Full Moon in Libra Ritual - March 2010

This is the ritual I wrote for this Full Moon, which falls in Libra, while the sun is in Aries and which focused onj the balance inherent in Libra as well as the equinox and the relationship with Aries. I am so very grateful to the sisters who shared this ritual with me and am honoured by the inner developments it brought, especially during the night of the ritual and the two days following it.

Full Moon in Libra Ritual

by ~Kora~

Call to Circle

KORA: [Commence beating of drum to call guests into circle for ritual to begin]
Hear ye, hear ye
The moon rides at her peak
Hear ye, hear ye
I call to all who seek
Join me, join me
With love upon your heart
Join me, join me
Our circle’s soon to start

RHIANNON: Let all who are ready to stand together in perfect love and perfect trust please take their place here among us now.

Cast Circle

KORA: Lock the door and drop the sail
Let all who are willing stand
As we cast our circle here deosil
Each hand upon a hand

RHIANNON: Please join hands with your right palm facing up and your left palm facing down as we cast our circle here tonight.

KORA: I ask you all to close your eyes and visualise the energy flowing into your right hand, being amplified through your body and being passed on through your left hand. Feel the energy tingle as you receive it from the right and give it on in turn to the left. Your hands and arms will start to buzz and even with your eyes closed you can see the bright, protective white/blue glimmer surrounding us. Now, imagine this ring of energy start to extend up towards the sky and down towards the ground. As it extends in each direction, it starts to curve and the shape of a sphere is formed. We are now surrounded by the orb of light and thus our circle is cast.

RHIANNON: Please join our voices together as we recite ‘I Am Witch’.

ALL: I am witch.

Calling the Quarters

KORA: [facing the guest in the North] On my word, I ask you to carry our chant to the powers of the North, element of fire, manifestation of our spirit through action and passion, be with us in our circle here tonight. As I will it, so mote it be. North!

NORTH: North!

[The word 'North' is then said by the person to the right of North and continues to be said by each person around the circle in an anti-clockwise direction until it has been said by each person three times. While this happens, Kora lights candle in the north of the altar.]

NORTH: Hail and welcome.

KORA: [facing the guest in the West] On my word, I ask you to carry our chant to the powers of the West, element of earth, manifestation of our spirit through practical matters, be with us in our circle here tonight. As I will it, so mote it be. West!

WEST: West!

[The word 'West' is then said by the person to the right of West and continues to be said by each person around the circle in an anti-clockwise direction until it has been said by each person three times. While this happens, Kora lights candle in the west of the altar.]


WEST: Hail and welcome.

KORA: [facing the guest in the South] On my word, I ask you to carry our chant to the powers of the South, element of air, manifestation of our spirit through thought, be with us in our circle here tonight. As I will it, so mote it be. South!

SOUTH: South!

[The word 'South' is then said by the person to the right of South and continues to be said by each person around the circle in an anti-clockwise direction until it has been said by each person three times. While this happens, Kora lights candle in the south of the altar.]

SOUTH: Hail and welcome.

KORA: [facing the guest in the East] On my word, I ask you to carry our chant to the powers of the East, element of water, manifestation of our spirit through our emotions, be with us in our circle here tonight. As I will it, so mote it be. East!

EAST: East!

[The word 'East' is then said by the person to the right of East and continues to be said by each person around the circle in an anti-clockwise direction until it has been said by each person three times. While this happens, Kora lights candle in the east of the altar.]


EAST: Hail and welcome.

Goddess Invocation

KORA: Goddess Libra, fair and just
In perfect love and perfect trust
I call your presence here tonight
Lend your energy to our sacred rite
Blessed be

ALL: Blessed be

KORA: Thank you, please be seated.

Reading – The Goddess Libra

The word Libra comes from the Latin for ‘weighing scales’ and it is a pair of scales that the Goddess Libra holds in her hands. She is the Goddess of Justice and represents balance – either a mastery of it or a greater need for it.
Libra is the Seventh sign of the Zodiac and is sometimes referred to as the Balance. The Sun enters Libra around the time of year when day and night are of equal length due to the axis of the Earth and the Sun being roughly parallel. As we celebrate the path of the sun at the autumn equinox, this is also a very special time to be able to harness the balance in power that occurs with the moon in Libra as well.

In ancient times, the constellation of Libra was associated with the judgment of the living and the dead. Perhaps the greatest fault of this Sign is indecision as Libra individuals often find it difficult to make up their minds and strongly dislike taking sides but we will be combining the energy and action of the sun, which is currently in Aries, and asking the Goddess Libra to bless our actions to create harmony and balance in our lives.

Spellcraft – Libra Balance Mobile

Tonight, we will be crafting mobiles hung with representations of the things in our lives we want to bring into balance. We often feel pulled in different directions in our lives and have a daily need to balance our responsibilities and our interests; the things we need to do and the things we want to do; the people who depend on us, who have asked things of us and who are relying on us; our family; our friends; and all of the many other areas that are in constant battle as they compete for our time. Tonight, we will be calling on the Goddess Libra to help us create harmony in this chaos.

Please take a few pieces of paper and write something on each one to represent the things you want to balance
out in your life.

We will then construct the mobiles and attach these areas of balance. This will be a powerful symbol, filled with the energy of the full moon in Libra, and a physical reminder to ourselves that we can create balance if we focus on what we need to do and make sure that we are not putting too much into any one area and thereby creating an imbalance.

Meditation

Please take a few moments to get comfortable. Ensure your back is straight to facilitate even breathing and your feet, legs and hands are resting comfortably.

Allow your breathing to deepen as you begin to relax. Bring your focus in on the movement of air in and out of your lungs. Know that you are completely safe as you inhale slowly, filling your lungs and taking in as much air as is comfortable for you. Pause for a moment before breathing out and as you release your breath, feel the tension sliding out of your body as well. Continue to breathe in and out deeply, slowly drawing in air as you inhale, pausing for a moment, then slowing releasing that air as you exhale. Keep this rhythm going and enjoy the peace and quiet that is beginning to settle in your mind and in your body.

As you are releasing all worries and thoughts of the mundane world, notice how your face feels completely relaxed. The muscles around your eyes and your mouth are soft and care free. You can hear the noises of the outside world but there is nothing there that needs your attention right now. Feel how relaxed your shoulders are becoming with each breath out and let the world keep turning as you take a few minutes just for yourself.
Now, notice the symmetry in your body, how you are created in perfect balance as a creature of supreme harmony in design. From the top of your head, down your face, neck, shoulders, arms, chest, stomach, hips, legs, knees, feet and toes, you are a living, breathing child of a divine and balanced universe. Allow the boundaries of your body to blur as you become one with all creation through this connection and take a few moments to float comfortably in the space that is you.

While you are floating there, you start to notice soft colours glowing around you. All around the edge of your vision the colours seem to fade in and out in hues of pink, blue, ivory, green, silver, yellow. Each time a patch of colour dissipates, it comes back after a few moments even more brightly that before. These colours are all so real and so unique, it’s like you can actually feel, smell and taste each one as it materialises before you. What does each colour remind you of? What sensations are you feeling when each colour appears? They are all so different but each one brings a pleasant and comfortable feeling and it’s like you could almost wrap yourself inside that feeling and be happy there forever.

As you are enjoying these sensations, you notice a tiny flicker of light far, far away. As you turn your attention to the place where the light appeared, it glistens again briefly before disappearing only to reappear a moment later. This time it shines for a little longer, like it is gaining strength, like it can feel your gaze and is being drawn to you. There is a beautiful peace in this light and even though you were enjoying the feeling of the colours surrounding you, what you want now more than anything else is to experience this new, bright, pure, white light.

The light continues to grow as it gets closer and closer to you. Soon you can see that it is the unmistakeable form of a woman and you know in your heart that this is the Goddess Libra. Her form is stately and proud, yet kind and compassionate. You can begin to make out the shape of her long flowing robes and her entire dress appears to be made of the colours of light that you were enjoying just moments ago – oh, what would it feel like to be able to wear those colours the way she does?

More and more lines start to appear in this vision before you. Her golden, flowing locks of hair stream out around and behind her as if lifted by a gentle breeze. Her eyes look like two pieces of pure blue/green tourmaline and they are fixed intently yet lovingly directly on you. You can feel yourself rising towards this figure and you know that in moments you will stand perfectly before her.

When she has almost reached you, you notice that where she usually holds her scales, she now holds your spellcraft balance mobile. It, too, glows with her vibrancy and you can see it is charged with her energy. She begins to raise her arm slowly so that the mobile is in line with her face, then her lips gently part and she breathes a sweet, soft blessing upon the papers. She does this again and again, one breath for each area you are seeking balance in, and you know that it is her will that your wishes here are granted.

Once she has done this, she lowers the mobile again and you can now see her lips moving. You can’t hear her voice at first but you understand what she is saying. “I am Libra, Goddess of Justice, and I bring you the blessing of balance and harmony in all you seek”. You keep watching her lips move and instinctively understand and listen intently to the message she has for you.

Now, Libra invites you to talk to her. Do you have any questions that you would like to ask her for she is willing to hear them and respond to you in kind?

The time has come for you to take the responsibility for your wishes. Libra raises her arm and hands you the mobile you have made. As you reach your own arm out before you to take it, you can feel the glow of her energy tingling through your hand. You take the mobile and you can see that she has already started to draw back. She now holds her own scales again for she has her own duties to continue with in the universe but as she fades, you see her raise one hand to her lips then extend it towards you to send you a parting kiss through the air as she goes.

You continue to watch her fading form until she is only the most minute speck of light in the far distance once more. You feel calm, yet confident, peaceful, yet excited, but most of all you feel loved.

Again those patches of gently pulsating colours attract your attention and you watch as they continue to fade in an out all around you. Each colour seems to have the same feel as it did before, the same taste, the same smell, but it is somehow more developed than it was earlier. You realise that now that you have connected with these colours, they will always be part of you and you will be able to experience them again at any time you wish.
For now, however, you know that it is time to return. Your breathing is still gentle and peaceful and you start to take a few deeper breaths, filling your lungs with air and coming back to yourself slowly, bit by bit, with every breath out. You again feel the symmetry in your body from your toes, feet, knees, legs, hips, stomach, chest, arms, shoulders, neck and face. You feel completely relaxed and rejuvenated as you start to move your fingers and perhaps gently stretch and yawn as you come back completely and when you are ready you can open your eyes.

[Sharing about the meditation.]

Cakes and Ale

RHIANNON: May the Goddess Libra be among us and bless these cakes and ale for good fortune and good balance in us all. Blessed be.

ALL: Blessed be.

Releasing the Goddess

KORA: Goddess Libra, fair and just
In perfect love and perfect trust
We thank you for your presence here tonight
And for lending your energy to our sacred rite
Blessed be

ALL: Blessed be

Releasing the Quarters

[All face North]

NORTH: [personal choice of words to release the power of the North then extinguish the north candle on the altar]

[All face East]

EAST: [personal choice of words to release the powers of the East then extinguish the east candle on the altar]

[All face South]

SOUTH: [personal choice of words to release the powers of the South then extinguish the south candle on the altar]

[All face West]

WEST: [personal choice of words to release the powers of the West then extinguish the west candle on the altar]

Opening the Circle

KORA: Our circle is open, yet unbroken. Merry meet and merry part and merry meet again. Blessed be.

ALL: Blessed be!

The Nine Muses

The beginning of the mythology of the Muses is somewhat confused and contradictory leading to a school of thought that the concept of inspiration for literature and the arts that the Muses stand for was originally embodied in several non-specific goddesses who were the patrons of poets. Later there is a suggestion that there was only one Muse but it is commonly believed that there were originally three Muses, who were the daughters of Gaia and Uranus. The three Muses were Melete (pronounced mel-uh-tee) who was the Muse of practice and meditation, Aoide (pronounced ay-ee-dee) who was the Muse of song or voice and Mneme (pronounced nee-mee), which is sometimes said to be the shortened form of the name Mnemosyne (pronounced nee-mos-uh-nee) although other sources indicate these are separate deities, who was the Muse of memory.

Of these original three Muses, Mneme was said to have had nine daughters by the God Zeus (in some stories this was a result of Zeus lying with Mneme over nine consecutive nights) and these daughters were known as the nine Muses. It is believed that the nine Muses did not originally have specific domains but provided inspiration for all poetic pursuits and it was as a result of artistic representations of the Muses, particularly in sculptures, where each was depicted with a different emblem in order to differentiate between one another and it was from these representations that their domains were later defined.

Calliope (pronounced kuh-lie-ah-pee) is the eldest and highest ranking or most superior of the nine Muses. Her name means “beautiful voice” or “fair voiced” and appears as a mediator in a story about an argument between Aphrodite and Persephone over possession of Adonis where she decided that time with Adonis would be shared between the two suitors as well as allowing Adonis some time to himself. She is the patron of epic (or heroic) poetry and is usually depicted with a writing tablet and stylus. Calliope has been partnered in different stories with the was God Ares, with whom she had four sons, Mygdon, Edonus, Biston, and Odomantus who were the founders of the Thracian tribes known as the Mygdones, Edones, Bistones and Odomantes respectively, and also had two other famous sons, Orpheus and Linus although it is not clear as to whether these were by Apollo or the King Oeagrus of Thrace and in some cases Linus is said to be the daughter of Calliope’s sister, Urania.

Clio (pronounced klee-oh) means “the proclaimer”. She is the Muse of history and is usually seen with a parchment scroll or a set of tablets. Clio is credited with introducing the Phoenician alphabet to Greece and had one son, Hyacinth, with Pierus, the King of Pieria.

Erato (pronounced eh-rah-toh) is the Muse of lyric or love poetry. Her name is derived from the Greek word eros and means desired or lovely. In art, she is depicted with a Kithara (which is a member of the lyre family and which Erato invented) but also sometimes with a wreath of roses or a love bow and arrow as is carried by Eros (Cupid).

Euterpe (pronounced yoo-tur-pee) means the “giver of delight” or “rejoicing well” and she is the Muse of music. Her symbol is the flute and she is credited as the inventor of the aulos (or double flute). According to Homer's Iliad, Euterpe became pregnant by the river god Strymon and bore a son, Rhesus.

Melpomene (pronounced mel-pom-ah-nee) is the Muse of tragedy and, as such, is typically shown with a theatrical tragedy mask although sometimes also carries a bat, club or sword and wearing cothurnus, which were boots traditionally worm by actors, and a garland or crown of cypress. Her name means “the songstress”.

Polyhymnia (pronounced pol-ee-him-nee-ah) means “the one of many hymns” and she is the Muse of sacred poetry or divine hymns and sometimes also of geometry, mime, agriculture and meditation. She is usually shown with a serious and pensive expression and often wears a veil.

Terpsichore (pronounced turp-sika-ree) is the Muse of dancing and is usually holding a lyre whilst either dancing herself or while sitting down with others dancing to the music from her lyre. She was mother to the Sirens by the river God Achelous.

Thalia (pronounced thuh-lie-ah) is the Muse of comedy and idyllic poetry and her name means “flourishing”. She usually carries a theatrical comedy mask although may also be shown with a shepherds staff or a wreath of ivy.

Urania (pronounced yoo-rey-nee-ah) or Ourania means “heavenly” She is the Muse of astrology and her symbols are a globe and a compass. She is sometimes listed as the mother of Linus from a union with Apollo.

As with most deities, the muses can be seen as archetypes however it is particularly interesting with their being descendants of Mneme, one of the three original Muses who was the Muse of memory. There are many references to the Muses being able to provide the gift of inspiration as well as being able to take it away and in this context the link to memory is frequently made but in an inverse sense as the Muses act to take away the memory of inspiration. While the connection to memory is logical given that they are the daughters of the Muse of memory, this rationalisation appears incomplete. If one applies the concept of the collective unconscious to the gifts bestows by the Muses, it can be seen that the gift that the Muses bestow on those they work with are not new gifts but are a connection to the memories held in the collective unconscious.

The Goddess Maia

Pronounced May-ah, the Goddess Maia appears most commonly in Greek and Roman mythology but is typically represented as a fertility goddess associated with spring and the month of May.

In Greek mythology, Maia is the eldest of the seven daughters of Atlas and Pleione. She was said to be the most beautiful of all of the daughters but was shy and chose to live alone in a cave on Mount Cyllene in Arcadia and is therefore sometimes referred to as a mountain nymph. The God Zeus fell in love with Maia while he was married to Hera. Zeus met with Maia secretly in her cave where, according to the Homeric Hymn they were “unseen by deathless gods and mortal men, at dead of night while sweet sleep should hold white-armed Hera fast."

Maia fell pregnant to Zeus and gave birth to Hermes. One night while Hermes was still an infant, (in some stories on the very night of his birth) after Maia had wrapped him in a blanket and fallen asleep, Hermes crawled out of the cave and went to Thessaly where he stole some of Apollo’s sheep and hid them in his mother’s cave. Apollo was enraged by the theft and confronted Maia who showed him Hermes who, as an infant, should not have been capable of such a deed. Apollo was not satisfied, however, and appealed to Zeus, who sided with Apollo and declared that the sheep should be returned to Apollo.

During this debate, Hermes invented the lyre using a turtle shell, which he was playing when Apollo returned to the cave to reclaim his sheep. Apollo was instantly enchanted by the lyre and exchanged the stolen cattle as well as other gifts for this new and wonderful instrument.

Maia is also sometimes referred to as the “Grandmother of Magic” due to her son, Hermes, having been the one to discover and master this art.

Other than Hermes, Maia had no other children of her own but she was charged by Zeus to raise his son, Arcas, when his wife, Hera turned Arcas’ mother, Callisto into a bear upon discovering Callisto and Zeus’ affair. Arcas is thought to be the namesake of Arcadia, which is a region of Greece in the Peloponnesus.

Maia and her sisters Taygete, Elektra, Alkyone, Asterope, Kelaino, and Merope were turned into doves by Zeus. In some stories this was said to be deliverance from the pain they felt at their father, Apollo’s punishment following he and his brother, Menoetius, siding with the Titans in their war against the Olympians in the Titanomachy (or War of the Titans). As a result of his involvement, Zeus ordered that Atlas to stand at the western end of the earth and hold up the heavens on his shoulders (not the earth as is the common misconception due to later artistic interpretations). In other stories, the transformation into doves was deliverance from the pursuit of Orion. As doves, they flew into the heavens and turned into stars to form the Pleiades in the constellation of Taurus.

As a Greek goddess, Maia’s name is given to mean “great mother”, "midwife", "female doctor", “nurse”, "good mother", "foster mother", or "aunty". As a Roman goddess, however, Maia is also called Maia Maiestas, meaning the “good goddess”, “great or powerful”, “more” or “she who is great”. Other names for Maia in Roman mythology include Bona Dea, Fauna or Ops and she is celebrated as the Goddess of Spring, typically on the 1st of May but also sometimes on the 15th of May, which is also the date of her son, Mercury’s, dedication of his temple (NOTE: Mercury is the Roman name for the God Hermes).

Maia was often associated with Vulcan, sometimes as his wife, as both were deities of heat – she in terms of the increasing natural heat of the earth at the commencement of spring and he in terms of fire and volcanos. In ceremonies held on the 1st of May, a pregnant sow was often sacrifices by the priest who oversaw the rites of Vulcan, however some sources indicate that a sow-shaped wafer could be substituted. The choice of the sow represents the fecundity (pronounced fi-kuhn-di-tee, meaning fruitfulness, fertility and also referring to the capacity to produce many offspring) of the earth and therefore of the goddess Maia.

The Goddess Kali

Other names for this goddess include Kalika, Kala (in the feminine form, meaning black or dark, also ‘appointed time’ or death), Kali Ma, Kal (time) and she is typically protrayed as the consort of Shiva.

Associations for Kali include war, time and change / force of time, eternal energy, creation protection and destruction and the mother goddess.

Other goddesses revered as Kali are Bhavatarini, Durga, Bhadrakali, Sati, Rudrani, Parvati and Chamunda.

Kali is a very misunderstood Goddess in that while her outward appearance is fierce and horrible, with her garland of fifty skulls (which actually represent the fifty letters of the Hindi alphabet and thereby also refer to great knowledge) and skirt of disembodied forearms, she is actually a peaceful and loving Goddess. The physical aspects of Kali represent the ego and once stripped of this exterior, she symbolised the loving, nurturing spirit of the divine mother.

Kali is typically represented as having either four arms, one of which carries as sword and another of which holds a severed head, or as having ten arms. The sword she carries signified Divine Knowledge and the head is that of the demon Raktabija, who when she fought she found that for every drop of blood of his that she spilt to the ground, another clone of his emerged. In some pictures Kali is holding a bowl or skull cap under the severed head to catch the blood so that it could not spill to the ground and cause the demon to multiply, another reinforcement of Divine Knowledge prevailing.

She is often depicted standing with one foot on the thigh and the other on the breast of her husband, Shiva. Kali is usually shown with either black or dark blue skin, representative of the nothingness from with everything is born and to which everything will return. The colour of her skin is likened to the colour of the night sky being black, yet of all that creates it being colourless, and the colour of the sea being blue but of water itself up close having no colour.

Kali is often depicted in a cremation ground where she meditates and challenges us to overcome our fear of death by facing her in this location. The purpose is not to glorify death or to enhance the ego with the challenge to meet on these terms but to highlight the contrast between the temporary physical body and the eternal spirit that exists once the impermanent body is surpassed.

Kali does signify death, but not physical death. She is symbolic of the death of the ego and therefore the release of the spirit, our true, liberated selves. She is sometimes referred to as the Goddess of death, sex and violence but this is only true in that death and sex are required for rebirth and violence in terms of battling one’s demons. In essence, Kali is the goddess of enlightenment and liberation.

The Persephone Myth

There are many variations of the myth surrounding Persephone, so I have taken the common elements and created a summary that feels a little more 'whole' than any individual stories I've read. I'm sure you would be able to find a large number of variations in different aspects of this tale but this is just my interpretation from my own research and feelings.

Persephone was the only child of the union between Zeus, the King of the Gods, and Demeter, the Goddess of Agriculture. Demeter doted on Persephone and she grew up knowing the love, nurturing and tender care of her mother as well as the playful sisterhood of her half-siblings, Athena and Aphrodite.

As Persephone grew, Hades, King of the Underworld, who was also her father’s brother, fell in love with her. Hades was often jealous of Zeus’ power and appealed to Zeus for Persephone’s hand in marriage. Zeus, wanting to appease his brother, agreed, but neither Zeus nor Hades shared their plans with Demeter or Persephone.

In order to make Persephone fall in love with him, Hades planted a beautiful narcissus flower in Demeter’s garden. As the lovely Persephone amused herself picking flowers one day, she noticed the narcissus flower and while she was distracted by it, Hades took the opportunity to abduct her and take her to the Underworld.

When Demeter discovered that her daughter was missing, she was distraught. She neglected her duties in her grief and all that grew began to die. She searched everywhere on earth for her daughter but when she could not find her she appealed to Helios, the God of the Sun, who could see everything. Helios told Demeter of Persephone’s abduction by Hades and of the agreement with Zeus.

Demeter was furious and confronted Zeus. Zeus saw the crops dying and knew that he needed to take action so that Demeter could return to her duties. He agreed to negotiate with Hades for the return of Persephone.

With Persephone’s great capacity for love, she came to know Hades not just as her abductor and saw that the actions he had taken were motivated by love for her. She came to understand Hades and accepted from him a pomegranate, eating six of the seeds and thus binding her to Hades in marriage. Through this marriage she also took the title, and accepted the responsibilities, of Queen of the Underworld.

Persephone enjoyed the responsibility and the power of her new role and began assisting those who were having difficulty transitioning from the land of the living to the land of the dead. She often gained their confidences and through their confessions and her powers of insight and empathy, she became the keeper of much secret knowledge.

Knowing that he was breaking his agreement with Hades, Zeus sent Hermes as the messenger to demand Hades return Persephone. When Hades explained that Persephone had become his wife, through the symbolic eating of the pomegranate seeds, Zeus ordered a compromise, declaring that Persephone should spend six months of each year in the Underworld with Hades and the remaining six months should be spent with her mother, Demeter, assisting each with their respective duties during the time she was with them.

This is a multi-layered story. It gives us the myth of the seasons as Persephone’s return to her mother is reflected in the spring as Demeter then tends to her responsibilities and things begin to grow again. The fertility of the land continues to grow into summer but when Persephone returns to Hades, Demeter again begins to mourn and neglects her duties so things begin to die in the autumn and winter months. In this way, Persephone is the goddess of life, death and rebirth.

Another aspect to this story is of Persephone as The High Priestess with her role as the Queen of the Underworld. This is reflective of our subconscious and the secret knowledge that she holds as obtained from the information passed on to her through her communications with those entering the spirit world. The idea that we can learn more and develop our psychic abilities through times of physical hibernation thereby allowing us to be guided from within is also represented here. The importance and relevance of our dreams is pertinent as well.

The link to Persephone as the Queen of the Underworld is also a comment on the connection to the spirit world; sometimes it is an indication that we need to explore our fears and learn what is haunting us or what our own personal demons are. This is an acknowledgement of the darker side of life as being necessary to the light that we would otherwise hope to move in each day.

One of Persephone’s great strengths is that she did not dwell in the tragic situation that befell her. She was abducted as a Maiden Goddess and taken from her family in the midst of her innocence but instead of taking on the role of victim, she embraced the necessary aspects of this and rose to be queen over it all. This is a wonderful inspiration to those who have experienced pain, suffering or seeming injustice and Persephone can be a powerful ally to regaining your own personal strength. The point in the story where Persephone willingly (although in most versions of the story, unknowingly) partakes of the pomegranate seeds and then accepts her responsibilities and the consequences of her actions through upholding her marriage to Hades is another lesson that has great relevance and power. Her transition between Maiden and Queen of the Underworld symbolises power born from vulnerability and her message to us all is to accept all aspects of yourself.