Grabbed By Persephone / Consoled By Demeter: Presentation & Symposium on the Greek Myth of Persephone and Demeter

Part 1, Presentation, will focus on how the 3,000-year-old myth manifested itself to touch the lives of immigrants and refugees in 2022. It revolves around two intertwined, present-day stories. One story tells of Persephone’s calling upon an English as a Second Language teacher, guiding him to present her myth to his class of immigrants and refugees. The second story tells the challenges he met to present this complex story to his students of limited English proficiency.

Part 2, Symposium, will explore five main archetypes that live within the myth, as well as the Eleusinian Mysteries which evolved from it. This will involve a group discussion of the Persephone, Demeter, Zeus, Hecate, and KORE archetypes. In addition, the historical, cultural, and spiritual significance of the Eleusinian Mysteries will be shared.

​This program is of interest to mythologists in general, to those with specific interest in the Persephone / Demeter myth, to those students of Jung seeking to understand more fully the workings of archetypes, and to those who work with populations dealing with trauma as a result of displacement or sudden upheaval in life.

Learning objectives:

1. Understand example of myth manifesting itself in our material world
2. Understand examples of how archetypes manifest themselves as agents of healing and teaching
3. Understand the intricacies of the Persephone / Demeter myth
4. Understand the significance of the Eleusinian Mysteries on Western culture