Starhawk wrote the chant, originally titled "She Changes Everything", while living in Los Angeles in 1975. A close friend in her women's consciousness-raising group was dying of breast cancer. To support her, Starhawk and a group of friends created an all-night spiritual ritual centered around the myth of Demeter and Persephone to process grief, loss, and the cycle of life. The chant was formally recorded in 1987 by the Reclaiming Collective and in 1989, Starhawk copyrighted the track and officially published it to the wider Pagan community.