The White Moon Gallery Presents

Persephone was the young and beautiful Greek Goddess and daughter of Zeus, King of the Gods, and Demeter.
She was loved and admired dearly by her mother and linked in all ways to Demeter.

Persephone's Story begins when Hades the King of the underworld, fell in love with her.
Hades asked his brother Zeus to let him have her as his wife. Zeus knows that Demeter will not agree to this and aids in Persephone's kidnapping.

One day as Persephone and her friends are walking in a meadow full of flowers she spots the most magnificent and glorious flower. As she reaches down to pluck the flower the earth opens up and Hades appears with his mortal horses. Trying to fight Hades off, Persephone Fails and is dragged to his golden chariot and is carried down into Hades Kingdom Underground.

Demeter hears Persephone's cry as they echo through out the Mountains and the ocean but cannot find her daughter.
Demeter Grief-stricken threatens to bring famine to the earth and destroy all of mankind. Zeus finally gave in and demanded that Hades return his daughter back to Demeter.

Persephone was then returned to Demeter, but kept from her mother the fact that she had eaten a pomegranate seed that Hades had given to her while she was underground. She had not eaten a single morsel during her stay in the underworld and gladly accepted the Pomegranate. It is known that anyone who tastes food of the dead would be bound to return to the underworld. Because of this Persephone was doomed to spend one-third of each year underground with her husband Hades, whom she grew to love.

Persephone is worshiped as Demeter's Daughter for which the life of spring is reborn each year. As a symbol of her return to her Mother.

Persephone's life is easily broken into 4 stages...
Her protected and innocent childhood, her abduction and rape by Hades, her return to her mother Demeter, And lastly her becoming Queen of the Underworld.

My Life as Persephone
By: Twyla of the Moonlight
2002

I go to bed under the glow of the moon
sweet and innocent, young and free.
I wake bathed in the sun, eager to start my day,
sweet and innocent, young and free.
I run, skip, giggle and enjoy my friends.
A child's play so carefree
I gather in my basket a wondrous assortment of flowers
so many bright colors and smells.
One more must I have
Alone it sits, swaying in the breeze,
As if to call out to me
Pick just one more, pick me.
The one with the brightest color and the wondrous scent,
So pretty, I must have.
I reach for this temptation That is meant just for me,
and instantly aware that life as I once new was now to be lost.
The ground shaking and rumbling so loud.
I turn to run, my feet stuck to the ground.
The field I was playing in opens to reveal
My hidden night mare I will be forced to indur.
My world is now deep and dark,
So bleak it is now,
snatched away, by a cruel so called man.
For the moment a child, soon to be a women.
I am forced to do, to be someone I had no idea existed.
Returned back home used, mute and hurt.
Once a child, A women by force.
With hopes of suppressed memories,
until one day again,
A year from Today,
when again I must live though
hidden tears, silent screams and invisible scares.
Once a child, A women so young.

Art Project:
I made this Persephone Statue out of Sculpey clay. She holds a single Flower to remember her innocence.
There are candles surrounding her, each one of these represents each of the
elements. I have to thank Persephone for touching my life and keeping me strong through all of my troubles. I feel that she took my hands and held them as I sculpted her statue. This is not my creation, but one that Persephone Made through me to represent who she is.

I Honor Persephone: My altar is very special to me. I come to Persephone when I am scared or troubled. She comforts me and gives me strength, courage and control over myself and the difficult situations I am up against. My altar has my clay statue of Persephone as well as... a bottle that is filled with special herbs. It also has pictures of Persephone as well as fruit symbols. This bottle was special made for me by a wonderful friend and fellow sister, MoonWillow. I also have an apple candle that has apple slices in it. My goddess Beads that to my symbolize Persephone as the Maiden, Demeter as the Mother and Hecate as the Crone. And my Sandalwood incense that sit in a special clay pot that I also made. This altar sits in my living room under my favorite window. I sit here to meditate, pray, daydream or just talk to Persephone.

Samhain Ritual
By: Mareth SummerWind
1996
http://www.geocities.com/m_summerwind/samhain.html

Prepare the Altar:
In addition to your accustomed Altar setup, place 3 unlit candles in a central position on the Altar. The candle on the left should be white, to represent Persephone, the Maiden. In the middle should be a red candle, to represent Demeter, the Mother Goddess. The candle on the right should be black, to represent the Hecate, the Crone. These will be lit during the main ritual.Use alternating orange and black votive candles to mark the boundary of the Circle you will cast. These, too, should remain unlit until during the main ritual.

Altar devotion:
Casting the Circle:
"I conjure thee, great circle of power as a boundary between the physical and the astral planes. I charge thee in the name of the elements, my ancestors, and the Gods I serve to be for me a sphere of protection. May all negative energies and entities be repelled. May all positive energies and entities be welcomed. So mote it be!"

Calling the Quarters:
Stand facing the East and say:
"Hail, Falcon of the Element of Air, messenger of Hermes, who brings inspiration! I invite you forth this night to witness this rite and to guard this sacred space. Come! Join my celebration. So mote it be!"
Stand facing the South and say:
"Hail, Fox of the Element of Air, messenger of Eros, who inspires passion! I invite you forth this night to witness this rite and to guard this sacred space. Come! Join my celebration. So mote it be!"
Stand facing the West and say:
Hail, Mare of the Element of Water, messenger of Aphrodite who shows us to love! I invite you forth this night to witness this rite and to guard this sacred space. Come! Join my celebration. So mote it be!"
Stand facing the North and say:
"Hail, Wolf of the Element of Earth, messenger of Gaia who grants us fertility and stability! I invite you forth this night to witness this rite and to guard this sacred space. Come! Join my celebration. So mote it be.!"
Invocation of Deity:
Stand facing altar Place arms in Goddess Position and Say:

"I call on this Samhain evening the three great Goddesses, Persephone, Demeter, and Hecate, who together form the whole, Maiden, Mother, and Crone. Join with me this night, great Goddesses three, and gift me with Your joy, love, and wisdom as I celebrate another turning of the Wheel. Celebrate with me."

Light the Goddess candles

Main ritual:
Say:
"Blessed be the season of Samhain, the time of the all-knowing Hecate, the night of Persephone's descent into the Underworld, the season of Demeter's greatest sorrow, the night to celebrate the nearness of the spirit world, as the veil is drawn thin."

Light the orange and black votive candles, to show the spirits the way to you.
Say:
"Dearest loved ones, both newly departed and old, the veil between our worlds is at its thinnest on this night of Persephone's descent. So long as your intentions are pure and your spirit is benevolent, come into my circle to commune with me, that I might share your wisdom as Hecate teaches Persephone."

Stand facing West and say:
"Farewell, old year. Farewell to the season of Demeter's great abundance."

Using the athame, draw a Banishing Pentagram, Stand facing North and say:
"Welcome to the new year. Welcome to the season of the Crone."

Using the athame, draw an Invoking Pentagram Move Persephone's candle from the left side of the altar, placing it on the far side of Hecate's. Move Demeter's candle to the far left side of altar.
"Tonight, Persephone and Demeter belong to separate worlds, divided by the thin veil between the realms of the living and the dead. Blessed be the Maiden, Persephone, for Her desire to seek that which is hidden within the world of the dead. Blessed be the Mother, Demeter, sorrowful in Her great mourning for Her lost daughter. Blessed be the Crone, Great Hecate, the giver of life and the bringer of death, for Her great knowledge."

Divination with Tarot cards:
Shuffle the deck and say:
"Hecate, great wise One, Guide these cards that they might impart unto me some small insight into what is in store for me throughout the coming year."

Simple feast of apples and juice:
Hold Chalice in one hand, the plate of apples in the other.
Say:
"Great Goddesses three, Maiden, Mother, and Crone, I ask Your blessings on this food, that it might nourish both bodies living and the souls of those in the Underworld as they await their rebirth."

Thanks to the Goddesses:
"Persephone, sweet Maiden; Demeter, loving, fertile Mother; Hecate, dark, all-knowing Crone; I thank You for Your blessings and for the lessons learned throughout this turn of the Wheel. I give You my gratitude in advance for that which is to come throughout the next year. I ask that you grant me the wisdom, strength, and courage to come through it all gracefully. May You go now in peace. Blessed be!"

Farewell to the Quarters:
Move widdershins, starting at North and ending at East, saying:
"Forces of (Element), I thank you for your presence and protection throughout this rite. May you go now in peace. Blessed be!"

Extinguish each point candle as you dismiss that Quarter
Banishing the Circle:
Start at North, moving widdershins, and end at North, saying as you walk:
"Earth will crumble my Circle. Water will cause it to fall. Fire will burn what's left in the urn, and the Winds will scatter it all."

Stand facing the altar.
Say:
"The Circle is open, but never broken. I carry its protective forces now into the mundane world."

Take the remainder of your simple feast outside if possible, to be left as an offering to the spirit world.

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