s bad. Following summer comes Fall; a season of change and preparation.

Fall signifies the time when Earth starts to feel old and sleepy. The crops are harvested, the

animals know what to do for their first winter and the plants begin to slowly fall asleep. Fall

is almost a time of sadness. Winter is the final season to appear and it’s the most harsh. The

air is bitingly cold and so very dry, the snow piles up, the ice is slippery and dangerous.

Winter although beautiful can be deadly as most beautiful things often are. It’s ok though

because after winter comes Spring and the cycle begins again. The reason for the seasons

is quite simple. In Greek and Roman mythology, the world becomes sleepy, then desolate

and barren for four or more months because of the goddess Demeter. Demeter (known as

Ceres in Roman mythology) is the goddess of agriculture, nuturing, fertility, and grains.

This was important to the Ancient Greeks and Romans because it was the grains and

knowledge of agriculture that enabled them to live. The agriculture provided them

with the knowledge of how to farm grain which provided them with the means to make

bread which they would eat. Fertility too is important because if the land was fertile, it

provided a good crop and abundant harvest. If man and women too were fertile, then they

were able to have children and help the population grown. Demeter’s most known role in

mythology is that of Persephone’s mother. Persephone is the maiden who is kidnapped by

Hades, the God of the Underworld and made his queen. He abducted her because he thought

she was beautiful and fell in love with her. Zeus allowed the abduction and poor Demeter

had no clue of what happened to her child. She spent months looking for her child, thus

neglecting her duties. While she was looking for Persephone, several things happened to

her. She was taken against her will by Posiden in the form of mare and stallion, she became

unhappy and took the guise of an old mortal woman in the city of Eleusis, she became a

nursemaid after a long depressed state, and decided to make a future king immortal.

All of this came about because when Persephone went missing, Demeter searched

everywhere for her. At one point during her travels, Poseidon noticed her and began

lusting after her. She tried to hide from him by disguising herself a mare. Poseidon

was not fooled and became a stallion. The trip to Eleusis happened because she was

informed by Hecate that Zeus; Demeter’s former lover (before Hera) was the one who

allowed Hades to kidnap and marry Persephone. Feeling betrayed Demeter renounced her

divine duties and went into hiding. Due to her renouncing her divine duties, the world

started to become barren and all harvests ceased. It became a never ending winter.

Zeus finally realized what he had done and sent messangers to apologize and coax Demeter

into coming back and resuming her duties. She agreed to only do so if Persephone was

rescued. Zeus agreed and ordered Hades to release her. Hades, being unwilling to give up his

bride persuaded her to eat a pomegrante. Knowing that those who ate anything in the under-

world were not allowed to return to the Earth, Persephone having refused all food until now

because of this, accepted the pomegrante and ate the seeds. Having done this, she was

forever bound to the Underworld, one month for every seed she ate. Some versions say she

ate four seeds, others say six even seven. Demeter wasn’t happy that Persephone had eaten

the seeds but she was overjoyed at having her daughter back even if only for six months or

so. Demeter’s happiness at having Persephone back gives us spring and summer. Her sadness

and sorrow at Persephone going back to the underworld, gives us fall and winter. Spring

signifies Persephone’s return, Summer; her stay with her mother, Fall; the time when

Persephone leaves her mother and Winter; the time Demeter is without Persephone.

Despite everything Demeter has been through she had never acted upon her divine right to

become vindictive toward anyone who didn’t honor them in a dignified fashion. She was too

kind hearted to do so and even when she indulged in it, she always made it right. She’s a

symbol of strength, change, fertility, love, nurturing and the ability to be all of this even

when faced with despair. Of all the gods and goddess, Demeter is perhaps one of the

strongest, maybe not in power but in her ability to continue loving and nurtre people

no matter what is going on and how bad things get.

http://www.theoi.com/Olympios/Demeter.html

http://www.goddessgift.com/goddess-myths/greek_goddess_demeter.htm

http://www.goddessgift.com/goddess-myths/goddess_demeter.htm

Tags: Demeter, goddess

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Carly Griffith October, 2010

The leaves are falling, and the birds are chirping about, harvesting food for the chilly months ahead.  The smell of spices are in the air, and pumpkins are being carved.  These are all some of the feelings of fall.  With these feelings are the goddesses associated with autumn, or as some people may call Harvest.  Demeter is one of the many goddesses with autumn ties.  She is the Greek goddess of the harvesting times and has a very nurturing spirit.  She has been known to be very giving towards mankind, granting them crops to plow, and grain to save.  With that mothering soul of hers she had her daughter Persephone, who is known as the queen of the underworld.  Most of you may know the story of Persephone and Demeter, but for those who don’t, it all started with Hades. Hades couldn’t help but fall in love with Persephone.  So one day when Persephone was picking a flower the earth opened up, and up rose Hades strong arm, and pulled Persephone right down to the underworld with him.  Having heard Persephone’s scream, Demeter ran to the meadow where Persephone was. Persephone was nowhere to be found.  Demeter instantly lit her torch and set out on her search to look everywhere she could possibly think of. Finally, Demeter encountered Helio, the sun goddess, who told her that Persephone was now Hades wife and queen of the underworld.  So stricken with grief, Demeter withdrew her divine duties as being provider of the land and sentenced the earth to be bare until her daughter was brought back to her.  The earth saw a winter that was never ending.  Zeus, Demeter’s husband, finally opened his eyes to all the starvation that was going on in the world and eventually gave in to Demeter and sent Hermes to tell Hades to bring Persephone back.  Persephone was delighted to here of her mothers longing, and agreed to return.  But just as she was about to leave, Hades offered her a pomegranate.  Persephone knew to never eat anything in the underworld, but she was so hungry from not eating for so long she decided to eat just the seeds.  Demeter was not at all happy upon hearing that Persephone ate the seeds, and told her that she would have to return to the underworld for four months out of each year.  Otherwise, Demeter was very content and resumed her goddess duties.

CONNECTING WITH DEMETER

Because Demeter is such a loving, motherly goddess, I’m sure she would love to connect with anyone who has a kind heart.  You could try writing a letter of things you wish to cultivate in the coming harvest, and burying it in the ground.  The Divine Goddesses are always willing to listen and defiantly want to help. Demeter would be happy to help you harvest your desires this fall and remind you of your mothering flame as well.

SYMBOLS AND THINGS TO PUT ON YOUR ALTER: torch, acorns, bread, copper, emerald, cinnamon, sunflowers, myrrh, patchouli, any household pets, cranes, and lizards

Tags: Demeter

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Jenna August, 2010

The rich scent of soil works its way into my nostrils. The earth fills my hands like fine cloth, smooth & heavy. I let it drift through my fingers as I marvel in its texture. This garden is mine, as is the brand new house that goes with it. In both the literal & figurative sense, I have worked hard to plant the right seeds & asked my Gods to help  them to thrive. In this season of harvest I find myself looking forward to sitting back & enjoying the fruits of my labour, to reap the rewards of what I have sewn.

I would like to give thanks, but who should I pray to? My thoughts turn automatically to Demeter. Beyond the rough concept of a goddess of grain & growing things, who was she? She was a child of the Titans Cronus & Rhea, & therefore a sister of Olympian Zeus. Her very name meaning ‘grain mother’, Demeter ruled over the areas of agriculture, fruit & vegetables, grain, fertility, & health.  In the past Demeter’s sacred days revolved around harvest-time. Her most important festival was held every 5 years for 9 days, & included processions, sacrifices, & song.

The goddess has long been associated with the changing of seasons, as well. Demeter treasured her daughter Persephone above all things. The girl’s beauty captured the attention of the lord of the underworld. One version of myth told how Zeus sought to please his brother Hades & gave his permission to seize her. When her daughter Persephone was abducted, her grief consumed her attention. She no longer cared for her duties, but without her attention famine threatened all. No green or living thing could grow in the chill of her sorrow; winter would not cease.  Perhaps she felt Zeus. In her hurt & anger she allowed the earth to go barren until her daughter was restored to her. The full weight of what he bought into motion struck him hard. The king of Olympus sent messenger Hermes to tell his brother to release Persephone. Outwardly Hades agreed, but not before offering her a pomegranate to snack on. Anyone who ate the food of the underworld must remain there. Eventually a deal was made. The deed could not be undone; Persephone ate of the seeds. However the blow was softened. The girl would only be required to spend part of her year down below. In those months Demeter’s grief would cause the land to wither.  In the months she spent above with her mother, the goddess’s joy caused the earth to flourish & be reborn.

Was she a vengeful goddess? Maybe. Although it’s perhaps more correct to say she was a passionate deity lead by her heart. Consider the case of Celeus. During her time wandering the earth as she grieved, Demeter came to the court of Eleusis & gained employment nursing the king’s sons. At one point the elder son accused Demeter of being greedy & she turned him into a lizard in response. Perhaps she felt a little bad about her hasty act. The goddess,  as much to honour Celeus for his hospitality as make up for her hasty act, decided to change one of the remaining boys into an immortal. Each night she tried to burn away Demophon’s mortal spirit by anointing him with ambrosia & placing him in the hearthfire, until his mother  saw what was happening. Her frightened antics angered Demeter, but the goddess persisted. Instead of making his brother immortal, she chose to teach her knowledge of agriculture to Triptolemus instead. From him all of Greece learned these arts.

From Demeter we learn that the only thing eternal is the Wheel of the Year itself. Seasons change, winter eventually fades. Sorrow becomes rejoicing. From her we learn that tending the earth is hard work but not without reward. Your efforts will yield fruit in the right season. Let her lessons be seeds to plant deep down within & flourish in your soil.

Tags: Demeter

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Topaz Affinity October, 2009

Persephone

It happens every year; the warmer seasons fade to autumns docile colors and temperatures that soon bow to winter’s howling nipping winds.

Reminding us that Persephone is starting her journey to the underworld to be with Hades; causing her mother Demeter to grieve and the earth lose her luster of spring and summer.

It is said that the reason for the colder months is just the anguish of an ill-be-gotten mother whose daughter was taken from “under her nose”.

The story goes as such; Hades; lord of the underworld; had fallen in love with Persephone; daughter of Zeus and Demeter; and had asked Zeus for her hand. Zeus fearing Demeter’s reaction told Hades that he may not have it.
Hades then decided that he loved Persephone so much that he couldn’t live with out her and on day decided to whisk her away to the underworld, by thrusting through a cleft in the earth and grabbing her as she picked flowers with some nymphs.

Demeter being distraught with grief and anger punished the nymphs for not assisting her daughter in her time of need; by transforming them into the sirens we know today. But that was not all she had also stopped tending to the plants and spent her time searching the world for her beloved daughter, when Helios; the sun who sees all; told her what had happened.

Zeus; under pressure from Demeter and the starving peoples of the earth; demanded that Hades return Persephone to her mother. Hades refused; causing Zeus to exercise his power and authority with his brother decreed that their marriage be null and void as long as Persephone ate nothing of the Underworld’s food.

Starving Persephone gave to Hades’ temptations with a pomegranate, and consumed a few seeds thus causing her marriage to Hades to be consummated in the eyes of the Olympians.

Waiting until Demeter and her daughter were once again united; Ascalaphus informed the other gods that Persephone had eaten the pomegranate seeds.

But it was the Fates rule that no one who had eaten from the gardens of the underworld would be aloud to return, and to save the peoples of the Earth Zeus, Hades, and Demeter made a deal. Persephone was to spend half of the year with her mother, and the other half of the year with Hades as queen of the underworld.

Her return from the underworld marks the beginning of spring, summer is the time that Persephone and her mother get to spend together, her journey back brings the beginning of autumn, and winter is marked by the number of pomegranate seeds that Persephone had consumed. So it is believed that autumn and winter are a form of a mother‘s grief of a “lost” child.

Thus reminding us that there is greater meaning to what we see as trivial things and the reasoning behind the season changes.

Tags: Demeter, hades, persephone, underworld

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Anne Baird August, 2009

DEMETER ~ THE FIERCE MOTHER

I have always loved Demeter, the Greek goddess of agriculture. Normally, I celebrate her at Harvest. This year, I have reasons for thinking of her earlier…

August is the height of late summer.  That is why, in the central image of this painting, we see Demeter, a gloriously fruitful goddess, bearing golden sheaves of wheat against a background of blazing summer skies, poppies, and flowing rivers. Everything symbolizes the fertility and abundance she showers on a hungry world. How beautiful she is!

In her left hand, however, she bears a torch. And vignettes that tell a less sunny story surround her. It is that story that has earned her second title, The Fierce Mother. That is the story I tell today.

Demeter, provider and mother figure for the whole world, had only one child, a daughter named Persephone. This lovely girl was her pride and joy. While busy with her great task of making the Earth fruitful, Demeter took satisfaction in knowing that her ceaseless labors of love allowed her precious child to be carefree. Persephone could, and did, spend her days dancing in the meadows with her friends, gathering flowers that her mother had nurtured and brought to the peak of perfection. She led an idyllic life!

Then one day, the unthinkable happened. Hades, the lonely King of the Underworld, kidnapped Persephone and took her to his dark kingdom. There, he raped her, and forced her to marry him. All with the collusion of Zeus, King of the Gods, Persephone’s father, and Demeter’s brother!

Demeter was devastated. Taking a torch in her hand, she searched tirelessly for her lost child in every nook and cranny of the Earth. But nobody could tell her where Persephone had gone. She sank into a grief so profound that she abandoned her care for the world. Crops failed. Animals died. Blasted by famine, drought and winter, people died as well. Their cries for help to Mother Demeter went unanswered.

When Demeter finally discovered that Hades had stolen Persephone, she was outraged and demanded that Zeus force Hades to return her.  Conditions on Earth had become so dire that Zeus had to take action.

He ordered Hades to restore Persephone to her mother. But Hades claimed the unhappy girl had just broken her fast by eating seven seeds of a pomegranate – a symbol of marriage in the ancient world. As his wife, she was obliged to remain with him forever.

Zeus made a canny compromise. Persephone would spend 8 months of every year with her mother on Earth. She would return to the Underworld with her husband for only 4 months – after harvest!

Demeter had to be content with this partial victory. Her delight at her reunion with Persephone was great. Soon, Earth bloomed again. A bumper harvest made thanksgiving celebrations more joyful than ever. When Persephone returned to Hades, winter came back with a vengeance. But the Greeks lived in hope. They knew that when she returned, Demeter’s blessing would be restored. They celebrated that…

I honor the great Goddess of Abundance and Fertility. But I am inspired by her example as Fierce Mother.

What mother has not had the experience of having to go look for their child? Of fighting to retrieve them from some danger? It may begin early with a terrifying, momentary loss of a youngster in a grocery store. As they grow older, and life becomes complex, the losses may become more challenging.

I know mothers who have fought fiercely to extricate a lost child from the grip of an addiction. Others have sought to rescue a beloved child from depression, a painful marriage or loss of a partner, financial losses, or eating disorders. At the moment, I, and my family, are facing a life-threatening illness in a cherished son.

At such times, the model of Demeter, Goddess of Agriculture and Abundance, and Fierce Mother, is good to remember.

Demeter refused to abandon the quest to restore her daughter to Life. Her persistence succeeded. Persephone WAS returned to Earth, though she was not the same carefree child she was before her descent into Underworld.

Both mother and daughter were transformed by their experience of loss. Persephone grew up. Demeter discovered untapped resources of strength as well as abundant provision.

But that is a story for another day…

For now, have a blessed August.

Anne Baird, Designer/Owner of GODDESS CARDS, is a self-taught artist who has been painting and writing since childhood. Her chosen media for her unique line of greeting cards is watercolor, with touches of gouache, ink and colored pencil.

She is launching an E-Goddess Card website soon, where the Goddess on the Go can send Goddess “e-cards”, enriched with music and stories, at the click of a mouse. (A virtual mouse.)

Tags: Demeter, goddess, persephone

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Mary DAlba March, 2009

As we move into the springtime, the leaves turn green, the weather turns warmer and life is breathed back into Nature.  People’s attitudes shift into happiness, playfulness and they spend more time outside, enjoying nature.     If you’ve ever wondered if the Goddess influenced this, wonder no more.

Persephone and Demeter, mother and daughter, speak to the change in the seasons.  Grief turns someone cold, as represented by Demeter turning the earth cold because of missing her daughter.

Persephone is the Greek Goddess of the Underworld.  She is the daughter of Demeter and Zeus and the wife of Hades.  She was also known as “Kore”.  In some myths, the name Persephone could not be uttered – she was referred to as “The Iron Queen” because she was known to be cruel as the ruler of the Underworld.

Demeter is the Main Greek Goddess of the Harvest.  She ensures that nature and the harvest are plentiful.  However, there are times she grieves when Persephone is away, which is known as our winter.

In their story, Persephone was wooed by many of the gods such as Hermes, Apollo and Ares.  However, Demeter turned them down and sent them away.  She felt they were not good enough for Persephone  and wanted to keep Persephone with her.

One day, Persephone was picking flowers in the forest with some nymphs when Hades burst through a break in the earth and abducted her.  Demeter turned the nymphs into sirens for not stopping Hades.  Because of her grief, she neglected her duties on earth, making the harvest die.

Zeus negotiated Persephone’s release from Hades when people on earth started to cry out from starvation and lack of life in the harvest and agriculture.  Zeus found Persephone and tried to bring her back from Hades.  Before he could do that, Hades fed Persephone pomegranate seeds, which are the foods of the deceased spirits.  By doing this, it tied Persephone to Hades.  Zeus then negotiated a truce – Persephone would spend part of the year with Hades and part of the year with Demeter.  When Persephone is with Demeter, Demeter is happy and it’s wonderful weather – Spring, Summer, Fall.  When Persephone leaves, Demeter turns sad and winter comes to chill out happy feelings.

There are a few different ways to look at this story.  Demeter could be the overprotective mother because Persephone may have wanted to spend time with Hades.  Or, Persephone could be the victim of a kidnapping and fell in love with her kidnapper.

However, this story says how people deal with grief and situations that have no control over.  How do you handle situations that turn your world upside down?  Demeter got very sad and retreated, so much so that she created a very cold world.  Does your world get cold when things aren’t going well?

Demeter and Persephone teach us that there are ways that you can handle what life throws at you.  Life must go on, it may not be quite the same, but you are meant to make the best of what you have.  If you are going through a tough time, ask Demeter and Persephone to help you deal with grief and sadness.  Wear brighter colors, speak in positive tones, spend time with people who can uplift your spirits.  By doing this, Spring will come back to your life soon.

Tags: Demeter, goddess, persephone

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