The Balsamic Bouquet

9:00 AM July, 16, 2023 Eugene, OR. Balsamic Moon in Cancer.

The Eleusinian Mysteries in Ancient Greece were attended every year just outside Athens at a temple constructed near a cave purportedly the entrance to Hades! The Myth of Demeter and Persephone was re-enacted at night under candle light. This is explained most eloquently by Dr. Jules Cashford on this YouTube video Gaia Then and Now. What our ancient human civilizations appreciated, and what perhaps our ultra-modern civilization has forgotten, is the power and beauty of death. Persephone is abducted by Hades, God of the Underworld, and forced to live with him until Demeter, Goddess of Grain and Agriculture, causes a widespread draught on Earth that will not end until Hades gives her daughter back. Persephone innocently eats just a few pomegranate seeds on her way out of hell and thus must split her time with Hades during the Winter and up above ground with Demeter and all of our Earth’s living creatures during the Spring, Summer and Fall. The myth is symbolic of the processes of birth, life, death and rebirth. The phases of the Moon each month reignite this myth for us so we don’t forget- New Moon, Crescent, Waxing Gibbous, Full, Waning Gibbous, 3/4 and finally the Balsamic Moon. The three days of darkness between the Balsamic Phase and the New Moon phase are very potent if we encounter them and let them encounter us fully. It is in this Balsamic phase each month that we can let go of what no longer serves us. We can observe and reflect on our personal darkness and clean the inner cupboards and closets in preparation for our cyclical return. This is not easy work! It reflects a Lunar Consciousness that I embody at this time in my life. The above Allium species (onions, garlic, chives) caught my eye at the park this morning as I walked under a Balsamic Moon. I love their inherent beauty. Their lifeless dried out staffs and the tiny black seeds ready for the next growing season.