September 23 was the first day of the annual nine-day Eleusian Mysteries each year.  This observance of the Goddess and her daughter was celebrated for almost two thousand years beginning in the Mycenaean period.  No one knows for certain what comprised the rituals and celebrations of the Mysteries.  Most of the information about them comes from the ruins of the sanctuary at Eleusis and contemporary writers who were initiates of the Mysteries.  Initiates were sworn to secrecy about the "mysteries" and although it seems remarkable, they kept their secret.  

We do know the Mysteries celebrated the Goddess Demeter, a Goddess of Grain and her daughter, Persephone. The Mysteries honored the turning of the wheel bringing with it the renewal of life.  Most scholars believe the Mysteries contain three parts, things shown, things said and things done.

Although we cannot walk the paths of the Mysteries in Eleusis, its revelations can still inform us as we prepare for the changing of the seasons.  

o     What sacred secrets are you keeping?

o     What has the Goddess shown you?

o     What has She said to you?

o     What have you done that you are harvesting for Fall?  (Or Spring for those of you in the Southern Hemisphere.)

Each of our answers will be individual, but the connection we share with each other and Her Mysteries is universal.

In Spirit,

Jade River

Consistery Executive

Re-formed Congregation of the Goddess-International