involved. Many special education classes for handicapped children
exist because a Demeter mother fought to get what her child needed.
And the Argentine mothers of missing sons and daughters who
were abducted by the state police were also like Demeter in their
persistence. Called the Madres de la Plaza de Mayo (The Mothers of
the May Plaza), they refused to resign themselves to the loss of their
children and continued to protest against the dictatorship, even
though it was dangerous to do so. Stubborness, patience, and per-
severence are Demeter qualities that—as Zeus ruefully dis-
covered—may eventually influence a powerful man or an institution.
GENEROUS MOTHER
In her mythology, Demeter was the most generous goddess. She
gave humanity agriculture and harvests, helped raise Demophoön
(and would have made him immortal), and provided the Eleusinian
Mysteries. These expressions of bountifulness are all found in De-
meter women. Some naturally provide tangible food and physical
care, some provide emotional and psychological support, while
others give spiritual nourishment. Many famous women religious
leaders have had Demeter qualities and been seen by their followers
as maternal figures: the saintly recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize,
Mother Teresa of Calcutta; Mary Baker Eddy, who founded the
Christian Science religion; the woman referred to simply as “The
Mother,” spiritual leader of the Aurobindo Ashram in India.
These three levels of giving also parallel what Demeter women
give their own children. First their children depend on their mothers
to take care of their physical needs. Then they turn to their mothers
for emotional support and understanding. And, finally, they may
look to their mothers for spiritual wisdom as they cope with disap-
pointments and grief or seek to find some meaning in life.
THE GRIEVING MOTHER:
SUSCEPTIBILITY TO DEPRESSION
When the Demeter archetype is a strong force and a woman cannot
fulfill it, she may suffer from a characteristic “empty nest and
emptiness” depression. A woman who yearns
Goddesses in Everywoman