Post by robincragin on Jan 6, 2016 19:19:51 GMT -5
Table of Correspondences: Demeter
Symbols: Grain and the scythe
Tools: The sickle, the boline, white-handled knife
Magical Essences/Herbs: Cypress, honeysuckle, oakmoss, civet, and myrrh
Direction: Demeter is aligned with the west
She Rules: Tides, rhythms, maternal influence, universal love
Animal Symbols: Lion
Sacred Foods: All ripe fruits and grains
Magical Stones: Star sapphire, cat’s eye
Demeter(pronounced: DEH-meh-ter) is a Greek goddess who is an archetype of motherly magic, fecundity, and abundance. Her name means “earth-goddess-mother.” The ancient Greeks associated her magic with the harvest, with wheat and barley. Demeter’s myth intertwines with that of her mythic daughter Persephone. In the myth, Hades, lots of the underworld, abducts Persephone. One Homeric human to Demeter says this about the abduction of persephone: “No one is to blame but Zeus who gave her to Hades, to be called his wife. And Hades seized her and took her loudly crying in his chariot down to his realm of mist and gloom.”
Demeter then searched the worlds for her lost daughter, weeping all the while. Because of her grief, she caused the earth to become barren. It was then that Zeus sent the gods of Mount Olympus to persuade Demeter to return to her home and restore the earth’s bounty, but Demeter refused to go. She avowed never to let the earth bear fruit until she was reunited with Persephone.
Wiccans most associate Demeter with the mother aspect of the feminine divine. Demeter rules all cycles and the passage of seasons, since she is the personification of all of nature. When you tap into the archetypal energies of Demeter, you also evoke your ability to work within the framework of natural cycles. Through her, you come to see that all things have their season and their time. Demeter reminds each of us that we are a manifestation of the bounty of nature—we have but to recognize the bounty of our lives. Demeter is aligned with the west, with tides, rhythms, and dusk. Her sacred colors are green and amber.
Demeter Practice
Assemble an altar in Demeter’s honor today. When you have completed this task, face the altar and intone her name, one syllable at a time, until you sense her presence surrounding you. Once she has arrived, spend some time contemplating what it might mean to serve this aspect of deity. Take time to ask Demeter what it would mean to live life through her energy and listen for her answer.
Spend the day honoring this goddess by celebrating the diversity and bounty of your own existence. It does exist. Look for it!
Symbols: Grain and the scythe
Tools: The sickle, the boline, white-handled knife
Magical Essences/Herbs: Cypress, honeysuckle, oakmoss, civet, and myrrh
Direction: Demeter is aligned with the west
She Rules: Tides, rhythms, maternal influence, universal love
Animal Symbols: Lion
Sacred Foods: All ripe fruits and grains
Magical Stones: Star sapphire, cat’s eye
Demeter(pronounced: DEH-meh-ter) is a Greek goddess who is an archetype of motherly magic, fecundity, and abundance. Her name means “earth-goddess-mother.” The ancient Greeks associated her magic with the harvest, with wheat and barley. Demeter’s myth intertwines with that of her mythic daughter Persephone. In the myth, Hades, lots of the underworld, abducts Persephone. One Homeric human to Demeter says this about the abduction of persephone: “No one is to blame but Zeus who gave her to Hades, to be called his wife. And Hades seized her and took her loudly crying in his chariot down to his realm of mist and gloom.”
Demeter then searched the worlds for her lost daughter, weeping all the while. Because of her grief, she caused the earth to become barren. It was then that Zeus sent the gods of Mount Olympus to persuade Demeter to return to her home and restore the earth’s bounty, but Demeter refused to go. She avowed never to let the earth bear fruit until she was reunited with Persephone.
Wiccans most associate Demeter with the mother aspect of the feminine divine. Demeter rules all cycles and the passage of seasons, since she is the personification of all of nature. When you tap into the archetypal energies of Demeter, you also evoke your ability to work within the framework of natural cycles. Through her, you come to see that all things have their season and their time. Demeter reminds each of us that we are a manifestation of the bounty of nature—we have but to recognize the bounty of our lives. Demeter is aligned with the west, with tides, rhythms, and dusk. Her sacred colors are green and amber.
Demeter Practice
Assemble an altar in Demeter’s honor today. When you have completed this task, face the altar and intone her name, one syllable at a time, until you sense her presence surrounding you. Once she has arrived, spend some time contemplating what it might mean to serve this aspect of deity. Take time to ask Demeter what it would mean to live life through her energy and listen for her answer.
Spend the day honoring this goddess by celebrating the diversity and bounty of your own existence. It does exist. Look for it!