Seeds of Change

Persephone was rather enjoying her role as Queen, even if it was in the underworld. While preparing to return to the earth with Hermes, Persephone accepted a pomegranate offered to her by Hades. She knew full well that anyone who had eaten while in the underworld would not be allowed to return, even a goddess -- Persephone went ahead and ate three of the seeds.

When I was a child I found a book on Greek myths in our library and fell in love with the stories. Two of my favorites have always been of the goddesses Persephone and Psyche. Both were about journeys of maturing and transformation. This fueled my ongoing studies throughout college to now of Jungian archetypes especially in relation to the goddess archetypes and symbols related to them.

Last year a friend knowing my interest in this, gave me a present of "The Goddess Gift". It involved a quiz to identify your primary goddess archetype. Much to my surprise, Persephone came up as my primary archetype. A quick summary described her as this:

The Greek goddess Persephone represents both the youthful, innocent, and joyous maiden aspect of a woman as well as the more womanly self who, innocence lost and family attachments loosened, can begin to consciously decide for herself. In Greek mythology Persephone, goddess of the soul, is the possessor of its dark and frightening wisdom. But the goddess Persephone is also the harbinger of spring... and a reminder of all the growth and hope that it brings.

Some of the themes of my blogging has been journey, growth, and change. In recent days I have been revisiting the Persephone archetype story and reviewing it. Synchronicity is another theme that I look at. Yesterday when I was walking on a path I found a pomegranate tree and at my feet were a couple the fruits that had fallen from the tree. It was a good experience of synchronicity in finding them as I consider the seeds of change that are growing in my life at this time.

So . . . in the spirit of Persephone and the Pomegranate, here is a recipe for a beverage:

Persephone's Pomegranate Punch

Ingredients:
One gallon of pomegranate juice
One quart apple juice
One cup honey
One cup of water
2 cinnamon sticks
20 cloves (whole)
20 cardamom seeds
One cup almond slivers
One cup dried cranberries

Process:
Place cardamom seeds, cloves and cinnamon in cheesecloth bag and tie tightly. Bring juices, honey, and water to boiling point, then add spice bag.
Simmer for twenty minutes on medium low heat.
Add almonds and cranberries. Simmer for an additional twenty minutes. Best served warm like mulled cider. Can refrigerate and warm up in the microwave.

Wishbone Ash, "Persephone":