Persephone is so much about the Turning of the Year, the Goddess of Equinoxes, the Balance point at which the regeneration of spring begins, and the diminishment and going in to the Dark of winter begins as well. I think that's where this sculpture arose from, feeling the incipient life beneath the Earth, the stirring of spring.
All artwork and text unless otherwise specified is COPYRIGHT Lauren Raine 2024
Recently I've been re-reading"Journey of Souls" by Michael Newton Ph.D. The book has been around since the 90's, and there are several other books Dr. Newton wrote about his many years of research as well. Dr. Newton began as a hypnotherapist, and as he recounts, stumbled on a patient who "re-membered", from a transpersonal state, being in the spirit realm, between lives on earth.
He, and his colleagues worked with hundreds of people to explore the subject of life between life and to help people understand the "soul purposes" of incarnation. Although Dr. Newton passed away in 2016, his work is carried on by the Michael Newton Institute, which trains practitioners in between life therapy.
I have found his books enormously comforting as well as fascinating. Over and over his subjects recount leaving their bodies at death to return "home" to their Soul Groups - groups of souls that chose the lives they will incarnate in, together, over and over. It is as if a "soul group" is a kind of collective Soul, encompassing the individualities of its members, and ever growing and learning together. For those who are afraid of death, or are suffering the loss of a loved one, I urge you to read this book. I also offer two interviews with Michael Newton that I found on UTube.
