Queen of the Sacred Way: An Interview with Melitta Benu

Sekhmet was the very first Pagan divinity I worked with, one-on-one, and She still holds a special place in my heart (and always will). She taught me what the true meaning of strength was, including that to be strong does not mean being invulnerable. Speaking as someone who grew up more or less without a mother figure, She's the one I associate with as "Mother"—the tough mother who loves you, and will protect you, but most of all teaches you what it means to stand on your own.

She certainly does! Without Her training I don't think I'd be who I am today, as cliché as that sounds. Her discipline really nourished me. What would you tell someone wanting to learn more about Persephone, or someone who wanted to begin a devotional practice to Her, or to Sekhmet or any other Deity for that matter?

The best way to learn about any divinity is through experience of them, and thankfully, at least in my experience, Persephone is a divinity that tends to be very kind to those who reach out to Her with pure intentions. If you want to know about Persephone, ask Her what you want to know, and see if She responds as you expect!

Another way to learn about Persephone is to not stop with cursory searches and initial experiences. I've found Her to be very deep, very multifaceted and fluid, which is not what I expected when I first began working with Her. She is a goddess Who has aspects you may not see at first, things that may surprise you. So dig, and dig deep.

And, of course, I have a list of books:

Charles Stien's Persephone Unveiled is among my most favorite books of all time, as are Narcissus and the Pomegranate by Ann Suter and Eleusis: Archetypal Image of Mother and Daughter by Karl Kerenyi (or anything by him, as a matter of fact).

Beginning a devotional practice is simple: give to Her from your heart, listen for Her wisdom in what way works for you, and set aside time for Her. You can do this as a Greek Recon and follow those methods, you can do it as an adherent of any other belief, or you can do it because you want to and you feel called to do so.

Are there any taboos, anything that should not be given to Her, or done in Her worship?

In my experience of Her, Persephone is incredibly tolerant with gifts and worship, and She tends not to turn up Her nose at things that are given to Her or done for Her out of love. However, I can think of a few things that She would not like:

1. Anything that dishonors the dead, victims of trauma, or those who struggle with their own Underworld in the form of mental illness, loss, etc. Persephone is an incredibly compassionate divinity, though trampling on those who are close to Her through experience or Her sphere of influence tends to displease Her quite a lot.
2. I have noticed She is not fond of mint, and will only take it shredded, boiled, or crushed.
3. I personally abstain from pork (though I admit temptation will get me once or twice a year) in honor of Her, primarily because pigs are one of the animals sacred to both Her and Demeter. Other than when the temptation proves too much, I will only eat pork under specific circumstances, such as ritual.
4. Taking your life for granted. Try to recognize how precious your life is.

As I have mentioned, this is my own experience. I have known others to worship Persephone who continue to enjoy bacon with their eggs, and I have known others who have had no problems offering mint to Persephone.

Going further, if a completely new person came to you and said I want to build a devotional relationship with Deity X., how would you advise them?

Well, I have a personal method of doing so, culled from experience and reading around:

1. Study up on the divinity. Be absolutely sure, since forging a personal bond with a deity has the potential to be lifelong and life changing. Don't stop with the myths everyone knows; dig deep, spend time in serious study, and get several different perspectives from various traditions.
2. If you can, talk to others who are devoted to this divinity. Keep an open mind, but don't buy into everything you hear. The right people can serve as a guide, and the wrong ones as a warning, but you must be the one who calls the shots in what you decide to do. Never, ever follow anyone blindly.
3. Once you have a good idea of what the divinity is like, and you still want to forge ahead, you might want to make initial contact with the divinity, and, well, ask if they want the relationship with you. All relationships begin with communication, and those between mortals and gods aren't any different, though, chances are, the god may already be aware of your efforts. Initial contact can be simple, but should be meaningful: a meditation of the divinity, an exploratory walk while looking for indicators of the god's presence in your life, a hypnotic session in which you meet the divinity in your mind—the possibilities are endless.
4. Develop a devotional practice for you and your deity. Find out what they like, how they want to be worshipped, and what activities are sacred to them. Don't be afraid if this takes some time; allow your deity to guide you, and be open to listen to His or Her suggestions.