Working with Goddesses pt. 2 - Chloris and the Coming of Spring

Light and Love.

Flora by Alexander Roslin

Several deities in the Greek pantheon may be associated with plants, vegetation and the renewal of life that is promised by the coming of Spring, but none is perhaps as known to both lay person and Pagan practitioner alike than the Goddess, Chloris. Compared to the other goddesses of vegetation and plants like Gaia, Demeter, or Persephone, Chloris may be considered a minor Goddess by certain standards due to her relatively small role in Grecian religion but her namesake has endured to this day in the term Flora, which is used as a general term to refer to all manner of plant life. According to legend, Chloris had humble beginnings as a nymph that dwelt in the gardens of the Elysian fields. Her beauty was noticed by the wind God, Zephyrus, who kidnapped her and took her as his wife.  She was later elevated to the status of Goddess and worshiped as such under the name of Flora which gave her dominion over flowers of all kinds. She plays a minor role in several Greek mythologies in which she was responsible for transforming the characters Adonis, Attis, Crocus, Hyacinthus, and Narcissus into their floral counterparts. In the olden days, the festival of Chloris/Flora was called the Floralia and consisted of men and women adorning themselves in bright colors and flowers. Household pets and farm animals were similarly bedecked with flowers and would be paraded throughout the festivals to invite Flora to bestow upon them her blessing of fertility. Her worship is sometimes conflated with the worship of Persephone (who is similarly a nymph, elevated to the status of Goddess after being kidnapped by a God and whose dominion is also Spring and the personification of beauty and flowers). The priest (or priestess) of Flora is called the Flamen Floralis. Traditionally celebrations dedicated to Flora or Persephone would last for six days and six nights.

Persephone or Chloris are some of the deities that certain Wiccans or Pagans have incorporated into their celebrations that welcome the return of Spring. Practitioners are typically encouraged to wear colorful clothing and various pieces of flowers or greenery attached to their person. Altars to these Goddesses may be decorated using ribbons of bright colors, but more importantly fresh flowers of various colors and varieties. Flowers associated with fertility, longevity, the sun, and the coming of spring such as Chrysanthemums are often a popular choice. Candles may be lit in the colors of white, pink, or red, and floral essential oils are sometimes used to diffuse the scent of flowers in the practitioner's sacred space. In some modern Pagan traditions, a flower crown or some variation of it is offered to the Goddess by the practitioner and is sometimes worn after invoking the Goddess to symbolize the presence of Persephone or Chloris during the the night. There are typically no formal rituals associated with the honoring of Chloris and Persephone and the coming of Spring and revelers are often encouraged to eat, drink, and be merry, in representing the abundance and color of the season. 

Primavera, or the coming of Spring as depicted by Botticelli. Chloris is depicted being kidnapped by Zephyrus in the far right. 

The Goddess Chloris, depicted with her husband Zephyrus heralding Aphrodite's arrival in The Birth of Venus. The Goddes on the right is Pomona, another minor deity associated with Fruits and also the coming of Spring.

The romancing of the Goddess, Chloris by the Wind God, Zephyrus, by William-Adophe Bougeureau. 

Who are some of the Goddesses and Gods that you like to invoke for your Imbolc or Spring celebrations? As always, I love to hear from you.

Blessed be.
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