aren’t Italians Dianic?

No matter how long I look to the gods, I always end up somewhere not Italy. I prefer the Greek counter-parts (predecessors?) to the Roman ones. I learned much about witchcraft through the Celtic lens (which was all “borrowed” from Italy), but it’s full of German words and is all over the place.

Okay, so it’s a global world and I came up in a time of cultural blending (and, frankly, erasure). So I was bound to be eclectic, even if I wasn’t so eclectic by nature.

Beyond the origin of my practice, so many strains of witch follow the Artemis / Diana path. I get it – Artemis is one bad-ass lady. Also, I’m drawn in a different direction.

There are many fans in the world of the Persephone (Hades/Demeter) story and its many modern adaptations and re-imaginings. I am one of them – but the seasonal cycle established in this story is one that rings true year over year.

I think it can be hard to connect with a virginal woman (unless the lesbian interpretation is correct, then it’s not hard to connect to at all) who gets to run around the woods with deer all the time.

What I can really connect with is a woman who loves her family and loves her husband, but feels some tension about making enough time for everyone. It’s even kinda funny that in the summer I visit them by myself and in the winter my husband accompanies me.

This story is the origin lore for the seasons, and connecting with the seasons has always been something meaningful to me. I do love me a pomegranate and feeding people is part of my genetic makeup.

At the end of the day, even if I want to connect to my roots, I think it’s okay to lean in to the eclectic family vibe of the Persephonic story.