[Free to Watch] Persephone's Ascent & Springtime Renewal
Persephone rises!
The vernal equinox did not arrive kindly for me this year. The Bay Area’s winter rains and chilly days were a passing memory as we experienced a historic heat wave that only broke after the first day of spring had passed. During that time, I was laid up in bed with a late-stage pregnancy cold, courtesy of my toddler.
Images of springtime—flowers in bloom, the gentle warmth of the sun—were nowhere to be found. And that, in and of itself, is an essential lesson to hold close: transitions are rarely gentle. Emergence from darkness requires adjustment; the light feels harsh and bright, even if it brings promise of new life.
Would Persephone agree with this sentiment? What was it like for her to be forcefully drawn underground and then called back to the upper world? Caught between the yearnings of the Mother and the dark initiations of the Underworld, she oscillates in a rhythmic dance. Each turn of the cycle sharpens her capacity to shift modes of being and realities—Queen to Maiden and back again. Each time is a loss and a gain, a withering and an unfurling, a death and a rebirth. The pain and ecstasy of these experiences are part of her mysteries.
So much time, energy, and interpretation is given to her capture, to her time in Hades. But in recent years, I’ve felt more and more drawn to her ascent, to the conditions that need to be met for one to successfully complete the journey to the underworld, to return. As the seasons shift, as Persephone rises once more, I invite you to be held in the archetypal constellation of her myth.
How might you navigate your own descents and confrontations as Persephone would? What needs to be sacrificed in service to becoming and stepping deeper into self-hood? What are the guiding symbols that will bring you back to life?
For the next week, I’m opening access to Persephone’s Ascent & Springtime Renewal, a class I taught last year that explores these very themes. Let it be the mythic guide through your current descent cycle, the map that helps you navigate the underworld and ascend into new awareness.
If you enjoy this sort of mytho-artchetypal exploration, I invite you to join us in The Artemisian’s membership.
Each month is curated to support a deepening relationship with the psyche and its symbols, to learn the skills of archetypal awareness through a blend of dreamwork, alchemy, tarot, myths and fairytales — all grounded within the profound framework of Jungian psychology. Classes, educational resources, discussion threads, and more await those who feel called to the archetypal mysteries — I hope to see you there!