Ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to present the final installment of my series Learning From The Greek Gods, which has been in the making for years. With this final entry, all 12 Olympians will be represented.
Perhaps a Goddess who is often underrepresented in the mainstream educational system, Demeter is the Goddess of Agriculture, and encompasses a vast range of universal functions. She's also the Goddess of Fields, the harvest, the soil and any kind of crop.
She is also the Goddess of Seasons, bringing both spring and the cold months when life ceases on our lands. After Her daughter Persephone was given to Haides as a bride, Demeter left in protest and all things died (which shows the Gods are not merely nature but can be separate universal Beings from it). To make a compromise, Zeus would allow Persephone to return for half the year. Demeter also returns during this time to embrace Her, thus returning warmth and life to nature. When Fall begins, so does the separation between the two Goddesses as Persephone starts to make Her way into the Underworld. Winter marks Her arrival, and Spring and Summer Her return. Without Demeter, not only would we ourselves perish, but also our world.
Demeter teaches us many valuable life lessons in Her Being and Character. For one, the unconditional love of a parent who never gives up on their child. I think many of us humans need that mentality today. Demeter is a model Parent who puts Her child first. She doesn't abandon Her for anything, and only serves others once She has given Her daughter what She needs. Demeter does not neglect Persephone for anyone, not even for Herself.
Generally speaking, we also learn a great appreciation for the natural cycles of nature, and how death and rebirth are sometimes required to produce a fertile universe. All things live, and all things must also die in order for new life to come back again in its place. If we only had one crop for the rest of our lives, we wouldn't live very long because the food would run out as the crop withered or gave up all of its fruits. Everything, even the human body each day, must come to a rest and then a restart if it wants to stay going strong. Therefore, do not hate any season. Delight in the fact that the Gods are still with us, and life is still continuing in all beauty around us.
In the Goodness of the Gods,
Chris.