There was once a time when the lands were always covered with lush greenery, the Earth was forever in bloom lavishing its inhabitants with everything they could ever need. Demeter and her daughter Persephone were the one’s who watched over the crops as it was Demeter who kept everything growing. Persephone loved to wonder over the hills gathering narcissus, myrtle and her favorites red poppies. It was common practice for the two to dance together through the fields covered with beautiful flowers leaving new growth wherever they stepped.

One day while wondering around gathering flowers Persephone comes upon a great cave which she’s never seen before. Being a curious young maiden she decided to venture into the cave and there meets the restless spirits of the dead. Later that night Persephone asks her mother why there are so many of these spirits in the cave confused and lonely. It is then that Demeter admits that it is she who has domain over the underworld and it is her job to guide them on and into their next phase of existence. Demeter explains to her daughter that while she feels for these spirits, her priorities must be to the living, not the dead.

Persephone thought of the sight of the lost spirits and remembered how much pain they were in. She decided then and there that she must help these spirits. She told her mother “The dead deserve our attention as much as the living so I will go down to be with them and guide them onward. Will you please teach me?” Demeter, knowing that she couldn’t do without her lovely daughter, refused explaining to Persephone how dark and depressing the underworld was. Persephone smiles and hugs her mother with tears in her eyes. “Mother, I have to help them and I’ll do it alone if I must.” Demeter begs her to stay but Persephone’s mind is made up. She ventures to the cave and begins her decent into the underworld against her mother’s wishes.

Once she is deep within the cave surrounded by the mournful cries of the dead she begins to feel the loneliness and desperation her mother warned her about. She begins to cry for she knows that she can’t do this on her own. Just as she is about to give up and return to her mother Hecate appears and agrees to teach her the mysteries of the underworld. Hecate teaches Persephone the three mysteries of Immortality, Creation and Dissolution. She teaches her how to take the spirits of the dead into her aura to renew them and how to anoint their head with pomegranate juice to initiate them into their new world. Persephone loved learning the mysteries from Hecate and helping the spirits of the dead move on from this world. She became so engrossed in her new task that she didn’t notice her mother’s anguish on Earth.

Demeter, drenched in sadness and loneliness at the absence of her beloved daughter, had done nothing but roam the Earth hoping to see her daughter emerge from one of the caves returning to her. She had given up on keeping the land in bloom and without her help nothing new grew. The land became barren and the mortals began to suffer. Hecate notices the disturbance on Earth and tells Persephone of her mother’s anguish. Persephone is torn by this, for she doesn’t want her mother to be unhappy and she doesn’t want the living on Earth to suffer but she also doesn’t want to abandon the spirits of the dead. Hecate suggests to Persephone that she only spend half of her time in the Underworld and the other half of her time on Earth with her mother. Persephone agrees as she also likes the idea of seeing her mother on a regular basis so Hecate ventures to the surface to tell Demeter that her daughter still has much to learn but will return to her in the Spring and every Spring thereafter.

One day a ring of purple crocus made its way through the Earth and bloomed all around Demeter. She looked around in surprise as she should be the only one to make these kinds of things happen. She leaned forward to smell them and heard them whisper to her “Persephone returns! Persephone returns!” Demeter jumped up and ran to the nearest cave, with new growth popping up in every step she took.

Persephone ascents from the cave as Kore, her own adult person, her mother’s equal. They run to each other and embrace, laughing and dancing together. Demeter pulls back, looks into her daughter’s eyes and sees the wisdom she has gained in her absence. The mortals all rejoice in the new life budding all around them feeling the happiness that Demeter felt at the sign of her daughter’s coming.

Each winter Persephone takes her journey back to the underworld and the Earth sees its barren season as Demeter mourns her daughter’s absence. And each spring the Earth is renewed by her happiness as Persephone returns.

©Angie Bowen aka Midnight Raven 7/14/04