Queen of the Sacred Way: An Interview with Melitta Benu

April 19, 2011 by Galina Krasskova

Continued from Page 4

And after that, it's up to you. Of course, there are many who say, "You do not choose the god, the god chooses you." And I have found this to be incredibly true for me, as well. Of course, even in that case, these steps are still good to follow.

Is ancestor veneration part of your practice and does this tie in consciously with your devotion to Persephone?

Yes and no. I developed my own formal devotional practice for my ancestors as a part of the Underworld work I began, and it grew out of an almost instinctual awareness of them. I've always had a pretty strong connection to some of my ancestors, my great-grandfather and my great-great-uncle the Muskogee Chieftain in particular, and I remain connected to friends and mentors who have passed on, as well. The Underworld work sort of solidified it, and developed it into more of a working relationship rather than one based on simple awareness. So, you could say that in addition to my ancestors, I honor also those I call "honored dead" (friends who have passed, mentors, people I had a personal connection with) and also heroes (in the Greek or modern sense).

Many of my veneration practices are actually based on the Trikostia, which are the veneration practices performed at the tomb in ancient Greek religion. (Actually, each day I believe has different names, but I call them all Trikostia for the sake of simplicity.) I will probably incorporate Egyptian elements into it once I am able to get out from under the weight of grad school!

What do you see as the biggest challenges in restoring the worship of Persephone and other Greek Deities as well?

In all honesty? Pagandom's innate ability to argue over everything. I wish I could see a greater unity among Reconstructionists and other Pagans without the pretension and taking sides. I wish those in the Pagan community could admit to being wrong, not knowing the answer or just agree to disagree without thinking it takes them down a notch. "You're doing it wrong" is a phrase I often see bandied about in Pagan forums, and largely it's unnecessary.

Believe me, I know exactly what you mean. Now your forthcoming devotional is going to be published through Bibliotheca Alexandrina. Why did you decide to publish through them? What has the experience of working with them been like?

I have been wanting to work on a devotional with Neos Alexandria for quite some time: I first knew about the group through Sannion, and have gotten to know it more in the course of working on the devotional. Everyone has been more than helpful, knowledgeable, and wonderful to work with, which is nothing less than I expected.

Do you have any other projects in the works?

I have an ongoing book (that started out as an article) about Persephone that I am working on in between grad school, work, and other life events, and I am also revising and reorganizing my old practices and expanding them with new information. I have many ideas for future works, but I think I have enough on my plate for the present.

Melitta, thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions. It's been lovely engaging with you in this way. I for one cannot wait until your devotional to Persephone is available.

For folks who might be interested in contributing, here is the Call for Submissions.

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4/19/2011 4:00:00 AM

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About Galina Krasskova

The author of several books on the Northern Tradition, Galina Krasskova is a Heathen priest, shaman, and devotee of Odin. She blogs at Gangleri's Grove.

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