The Descent

The way I turn the Wheel of the Year, Persephone-Kore beings her ascent/descent at the equinoxes. She arrives at her destination by May Day/All Hallows. In the spring the gates only barely open in order to let her leave her husband’s realm, but in the fall he flings them open at the first sign of her descent. So from now until (what we now call) the Wild Hunt gathers them in on Halloween, our beloved dead are close. Remember them.

The Descent

Bless the Harvest with variety and abundance
as your daughter’s descent begins!
Oh Holy Demeter, Mother of the Land,
the Dance of Life continues.
From life comes death
as Plouton calls back his wife
who went out his gates in the spring,
much to our delight.
Do not mourn too long or
too hard, have a care for us,
your children yet here on earth.
May the harvest last us
through your sadness.
Hail Mother Demeter!

Zeus, Lord of Moisture,
you who release the snow,
bless the earth
with neither too little
nor too much.
Help us to appreciate
the time of snow & ice,
of internal activity,
so that we live in the now
instead of in anticipation
of your daughter’s return.
Hail Father Zeus!

Kore, Beloved May Queen,
Your return to Earth
gave joy to your mother
& all that dwell here.
But the wheel has turned,
the Dance of Life continues.
Please gentle Lady,
do not be in a rush
to be with your love.
Let us glide slowly
into the realization
that your time here is done.
Long has your husband
looked for your return,
while the spirits await
your even hand.
Your return brings
joy, passion & light
to the world below.
Hail Persephone!