Even been in a bad mood? Felt moody? Have a mood “come out of nowhere?” Warn others that you are “in a mood?”
Generally our collective approach to moods or fluctuations in mood, is to judge, suppress, try to fix, or even write off as “ego.”
But aren’t we missing something by doing so?
There’s a story in Greek Mythology, one of the young Persephone who is abducted by Hades, the god of the Underworld and taken to live with him. She is unhappy there and she and her mother Demeter miss one another terribly. Persephone eventually is given permission to rejoin her mother, but after having eaten four pomegranate seeds, she is still bound to spending a part of her time in the Underworld each year as a consort to Hades.
Some women, including myself, experience varying degrees of the archetypal influence of the Persephone myth in their lives, forced to live in the darkness certain times, perhaps taking a visit to our own inner world and our own dark side. Though not an easy journey, it is also one of psychological maturity, an individuative journey as Persephone, having navigated her own inner world, becomes Queen of the Underworld ultimately helping guide others.
Though our culture tends to highlight the impressive, happy, growth-oriented or light and spiritually-oriented aspects of life (there is value here, but sometimes lop-sided) there is also great substance to be found in the deep…
Perhaps this is why I’ve also been so drawn to the psychological and spiritual underpinnings of this work.
There is a time for growth and inspiration and a time for depth, for “going down.”
Though there are many aspects to the Persephone/Hades myth to contemplate, I will bring our attention to one that addresses mood.
Moods are often associated with darkness, unpredictably, perhaps judged as being erratic, crazy, or “out of the blue.” Moodiness is also often viewed to be primarily a female quality and often associated with the periods before or during our menstrual cycles.
Rather than taking these judgments at face value, we can consider doing just the opposite the culture is so inclined to do, and give these places more respect and more airtime.
It is interesting to see what happens for the moods themselves when treated this way…
What’s in a Mood?
Mood can point to an aspect of us that needs attention or can express the truth of a situation prior to intellectual understanding.
Have you ever left a group gathering of some kind feeling really out of sorts?
This sort of thing happens all the time.
There are also aspects of mood that can also be unnatural, in which case an actual intervention may be needed.
For example, some women feel “all over the place” because their blood sugar is on a rollercoaster ride due to their diet or eating habits. For others, “the fog lifts” when they reduce a certain type of food in the diet. And for those who are sensitive to the lack of regular sunshine in the winter, taking Vitamin D3 might be wise.
Yes, there are in fact, Good Mood Foods.
There are also cases when a strong mood washes over us and we might have a little soul part of us that is crying out for help and needs to be worked with directly.
But perhaps one of the most overlooked considerations regarding mood: A mood may mean nothing. Nothing is actually wrong. It’s just a shift in a weather pattern.
The treetops blew East and now West.
All considerations I’m listening for.
Enjoy the darkness of the season.
Laura
For heart-to-heart work together, you can reach me here to schedule.
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