From the Sorcerer’s Workbench: Dread Queen Persephone

Coming the first of October – or possibly a few days before, to catch that full moon energetic boost – I’ll be launching my first annual Samhain line. This year’s line will feature six new stock designs and three unique, one-of-a-kind pieces.

The flagship of my Samhain 2023 line is this devotional image of the Dread Queen Persephone.

This image was given to me by the Dread Queen, herself, during an oracular session where my friend Juniper served as her vessel. I asked for an image of her that I could use as the basis for devotional jewelry. I don’t remember the exact words, now – death and life and something about the mycelium – but this image is what appeared in my head, and flowed into my wax, culminating in the most technically excellent wax carving I have done to date. As an interesting note, one of the other suppliants at the oracular session had a near-identical vision on hearing those words.

Persephone is the goddess of spring and flowers, yes. And she was one of the Two (with her mother, Demeter), who oversaw the immortalizing Eleusinian Mysteries. And she was also the Dread Queen, the much-feared wife of Hades. In this image, I attempt to honor all three aspects of the goddess: the skull of death; the mushrooms that might induce visions, sustain life, or destroy it; the growing vines and flowers of spring.

If you’d like to pre-order one of these designs in silver ($171) or bronze ($125), please reach out to me to make payment arrangements and I can get it cast in advance and ship the day of the launch. Patreon supporters can reach out to me and buy their copy today.