Letter from the Founder | April 2021
The Return of Persephone
Image | Frederich Leighton, Wikimedia Commons
Dear Friends,
Days are getting longer, flowers are considering blooming, and we in the Pacific Northwest have seen that long absent friend, the sun! As I write you, my hands are gritty from digging around in the garden to prepare my vegetable beds. What does it all mean? Spring is on its way, and boy, do we need it.
The long, dark winter was longer and darker than most of us can recall. The signs that we are on the other side of it may be small things—wisps of hyacinth in the air, grass growing out of control—but in a world-wide pandemic, we can use all the hopeful signs that nature can put out.
It could not be more fitting that our monthly theme for April is “Rebirth.” There are so many ways in which this theme can apply to every person these days. The simplest approach is the rebirth of the seasons.
My favorite spring story is of Persephone, one that you probably know. Beautiful Persephone, daughter of Zeus, lived with her mother, Demeter, on a lovely island which some say was Sicily. Demeter was an earth goddess and her stewardship helped the crops grow. One day, Persephone was spotted by the god of the underworld, Hades, who kidnapped her and took her to his lair (said to be under Lago di Pergusa in central Sicily). Persephone was wed to Hades (by force) and became the unwilling Queen of the Underworld.
Meanwhile, Demeter desperately looked for her daughter who had gone missing. She stopped tending to the earth, and all of the plants died, which caused a problem for all other living creatures. Learning that she’d have to live apart from her daughter brought Demeter utter sadness which translated to widespread famine. Eventually, a compromise was reached, Persephone would be allowed to spend half of the year with her mother on earth, and the other half with her husband. Demeter’s joy from the return of her daughter caused flowers to bloom in the spring, and the summer to return every year.
I remind you of this famous myth because we all may feel this timeless story in our bones. Persephone could be an avatar for our way of life, snatched away and hidden from sight. We have been looking everywhere for how things were before Covid, but we haven’t been able to find it. But the compromise is being made. Slowly, with each new vaccination, the earth will reawaken and bloom, just as if Demeter herself were orchestrating it all. We, as Persephone, may have to live with some new limitations, but the summers will be even sweeter for having experienced their loss.
Guide Collective, the organization itself, has been a kind of rebirth and renewal for our own members. We are blessed with a sense of belonging and immeasurable support and encouragement from one another. We are deeply thankful for your participation on our social media channels, engagement in our events, your generous financial contributions, and the heartening letters we receive weekly from so many of our followers. All of that fills us with rekindled, newfound, and ceaseless sources of inspiration. We continue to volunteer our efforts and resources to regularly create new content, develop virtual and (future) in-person tours, and generate new ways to share our love of travel, culture, and humanity with all of you.
I am truly excited for this month’s issue of GC magazine, as our theme has sparked some interesting takes. To start the month, new member Susanna Perruchini takes an introspective look at the challenges of life and learning to grow and begin again. Fran Glaría teaches us about Basque traditions and beliefs about renewal and the coming of spring. And Roberto Becchi takes a look at Rebirth through the lens of the (mis)conceptions of the Renaissance.
GC Book Club dives deep into European history and will be moderated by our very own Benjamin Curtis, who wrote a book entitled The Habsburgs: The History of a Dynasty. We’ll have more articles, podcasts from Scottish Blethers and Eastern Approaches, videos, music, and events throughout the month that will help reawaken your yearnings for culture, connection, and travel.
Whether your rebirth is the simple act of hugging a loved one, or if, like me, you’ve been thrown into major upheaval in career and relationships, we are all changing right now. I’ll miss the past, but I have a very good feeling that this rebirth will bring forth our better nature and help us become who we were meant to be.
Thank you for your continued support and friendship. For those who are of the religious persuasion, I wish you a hearty Buona Pasqua! He is Risen! Let’s celebrate!
Andiamo!
Sarah