Goddess Archetype: Persephone

Persephone came in as a close second on the Goddess Archetype quiz I completed as part of my 4SJ. I’ve heard of Persephone and know the basics of her story.
I used this link as a reference.

Image by Banana-Jam on Deviant Art (Click Image)

Basics

• Goddess of the underworld
• Concerned with the world of spirit, the occult, matters associated with death.
• She is mystical, visionary and often possesses spirit guides.
• Archetypal child; radiating optimism and good hope
• Kore, the Maiden, Persephone (or Demeter), the mature Woman, and Hecate, the Wise Crone.

Myths and Stories

• Kore (daughter of Demeter and the maiden aspect of Persephone) was abducted (at the suggestion of Zeus) and raped by Hades and forced to be his wife. She was plucking flowers in a field when Hades (her uncle and god of the Underworld) abducted her to be his Queen in the dark world below.
• The goddess, Hecate, strongly associated with the dark side of the moon and with witchcraft – was the only one to witness Kore’s abduction. She hears Persephone’s cries but does nothing, herself, to help and, furthermore, does not seek help from others.
• Kore was extremely unhappy in the darkness of the Underworld and missed her mother, Demeter. Kore was ultimately allowed to rejoin her mother, who had arranged Persephone’s release. However, Persephone was obligated to return each Fall to spend four months of each year in the underworld as consort to Hades because she had eaten pomegranates from the underworld.

Weaknesses

• Her consciousness is diffuse, taking in all, rather than focused.
• Has difficulty saying “no” and recognizing and asserting her own boundaries.
• She may unconsciously attract destructive relationships or potentially controlling partners. As an unconscious protective measure, she may choose a safe alternative in a younger, non-threatening partner whom she can mother.
• Difficulty explaining her reasoning as it is an intuitive perception.
• Easily overwhelmed by feelings and impressions from her unconscious

Strengths

• Her receptivity, intuition, empathy toward the suffering of others, her keen powers of imagination, inspiration, ability to read the hearts and minds of others. Persephone, once matured through her own inner work, is the guide to the Underworld.

Thoughts

I’ve never related to Persephone – her story interests me but I’ve not had any run ins with this Goddess before (which I guess isn’t surprising since she’s not the type to assert herself). At the beginning I didn’t quite agree with the description but as I read more and more I could see how she fits into my personality.

A lot of the challenges that Persephone faces are what I’m working on currently with my mental health so I do believe she has some important things to teach me.

Goddess Archetype: Artemis

I’ve always had a connection with images of Artemis and the idea of bows and arrows – I’ve just never really been interested in doing any research on the matter. After completing this quiz in my 4SJ coursework I found that Artemis was one of the Goddess’ I relate to the most – coincidence? I did a quick look around on Artemis and what she stands for.
I mostly used this link as my reference.

Image by ArtemisiaSynchroma on Deviant Art (Click Image)

Basics

• Goddess of Nature and the Moon.
• Concerned with matters of the outdoors, animals, environmental protection, women’s communities.
• Practical, adventurous, athletic and preferring solitude.
• Childbirth.

Myths and Stories

• Artemis may have, early on, prior to later Greek patriarchal manipulation, been the Great Mother, triple in her power as Maiden, Mother and Crone. Artemis may likely be one of the oldest of all the Greek goddesses–belonging to the most ancient layer of human memory.
• Artemis’ mother was Leto, a nature deity who bore Artemis without pain. Artemis’ father was Zeus.
• Artemis, directly following her own birth–a newborn, herself, Artemis assisted as midwife to her mother, Leto, throughout a very difficult birth to her twin brother, Apollo. Artemis was subsequently considered a goddess of childbirth.
• Classic Greek historians, on the other hand, depict her as a virgin who never mothers a child of her own, shunning men and living in the forest on the fringe of the inhabited world.
• Mother of Birth and of Death/Huntress and taker of life – representing both the Light and the Dark side of the goddess’ nature.
• Makes sacred; solitude, natural and primitive living.
• Not flattered by or interested in male suitors. She turned one spying man into a deer and his hunting dogs, no longer recognizing him, tore him apart.

Weaknesses

• She tends to avoid her vulnerability in relation to others–hiding her emotional needs, even to herself.
• Artemis tends toward emotional distancing–difficulty trusting relationship.
• Growth for Artemis type woman is in developing her less conscious, human relationship side of herself.
• Artemis type needs rewarding and challenging goals toward which to strive, if Artemis is unable to find fulfilling self-expression in her life she will feel increasingly frustrated and depressed.
• Artemis women find that the non-stop presence of others hinders her presence to herself, therefore, requiring retreat into the solitude of natural world and offering reconnection to her inner self.

Strengths

• Self-directed, autonomous, focused consciousness.
• Her ‘masculine’ energy can be deeply transformed or sublimated in highly creative ways.
• Androgynous energy contained within converts to visions, mystical experiences, and a deep, enduring compassion for all of Nature.
• Solitary nature teaching her self-sufficiency & independence–prophesy, poetry, music, magic and healing.

Thoughts

I definitely relate to Artemis and what she represents. It should be very interesting to find out what she has to teach me over the course of the 4SJ.

A Dedication to the Goddess’ in my Life

If anyone follows me on my tumblr or my facebook you might have already heard me talk of VDay or 1 Billion Rising. It’s a movement against violence; specifically against violence towards women. The website for 1 Billion Rising inspired me to create my own event where the people I know and love can come together and communicate.

My goal for this is to see the elephant in the room and get women and men talking about the issues of marital rape, casual sexism, spousal abuse, etc which are more common in our society. Other issues such as forced female circumcision, rape and other horrible things experienced more overseas will also be on our minds and tongues.
After creating this event I got quite a positive reaction from those closest to me which then inspired me to create this altar. The jewellery box was given to me by my great grandmother, the incense holder by my mother-in-law, the oil burner is from my mum, the necklace is from my sister and mum (I wear it during my period), the jar is filled with coins and draped with fabric from my mother-in-law, a silver bangle from my nan surrounds the goddess statue I made from clay, the daffodil pin is from my other great grandmother, there are gold earrings worn by my aunty at my parents wedding, a book mark from one of my sister-in-laws and a key ring from my other aunty. Basically I made it as a dedication to the women in my life.

In the couple of days following the ritual I saw more people getting involved – even my grandmothers friends were excited and shared with me their stories. My relationships with women seem to be blossoming into something beautiful. I’ve always felt uncomfortable with other women for reasons I can’t quite pin point and I’m starting to believe that being comfortable with my sex is probably a step in the right direction to true equality.