Persephone's Descent and Libra's Dreams

And your September gift

Blessed Equinox! 

Persephone has begun her chthonic descent.

Virgo is releasing the reigns of control to the fair and harmonious Libra.

And here in the northern hemisphere, like our ancestors before us, we begin to prepare for colder, darker days.

It seems wild that we’re entering into the darker half of the year already. I’m not ready for summer to end. (Maybe because we spent most of it stuck inside thanks to oppressive wildfire smoke…hopefully yours was a bit sunnier in all ways!)

But alas, the wheel of the year continues to turn, and we must embrace the gifts of this new season. 

Perhaps this is why Persephone has been so present in our collective field lately.

A few weeks ago, I’d just finished writing a piece about Persephone and Hades for an upcoming online course (all about uncovering the gifts of the dark…it’s going to be a good one).

Then I got not one but two emails mentioning the exact same story in my inbox that same day. More Persephone references have been flooding through since then.

It’s not unusual to hear about Persephone in the fall — her primary mythology comes alive this season. But I have noticed an increased presence of this dark goddess in our collective fields…it’s different this time. There’s an urgency, an insistance that we accept her invitation into the dark.

Time for some shadow work, folks.

My sense is that we are at a pivotal choicepoint in our evolution — a more impactful one that it seems on the surface. The only way we create the benefic path forward is by going into the dark.

The Queen of the Underworld is beckoning us into the shadows. She knows we must now access the power and fortitude hidden in our own unseen realms.

And so, our final quarterly workshop of the year will be a journey into communion with Persephone — more on this below.

Just as Persephone begins her story as a virgin maiden and crosses the threshold into her mature role as queen, so we collectively leave the virgin sign of Virgo and embrace the mature scales of justice held by Libra.

During Virgo season, we prepared.

Meticulous and systematically, we organized our harvest. We noted what hasn’t come to fruition, in our gardens and our hearts. We reflected on all that has been sown and reaped, safely storing our blessings as lights to guide us through darker days.

Now, Libra arrives in her fullness, scales and sword in hand.

The Libran goddess uses her scales to assess the community, noting who has benefited who is in lack. She helps us allocate our riches so that everyone’s needs are met — fairly and justly. I mean, she’s not doling out gold to couch potatoes…sorry!

Libras may have a reputation for indecision…but they face a big task. What is the most fair, just, and harmonious outcome for the most people? As my astrology teacher Merlin shares:

On a communal and agricultural level, this period of the year indicates the end of the harvest. The reckoning and preparation of the previous Virgo season now comes to fruition as as the community assesses the amount of resources that will be available for the rest of the year….The community has begun getting real and preparing for the wintertime when food is scarce. Making such tough decisions, Libran people are very concerned with fairness and balance. Making sure that people have what they need, and that everyone is being properly taken care of within the network of relationships and community.

As an air sign, Libra privileges dialogue and conversation. These difficult decisions are very much an interpersonal task, and so Libran people can also be quite communicative and social. Its airy qualities make Libra focus on deliberation, discussion, and the use of the rational mind in deciding as opposed to direct action. This is why Libra is famous for its back-and-forth thought processes, as it continually weighs options, always trying to find the fairest and most balanced response….

In Libra season, we place the fruits of our labors up till now on scales, and determine whether they are satisfactory or wanting. While our ancestors layed literal food in literal scales, we can weigh our hearts and actions and assess internally where we stand. How have you been fair and loving in your own life? How have you cultivated Venusian virtues till now? What in your life must stay and be fed, and what must be cut away?

In our own lives, we’re invited to reflect on the final preparations we need as we cross our own thresholds into the dark. 

What harvest can you celebrate, and how can these gifts continue to sustain you through the months ahead? Where are you lacking, needing additional support? 

The equinox is a day of equal light and dark. Take time to celebrate and grieve. The joys and losses together make us human.

Equinox as Dreamgate

The darkness is the place of dreams.

We enter the cave of unconscious awareness, under the blanket of night. Here, our ancestors whisper…a dream of light to be born.

In many traditions, from the Celtic Isles to the Kogi tribes of Columbia, four sacred days are known as portals through the dreamworlds: the soltices and equinoxes.

This autumn equinox is a time of magic. The gates are open, and as darker seasons descend upon us, we may dream our light into being.

This dream of light is the one of spirit. It’s the compassionate path available to humanity. The benefic outcomes our hearts wish for. The ancestral vision for the descendents to thrive.

What dream shall awaken within you this equinox?

Take time for dreaming — whether through sacred ceremony, shamanic journeys, meditation, or entering into true dreamstates.

Perhaps Persephone shall guide you along the way.

Autumn Gifts & Invitations

Journey with Persephone

Join me on our October 17th, 5:30 - 7pm PT, under the light of the full moon for a 90-minute workshop on the myth and magic of Persephone.

As a reminder, paid Substack subscribers can attend this workshop for a fraction of the cost, and both founding member Substack subscribers and my coaching clients get free access!

Psst…If you really want to go deep with Persephone, anoint yourself with her perfume during the workshop.

The sacred oils in the blend will help attune you to the goddess, and then whenever you wear the perfume in the coming weeks, you will feel this connection reignited and strengthened. But there are only two bottles left…get yours here.

Autumn Equinox Sale

What brings you into the dark better than the poison plants? Support the integration of your shadow and save 22% off the Poison Plant Flower Essence Set!

Use 22POISON22 at checkout. Good through 9/30/24.

Note: The Botanica will be closed for shipping 9/22 - 9/29. Any orders placed during that window will ship after 9/30.

The Art of Psychopomp: Shamanic Approaches to Death & Dying — SAVE $100 BEFORE OCTOBER 1

Explore the soul's journey through the afterlife in this in-depth weekend workshop (live and online), just in time for the Day of the Dead, Samhain, and all the holidays that recognize the liminal spaces of this time of year.

Learn more and register here.

Your September Gift