Today we studied the myth of Demeter and Persephone. Demeter is the Great Mother, the Greek goddess who watches over all growing things; Persephone is her daughter, who is stolen from her. Or is she? We tried to see the story from different viewpoints. Demeter wants to keep her child safe within her loving embrace, but she risks becoming a 'smother mother'. Persy is on the cusp of womanhood, ready to assume freedoms and responsibilities of her own. Life is never static: the balance of reality is constantly shifting. As we move from one state to the next, doors open ahead of us: the trick is to keep looking forwards, not clinging to what must be left behind. Some wonderful poems by group members written from these varying perspectives, relating these conflicting emotions to their own experiences. Because, of course, myths are not stories about things that might possibly have happened a long time ago: they are about our lives now.
This is a good exercise to do on your own: compose a short piece from another person's perspective. This doesn't have to be written down, although it often helps to do so. You might choose a character from a novel you've read recently, and give their version of events; you could try to see things from a friend's point of view; you could even become the administrator who wrote that letter from the council, giving a running comentary on the community as you walk down the road. It's fun to try, and can be quite illuminating.
Life Works is an ad hoc, alternative and occasionally aspirational approach to everyday life. Drawing on a combination of sense, sensibility and ancient wisdom it shows the relevance of mythic themes and archetypal figures to the modern world. Jane Bailey Bain teaches mythology in West London. Her book 'LifeWorks' was published in January 2012. For more information and further postings, visit the main LifeWorks site at http://janebaileybain.wordpress.com/
