Persephone

Persephone- the Goddess of spring and new beginnings, but also queen of the Underworld.

There are many tales about the story of Persephone and how she came to reign as ruler of the dead. The most common story tells of Hades falling in love with Persephone as she was seen picking flowers in a field. Overcome by obsession, lust, and desire, he creates a crevasse in the earth and emerges from the depths below to kidnap her and force her to be his Queen. Demeter, Goddess of Harvest and also Persephone's mother, is stricken with fear and grief for the absence of her daughter. When she learns that it was Hades who abducted her, she demands for Zeus to return her to the surface. If he refused, Demeter threatened to destroy the Earth by depleting crops, causing droughts and slowly killing all living organisms. Zeus ultimately obliges, but as Demeter goes to retrieve her daughter, she discovers that Persephone has eaten a total of six pomegranate seeds while she was below the Earth. It is said that if you consume fruit from the Dead, you are condemned to stay in the Underworld for all eternity. Nevertheless, Demeter still fought to get her back. It was then decided that Persephone would remain with Hades for 6 months while spending the other half with her mother, thus explaining the reason for spring and fall. 

Persephone was the first deity I ever worked with at the age of 12. Despite hearing the most common abduction story, I gained an attachment to her and her alone. She was more than a pawn traded and bartered by the other gods. She was a figure of immense power. According to some sources, it is believed that Persephone was a divine being more ancient than most Olympians and more feared than Hades himself. Orphic Hymns (prayers for the dead traveling to the afterlife) were typically dedicated to Persephone. 

Further readings also claim that the story of Persephone's kidnapping actually reflects an ancient Greek marriage custom consisting of an agreed arrangement between the suitor and father of the bride-- usually without consent of the daughter or mother. After the ceremony, the bride would be carried off in the groom’s chariot to live in his home. The collection of Greek stories titled 'Homeric Hymn to Demeter' confirms that this was the case with Persephone: “… cloud-gathering Zeus… gave her to Hades, her father’s brother, to be called his buxom wife." She still remains to be one of the most powerful deities and rulers, a symbol of life and death. The Mother of Mortality. 

Because these candles drip so easily, it's the perfect time to practice some candle divination, also known as Carromancy. Watch how the candle burns. Do you see figures in the wax? Do the flames flicker, grow tall, or hiss? Is there a certain direction in the way the wax is melting? These ritual candles may hold more secrets than you know.


ɪᴛᴇᴍ ᴅᴇsᴄʀɪᴘᴛɪᴏɴ: Two 6 inch taper candles rolled in locally sourced herbs. These taper candles have been ritually rolled in herbs associated with Persephone such as roses, pomegranate flowers, chamomile, and cedar.  


𝐈𝐌𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐓:  These candles melt beautifully and are safe to burn indoors, however, PLEASE be wary of the flame. The more herbs, the bigger and taller the flame with be. Always supervise your candles while burning. These candles have very burnable botanicals. Some herbs may crackle when caught on fire, such as cedar and juniper.

Always burn in a reliable candle holder or in a fireproof dish.