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When I was a kid I was mildly obsessed with Greek mythology. There was something so human and imperfect about these immortals that I found much more relatable than the cold and distant God I was raised with. (Although my feminist adult self is not at all thrilled at how many of the ladies fared in the myths.)
One story that frightened me more than any other was the story of Persephone. After all, she is kidnapped by Hades to become his bride of the underworld.
Through the lens of the religion I was raised in, I saw a young woman becoming engulfed in darkness and the bride to a devilish figure, bound there by her succumbing to the temptation of the food to the underworld. That seemed the ultimate metaphorical punishment for straying from the path I had been raised to follow.
It wasn’t until many years later when I began to rediscover Greek mythology in my adulthood that I began to understand that Persephone represents something other than a punishment for temptation.
As an adult I also see a woman who sees in the shadows and understand both the mysteries of the darkness and the light as well as the cycles of birth and death.
She may not have chosen all of her circumstances for herself - she is the victim of a terrible circumstance in many ways. But she also represents the renewal and hope of the spring to come, and a woman who owns her power despite the circumstance.
A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to share my story as a speaker at #ppc2018. One thing I hope I conveyed is that there is a Hades in all of our stories who has plunged us down to our deepest levels of despair. We may return there over and over in our lives.
But we can also draw strength from those dark places. We have faced down things that give us incredible tools of compassion, empathy and resilience.
And we know that no matter how dark it gets, there will always be spring.
(This composition was inspired, in part, by Brooke Shaden’s piece “Push and Pull.”)
Bletchley Park was the central site for British (and subsequently, Allied) codebreakers during World War II. It housed the Government Code and Cypher School (GC&CS), which regularly penetrated the secret communications of the Axis Powers – most importantly the German Enigma and Lorenz ciphers. According to the official historian of British Intelligence, the "Ultra" intelligence produced at Bletchley shortened the war by two to four years, and without it the outcome of the war would have been uncertain.
A photo looking towards the Manor House from the gate used by motorcycle riders bringing in secret documents and supplies.
www.thetravelpictures.com: An old war memorial on a spring night at Lappeenranta, Finland. The place was a battle field two hundred years ago in a war between Sweden and Russia. - bit.ly/2FK8KI1 //
Getting used to the early morning flights and the late night returns. It might be scary, it might be tiring but there's something about travel that calms you down, makes you think, gives you time to reflect, gives you time in silence
A new lens (EF 35mm f2), and a day at the sea (Tyrrhenian Sea, Latina, Italy). What a nice and funny day with some nice photos.
© Andy Brandl (2013) // PhotonMix Photography // Andy Brandl @ Getty Images
Don´t redistribute - don´t use on webpages, blogs or any other media without my explicit written permission.
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