On a Goddess kick. We are going to talk about the pre-patriarchal story of Persephone and Demeter. In this tale Persephone goes by the name of Cora, which means maiden. Demeter is another way of saying Earth-Mother.
In the most well known version of this myth. Cora is dragged down into the underworld against her will by Hades. Demeter practically dies of grief looking for her and that is why there are the Winter months. In the lesser known story, Cora willingly descends into the underworld to anoint and receive the newly deceased souls.
“I am Cora, I have come to be your light. You have shed your earthly bodies and now live in the world of the dead. Come forth and I will issue you into the new land.”
She squeezed a few pomegranate seeds and lets the red juice mark their foreheads. Cora stood on the rock in hell for months, blessing each of the dead. Meanwhile, Demeter wept unconsolably for months in the world above waiting for her daughter’s return. The crops withered and died. Coldness crept over the land. Then the crocuses began to whisper “Cora is returning, Cora is returning.” And she came back to the world above, Demeter and Cora, wept, laughed and danced within a lively reunion. Cora chooses to return three months of the year to fulfill this necessary duty.
Why tell this story? So you can remember deep down in your soul that there is always darkness and light in your life. It comes down to a matter of consciousness and choice. Denial and stasis will get you nowhere. Sometimes it has to be bad before it can be good, this can be a cycle that repeats.
Reference: Genia Pauli-Haddon.
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