Demeter & Persephone

                                           Demeter & Persephone
First let me give you some background information about the Greek Gods so you understand the dynamics. 

Zeus, is king of the gods, he is married to Hera, who is his older sister. 

Demeter is also Zeus older sister. There are a couple of stories about what happened between Zeus and Demeter and how she conceived Persephone.  Demeter while pregnant with Persephone hid herself away from all the gods specifically Zeus. 

Demeter and Persephone spent most of their time together as she matured. The earth flourished, therefor the humans who worshipped the gods also flourished. Everyone is happy! 

Persephone was kidnapped by Hades to become his wife and queen of the underworld. Zeus made a deal with Hades behind Demeter and Persephone’s back.  Which enraged Demeter. She scorched the earth, literally looking for her daughter. With the help of Hecate, Goddess of Magic, Demeter found out where her daughter Persephone was. 
Finally Zeus, afraid Demeter would take out the earth, he decided to communicate with Demeter. Communication was not his special skill. Zeus was a bully and cheater. 

After a lot of back and forth negotiations, mostly because Persephone ate six pomegranate seeds while in the underworld, Persephone was freed to live on earth for six months. Those six months of course are spring and summer, it is a sacred time of growth, abundance, celebration and beauty. 

In ancient Greece, summer solstice was closely connected to the myth of Demeter and Persephone. The summer solstice marked the radiant reunion of the mother and daughter.  The peak of the earth’s agricultural abundance, celebrated through the secretive, women only festivals honoring fertility and protect the earth’s moisture from the scorching sun.

                                        Secretive Celebration - Exclusively for Women

Scirophoria occurred just days before the summer solstice. This festival was dedicated to Athena, Demeter, and Persephone. Priestesses carried sacred white parasols (skiron) to symbolically shield the fertility of the earth from the destructive baking heat of the summer sun god, Helios. 

Demeter cults held specific sacred right for women, closely guarded by women and never written down for public consumption.  This is why we do not know what the woman did during these sacred days. 

Persephone’s return to the earth align’s with the explosion of summer’s bloom. The solstice represents the joy of Demeter having her daughter home, ensuring the wheat and the human's souls evolution toward Elysium.  

Modern Pagan and Wiccan traditions, the summer solstice, Litha, occurs June 20-21. 

The solstice represents the zenith of Helio's (sun) and Demeter allowing the grain to fully ripen.
Persephone returns to the lush state of the earth. 
The modern ritual is to honor Demeter and Persephone by decorating with sunflowers, baking breads, lighting bonfires, and performing rituals centered around growth and the divine feminine. 

Here are some modern ways to celebrate:

Build an altar dedicated to Demeter and Persephone, featuring early summer offerings like fresh grains, pomegranates, and blooming flowers or plants. 
You can practice fire magic by lighting a candle or a small bonfire at twilight to celebrate the sun’s power, meditating on cycles of growth, metamorphosis and transformation.
Bake a loaf of bread or cake using local seasonal ingredients to honor Demeter, goddess of the harvest. 

                          Let me introduce you to other Summer Solstice Goddesses 

Amaterasu - Japanese The supreme Shinto goddess of the sun and the universe, highly revered for her life giving and central to mid year celebrations

Sulis Minerva - Celtic/Roman fierce sun and healing goddess. She was worshipped at the sacred hot springs in Bath, England where the thermal waters embody the warmth of the sun. 

Saule - Baltic  The supreme solar mother goddess in Latvian and Lithuanian mythology. Her festivals involve rising before dawn to watch the sun dance  picking wildflowers and leaping over bonfires. 

Aine - Irish- is the Celtic Feasrie queen and goddess of summer and the sun. She is celebrated to banish evil spirits and protect the crops. 

Sekhmet is the Egyptian fierce solar goddess of fire, healing and transformation, honored during the solstice when the sun reaches its most powerful intensity.

Vesta is the Roman goddess of hearth and home. The ancient Romans honored her during the summer solstice festival of Vestalia which culminated with the cleansing of her temple. 

Sunna or Sol is a Norse goddess who personified the sun who drives the golden chariot of the sun across the sky every day, providing healing and light. 


Reference - Litha The summer Solstice (Witches Sabbats) by Amy Cesari - Amazon 

Happy Summer Solstice! Have a beautiful, abundant summer! Stay safe! Keep your heart open and aligned with the energy of LOVE!

Auriel Grace