Persephone Reincarnated

When I was a kid, I used to have a recurring dream of walking barefoot on a field of tall grass & yellow dandelions in the early morning hours. I always pictured myself as a kid who was all alone in the field of pure bliss and eternal happiness. Sometimes, I had the company of birds and butterflies and other times I was happily running around in the field. I don't know if that field is even real or it existed only in my imagination, but in my heart, it was so real.

Persephone, the floral maiden and the queen of hell, such a contradiction, yet all of us have a little bit of her in us. This is what I think of her. A beautiful girl whose childhood was completely controlled by her mother, who just wanted to spend her time with flowers and gardens and wild animals. The only friends that she ever had were sent by her mother to keep an eye on her, to keep her protected and report everything back to her mom. Imprisoned in a pretty prison, having no voice of her own, betrayed by her own father who conspired with Hades to have him kidnap her. I sometimes wonder if she truly loved Hades or was it the Stockholm Syndrome. Nevertheless, she was torn between her mother and her lover. No one ever asked her what she wanted or what her wish was. If she ever gets reincarnated, she might come back as a rebel who will do whatever she wants, roam around freely and not care about anyone's opinions. Maybe she will be able to live her life on her own terms in the 21st century.

I felt most alive whenever I was walking alone in isolated parts of big cities. The knowledge of being on my own and independent gave me a thrill that I can't put into words. Finally, I was being my own person and not caring about what anyone thinks or has to say about my choices. In moments like this, I remember Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity, an embodiment of a strong, free-spirited and independent female. It is her unconditional love and acceptance that makes her understand the other side of the story. The problem with being overly empathetic is that you feel sorry for people who have harmed you, trying to look for the other side of the story so much that you lose track of the actual story. Perhaps, she also roams around everywhere looking for a home where she feels at home, where people don't just want her because of their need and the prosperity that she brings with her. I think that the moment you choose to love yourself is the moment you set yourself free. That must have been the secret of all goddesses, do all things with love because we are divinely guided and protected by the Universe.

One of the afterlife philosophies says that when we die, we go to another planet that is more suitable for us. If we die remembering our ancestors, we go to their planet. If we die praying to the demigods, we go to their planets. Similarly, if we die with love and oneness in our mind then we merge with the Super-soul and can be forever united with the Universe. Once I am on the cross-roads, I want to have my own planet where I will restart life and design it with all the colors that I can think of, where each can create their own heaven and hell and live whichever way they want to. There won't be any complicated rules to get into my planet, you just have needed to live a lifetime of making bad decisions with pure intentions. The land of the wanderers and explorers, the ones who got lost in common places for incomprehensible reasons, storytellers, lovers, magicians and artists. My world needs more art!!

Author's Note: Everything that I have written about Persephone is based on the articles that I read and stories that I heard about her. I could be wrong and there could be more to her story. I welcome all suggestions and variations to her story.