Straddling Two Worlds: Grief, Mediumship, and the Myth of Persephone
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The Greek myth of Persephone corresponds with the equinoxes and embodies duality. Persephone is heralded as both queen of the underworld and maiden goddess of spring. The autumn equinox/ Mabon marks Persephone’s descent to the underworld, and her rebirth evokes the reawakening of nature on the spring equinox/ Ostara. If you are grieving, a medium, or both, you may feel a deep connection to the myth of Persephone and the goddess herself.
In amplifying the nature of grief itself, the myth of Demeter and Persephone reminds me of grief work. In the story, Persephone is abducted by Hades, and her mother, Demeter, longs and grieves for her daughter so much that she causes the world to go barren. When Persephone enters the underworld, she eats six pomegranate seeds, which, to her shock, mandate her to spend six months in the underworld, and six months above ground. Winter represents death and Spring represents rebirth. Demeter’s grief for Persephone aligns with the grief someone experiences when someone dies. One’s world seems to have died with their loved one and is barren of meaning. The bereaved would give anything to have their person back. Persephone could also represent the grieving person by being swept, pulled, to the underworld of grief. Persephone oscillates between the two worlds just as a grieving person may oscillate between extremes of emotion and may feel that they are straddling two worlds, feeling partly dead and partly alive. If there was a long illness and anticipatory grief, the bereaved may relate to both Demeter and Persephone. Grief is like a trip to the underworld.
Persephone’s return from the underworld represents the bereaved’s rebirth into a self and world that have both been transformed by the loss. When Persephone and Demeter are reunited, that can be seen as continuing the relationship to the deceased in a new way, whether through keeping their memories alive or through direct and ongoing communication with their spirit.
In some versions of the myth, Persephone went to the underworld voluntarily because of her love and lust for Hades. This can be likened to seeking the fruits held in one’s unconscious and in other dimensions. The liminal space of grief can often awaken mediumship abilities. Grief offers an invitation to commune with the unconscious, and if accepted, this encounter with the shadow of the underworld leads to transformation, spiritual evolution, and awakening. Ultimately, the gift Persephone’s journey gave her as Queen of the realm of the dead and herald of new life can be seen as representing the medium’s straddling of two worlds.
You may enjoy: Mabon Magic: How the Autumn Equinox Helps Us Honor Both Light and Shadow
