Since the publication of "Mysteries of Demeter; Rebirth of the Pagan Way,"
several questions have arisen that
I will answer here. If you have additional questions please email them to
jendiadaphne@yahoo.com
1) QUESTION:
I am occasionally asked about elements of the myth and the divinities
as portrayed in my book. The question of why I strayed from
Homer and Ovid has come up a few times. This is always about the lack of rape
in my version of the myth. Scroll down to Question 4 for information on this subject.
I think though, that the real or implied question is about my right, or any person's right to invent or reinvent religious myth.
I will answer that question as follows.
ANSWER
Religious myth is created by the society from which it emerges. The basic themes of life, death and rebirth
are commonly present as is the designation of divine power to various deities in the sacred stories.
These deities represent the very real divine forces that exist in life.
Sacred myths are the way the collective unconcious makes itself known through
the artists and writers of the cultures. In other words, what we name them and how we image
them is secondary to the primary forces that they represent: Earth Mothers, Trickster Gods, Fertility Gods, etc., all
coming from different cultures, all representing basically the same divine forces.
Myth making is not reserved solely for any one author, ancient or modern. Changes in myths were frequently
being made during ancient times. Changes in THIS myth are obvious between Homer and Ovid. They were
living hundreds of years apart from each other, and in different countries at the time they committed their versions
to writing. There are five versions of the Demeter-Persephone myth from
ancient authors in Appendix 4 of my book. It is likely that there were many additional
versions through the centuries in various locals, but they remained in the oral tradition and were not committed
to writing. Some people believe that there is one true Demeter or Persephone archetype,
but this is perhaps a bit of wishful thinking.
Through our individual perceptions and creations we are all myth-makers.
I have observed that some people feel their view of a deity is the only real or right one.
So, if another person sees 'their' deity or religious myth differently than they do, they feel that they are
being injured in some way. Either they feel they are being criticized because another person
doesn't see a deity or a piece of theology the way they do, or it might go a little deeper.
Sometimes it is a case of you don't love my Goddess or my God the way
I think you should so I'm going to be mad at you and fight about it. While these are real feelings
that occur, the fact is that the Divine Mother and Father can have a myriad of
appearances. Divinity comes in many shapes and names and acceptance of each other's spiritual views is necessary for
the civilized world to continue in a peaceful fashion.
What others think about what you believe is of secondary importance because profound religious mystical experience
is intimate and private. It is separate from public argument about religious theology, which is strictly cerebral.
2) QUESTION:
How long did it take you to write the book?
ANSWER:
I worked on the initial exploration and writing for several years, planted grain for four years (seasons),
worked with a group of people performing the rites for a couple of years,
and did solitary work with solitary adaptations of the rites for several years.
It took several years to write the manuscript. Some of these periods overlapped.
In total the work took just under ten years.
3) QUESTION:
Do you believe that you will go to Elysium after you die?
ANSWER:
Myths such as this one contain allegory and metaphor. I don't think that I will
be immediately deposited in a look-alike-Elysium, but this is not that simple to answer.
Language and internal imagery limit our ability to describe or understand in
full, the Afterlife. I believe that elements of Elysium such as light, joy and beauty,
can be the experience of souls who pass on and leave Earth. I think that strong
feelings of unfinished business, or attachments can delay that soul journey, hence the need to
let go and forgive.
4) QUESTION:
Why is there no rape of Persephone in your version of the myth?
ANSWER:
There is an entire chapter on Persephone that fully explains my views
on this, so I will only respond here in a limited way. In my version, Demeter's daughter
does go through klepsigamia, that is, being stolen for marriage. In my initial
writing of the myth and liturgy, for what was at that time a predominantly female clergy
and audience, including rape did not work. It was deeply opposed to the sensibilities of all
who were present, including myself. The domination of a female deity through sexual violence by a male deity was not a
mythic story line that connected us to divine experience.
The fact is that
Eleusis was a center for primarily women's festivals that celebrated the Demeter-Persephone myth. We do not know
what the myth was prior to Homer. Most of the clergy at the Sanctuary of Eleusis were women.
I believe that the Eleusinian myth included the traditional carrying away of the bride,
klepsigamia, but not physical rape. Since we have no graphic evidence of what the myth of Eleusis was,
aside from the limited record of Seasonal Festivals, no one can say whether overt rape or
klepsigamia was a part of the Eleusinian myth. I, of course, have my own opinion.
5) QUESTION:
Why did you leave out some of the things we know about Demeter's Festivals and put in other things?
ANSWER
This is a question from Hellenic purists. Yes, I did the above and I continually differentiated between what I was
creating and what was found information. I was writing liturgy for each festival with the purposeful
intent of maintaining a Grain-Demeter-Persephone focus.
There were many things that I did not use. Some festivals included an honoring of local heros, Another event I did not include was
the Eleusinia, a games competition in late summer. A fourth century calendar suggests a sacrifice to Poseidon
during the Skira Festival. Mysteries of Demeter
presents only one way to reconstruct the Seasonal Festivals and Mysteries of the Temple of Demeter.
6) QUESTION
What exactly is your religion?
ANSWER
Shocking though it may sound, I don't actually ascribe to any particular religious group.
I love the Divine Mother in her many forms, but as of late
I've become a bit of a solitary. Still, I continue to be an explorer into spirit.
7) QUESTION
Why do you call the festivals and mysteries you wrote, 'reconstructions?'
ANSWER This is a question
from "Hellenic Reconstructionists." Many of these highly educated people are working
to accurately recreate ancient Greek festivals. I never called myself a reconstructionist. In fact at
the time of my research and writing, I had not heard of reconstructionists. I never at any time
made the claim that I was writing exact, correct versions of ancient festivals. However, I believe that
where exact information was not available, I created with accurate mythic themes and symbology. Always,
I worked with a grain cycle motif and applied the agricultural seasonal themes, as I observed them in the field,
to the deity mythology and the festival liturgy.
