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A Sacred Dance into the Depths of Your UnderWorld
Are you feeling lost, disconnected from your inner self, or overwhelmed by the demands of the outer world?
Do you sense an inner longing to explore the depths of your psyche, to uncover the hidden truths and unspoken desires that reside within you?
If you’ve been searching for a way to navigate the complexities of your inner world while finding strength and wisdom in your journey, this workshop is your sacred invitation.
Join us for a transformative session dedicated to embodying Persephone, the Greek Goddess of the Underworld and the Maiden Queen. Through the power of movement, dance, and myth, we will journey into the depths of your inner world, exploring the stages of descent that Persephone herself experienced. This workshop is designed for those who are ready to confront their shadows, embrace their inner wildness, and emerge with a deeper understanding of themselves and their place in the world.
What We Will Explore Together:
Navigating Life’s Transitions: We will delve into the ancient myth of Persephone and her initiation into womanhood, exploring how this story reflects the transitions and challenges we face in our own lives. Whether you are confronting a loss, stepping into a new phase of life, or seeking to understand your inner darkness, this workshop will provide you with the tools and insights to navigate these transitions with grace and wisdom.
Embracing the Shadows: Through guided movement and dance, we will explore the darker aspects of the psyche—the repressed emotions, buried fears, and hidden desires that often go unacknowledged. This is a space to confront and embrace these shadows, transforming them into sources of strength and self-awareness.
Reclaiming Your Power: As we embody Persephone’s journey, we will explore the process of reclaiming our personal power. From the initial loss of control to the eventual acceptance of our inner strength, this workshop will guide you through the stages of descent and rebirth, helping you to emerge as a more empowered and self-aware individual.
What You Will Experience:
A Sacred Circle of Sharing and Connection: We will begin by creating a communal altar, inviting you to bring objects that resonate with the spirit of Persephone. In this circle, you’ll have the opportunity to share your intentions and connect with others who are on a similar journey of self-discovery.
Embodied Exploration of Persephone’s Archetypes: Through movement and dance, you will embody the qualities of Persephone, exploring both her light and shadow aspects. This is a space to honor your inner journey, develop deeper self-awareness, and cultivate a sense of inner peace and power.
Journeying Through the Underworld: We will guide you through the symbolic stages of Persephone’s descent into the underworld—exploring the weak bargains we make, the dismemberment of our old selves, the wandering in the dark, and the eventual marriage to our inner wisdom. Each stage will be an opportunity to reflect, release, and renew.
Personal Cosmology and Dialogue: As we conclude, you will have the chance to reflect on your journey, articulating your experiences and insights. This dialogue will help solidify your connection to Persephone’s archetypal energy, offering you a lasting sense of empowerment and inner peace.
Why This Workshop?
In a world that often overwhelms us with its demands, Persephone offers us a path inward—into the depths of our inner world, where we can confront our shadows, embrace our true selves, and emerge with newfound strength and wisdom. This workshop is for those who are ready to journey into the unknown, to face their fears, and to reclaim their power.
Come, dance with us in the spirit of Persephone. Let her guide you through the underworld, where you will discover the hidden treasures of your soul and return to the surface renewed, empowered, and ready to live with purpose and authenticity.
We look forward to welcoming you into this sacred space!
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“Something powerful happens when a woman gives up her intuition and surrenders to completely embrace and heal her wounds. She loses her innocence, but regains her wilderness. She must trust that Mother Nature will offer her space for her descent, and she must gather her weeping tears to create a healing potion from them. She has to accept the invitation of a lonely inner wolf and risk being an “outsider” for a while. It is the teaching of “La Selva Subterranea,” “Descending Persephone,” or “Innana’s confrontation with her own shadows” Initiation into the underworld, in other words, accepting the passing, and circling of all things around her. Understanding the life-death-life cycle means accepting our inner shadows, our dark aspects, our terrifying inner demons. The process of cultivation begins with awareness. We tailor and assign our deep sense of the meaning of life. We are ready. ”
Paraphrased by Clarissa Pinkola Estes
REFLECTIONS ON PERSEPHONE
And when was the last time you purified the muddy aspects of your life?
Persephone- the Goddess of two faces
Persephone's descent and Armless Maiden
The story of Armless Maiden- 1st & 2nd initiation into the Underworld
The story of Armless Maiden - 3rd initiaition into the Underworld
The story of Armless Maiden - last initiaitions into the Underworld
Video
What is a weak bargain of your life?
I'm a wandering woman
A queen will allways turn pain into power
Persephone's Subarchetypes
It's good to feel the flow again and connection with yourself, with the body.
I didn’t know where I’m going today. But at the end I felt released and relaxed.
I also felt very liberated at the end. At the beginning, the heart was a bit locked and I felt I was pretty much in the head, but then I said to myself, it’s ok, just trust life. You don’t need to know how, why and what. Just trust. And at the end when we asked ourselves in the circle…”How can I connect to the underworld everyday? How can I be in the underworld and here in this world every day?” I felt we touched the core teaching of this frightening goddess with these powerful questions. I realized that artistic expression is the medium that helps us release all these feelings and confusing content and then we can vibrate on a different level. F.E.:One of the participants also shared her blood ritual and that made me feel empowered and inspired. She uses her menstrual blood to draw with it, puts it on her face and gifts it to the woods. This liberated and softened her painful wounds and made her feel more connected to herself. I realized that we, women, have a great need to express and make visible our dark, wild and somehow uncivilized nature in our everyday existence.“
Anonymous Participant
Slovenia
It is different from any courses or programs that I have taken so far, so I had to keep an open mind. When I was learning about the Hera archetype, I loved the part of “I want you here, because of that” . Sometimes I can laugh like a crazy woman, like the Excerpts from the performance Dancing Myths in the Persephone module. And it makes me feel powerful to embrace the goddess Persephone through such a simple exercise. I experienced more energy from the pranayama practice, and felt that my need for safety is valid from doing the Hestia meditation. I think whenever I am feeling unsafe I am inclined to invoke Hestia in me.
Mehnaz Farhad
Data Researcher, Canada
ritual performance
by Romana Ercegović
Persephone is an ancient pre-Greek goddess of a pure, innocent heart—she represents the mystical light within a person’s core, the most sacred essence that we reach through the darkness of our inner selves, symbolically represented in myth by the journey to the underworld. The ancient Greeks referred to this central space in the Eleusinian Mysteries as the 'place of arrival' and at the same time as the 'place of ascent,' because the purpose of descending into the underworld is a rebirth to a new level of consciousness, a new understanding of life and oneself.
The presentation 'Journey to Persephone' tells the story of a woman who ventures into the underworld to find the lost joy of her heart..."
This is not a classic interpretation of the word 'performance,' but rather a theatrical event created in harmony and collaboration with nature, an event that opens us up to a deeply personal experience of connecting with ourselves. Art serves us, as it did in its origins, to experience the subtle and magical layers of life.
The performance 'JOURNEY TO PERSEPHONE' will take place on the 15th and 18th of August from 2:30 PM to 8:00 PM in Slovenian Istria. (The exact location, which requires a half-hour walk to reach, will be disclosed upon registration.)
Creators of the performance:
Romana Ercegović, director, author of the dramatic text, performer
Sandra Anais, choreographer, dancer, and performer
Kim Mirjam Seppala, performer
Mateja Ribarič, performer
Tina Sovič, musician
Tadeja Stegel, registration organizer Photographs by: Silvija Dogan, Tomaž Bukovnik, Kim Mirjam Seppala
Premiere: August 15, 2015 Ritual Theater Soul of the Earth, Slovenia The performance was created without any financial support. The months-long work process was based on dedication and love for creating this performance, within the personal process of self-awareness experienced by each of us, in an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect. You are warmly welcomed to join our circle, and we thank you for your presence and support of our work.
Contribution for participation: 40 euros (the price includes the performance, a workshop, and two snacks) 30 euros (for the unemployed, students, retirees, collaborators of our theater...)
Since the event will be held in a smaller circle, REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED by August 8th at the latest. You can register by email: [email address]. For additional information, call: 031 642 056 (Tadeja).
VERY IMPORTANT: The descent into the valley takes half an hour, and the walk during the performance will take an additional hour, so we kindly ask you to bring:
Suitable footwear, at least 1.5 liters of water, a hat or cap for sun protection, and a towel or mat for sitting, as well as a flashlight for the walk back up (in case you wish to stay longer for the gathering around the fire).
More information about Ritual Theater Soul of the Earth and the previous works and performances of Romana Ercegović can be found here
We, the creators, embarked on a journey to discover and feel the Beauty of nature and humanity in its various shades.
What does it mean to live? To truly live? What does it mean to love? What does it mean to truly love oneself?
To truly feel and live freedom, joy, sadness… your authenticity? To embrace everything within yourself and live fully?
How can one be true to oneself while also being united with another? These are the questions we explore through the performance.