Persephone + Tarot: Death & The High Priestess

31. Dezember 2025

BY NICOLE LAU

Introduction to Persephone in Tarot

Persephone's energy flows through multiple tarot cards, most powerfully through Death and The High Priestess, but also touching The Empress, The Star, Judgment, and others. Understanding these connections deepens both your tarot practice and your relationship with Persephone, revealing how her archetypal journey of descent, transformation, and sovereignty appears in the cards.

Death (Major Arcana XIII)

Persephone's Connection

Death is THE Persephone card:

Transformation through descent
The death of the old self (Kore dies, Persephone is born)
Necessary endings
The underworld journey
Rebirth after death

Card Meanings Through Persephone's Lens

Upright:

You're in a Persephone descent
Something must die for something new to be born
Transformation is occurring
Let go of the old identity
Trust the process of death and rebirth

Reversed:

Resisting necessary change
Clinging to what must end
Fear of transformation
Stuck between death and rebirth
Need to surrender to the process

Persephone's Wisdom for Death Card

Death is not the end but transformation
What dies will be reborn
The descent is necessary
You will emerge as Persephone, not Kore
Trust the underworld

The High Priestess (Major Arcana II)

Persephone's Connection

The High Priestess embodies Persephone as Queen:

Keeper of mysteries
Sovereign in the underworld
Holder of hidden knowledge
The veil between worlds
Intuition and the unconscious

Card Meanings Through Persephone's Lens

Upright:

Access to underworld wisdom
Trust your intuition
Secrets and mysteries
The unconscious speaking
Sovereignty and power

Reversed:

Disconnected from intuition
Ignoring the unconscious
Secrets causing problems
Need to descend and listen

Persephone's Wisdom for High Priestess

You hold mysteries
Trust what you know in the depths
The unconscious has wisdom
You are sovereign
Some knowledge is secret

Other Major Arcana Connections

The Empress (III)

Persephone as Maiden/Spring:

Fertility and abundance
Spring's renewal
The maiden aspect (Kore)
Life and growth
Demeter-Persephone connection

The Lovers (VI)

Persephone and Hades:

Sacred partnership
Integration of opposites
Choice and consequence
The pomegranate choice

The Hermit (IX)

Persephone in the Underworld:

Solitude and introspection
Inner journey
Seeking wisdom in darkness
The descent inward

Wheel of Fortune (X)

Persephone's Cycle:

The eternal cycle of descent and return
Six months here, six months there
The turning of seasons
What goes down comes up

Strength (VIII)

Persephone's Sovereignty:

Inner strength through ordeal
Taming the shadow (Hades)
Courage in the underworld
Gentle power

The Hanged Man (XII)

The Suspension:

Between worlds (underworld and upper world)
Sacrifice and surrender
New perspective through descent
The liminal space

Temperance (XIV)

Integration:

Balancing maiden and queen
Integrating light and shadow
The middle path
Harmony of opposites

The Star (XVII)

Persephone's Return:

Hope after darkness
Renewal and rebirth
Spring's promise
Light after the underworld

The Moon (XVIII)

The Unconscious:

The underworld realm
Illusion and truth
The shadow
Intuition and dreams

Judgment (XX)

Resurrection:

Rising from the underworld
Rebirth and renewal
The return transformed
Answering the call

The World (XXI)

Integration Complete:

Wholeness achieved
The cycle complete
Maiden and queen integrated
Sovereignty claimed

Minor Arcana Connections

Cups (Emotional/Water)

Ace of Cups: New emotional beginning (spring return)
Five of Cups: Grief and loss (Demeter's sorrow)
Six of Cups: Innocence (Kore in the meadow)
Queen of Cups: Emotional sovereignty (Persephone as queen)

Swords (Mental/Air)

Three of Swords: Heartbreak (the abduction)
Eight of Swords: Feeling trapped (captivity)
Queen of Swords: Clear boundaries (Persephone's sovereignty)

Wands (Spiritual/Fire)

Ace of Wands: New beginning (spring renewal)
Eight of Wands: Swift change (the abduction)
Queen of Wands: Passionate sovereignty

Pentacles (Material/Earth)

Ace of Pentacles: New growth (spring)
Four of Pentacles: Holding on (resistance to change)
Queen of Pentacles: Earthly sovereignty (Demeter aspect)

Persephone Tarot Spreads

The Descent Spread (5 cards)

Kore: Who you were before descent
The Abduction: What dragged you into transformation
The Underworld: What you're facing in the depths
The Pomegranate: What you're integrating
Persephone: Who you're becoming

The Cycle Spread (6 cards)

Spring: What is being born/renewed
Summer: What is in full bloom
Autumn: What is ending/being released
Winter: What is in the underworld/gestation
The Lesson: What the cycle is teaching
Integration: How to honor the whole cycle

Maiden-Queen Spread (4 cards)

The Maiden: Your innocent/light aspect
The Queen: Your sovereign/shadow aspect
Integration: How to hold both
Guidance: Persephone's message

Shadow Work Spread (7 cards)

Conscious self: What you know about yourself
Shadow: What you've repressed
The Gift: Power in the shadow
The Challenge: What makes integration difficult
The Pomegranate: What to integrate
The Throne: Sovereignty to claim
Persephone's Wisdom: Her guidance

Reading Tarot with Persephone

Invoking Persephone for Readings

"Persephone, Queen of Mysteries, guide this reading. Reveal what needs to be seen, illuminate what is hidden, and speak truth through these cards. Hail Persephone!"

Persephone as Significator

Use Death or High Priestess as significator when:

Doing shadow work readings
Exploring transformation
Seeking underworld wisdom
Working with descent themes

Interpreting Cards Through Persephone's Lens

Ask:

Is this a descent or return card?
Does this represent maiden or queen energy?
What is dying? What is being born?
What shadow is being revealed?
What sovereignty is being claimed?

Persephone's Tarot Wisdom

Key Teachings

Death is transformation, not ending
The High Priestess holds mysteries you must discover yourself
Cycles are natural: descent and return, death and rebirth
Shadow work is necessary for wholeness
Sovereignty is claimed through the journey

When Persephone Cards Appear

Death: You're in transformation. Let go. Trust the process.

High Priestess: Listen to your intuition. Trust your inner knowing. You hold mysteries.

Both together: Major transformation through accessing deep wisdom. Powerful descent and integration.

Creating a Persephone Tarot Practice

Daily Draw

Pull a card asking: "Persephone, what do I need to know today?"
Interpret through her lens of descent, transformation, sovereignty

New and Full Moon Readings

New Moon: Descent themes, shadow work, what to release
Full Moon: Return themes, integration, what to celebrate

Seasonal Readings

Spring Equinox: Persephone's return spread
Autumn Equinox: Persephone's descent spread

Conclusion

Persephone's energy flows through the tarot, most powerfully in Death and The High Priestess, but touching many other cards. Understanding these connections deepens your tarot practice and your relationship with the goddess of transformation, mysteries, and sovereignty. The cards become gateways to her wisdom, tools for navigating your own descents and returns, and mirrors reflecting your journey from maiden to queen.

Hail Persephone! May the cards reveal your mysteries, guide our descents, and illuminate our paths to sovereignty!