Queen of the Sacred Way: An Interview with Melitta Benu

So, in short: I've noticed some controversy, and I've noticed that a majority of those that I personally speak with believe in the personal relationship.

You know, as someone owned by Odin who has had to field these exact questions and comments more than once, I find your explanation compelling and beautiful. I have long felt the same but have rarely articulated it quite so powerfully. Thank you.

Now, you're currently editing a devotional to the Goddess Persephone. What inspired you to do this?

I love her. She is the goddess who has been most present in my life, though it took me a long time to recognize the fact! After primarily serving Her for about four years, I wanted to do something in service to Her, and I had long been interested in the Neos Alexandria publishing line. In a way, it marks a transition from one phase of my life to another since after this devotional is published, I plan to re-devote my efforts to Her, and making what will be nine years of study and work into a body of works available to whomever feels called to them. Admittedly, that will take some time, but I think when the time comes, I will have both the time and the drive.

Do you maintain a specific devotional practice to Her?

My current formal practice is undergoing a sort of reconstruction, and has been for a little while, so you've caught me at an interesting limbo. Nevertheless, She is never far from my thoughts; beyond the time I spend with Her formally, I am always keeping her present in my life. I am pursuing graduate degrees in both Thanatology and Counseling, wishing to work with those who are bereaved, dying, or going through experiences with trauma and depression, in part with the desire to be closer to Her by working with those whose personal experience echoes Hers. When I eat, I often offer a portion of my food to Her. In daily life, I try to take moments to have an awareness of Her and how She moves through our lives as reflected in nature, in loss, and in the little deaths and rebirths that make up our lives. I draw Her (and paint Her), I study Her mythology and Her worship in my free time, and will often bring little gifts to Her statue in my home. She is a part of me the way breathing is, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Tell me more about your degree in Thanatology. Where are you doing this, what does it entail, etc. (And what a lovely devotional offering to Persephone!)

I am studying for this Master of Arts at Hood College, which is in a city that neighbors my state. The degree program there entails the study of death and bereavement primarily from the point of view of the bereavement counselor, but it also focuses on beliefs about life after death, death rituals, and mourning practices. It has been a wonderful experience for me, and has broadened my views on death, dying, and mourning—subjects which are dear to Persephone and all gods of the underworld. I can certainly say that the faculty are some of the most knowledgeable and open-hearted people I've ever met in a professional capacity and the wealth of knowledge and experience they have is staggering. Hood College was actually the first place (in the world, I believe, and certainly in the U.S.) to offer a Master's program in Thanatology, and many have followed suit since.

Thanatology is an interdisciplinary and growing field, and I've provided some links to degree programs and various associations that have a Thanatological focus: Hood College, Salem State University, Catholic University in Washington, D.C. (which is also developing a Master's in Music Thanatology); Breyer State University has an online program; Marian University in Wisconsin and ADEC: The Thanatology Association.

What other Deities do you worship regularly?

I worship many of the Underworld gods as well as gods from other cultures that may fit into the Neos Alexandria pantheon. Hades, Hekate, Dionysus, Sekhmet, and Ereshkigal immediately spring to mind, though there are many others that I pay homage to. I also have ancestors, honored dead, and heroes (in the ancient and contemporary sense) that I pay honor to.

I began much of my spiritual work as a priestess of Sekhmet within the Fellowship of Isis and I maintain a strong devotion to Her. She really set my feet on my current path, so to speak. That being said, of course I have to ask: can you talk a little bit about your devotional relationship with Sekhmet?