Whole Being: Life Alchemy
Being, Belonging, Becoming
Queen of the underworld
Persephone, Queen of the underworld, emerged as the offspring of Zeus and Demeter, the deity presiding over harvest and fertility. Also known as Kore, signifying "maiden," she blossomed into a captivating young woman, drawing the admiration of numerous gods. Yet, Demeter harbored an ardent affection for her sole progeny, warding off all suitors.
The most persisting suitor of Kore was Hades, the god of the Underworld. He was a dark and mysterious loner, living in the depths, among the shadows of the Dead. But his heart softened when he saw Kore and was amazed by her youth, beauty and freshness. When he asked Demeter for her daughter, Demeter got furious and said there wasn't the slightest chance for that to happen. Hades was undeterred and driven by a passion he had never known and decided to woo Kore no matter what.
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On a particular day, while the young girl enjoyed the day and gathered flowers with her companions in a serene valley, she caught sight of the most captivating narcissus she had ever beheld. As she stooped down to pick the flower, the earth beneath her feet suddenly cleaved open and through the gap, Hades himself came out on his wild black horse. Kore was amazed at the majesty and charisma of this exotic and mysterious figure. He jumped off his horse and took the hand of the lovely maiden.
At his touch, a heat rose through her body making her feel dizzy as if under a spell. But this heat rose from within her core not from Hades who was a cold figure like the dead he ruled over. The warmth from Kore’s touch spread between the two of them like a wildfire. He wanted to possess her, to own her. Before he knew it, he pulled her to him and looked deep into her eyes. She looked back at him without fear. He must have her, and she did not resist when he mounted his horse and pulled her up to him. The couple then descended into his underworld kingdom while the opening in the earth filled in behind them leaving do evidence of any disturbance. Hades took the maiden to his bed and that first time, she gave him her innocence.
Hades and Persephone’s days and nights were filled with passion. The sheltered Kore discovered a new life, as Eve biting the apple. Persephone was awakened to who she was and what she wanted when out of her mother’s shadow. She is not the same girl who was seemingly abducted. Hades sees that the woman rising is not the same person as the girl who went down into Hell with him, and he literally can’t own her. It’s not possible. She is no longer the meek maid she was when he first saw her. She has evolved, matured, changed, and there is no way to revert her to her former state. It is at this point she adopts the name Persephone. Hades soon comes to the realization that he now admires her more. She stands as his counterpart, his equal. He must win her with love.
Back above in the land of the living, the other girls were oblivious to the sudden disappearance of Persephone, the events unfolding too swiftly for them to grasp. Yet, Zeus, father of the maiden and sibling to the abductor, along with Helios, the Sun god, bore witness to the entire incident. Zeus, opting for silence to avert conflict with his brother, while Helios wisely chose not to entangle himself in affairs not his own. Meanwhile, a distraught and heartbroken Demeter roamed the earth in search of her daughter until her confidante Hecate, goddess of wilderness and childbirth, advised her to enlist the aid of Helios, the all-seeing Sun god. Moved by Demeter's anguish, Helios revealed the truth: Persephone had been seized by Hades. Demeter, enraged, yearned for revenge, but Helios suggested that perhaps being the wife of Hades and queen of the dead wasn't entirely unfavorable. Despite attempts to convince her, Demeter would not give up her daughter to a new life. Demeter's fury persisted, exasperated by Zeus's silence on the matter. In her grief and to admonish the gods, Demeter withdrew indefinitely from her duties as the goddess of harvest and fertility, unleashing dire consequences. The earth withered, crops failed, and famine ravished, prompting the anguished cries of humanity to reach the divine ears of Zeus. Realizing the gravity of his wife's wrath and its threat to humanity, Zeus sought a solution to appease both Demeter and Hades.
He promised Demeter to restore Persephone to her if it can be proven that the maiden stays with Hades against her will. Otherwise, Persephone belongs with her husband.
Hades learned this agreement and told his bride, who was had begun to create a life for herself comforting the dead. She found her life to be fulfilling and meaningful. Zeus sent a messenger to pull Persephone out of Hades. As she was pulled from her bed in the night screaming and reaching for her husband, Hades was able to place 3 pomegranate seeds in her hand which she quickly placed in her mouth and bit down. The sweet red juice flowed over her tongue and dripped onto her lips. This was the taste of love.
During the assembly before Zeus, when Persephone was questioned about her preferred residence, she declared her desire to dwell with her husband. Hearing this, Demeter erupted in fury, accusing Hades of somehow deceiving her daughter.
Persephone, now a strong woman said,
“You think he took me? You think I knew not what I did when I placed those crimson seeds upon my tongue?”
Demeter was furious and threatened that she would never again make the earth fertile and everyone on Earth would die.
Zeus decreed that Persephone would split her time, spending half of each month with her husband in Hades and the other half with her mother on Olympus. Although neither mother nor daughter found this arrangement satisfactory, they reluctantly accepted it as their only option.
Each fall as Persephone descends into to hell to take her place as Queen of the dead wife of Hades, there is a hush in the air. Leaves dry and fall to the ground as if in mourning but secretly they dance in the autumn wind. Demeter may think she is punishing the earth, but we descend into darkness like Persephone. We need this time to make ourselves whole again, to remember who we are.
And when Persephone rises to be with her mother, she reluctantly leaves her husband and her fulfilling work behind. Although Demeter ushers in spring and summer, it is out of balance. Demeter did not allow the natural “becoming” of her daughter. She interfered and so the climate is reacting to the imbalance. The earth is suffering.
Not everyone can quiet the unquiet dead and the gods know there is need for such a gift. Anyone who has witnessed the ravages of war can attest to that. Singing over the bones of those who went to their graves unsettled, balming the souls of those who were left behind, these are roles in traditional cultures that keep things neat and tidy, truly healthy, for the generations yet to come. But Persephone must leave her work undone as she ascends to earth. The dying are not tended to and they often die in fear.
When you remember Persephone, ditch the rogue story of her as an unwitting accessory to someone else’s glory. Remember her as the embodiment of grace, power, dignity, and purpose that she is. And remember that change is inevitable, When we interfere with the natural process of “becoming” we only cause imbalance.
The Reverend Dr. Kathleen Rose holds a Doctorate in Clinical Pastoral Psychotherapy and a Master of Divinity. Her areas of focus are thanatology and Process Philosophy. Kathleen is an ordained interfaith minister. She currently works as a board certified healthcare chaplain, and as an Eco Chaplain. Kathleen is also student of Japanese Tea Ceremony through the international Chado Urasenke Tankokai associations of the Urasenke School in Kyoto, Japan. Kathleen Reeves is a published poet, and writer.
She is a philosopher and a ponderer
