HAPPY SPRING EQUINOX, and the reuniting of Demeter and Persephone

this is my favorite time of year, hands down, beyond all other days of the year. for one, it's my birthday....not the exact day of the equinox, but a few days later, and certainly close enough to be the name that i am. there are no other holidays in our gregorian calendar that should be celebrated...in my utterly honest opinion...except for birthdays and the solstices and equinoxes. so, to share my birth celebration with the birth celebration of ALL of nature!!! (wow. don't i feel special!) hence, chloe of-the-earth. i feel that it is perfectly appropriate for people to toot their horns (and to be spoiled) on their birthdays, as i'm doing right now.

but to get on with the story...
when the name chloe came to me, back in 2003ish (?) i honestly had no idea of it's origins. it was a name i had started to use as an alias to my art work. i didn't want to be the face behind my work, so i became the representative of the photographer, chloe. it was never intended to be a name that I was to take on. but during the middle of my Saturn's Return i had a vision...or a download...or a realization...or a tap on the shoulder...whatever you call it...The Universe said "this is your name. you've had it long enough, now it's time to claim it". and so i did. no questions. no arguments. the more you open your heart to the universal vibrations of existence, the more you begin to realize that nothing is in our control. to listen, and to trust, what is to be, makes the ebb and flow of change much easier to accept. change isn't easy for a lot of people. but change is something i'm most familiar with. if change isn't happening then something is wrong.

this year the equinox is march 20, which marks the changing of the seasons from hibernating winter to life-bursting spring. and so, as it's told in ancient myths, the story of Demeter and Persephone...

Demeter, God the Mother, Holy Mother of Persephone, the Divine daughter who died and was resurrected...a very integral part of the culture of greek gods and goddesses are offerings, typically consisting of value, quality and worth...autumn being the time of most harvests, bringing forth corn, wheat, barley and such other grains vital to survival and offerings...when Persephone was lured into the underworld by Pluto, Demeter was distraught at the disappearance of her daughter...she searched the world over, ignoring her duties as provider of earthly and plant life cycles...the crop lands barren from anything green or fruitful...the people brought their worries to Zeus, who could do nothing, except....
when Demeter begged Zeus to demand that Pluto return her daughter to the upperworld, he knew there was no other way to bring back the lushness of the lands but to demand Pluto to release Persephone, even though it was beyond his realm. under the agreeance that Persephone return to her husband for a period of 4 months every year (winter) Pluto granted her freedom, giving her a pomegranite with 4 seeds in it, one for each month during the year she spends with him. at that, Persephone was "born again", becoming the counterpart Demeter needed to renew the lands...and Demeter once again brought forth fresh life to the lands in celebration and joy of her daughters re-birth...the cycle of spring growth continues into the seasons of summer, and then autumnal harvests, after which is winter when Persephone goes back to the underworld, and Demeter retreats into a death-like sadness...until next spring!!! as the cycles continue !!!

there are many version of this story, with only slight vary details...this is the best compilation of the important parts that i could come up with.

to sum it up, chloe is demeter.

some other interesting historical facts to note: this mother/daughter story pre-dates greek mythology but since they have been deemed such important goddess figures their story has carried over. Demeter is also the holder of Eleusinan Mysteries...a rigorous and spiritual initiation which tells the secrets of life after death...a procedure held in very hight esteem throughout time.

happy spring equinox to all!

missing my fellow human herbies

a recent Plant Healing Magazine interview featured Juilet Blankespoor. i've read so much about her, and hopefully if the universe wills it, i will have the opportunity to sit in her class this coming september at the Herbal Resurgance gathering in arizona. you can check out the entire interview here.

i mention this interview mainly because of this quote from Juliet, "Like many a plant person, I often find it easier to relate to photosynthetic organisms than humans. My kinship with plants fills me with connection and belonging." my response is, "yes, don't we all!"

spring has sprung, and i got a good sneak peak at the plants down south, as shared in my last post (a very fun filled weekend to be sure!). BUT, there still exists the longing of a different sort...to be in the company with other kindred spirits connected to the plant world. i find myself babbeling to paul about the botanical break down of this plant, or the medicinal uses of that plant, or last night i even blurted out "did you know that red wigglers are hermaphrodites??!!", when talking about the worms we're getting for the compost. and he just laughs, sometimes getting up to break my rant, because who wouldn't? unless you're a plant (and animal) nerd like me. and so, to walk about in silence listening to the whispers all around, or bantering back and forth in plant conversation are moments of past that i cherish, and long for the time when new ones will be made.

i was very spoiled with my herb community at school. so now i suppose it's time to discover, or create, another one.

down on the ranch

there is music that accompanies this video so make sure your volume is on. song creds go to John Denver. also, the lengthy text slides are probably not still long enough to read, to you might want to make sure you have your pause button ready. hopefully it's not too glitchy. i've had a time fiddling with this thing. enjoy!!