FLORA FAUNA lll
April | 2024
PRAYERS TO PERSEPHONE
Issue
II
“Betoher,Persephone,Allthethings Imightnotbe;Takeherheaduponyourknee”
“DearPersephone, Wethankyouforbeing theinspirationbehind thistheme.Weaskthat youwalkwithusonthe oathofdualityand growingup. Youareso muchmorethanwhat historyhaswrittenfor you.Wehopewewereable towritesomethingjusta littlebitbetter.Allhail Persephone,Queenofthe Underworld,Goddessof SpringandFertility,and TorturerofMen.” A(wo)men
Our team
Founder/Editor-in-Chief
Daisy/JadaMcLaurin
Daisy is a writer and aspiring musician who created Flora Fauna during a confusing time in her life in order to build a community with others like her. Daisy is hoping to go back to school now that she’s rediscovered her passion
Editor&Writer
ArilynnHyatt
Born, raised, and based in Arizona, Arilynn Hyatt is a journalism student at the University of Arizona and has worked as a reporter and arts writer since starting her schooling at the university. She also does work with different multimedia platforms such as photography and videography. She believes that everyone has at least one story that deserves to be told and her goal is to tell it
Writer
CaitPerry
Cait is a musician and filmmaker from London currently studying in Boston.
Founder/Editor-in-chief
Rosie/Dru
Rosie is a 20 year old write from Arizona. Her and Daisy co-founded Flora Fauna together to offer a creative space for other aspiring artists. Rosie enjoys mystery novels, mythology, and the midwestern gothic aesthetic and hope to pursue a career with similar vibes in the future.
VisualArtist&Writer
BelleLester
Belle is a 21 year old Manhattan native set to get her BA in Film Studies in 2025 She is a freelance film photographer, director and journalist
Editor&VisualArtist
PhoebeIngram
Phoebe is a 20 year old photographer. Though her passions lie in soccer, her girlfriend inspires her creative endeavors. She is a freelance photographer and makes music in her free time.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1-2
EDITOR’S NOTES
Daisy and Rosie delve into their reasoning behind the theme and how Persephone taught them lessons about womanhood.
GODDESS PERFUME 11-12
A feature of MauixLolita’s new eau du parfum, Goddess
3-6
SPRING CLEANING
Essay by Arilynn Hyatt on personal growth featuring photography by Daisy
13-14
OFFERINGS FOR PERSEPHONE
Offerings to give to Queen Persephone to show your appreciation.
PRELUDE TO ECSTASY 7-10
An essay about The Last Dinner Party and how it relates to Persephone’s story and lover.
GRISTLE GROCHET 15-16
A feature of the small business Gristle Grochet and the spring musthaves from their shops.
UNTITLED 17-18
Poetry by Daisy from Persephone’s perspective
33-34
PATRIARCHAL FRUITS
Poetry by Mina Abida
38
WHISPERS THROUGH TALL GRASS
Poetry by Melina Aleka
19-28
HOMERIC HYMN TO DEMETER
The original myth of Persephone and Hades featuring photos by Belle Lester and Disland
35-36
DECISIONS
Prose by Daisy on mourning girlhood and stepping into womanhood with both uncertainty and confidence
39-40
THERE IS NO LIGHT WITHOUT DARKNESS
Essay by Cait Perry
29-32
MANIPULATOR TO MALEWIFE
An essay by Jordan Fesser on the romanticization of Hades and Persephone
THE LAND OF ETERNAL SPRING 37
Poetry by Melina Aleka
41-42
CONTRIBUTORS
Pages dedicated to our wonderful contributors.
NOTES Editor’s
“Create the life you want,
Persephone , and stop listening to everyone else.”
Prayers to Persephone honors a Goddess who is more than what men write her out to be. This theme calls for us to honor the life that follows death, the flowers emerging when things have become barren, and it calls for us to embrace the duality of ourselves as our Queen has. We recognize her for who she truly is as we do with ourselves. This theme calls for a happy spring to our readers and especially to our Queen Persephone; Goddess of life and fertility, Queen of death, and torturer of men. may we honor her and celebrate the reuniting of mother and daughter.
1
Rosie
Our first issue celebrated girlhood and all we ’ ve learned and brought from it. It only felt right to follow this up with blooming into womanhood. Through a more artistic and literary approach, we delve into the duality of Persephone, Goddess of Spring and Queen of Death. As two girls beginning our journey of womanhood, we are faced with the death of our childhoods, but the beauty of a life of our own. This issue serves as a thank you letter to Persephone for showing us that both things can exist at once. Happy spring to you all!
2
Daisy
3
Photography by Daisy
SPRING CLEANING
Growing,reflecting,cleaning.Afteralongharshwinter whereanimals hibernateandplantsdie,thesunfinallyshines,andlife awakens.
Theoverwhelmingsensethattheworldisclosinginonyou andallyoucaneverfeelisdisappointment.Allyouwantto doissleepawaythedayanddreamofaplacewhereyoucan findjubilation.
Intheyearsthataresupposedtobethetimeofmylife,I’ve neverfeltmore lost.
Allyoueverwantischange.Forthedaystobelonger.To feelthewarmth onyourskinasyouwalkdownthestreet.Toknowthe feelingofcontent.
Suddenlythetrialsandtribulations,theanswersto questionsthatyou’vebeensearchingfor,finallybecomes clear.Thingsfeelclearer.Ifeelrenewed.Icanbreathe.
A R I L Y N N H Y A T T
4
Youchange,yougrow,youtransform.Yourealizethatthe peopleyousurroundyourselfwitharen’talwaysmeantfor youandthisrealizationcanmakeyoufeelevenmorelostand confused.
Yourearly20’sisanextremelytransienttime.Peoplecome intoyourlifetoteachyoualesson.
Youlearnhowlifedoesn’tend.Evenintheworsttimes, yourdarkestwinters,lifemoveson.Withtime,thepainyou oncefeltisnolongerthereandyou begintoseethejoy.
Whenyoulearntopickyourselfupagain,youbeginto confrontandcleanoutthedrawerofmemoriesthatonce broughtyousomuchpain.Youhealandyoufindwhattruly mattersinlife.Youbecomethekindofpersonyouwantto be.
Whatkindoflifeyouwanttolive.Youliveitwith intentionandpurpose.
Springcleaningisneverfun,butit’snecessaryforbecoming thebestversionofyourself.
Withthechangeoftheseasonscomesaneweraandnot everyonedeservestobeinyournewera.
5
6
Prelude to Ecstasy and It’s Connections to Persephone and Hades
by Daisy
1
7
Photography by Daisy
The Feminine Urge
“How I wish the trees would swallow me
Make me a forest
Take away my soul”
The album by the upcoming band, The Last Dinner Party, Prelude to Ecstasy. The album celebrates sexuality and delves into the double standard between men and women
This particular song tells the story of a relationship between a mother and daughter, but I also see reflections of a toxic relationship between two lovers.
Persephone and Hades’ relationship can be seen as romanticized, a man who stole a woman from her mother to force her to marry him. With that in mind, my initial thoughts for this song were of the pair.
After being taken away from her mother, the Queen of Spring, who once brought life to all, was now brought to the Underworld, with her Lover, the God of Death. Duality was forced upon her.
“Ballerina bend under the weight of it all Ain’t it fun to hold the world in your hands?
Do you feel like a man when I can’t talk back Do you want me or do you want control?”
1 8
Portrait of a Dead Girl
The song ‘Portrait of a Dead Girl’ delves into an equally toxic relationship; “And I wish you had given me the courtesy/ Of ripping out my throat/ And I wish that I’d let you have the dignity/ Of letting me go ”
In the beginning, the protagonist almost finds comfort in this relationship, “When you laid like a wolf/ With your head on my lap/ I felt like one of those portraits/ Of women protected by a beast on a chain”
Later on however, the woman begins to realize how abusive this relationship is, “If only she knew that with one wrong move/ He’ll turn around and tear off her hands.”
1
9
By the end, she is pleading with presumably some higher power to give her the strength to walk away. “The narrator has the strength to put a stop to the relationship, saving herself. She doesn’t want the portrait of her life to be tainted with a destructive relationship, but instead she wants this undying strength for her own self so she can avoid being a Portrait of A Dead Girl.”
“As you crawled back into the sea (Give me) Oh, anyone could kill me (The strength) And I’d never ever let it be you
Give me the strength, give me the strength”
1
10
11
Photography by Daisy
a scent made for a GODDESS t h e n e w p e r f u m e b y m a u i x l o l i t a
spring-like
12
With haunting floral and amber notes, MauixLolita’s new Goddess fragrance gives you the chance to linger on the minds of those around you; leaving a
scent reminding you of the Goddess Persephone.
13 Want to feel connected with this deity? Here are some offerings to get you started.
We share these offerings with Queen Persephone in order to show our appreciation to her. 14
GRISTLE GROCHET
F A S H I O N
A small business spotlight for the perfect spring wardrobe.
This Spring we are in search of sustainable brands to keep the environment we are so blessed with as beautiful as it always has been. Gristle Grochet is a small business with a wide variety of items to choose from. The Spring Drop is live now, so find your forever pieces while supplies last!
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Options of Rose Quartz, Jade, and Tiger’s Eye
Spring Essentials
Accessories and clothing celebrate the spring by GristleGrochet
Crystal Beaded Bracelets ($2.00)
Bralettes ($25-$46)
Crochet Flower Earrings ($12.00)
16
Headphone Sprouts ($2.50)
Crochet Bunny Earrings ($12 00)
17
Youwalkmehome
Butthisplaceisn’tmine
Youtakemeinyourarms
Withtheexpectationsofmygrounds
Thefruitsofmygardenwerenotyoursto keep
Youmaycherisheachbite,butIremainmy own
4 18
Ilingerhere,forevermore Yourviewisnolongerthevillain I,nolongeryourvictim. Butthroughmyeyes, Iamcaught. Throughmymother’s Iamcaptured. ThereI’dbloom-nomattertheashes Here,Iamsuspendedinaperpetualwinter
