I hope this email finds you thawing out, warming up, and resting your bones. As we unfurl from the winter hunker-down and turn to face the first glimmers of spring, so too does Persephone emerge from the underworld. Astrologically speaking: Venus Retrograde (RX) ends on April 12th — cue the hallelujah chorus.
As Persephone ascends, heralding spring, we stir, still bleary-eyed, searching for signs of life. Digging through ashes for embers, scanning the soil for one sprouted seed to prove that the darkness is fertile, that the shadow work was worthwhile. She is the Daughter of Pentacles, a student of her experiences, above and below.
Persephone does not rise from the chthonic realms as the same maiden who descended. She emerges with broader perspective, fortified courage, and subterranean wisdom — more equipped to face the world above. She has waded through the depths of her grief and ascends with the knowing that grief does not end, it integrates. It cannot be separated or left behind, lest we discard our capacity to love along with it. Grief is mixed in the batter.
How can we be present with the lightness of spring after everything we’ve witnessed in the shadows? How do we cultivate sovereignty in an oppressive world?
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Mirroring the dark goddess myths and the arc of Venus RX, Rainbow Obsidian appears jet black at first glance, but in the right light, shimmers in every color of the rainbow. It is a shapeshifting volcanic glass that once bubbled at ~2200°F before rapidly cooling, preserving a technicolor map of the lava’s flow. This luminous material corresponds not only with Persephone’s descent into darkness but also with the exaltation of her springtime return. It strengthens our hearts while allowing them to remain soft, tender yet unyielding, aiding us in holding both grief and joy at once.
It is no secret that the price of an open heart is a broken one. The cost of shimmering in every color is beholding darkness. What events have marked the hero’s journey of your heart? What heat, what pressure, what breaking has facilitated your illustrious sheen?
The ephemeral color magic of Rainbow Obsidian is a charm of Mercury (Hermes), he who speaks the rainbow tongue. Mercury communicates beyond words, in tricks of light, illusions, and images. The cosmic messenger presents himself not only in obsidian’s colors but in its use as a scrying stone, a threshold to what lies beyond the veil. When traversing the realms — whether in channel, in dreamland, or somewhere in between — keep Rainbow Obsidian by your side for protection and insight.
By Alexandria Salomon
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Our upcoming sale feels very timely indeed. Just as Venus emerges from the shadow realms, we present a talisman of her journey. Forged in flame, and all the more beautiful for it. What rage, what courage, what wisdom may these volcanic carvings carry for you? Join us tomorrow, 4/4, at 11 AM EST to find out. 🖤🌈✨
