Persephone (asteroid 399)

The goddess of spring and queen of the underworld, AKA Kora, was the daughter of Ceres(Demeter) and Zeus (Jupiter). Throughout the story, I will keep it as Ceres and Zeus.

Even though Persephone isn't part of the planets and is only a minor asteroid, her mythology and archetype is a story to know. In my opinion, I see her connected to the Taurus Scorpio access. She's also part of the triple moon symbol as the waxing crescent representing the maiden. Her mother Ceres is represented by the full moon, the mother, and Hecate, the waning crescent as the crone. If you're into rituals or getting into them and looking for a goddess to work with, Persephone is one to consider. I work with her and feel very connected to her through my natal chart placements.

So there are quite a few different stories about how the goddess of spring also became the queen of the underworld, I will tell it the way I know and how I feel it fits best with her in my mind.

So The Story Goes Like This. One beautiful day Persephone was out picking flowers when she was kidnapped by Hades (Pluto) and brought down to the underworld. (She would have been kidnapped by Hermes which is Mercury as no god was able to cross to the underworld or back, in another series we'll talk about Mercury as he was messenger of the gods since he was not a god himself he was able to go to the underworld and back.) Ceres was so distraught trying to find her daughter as she was extremely close with her. She begged Zeus to send Hermes to go fetch their daughter. What Ceres didn't know was that Zeus promised Persephone to his brother Hades so they would be married. Persephone was not happy. She longed to go back home with her mother. Ceres being so angry, she used her power and made it so that there was no harvest for the mortals. Zeus freaked out! He loved being worshiped by the mortals, and with no harvest, the mortals got pissed and vowed to stop worshiping him. So he talked to Hades and asked him to send his daughter back home. During this time, Pluto/Hades had been trying to get Persephone to submit to him by beating her and raping her, but she refused to be his queen. He had even promised that all the gods would worship her, but she was not interested. She just longed to go back home. Zeus asked Hades to please send her back, and he agreed since she wouldn't submit to him as the story goes. But he's sneaky, before letting Persephone leave, he asked her to at least eat something. So she ate six pomegranate seeds and then let Hermes take Persephone back to her parents. Ceres was so thrilled, she used her powers to bring back the harvest. She then thought that it was too easy to get her back and asked Persephone, "Did you eat anything before you left the underworld?" Persephone told her mother about the pomegranate seeds. Again, her mother became enraged as these seeds made Persephone connected to the underworld. So Persephone would have to go back in order to stay alive. She would be allowed back to Earth for springtime, but would have to return to the underworld again. When Persephone would have to leave and the harvest ended (Autumn Equinox, Mabon), and when she came back, so did the foliage and grains (spring equinox, Ostara). Eventually, Persephone made the best of her situation even though her mother was not happy. Ceres refused to change things to the way it was.

Persephone stepped into both roles; the goddess of spring and queen of the underworld.

This story shows how to integrate both the light and the dark. It shows great strength and inner power. It shows how you can transform yourself with a change of perception and willpower.

Now I equate Persephone to the Taurus-Scorpio axis because we have spring in Taurus season, the foliage and flowers are all in bloom (and even thousands of years ago spring equinox was actually during Taurus season). When Persephone goes back to the underworld that starts the Autumn Equinox, but remember Libra was once part of the Scorpio constellation, and that's when we have the equinox. Also, Scorpio is ruled by Pluto and is the sign and energy of transformation. As I mentioned earlier, she's also part of the triple moon symbol (below), being the waxing crescent. So if you work with the moon, you're working with Persephone in a way already.

Like I mentioned, there are many versions to the story, and with mythology, we can change them a bit to fit the times we are in or to fit how we resonate with it.

Finding an archetype or archetypes to connect to can really help any healing process. Also knowing the archetypes of our solar system can help you better understand astrology and your own charts.

I feel I resonate with Persephone through my chart as my Cancer moon is a waxing crescent, Ceres is cazimi to my Taurus Sun 8th House. Persephone/Asteroid 399 is also in wide conjunction to my North Node, they both inconjunct my sun/Ceres and Pluto/Ascendant. During my solar returns, it's spring, and everything is in bloom when the sun conjuncts my Ascendant it's during autumn equinox.

Some items to use for rituals to work with Persephone:

●Offerings - pomegranate seeds, lily's, narcissus(yellow flower similar to daffodils), roses, violets, crocus, iris, jasmine, or larkspur, bones, apples, acorns, bare branches, milk, honey, red wine, or corn. These all depend on the time of year. Also you can use these to decorate your altar with.

○Really, you can use any spring flower as she is the goddess of spring!

●Wearing a floral crown or an iron crown depending on the time of year.

●Wearing pastel colors during the spring and summer; dark colors in the fall and winter.

●Using our wearing garnet. The word "Garnet" is derived from the Latin Granatum and can be associated with pomegranate due to the color.

●Carnelian, ruby, onyx, obsidian, or any red or dark colored crystal. Garnet, obsidian, and onyx are wonderful protection stones, too. The dark stones are symbolic to shadow work, rest, and renewal. The red stones are symbolic of passion, connection, and renewal. Using green colored stones during spring or clear quartz and amethyst for anytime of year.

*There's also a great book about her if you're interested in learning more about her and rituals to work with her. It's called 'Persephone's Pathway' by Jennifer Heather.

The symbol below represents Persephone and is a combination of Ceres and Pluto along with the Cresent moon and 6 dots to represent the 6 pomegranate seeds.

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It is perhaps unwise to put too much weight on asteroids – they are after all representing very specific themes and myths that can be traced in the configuration of the major planets. I find asteroids entertaining, and although I believe that they shouldn’t be emphasized too much, they certainly carry some extra information about people that can be interesting to take note of.

I’ve been pondering the asteroid Persephone (399) for a little while. In myth, young Persephone is taken by force from her mother Demeter to live with Hades in the underworld, made to live in the underworld for 6 months of the year and returning in spring to be with her mother again. Prior to her abduction she’s pictured as a beautiful, pure and innocent protégé, always watched over by her mother Demeter who loves her more than anything.

Stevie Nicks has Persephone conjunct Pluto and Saturn in Leo in the 5th house, inconjunct her moon and semi-square Mercury.

Whether Persephone is a tragic figure or not is up for debate. She’s depicted as relatively insignificant on her own – her identity depends on her mother and her abductor. Whether she enjoys being of little consequence and being torn between two powerful characters who both want her is not made clear. She is “valuable” in the sense that she’s the receiver of her mother’s and her husband’s love but she doesn’t seem to be aware of her own value as an individual separate from her two "guardians".

Persephone, in my view, is a lost bird. She’s over-protected, understimulated and has not been encouraged by her mother to differentiate and create a life of her own. Although Demeter’s love is powerful it’s not enough to keep "the world out" and Persephone is taken by Hades because he needs someone to possess that will stay with him and love him back. Hades might not be ultimately evil, but he is dark, hidden and doesn't ask for permission. He’s also lonely and needs someone to share his darkness and passion with.

It seems like Persephone became feared as she matured. Her time spent in the underworld transformed her into something fascinating and destructive, as someone of her own authority, yet ultimately a slave to her own fate as a captive. Being under other people’s supervision throughout her life, although she might’ve agreed to it on some level, doesn’t make for a fulfilling existence. There’s a loss of self that is irretrievable although surface pleasures and enjoyments can still be carried out.

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Young women are often drawn to dark/mysterious/criminal men that "do what they want" and claim authority of their own lives. It is very curious, that for some reason, feminine innocence is paired with destructive masculine desire. The dark male falls in love with the lost and bright-eyed maiden. There’s attraction on both ends. There's also often a powerful, controlling and devouring mother that's part of the picture, or a set of strict parents that is obsessively committed to keeping "the bad out". - Of course, it never works.

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I have noticed that the asteroid Persephone seems to show up prominently in people who have little sense of direction in their own lives and who are forced to surrender to their “dominant supervisors’” wishes because they don’t have anything else to do. They live in their own world, empty vessels, moody, plagued with diffuse longings and romantic notions that never really take shape. They’re strong, compassionate but passive, attempting to preserve their inner world since the outer is dominated by more potent characters. The inner strength is usually considerable although they may give off the vibe of being fragile and weak. They can have a refreshing presence, there’s something fertile about them as well. Usually, their traumas and scars are on the inside rather than the outside which makes them seem youthful and untouched by life. I’ve noticed this with people I’ve met who have Persephone conjunct Sun, Moon, Venus and the North Node, but I will say that these people also have strong Plutonic and Neptunian influences in their charts that could contribute to this theme in their lives.

Persephone's story is the core myth of the change of seasons and the transition from innocence (as Kore, the Maiden) to empowered maturity (as the Queen of the Underworld). Her themes are:

Cycles of Loss and Return: The yearly descent into the Underworld and return to Earth, symbolizing death and rebirth, or emotional/psychological hibernation and awakening.

The Maiden/Queen Archetype: The journey from passive innocence (where one is acted upon or unaware of one's own power) to sovereign power (where one consciously claims their will and authority).

Autonomy and Choice: The point in life where one's will, power, or lifestyle is "taken" or challenged, forcing a difficult choice and a reclamation of personal power.

The Bridge: Being the intermediary between two worlds (the conscious/surface world and the unconscious/shadow world).

Persephone in Taurus

The Abduction: The area of life ruled by this placement may be where you experience a profound, sudden, or difficult challenge to your established comfort or financial security. Something is "taken" from you that forces you to change your values or your relationship with the material world.

I never really thought about, but this has played out in my life consistently, especially with sudden moving of homes in my childhood. Not being able to finish college due to lack of funds, all sorts of things. But I am not bitter about it. Like they said, it simply changed my worldview.

The Underworld: Your "underworld" experience—the time of transformation—is focused on dealing with Scorpionic themes (Taurus's opposite sign) like debt, shared resources, emotional intensity, or sexual power, which all challenge the simple, fixed stability of Taurus.

Reclaiming Power: The major life lesson here is about redefining your self-worth independently of external assets or approval. True sovereignty is achieved when you know your value without needing money, status, or a physical object to prove it.

My south node is in Taurus, so I already knew this lol

The Queen's Authority: This placement suggests that the journey to mature self-possession (the Queen) is achieved by integrating the shadow material (Underworld) into your material existence (Taurus). You learn how to make your resources fertile and enduring through cycles of decay and rebirth.

Sensory and Body Cycles: This placement can show a strong cyclical relationship with the physical body, food, or sexuality, which are all Taurean domains. You may go through phases of indulgence (Kore in the field of flowers) followed by periods of intense restriction or psychological struggle (Persephone in the Underworld), forcing you to find a balance.