WAYS TO GROW
To make a commitment, a Persephone woman must wrestle with
the Kore in her. She must decide to marry and say yes without
mentally crossing her fingers. If she does, marriage may gradually
transform her from an eternal girl into a mature woman. If she em-
barks on a career, she also needs to make a commitment and stay
with it, both for her personal growth and in order to succeed.
A Persephone woman may grow beyond Persephone the Kore if
she must face life on her own and take care of herself. For many
privileged daughters, the first time such independence is possible
is after they become divorced. Until then, they have done exactly
what was expected of them. They were protected daughters who
married suitable young men. They divorce in part because they view
marriage as captivity. They were not transformed by marriage; in-
stead, they now find that divorce becomes their rite of passage. Only
when they lack someone to do things for them or someone to blame
can some Persephone women grow. Necessity becomes the teacher
when they have to cope with leaky faucets, bank balances, and the
need to work.
A Persephone woman can grow in several different directions
that are inherent potentials of the archetype (these are discussed
next), through the activation of other goddess archetypes (described
throughout this book), or by developing her animus (described in
the Aphrodite chapter).
BECOMING A PASSIONATE, SEXUAL WOMAN
The Persephone woman may be a sexually unresponsive woman
who feels either raped or merely compliant when she has sex. Such
a woman may say, “A week goes by, and I know he’s annoyed with
me about sex;” “I think about recipes when it’s happening;” or
“Sometimes, I really do have a headache;” or “I resent sex.” But she
may also transform into a sensual, sexy lady. I’ve heard about this
transformation happening often in women I’ve seen in my office, or
in the wives of men who have talked about it with me.
And in fact a sexual initiation that puts a woman in touch
Goddesses in Everywoman