The title may be a bit of a misnomer as I wasn't reading for Her but instead reading that which She was revealing to me. I hope you have read my post on Persephone, if not it's the one prior to this post. She is quite an interesting Goddess to me and as I excitedly researched Her, I began to realize there isn't quite a whole lot of information regarding Her. I read several different sites only to leave with almost the exact same limited information.
I found very little correspondences and began pondering I wonder what card in the Tarot She would be depicted as because She expands across many areas--renewal, spring, rebirth, vegetation, is a mother, a maiden, wise, part of the Eleusinian Mysteries, and is Queen of the Underworld. Holy Cow!
I knew I couldn't hope to discern this for myself without Her help so I invoked Her into my space. I called upon Her as "Queen of the Underworld who sits beside Her husband, Hades, Goddess of Vegetation, and Goddess of Spring." I grabbed my Rider-Waite deck which is my go-to and started to shuffle when I heard this voice clearly say in my mind, "WRONG DECK!" I instantly was directed towards my Thoth Deck. Okay...I'll listen. I shuffled though I did grow slightly nervous as I don't have as much experience with that particular deck. The first card I drew was The Hierophant--what!? That didn't make a lick of sense! I felt the need to pull the card below it and the one hidden on the bottom of the deck--something I don't ever do. The Priestess and The Empress. Those made sense but The Hierophant?! I sat with the imagery on the card, forgetting the meaning of the card for a few moments as this was the card She wanted....then I finally understood. Each card represented a part of the invocation as they are all aspects of Her. Here's my understanding:
The Hierophant
When we look at the card, it's very busy, scary, in-your-face, overwhelming and yet the man in the center is calm, serene, kind, and comforting. I immediately recognized this as referring to Hades as in all honesty, regardless of what Hollywood believes, He wasn't an evil guy. But why was I getting a card then for Hades? My focus was drawn away from the terrifying faces and the man to the woman at the bottom insead where She stood proud and tall, confident and encouraging. She is a force to be reckoned with and understands the Mysteries (by the moon within her hand). She feels just as powerful as he does though she isn't as grande in the picture--hmmm...sounds familiar, right? She is a Goddess who knows Herself and isn't afraid of being overshadowed. This is Her as Queen of Hades--not less but equal. A driving force--a wife, mother, daughter, maiden, wise crone, and above all else, a Goddess. Maybe She wasn't tricked into eating the pomegranate seeds...
The Priestess
This is what brought about the bright insight into her being a strong and powerful Goddess into my mind. This is what made me draw the Triple Goddess conclusion. She is always depicted as a young maiden, either with Her mother or husband. She is more often stated as Goddess of spring with Her being queen as more like a forced upon role but I don't think so. She is wise, wiser than most maidens, and knows this. How then did this tie into my invocation of Her as Goddess of vegetation? This aspect was a focal point within the Eleusinian Mysteries. With Her reappearance came growth and abundance as Her mother rejoiced in their reunion. She is Queen of the Underworld which makes Her quite knowing in the Mysteries of Life--Life, Death, and Rebirth. She crosses between the worlds, can help contact those departed, and can not only cause death but regrowth and renewal. She is a bringer of life yet awaits us in our dying days as well. Sounds like a priestess to me!
The Empress
This made so much sense to me and the sense of happiness I got when I saw this card was quite humorous. The Empress is a woman grounded in Herself, in flow with life, privy to the riches that life has to offer. Regal, Strong, Confident, in touch with her femininity--a woman in every sense of the word and yet there seems to be a sense of playfulness like a woman who still can play and act like a maiden. She doesn't need to compete with anyone as she is fully aware of her worth. She delights in the earth's pleasures. She is in touch with her intuition, with her own wisdom, and doesn't need others to feel important and worthy.
This was so powerful for me and I legit sat here for a good several moments like Woah! I will never look at Persephone exactly the same way again. I knew all of these aspects but pulling this cards made me realize that while I knew them, I wasn't aware of what they necessarily meant. Persephone is strong and beautiful, powerful yet gentle, light yet dark, contradictory yet complimentary, all at the same time which only makes Her even more fascinating to me.
Brightest of Blessings,
The Autumn Witch
*Cards are from the Thoth Deck*
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