Persephone: Taurus and Scorpio at once
Are you wondering why the god of spring is also a god of death? There’s logic.
Although I’m a bit of an outsider (some of the ancients I saw in Greece call me “that Northern lady” — yes I talk to ghosts, read my bio), I have a lot of respect for Hellenic philosophy and wisdom. I’m learning a lot, although I’ll leave you wondering why and how, since I’m not allowed to share certain things in public. Regardless: there are some curiosities about Greek gods and archetypes I DO feel like sharing. Considering tonight is that famous liminar moment people celebrate all over the world, I thought it’d be appropriate to focus on the relationship between life and death. And this duality has a name: Persephone.
In order to explore the intricacies that both connect and separate “life” from “death”, we first need to accept one simple premise: opposites are always two sides of the same coin. Keep that in mind.
It’s an obvious truth, but it’s that kind of “obvious” we don’t always accept or care to remember. Sometimes we’re like “ew, look at that person over there! He represents all the things I hate and avoid in life — I’m so NOT like him” Haha, well, guess what. What you’re seeing and hating in the people you consider your polar opposites are all things you actually DO HAVE within. They’re shadows you’re suppressing.
That’s because, let me repeat: opposites are always two sides of the same coin. Sometimes YOU ARE this coin.
Oh no darling, I don’t deliver comfortable messages. You should only follow me if you’re brave enough. Are you? If so, keep reading.
Case study in fiction: Elsa and Anna
“Whoa, Meron, are you implying there are mystics and geniuses working at Disney?” — No. Get that silly idea out of your mind. Really. What I’m about to teach you here is no rocket science. It does not require a whole load of intelligence or even intuition. Elsa and Anna are very cliché fairytale characters, and THAT IS WHY they’re the perfect allegory for the duality of Persephone: it’s a cliché. It’s hilariously obvious. It’s right under our noses, if we care to look.
The problem is, we often don’t care to look. And then we marvel at the people who do, as if they were some kind of genius. I’m here to show you can see it too — and very easily.
So, back to Elsa and Anna: surely they aren’t the ONLY suitable characters for the comparison I’m going to make, but they’re well-known and fresh in people’s memories, which is why I chose them.
To be honest, I could have chosen literally any scene where they both appear (that’s how easy it is to notice the life/death duality in them!), but I think the above song summarises most of it, and it also does so visually, which is nice. So let’s start with the title: “some things never change”. What does that mean to you? To me, it means that both Taurus and Scorpio are fixed signs. They “don’t change”, in theory. In practice, it’s a bit more complex.
Life carries with it an illusion of permanence, doesn’t it? That’s why we find it so difficult to deal with death when it comes. It’s like a plot twist, like a thing that wasn’t supposed to happen — although we all rationally know it IS supposed to happen. Death always comes, for everyone. It has a perfect track record. But we hold on to this illusion of permanence where life “should” be eternal, for no reason. It’s not rational, it’s a feeling.
The opposite is also true: death carries with it an illusion of permanence. Doesn’t it? When someone or something dies, we assume — again, for no reason! — that it’s forever gone. But is it, though? I’m not just talking about reincarnation. We can’t be sure it happens anyway, it’s a belief; But I’m also talking about phenomena that ARE observable: death as a metaphor is never, ever, EVER permanent. Ever. I’m telling you. Have we ever tried completely eradicating something from the world? Aye, we have tried that. We keep trying and keep failing at it. And this goes beyond opinions, it goes beyond “good” and “bad”. I don’t care about your opinion of viruses and vaccines, for example. I don’t wanna hear it, it’s irrelevant here. Whether you think one thing is “good” and another is “bad” or vice-versa, we’re not discussing that. We’re discussing death. Can you completely get rid of one or the other? Can you? No you can’t. Someone, somewhere, will [accidentally] come up with a new variant or [intentionally] come up with a new antidote. You can’t get several billion people on the planet to agree on keeping one or the other; and sometimes, it even escapes our human capabilities regardless of what we INTENDED.
The same argument can be made for political ideologies. Can you completely eradicate Socialism? Fascism? Anarchism? Oligarchic movements? No, you can’t. And the deeper you dig into human History, the more you’ll see these ideological “waves” have always existed, under different names and iterations, but they have always been there. Good? Bad? Neutral? I don’t know. I mean, yes, I have my own opinions and I’ll fight for them, but are my opinions going to make the whole entire world agree with me, so that we can finally have some PERMANENCE on this matter? No, they won’t.
These differences, these conflicts — they’re part of life. They’re born of dualities of “life” and “death”, because nobody ever admits the “death” in them. Everybody wants to be life. Everybody is the hero of their own story, even when it’s clear as day they’re in the wrong — but they’ll learn. Then, someone else will unlearn the same lesson, or perhaps accidentally cause it to repeat, and the cycle begins once more. We have the myth of Persephone in order to remember and understand the existence of these conflicts, but it’s merely describing a natural phenomenon. It’s obvious. It’s a cliché. It will never completely stop happening in human history. Some things never change… But wait, they do; But not totally; But other times, it looks like it. No, wait… Aye. Life is wonderfully complex. You can let it scare you, or you can marvel at it. Your choice.
As cliché as it may be, I find the dynamics between Anna and Elsa fascinating. From the very beginning, we’re all manipulated (through music, visuals, etc) to “side” with Anna — either because she’s more likeable, more relatable, more lively and happy and all things nice… But gradually, Elsa has her “let-it-go” moments (even outside that famous song… small hints of complexity in her are everywhere if you look closely) and we’re suddenly like “whoa, wait a sec- she’s… Not bad. I kind of like her? Why?” And it culminates in “omg Elsa is awesome, she’s not at all the cold-hearted bitch I initially assumed she was”.
Aye, exactly, Elsa is death. Elsa is Scorpio. Elsa is like the version of Persephone who lives with Hades, who is no longer in charge of [physical] life (aka spring), but instead looks after what is LIVING inside us, hidden in shame. What was the lyrics again? “Conceal, don’t feel, don’t let them know”.
I personally believe the cliché in Frozen (I and II, and the small clips in between I didn’t watch, I’m guessing) is in the duality I mentioned; but it gets interesting, unlike other stories that share the same cliché, because “death” is not a villain, does not even start out as a villain (so it’s not a redemption journey), and does not become a villain. It just… Doesn’t happen. Elsa is a hero, period. And she remains a hero. It’s refreshing to see, because it highlights one aspect of this whole archetype we often don’t see: the fact that death can be necessary, compassionate, and (yes!) GOOD.
In fact, ANNA is a bit of a “villain”, especially in the first movie, even though it’s accidental — if it wasn’t for her, we wouldn’t have Hans. But she redeems herself big time, so it’s all good. Anyway, this goes to show that anything in excess can be vile. Even our beloved livelihood. Letting go is necessary.
Taurus or Scorpio in the “wrong” season — is there such a thing?
One of the arguments I hear from people who dislike Astrology is “oh but I’m Australian/ I’m Brazilian/ I’m South African, the seasons thing doesn’t work for me. Therefore it’s fake”. Namely, this could be (to keep on theme with the post) a Taurus born in autumn or a Scorpio born in spring.
On a surface level, I can see the initial confusion. You look at autumn and you’re like “leaves fall down, things die and rot, this only goes well with Scorpio”; You look at spring and assume “since everything is sprouting and preparing for summer, this only goes with Taurus”. Aye, that’s not technically wrong, but… It’s a bit facile. Come on, you can do better. Let’s dig a wee bit deeper.
In fact, we don’t need to go through pages and pages of boring philosophical theory. Let’s make it fun. Rewatch the video above. What is the storyline?
The song opens with references to the scary side of autumn: rotting vegetables, colder winds, leaves getting “sadder and wiser”. Visually, nothing in the scenery is interacting with the singers, as if nature was telling them “all you can do is look at me”. It’s a bit menacing.
Gradually, Anna brings in new metaphors, about trying to bring back some comfort faced with such realisation. At first impression, it sounds like escapism and denial: oh well, everything is dying and rotting around us… But look, I’ll hold your hand; Oh well, even though it’s getting colder… We get along just fine (metaphorical warmth); etc.
Now, it gets A LOT MORE INTERESTING: as the sun is setting, a new singer comes in (Kristoff) mentioning proposals and engagement. It doesn’t actually happen, he is just planning it. Sure, it’s for the plot, but I see a lovely undertone of wealth in there. Not everyone is able to propose marriage in style; you must be able to afford it. Can you see Taurus themes?
Next thing you know, the night falls, and we get an Elsa cameo. She sings about the winds being restless, still on theme with her Scorpio persona, but instead of going deeper into it, she doesn’t do that yet. She simply goes back to “seizing this day” — showing that she has some Taurus within her; she’s not one-dimensional.
The end scene is that of a big banquet with everyone in the “kingdom of plenty”, and it ties in with the subtle hint of wealth we saw earlier. Now we know why it was there: it’s autumn. It’s harvest season. It’s time to receive our dues for the hard work done during the year. It doesn’t get any more Taurus than that. And… it’s apparently the “wrong” season for Taurus. You wish.
The same is true for spring. At first sight, it’s too “twee” for Scorpio, but… What is the purpose of taking a deeper look into our hidden taboos and shadows if not for propelling growth? Spring is growth. Beautiful, dainty, delicate things can come out of addressing what no longer served us; Just like pretty flowers bloom out of the dirty compost.
You see, I’m not simply arguing against or in favour of ONE season for Taurus and Scorpio. I’m showing you how both work… for both. It’s paradoxical, and yet it makes perfect sense. That’s opposites for you.
Let’s keep that in mind tonight.
