Learning from Ancient Stories
The Story of Determination: Anger that does not turn Into Depression
Demeter is a Greek Goddess. She is the Goddess of grain and harvest. There are many stories about her and her
daughter Persephone. This ancient story
finds it roots as far back as the seventh century BC, existing long before the
deification of the Judeo-Christian story of the Father-Son. In the beginning of this Greek story the
mother and the daughter are one and as the years pass they become two separate
entities.
One story, the least familiar is about Persephone
feeling called to the underground to help the dead rejuvenate and bring life to
the people above ground. This story
resonates to the degree that we must leave our mothers to become adults. It also resonates to the degree that Demeter
goes through this empty-nest syndrome while Persephone is underground.
However, the story that is most familiar and perhaps
the one that you have heard is the story where Hades the God of the Underworld
abducts Persephone. This abduction sends Demeter, Persephone’s mother into a
plan of action. In many versions of this
story it says that Demeter suffered from a major depression and she would no
longer tend to the planting of grain.
The earth became barren.
We use to say in psychology that depression is anger
turned inward. Perhaps there is a tad of
that in Demeter’s story. Perhaps Demeter
regretted letting Persephone run off and play.
But, rather than wallow in mother guilt, she does something about her
situation. She just refuses to plant
grain. I see it as a position of
strength and determination, qualities that every mother needs. Qualities that we need to harvest within our
own self.
The Greek people needed to eat. Zeus, the chief God at that time and Demeter’s
husband saw the abduction take place from Mt. Olympus. When it was obvious to him that Demeter was
on strike until Persephone was returned, Zeus requested that Hades return
Persephone to her mother. Then of
course, as in every story there is a twist of fate.
The story goes that Persephone refused to eat in the
underground because she wanted to be returned to her mother. When
Zeus demanded that Persephone be returned, Hades tempted her with a pomegranate
as a way of saying goodbye. Persephone
young and innocent did not understand the rules of the underground and she ate
six pomegranate seeds. As a result she
belonged to the underground. There are
other versions of this part of the story too.
However, Zeus and Hades made a deal that Persephone
could come above ground six months out of the year and thus we have our four seasons. Spring and summer when things are blooming
and growing and fall and winter where things are withdrawing and dying. Life of spring sustains us through the dark
cold months of fall and winter. There is
much to be learned by us as we take our own journey’s to find our compassionate
mother within.
There is a short video I found online about this
story. The video closes with “I am
telling you that should anything ever happen to you I will bend the laws of
life and death to retrieve you. I love you.” Demeter.
That is the story of the Compassionate Mother. She is within you. You are one with her and now you are
awakening your consciousness to her, in order that you discover such an inner
unrequited compassion for yourself.
Robin B. Dilley, Ph.D.
