I don't know that the Persephone days begin on an actual date, but in my mind it's always been November 1. What are the Persephone days, you ask? Yeah, I asked myself that same question a few years back, even though I've been using the expression all my life. I must have heard it somewhere and never thought to understand it.

I did know that it had something to do with Greek mythology. And now that I know more of the story, I think it's worth sharing.

Persephone is a daughter of Zeus and Demeter (who, by the way, are brother and sister - Greek mythology is full of creepiness). One beautiful late summer day she went out to enjoy a walk in nature, when Hades popped up from the underworld. He took a shine to Persephone and wanted her for himself. She declined, so he abducted her. Persephone's mother was so stricken that she caused the earth to go barren and grow cold. Hades struck a bargain with Demeter - Persephone would live half the year in the underworld and half the year in the world with Demeter. The barren and cold days are when Persephone lives beneath, and that's our fall and winter.

So here we are entering the Persephone days. I'm actually a fan of this time of year. Things start to slow down a bit, the days grow shorter, and we sip our tea on the couch and do more homey things. It's a time to rest, hibernate, and go a little bit dormant.

And as it relates to photography, the sun stays soft and low on the horizon and casts long shadows. What's not to love about that? So here's to a season of long shadow images, backlit, and beautiful. And lots of time to rest.