TURNING WITHIN:
THE UNDERWORLD JOURNEY
(FALL 1999)
Dear Friends,
The harvest is upon us; the days shorten, the nights lengthen, the temperatures drop, and I am aware of autumn as a time for turning within. The fullness of summer is past; the fall season is a time to prepare for the dark days of winter when we symbolically enter the underworld for a period of gestation, rest, and reorganization. This is a natural turn of events that many people in our busy, industrialized culture try to suppress. With the advent of electricity and artificial heat it is easy to pretend that the seasons of the earth do not affect us, but ignoring these natural cycles only keeps us disconnected from our own inner cycles.
Because our bodies are made of the same matter as earth, we humans need the same cycles that nature provides for the earth. Therefore it is important to understand the energies of the seasonal cycles and their meaning for our lives. Body, spirit, and psyche need the gathering cycle of fall to prepare for the hibernation of winter, which leads to the emergence of spring and the exuberance of summer.
The cycles of life, death, and rebirth correspond to nature's cycles of summer (life), fall and winter (death).and spring (rebirth) and are present in many ancient myths. Looking to mythology is a helpful guide through the cycles of nature and life. In the Greek myth of Persephone & Demeter, Persephone is abducted into the underworld and her mother, Demeter, experiences deep grief at the loss of her daughter. This dark passage brings winter upon the land. The myth is showing us the link between ones' inner darknesses and the darkness of winter. Both of the women pass through their own version of death (autumn/winter) and are transformed by it.
Autumn invites a natural 'turning within' to prepare for this underworld journey that leads to transformation. The process of each of these women shows that in order for new life to exist, there must be death. The myth also reveals that facing up to this death consciously allows us to partner with life's forces, and brings us closer to our essential nature.
Because I find this myth such a powerful metaphor for passing through the initiatory cycles of life, I will be offering a one-day workshop exploring it in depth. The Persephone and Demeter myth is also the story of the development of the Eleusinian Mysteries, a cult that contained the secret mysteries of agriculture, ecstacy, and personal renewal. For all mothers and daughters it reveals the tenuous map toward separation, individuation, and development of full womanhood. The workshop promises to teach lessons pertinent to all women who wish to live and express full and passionate lives.
Enclosed in this newsletter is an article I call Coaching From The Soul. I hope it will inspire you to begin or to continue to work with your dreams as a form of inner guidance and connection. May your dreams support you through the seasons that encourage a turning within.
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