Mysteries of Demeter : Rebirth of the Pagan Way

by Jennifer Reif

A practical manual for recreating the Rites and Mysteries of Demeter and Persephone, an ancient Earthbased religion that celebrates not only the Great Mother Goddess and Her Daughter, but a respect for life, for the Earth, and for the divinity of the soul. Each celebration or rite is complete and presented in a clear and practical way. Includes chants, sacred prayers, and recipes for sacred food, and practical, as well as, historical, information. Color photos. llustrated. Bibliography. Index.

Genres: Paganism, Mythology, Nonfiction

320 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2000

Reviews

[Mariah · Rating 3 out of 5]

So far- Reif has done a lot of great research on Demeter, Persephone and the Eleusinian mysteries and put together some lovely rituals, prayers and other resources. However, I do not buy her argument that rape (abduction) was not a part of the original myth of Persephone. It's possible maybe it wasn't but it is in the oldest surviving form we have- the Homeric Hymn to Demeter. She bases her argument on the Orphic literature which makes no sense considering they were a much later sect. I think her feminist revisionism is distorting her view & presentation of ancient history and religion. Mythology is not always politically correct- sorry that's the way it is!

(And I say this as a feminist myself- I just believe in being honest about history.)

[Narkitsa Orada · Rating 3 out of 5]

As the other reviewers noted, the author's adamant about making the Persephone myth a love story, and I think it detracts from the power of the original myth. That being said, myths are interpreted differently by each person, and while I don't follow Reif's interpretation, I respected that she had clearly done her research and had then gone on to construct a complete praxis surrounding it. I think this is probably more important than whether or not her interpretation is historically correct.

The one thing that ended up bothering me (and one of the reasons I only gave this three stars, even though I enjoyed it and intend to use parts of it) actually wasn't the interpretation of the myth, but the meaning attached to the rituals. The Demeter-Persephone myth is a complex one, one that uses agricultural symbols to point to deeper ideas about death and the soul. Yet the meanings Reif attributes to the festivals seem at times to be more like a really complicated form of psychotherapy than religion: she makes a lot of them about setting goals and letting go of the past, and in the end I felt like she gave short shrift to the more profound aspects. The religion she's constructed seems very sweet, but it's lacking in depth.

[Lilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jennifer Reif does a fantastic job of providing information for the Demeterian Wheel of the Year. This book includes mythology, history and modern day rituals for groups and solitary practitioners. This is a must-book for anyone practicing the ways of the ancient Greeks and wish to honor Demeter and her daughter Persephone.

A niggle though, Reif's feminist views do blind her in some regards toward the mythology.

[Dean Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, everyone should own this.