Persephone Days and Inspiration
Good Morning. This time of year, as we are all enduring the doldrums of winter and dreaming of spring, I am always reminded of the story of Persephone.
Persephone, in Greek Mythology, daughter of Zeus and Demeter, the goddess of agriculture was the wife of Hades, king of the underworld.
In the Homeric “Hymn to Demeter,” the story is told of how Persephone was gathering flowers in the Vale of Nysa when she was seized by Hades and removed to the underworld. Upon learning about the abduction, her mother Demeter, in her misery, became unconcerned with the harvest or the fruitfulness of the earth, so that widespread famine ensued. Zeus therefore intervened, commanding Hades to release Persephone to her mother.
But because Persephone had eaten a single poegranate seed in the underworld, she could not be completely freed but had to remain one-third of the year with Hades, and spen the other two-thirds with her mother. The story that Persephone spent four months of each year in the underworld was no doubt meant to account for the short daylength and lack of plant growth. According to Greek mythology, Hades, the god of the underworld, abducted Persephone, the goddess of spring, and carried her down to the underworld to be his wife. Persephone's mother, Demeter – the goddess of agriculture – demanded her daughter back! In her frustration, Demeter withheld fertility and plant growth until her daughter was returned.
From November 17 until January 26 in our latitude 36.84 location in Seneca, MO we enter the “Persephone Days”, as farmer/author Elliot Coleman likes to call them. The term Persephone Days refers to the time of year when days have 10 or fewer hours of daylight. During these short days most plant growth pretty much stops even with supplemental heat in greenhouses. Farmers have observed this phenomenon since ancient times. Winter solstice (shortest day of the year) was December 21st this year.
https://astro.unl.edu/classaction/animations/coordsmotion/daylighthoursexplorer.html
I would like to share one of my favorite films that inspires me. Back to Eden shares the story of Paul Gautschi and his lifelong journey walking with God and learning how to get back to the simple, productive organic gardening methods of sustainable provision that were given to man in the garden of Eden. The food growing system that has resulted from Paul Gautschi’s incredible experiences has garnered the interest of visitors from around the world. Paul’s organic gardening methods been documented and shared all over the world. You will walk away from Back to Eden Film with the knowledge of how to plant an organic garden and how to grow your own food. Enjoy !