Persephone, Speaking For Herself

[bnewman]

One of the wonderful things about Persephone is that She is a many-faced goddess who means different things to different people.  Vixy's original song uses the myth of Persephone to tell a story that's deeply personal to her.  For myself, I felt moved to borrow the tune to capture what Persephone means to me as a devotee — but that's something that has changed over time.  When I first began working on this song during the intensely initiatory Year of Madness, it came out quite different, not just lyrically but theologically.  I had to set the half-written song aside for a long time and come back and finish it when I knew Her — and myself — a great deal better.

lyrics by Benjamin Newman

ttto: "Persephone" by Michelle Dockrey

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Asherah Hi HaShechinah

[bnewman]

This song was inspired by a social media post about Asherah, the Canaanite goddess who was sometimes worshipped as the consort of the G-d of Israel. I've seen fellow pagans (but usually non-Jewish ones) argue that Judaism is to blame for historically sending the goddess into exile, while proudly rescuing the feminist sparks from the patriarchal shells of their own ancestral traditions. Jews can do that too, and we have been — a lot, and for a long time! Didn't I once read an article about how Asherah was another name for Shechinah, the indwelling (and feminine) Divine Presence of the kabbalah? Oh, yeah, it was this article by none other than my own beloved teacher, Rabbi Jill Hammer. I recently had the honor to debut this song at a Shabbat service in R. Jill's Beit Kohenet community, and now it's time to share it with the world.

lyrics and music by Benjamin Newman

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