#the death of chione by nicolas poussin

[diioonysus]

artemis & diana + art

[lemuseum]

[lost-celestial]

Descent to Hades (Overview)

Description: This is a modern festival for King Hades/Haides that follows the stories of the five Rivers of Hades (Archeron, Cocytus, Phlegation, Lethe, and Styx). This celebration spans seven days following the retrogrades, directs, and transits of Pluto, the planet. In this celebration, we celebrate your life, the lives of those around you, and even Death/Transformation. More information will be posted later.

Divider by @/xxbimbobunnyxx

If you aren't interested in astrology, you can choose not to include those aspects in your celebration and celebrate whenever you want. On average, Pluto enters retrograde annually for 5-6 months, meaning that the Descent to Hades will be celebrated twice yearly unless Pluto transits into another sign, which occurs every 10 to 30 years--and in which case, the Descent will be celebrated 3 times that year.

Giulio Romano, wall painting of the Olympian gods

D1: Preparation

🪦 Theme: Self-Care, Preparation 🪦 Honoring Ἁιδης Πολυδεγμων, Hades, Host of Many.

This celebration can get a bit heavy. It focuses on literal and spiritual death, which can be a lot for anyone. Day 1 is a day of preparation. It's a day for checking in on yourself and assessing your mental state.

Cleanse! Take a full body bath, cleanse your house/space, etc.

Create a self-care box filled with items that ground you. This can be a physical box or a list of things you like to do for self-care.

Petition Hades to take care/watch over you during this celebration.

Consider donating things you don't need anymore.

Pour librations for Hades.

Decide what you'll focus on during this celebration (ex., honoring the dead, celebrating personal achievements, accepting the past, etc.)

Send the day with loved ones (if you can't, consider sending a message or writing a letter).

Nicolas Poussin, The Death of Chione, 1622.

D2: Styx, River of Hate

🪦 Theme: Letting go, Embracing the Unknown 🪦 Honoring Ἁιδης Ἀγήσανδρος, Hades, he who carries all away.

The River Styx is an amalgamation of hate and fear. It represents the divide between the living and the dead, the fear of the unknown, and hatred. We must learn to let go. This doesn't immediately mean forgiving or forgetting, but not letting fear or anger consume us.

Shadow Work/Journaling (geared towards letting go of anger).

Write your emotions on paper and then wash them away with water (NOTE: Don't leave paper in open water or outside).

Perform a cord-cutting ritual to separate you from negative energy (especially if it's a person).

Try something new for the very first time.

Write a list of things you are afraid of and/or hate.

Mediation

Leave coin offerings to Charon or Hades.

Andrea Schiavone, The Marriage of Cupid and Psyche, 1540

D3: Acheron, River of Pain

🪦 Theme: Accepting Imperfection 🪦 Honoring Ἁιδης Ἀїδωνεύς, Hades, the Unseen One.

The River Acheron embodies our woes and pains. It reminds us that we are flawed and imperfect, that we've endured life, and that we will continue to endure.

Give yourself a time limit (e.g., 1 hour) and dedicate yourself to creating something. Once the time is over, offer that item to Hades regardless of its state.

Say positive affirmations to yourself and mean it.

Write a list of personal achievements; reflect on how those achievements make you feel in the present moment. Is there anything else you'd like to add to that list?

Practice death positivity—learn about another culture's death practices and values.

For the remainder of the celebration, try incorporating something new into your life (e.g., wearing a new perfume, styling your hair differently, wearing a new color, etc.).

Create a personal epithet for Hades.

Reflect on some personal bad/negative habits you have that you'd like to get rid of.

Evelyn De Morgan, Demeter Mourning for Persephone, 1906

D4: Cocytus, River of Wailing

🪦 Theme: Honoring the Dead 🪦 Honoring Ἁιδης Νεκροδεγμων, Hades, the Receiver of Dead

The River Cocytus represents mourning: the grief and sorrow after a loss, the sadness of missing something that is now gone, etc. It reminds us to honor those who have made the descent to Hades before and not returned.

Create a temporary altar for the deceased (ancestors or not).

Petition Hades to welcome the departed into his realm.

Give offerings for the departed (ex., water, incense, food, etc.)

Pour librations for Hades.

Create a eulogy for those who are deceased: write how you remember them and your experiences. If you don't have any, write how their energy feels.

Reflect on your life over the last year. What things have left your life? Have new things entered?

Dedicate an hour to silence (ex., dumb supper, no talking, etc.)

Eugène Delacroix, The Barque of Dante, 1822

D5: Phlegethon, River of Fire

🪦 Theme: Igniting Creativity 🪦 Honoring Ἁιδης Πλουτων, Hades of Wealth

In mythology, the River Phlegethon is connected to Tartarus. It represents passion and what motivates us—greed, lust, desire. It embodies the beautiful and ugly side of passion while reminding us to be mindful.

If you created something on Day 3, try to recreate it now without the time limit. (Don't try to fix the first attempt; start from scratch).

Write a hymn, petition, or piece of artwork for Hades.

Consider this a cheat day: spoil yourself and do self-care.

Create a bucket list of things you want to do before you die.

Consider donating things you have in abundance (e.g., food, money), but only if you can comfortably do so.

Cook a homemade meal and offer some food to Hades.

Write a letter to Hades and then burn it (NOTE: SAFETY FIRST)

John William Waterhouse, Hylas and the Nymphs, 1896

D6: Lethe, River of Obvilvon

🪦 Theme: Self-Reflection and Transformation 🪦 Honoring Ἁιδης Εὐβουλεύς, Hades the Good Counsel

The River Lethe is where the Dead forget their memories of their mortal lives. However, we don't want to completely forget ourselves, so we'll use the River Lethe to reflect on ourselves in a way we have yet to do in the celebration.

Write down your dreams (if you had any) from the previous night. If you have any dreams tomorrow, include those on the same note.

Reflect on your celebration efforts. Did you achieve what you set out to do on the first day?

Shadow Work/Journaling (e.g., What are some unconscious influences in your life?)

Set aside a bottle of water to drink throughout the day. As an offering to Hades, drink the recommended amount of water and then a bit more.

Pour libation to Hades.

Try automatic "spirit" writing.

Do some divination with Hades and/or spirits or other spiritual team members.

Banquet of the Gods

D7: Celebration

🪦 Theme: Celebrating Life 🪦 Honoring Ἁιδης, Hades, the King of the Underworld.

On the last day of the Descent to Hades, we celebrate by having a party in Hades' name. This journey was not meant to be sad or depressing. It was meant to be a much-needed conversation with ourselves to remind us of what we've achieved in life. To end, we celebrate with Hades.

Create a devotional playlist for Hades.

Give Hades as many offerings as you (comfortably) can.

Write praise about Hades and thank him for receiving the Departed.

Have fun in the name of Hades! Hang out with friends, have a party, sit somewhere, etc. Do something you enjoy in his name.

Try to minimize light today (e.g., Keep lights off, stay inside).

Dance to some songs on your playlist. If you are of age and comfortable doing so, drink alcohol in his name.

Write a list of things you are grateful for in your life.

When it comes time for the Descent, you may not want to visit the River of Hate and Fear (River Styx) or the River of Wailing (River Cocytus). Instead, you'd prefer to spend a day (or all 7 days) exploring the River of Fire, Phlegethon. And that's totally fine!

If you plan on celebrating the Descent, you don't have to spend each day in the order I created or celebrate every day or river. I've just created an outline, and deciding how you want to celebrate is up to you! You can celebrate three out of the five rivers in one day or the same river for all seven days. For all I care, you can turn it into a 10-day celebration.

Have fun with it and try to make it your own celebration.

[mosertone]

"The Death of Chione" (1622), by French artist Nicolas Poussin.

[perpulchra]

The Death of Chione is a 1622 painting by Nicolas Poussin, his first known surviving work. It shows the death of Chione, lover of both Hermes and Apollo - she had compared her beauty to that of Apollo's sister Artemis, who hunted her down and killed her by shooting an arrow through her tongue.