In the depths of our
soul there is a secret and sacred place where the seeds of rebirth lie
awaiting.
In Greek mythology
Persephone is abducted into the underworld where for three months out of the
year she rules as its queen.
Persephone's journey
is the symbolic death of our naive ego. The ego of our youth, the ego that is
tied to the demands of the society, to the responsibilities of family, to the
aspirations for a career. It is the ego we carry for half of our life.
Then our soul calls
us, beckons us, and if we continue to turn a deaf ear
abducts us, often forcefully, into the dark underworld. Sometimes we call this
world depression or mental illness. Sometimes it shows up as an inexplicable
physical illness.
Hope dims as we
recede ever deeper into darkness and suffering.
And yet it is in this
dark underworld that the seeds of our mature femininity or masculinity lie
waiting for us. Suffering can be the crucible where our personality acquires
character. In finding the meaning of our suffering we discover empathy,
gratitude and a deepening of emotions that makes life sparkle anew.
Suffering can be a
deep well of meaning.
It can be harmful,yes, but it can also
be helpful.
A killer maybe, or possibly a savior, if we can manage to create a
framework to understand it.