Hekate's Many Names Pt 2 (2 of 3)

Epithets without Historical Precedence I've found concerning Hekate,  but whose title seems appropriate given other epithets and characteristics associated with the Goddess.  Please contact me with information that affirms that Hekate had these titles historically if there is such to be had.

Hekate Ophiothrix - by Sara Croft

A

Adamantaea: Unconquerable, Untamable Goddess: The name of one of the Nymphs that nursed Zeus. The meaning of the name certainly applies to Hekate.
Agrotera: Huntress: Epithet for Artemis. Likely applied to Hekate through modern conflation.
Aidonaea: Of the Underworld: Certainly applicable. Confusion may arise due to the spelling Adonaea, which technically applies to gardens dedicated to Adonis. Aidonia is also a site in Mycenae that is famous for a large number of tombs.
Amaimaketos: Unconquerable, raging, invincible, uncontrollable: Associated with the Chimera and with the Sea, see Homer: The Poetry of the Past by Andrew Ford (footnote no. 52 on p. 90) and Man, Myth, and Magic: an illustrated encyclopedia of the supernatural, vol. 1 by Richard Cavendish, 1971.
Anassa Eneroi: Queen of the Dead: A title which is perfectly appropriate, though historically was most often applied to Persephone.
Antaia: Angry:  Antaia was a Goddess in her own right as well as an epithet applied to Demeter.
Apanchomene: The Hanged One: An epithet associated with Artemis.

B

Booporos: Ox-Herder:  As Hekate was historically called Ox-Herder (Bookolos), the title fits.

C

D

E

Epaine: Awe-inspiring, glorious, sublime:  Historically applied to Persephone. Yet the meaning of this epithet certainly applies to Hekate.
Ephoros: Guardian, overseer:  Possibly derived from the name Ephesos. No evidence of connection to Hekate, though it seems appropriate.
Epi-tymbidia: sepulchral: Closely associated with Aphrodite.

F

G

Genetyllis: Birth-helper:  The Goddess of Childbirth whose name came to be a title of Artemis and Aphrodite. A class of goddesses of midwifery, the Genetillides. See A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology by William Smith, 1873. Pausanias also highlights the similarities between Hekate and Genetyllis.

H

Hiera: Holy One: Applies to the Gods certainly.

I

J

K

Kalliste: Fairest: The name of one of Artemis' nymphs, as well as an epithet that applied to Herself. See Euripides' Iphigenia.
Kyno: Bitch, female dog: Though I've not found a connection to Hekate, her relationship to canines makes this epithet potentially applicable.

L

Limenoskopos: of the Threshold, Watcher of Havens, On the Harbor, Watching the Harbor: A title that applied to Zeus and Artemis. Fits too well to Hekate's nature to overlook as applicable.

M

Melainis: Black: An epithet of Aphrodite.

N

Noctiluca: Light of the Night, Night Shiner: A Latin epithet of Luna.
Nyktipolos: Night-wandering:  uncertain source. 

O

Oistrophaneia: Manifester of Madness: This name is of uncertain origin. Hekate was certainly described as a Goddess who could bring or cure madness.
Ophiothrix: Serpent-haired: created by me for the purposes of describing Hekate's snake-haired figure which is found in various texts.

P

Pasiphaessa: Wide-Shining: An epithet of Aphrodite.
Polyboteira: Generous Giver of Nourishment: I've yet to find evidence of this specific epithet, though Kerenyi describes Hekate as Nourishing.
Potnia Theron: Mistress of Animals, Lady of Wild Beasts: a title first found in Minoan society, and applied to various Goddesses. Rabinowitz in his book on Hekate hints at scholarly debate over the application of this epithet to Hekate.
Prokathegetis: She who goes down before: Kathegetis means teacher or guide. Hekate certainly fits.
Prytania: misunderstood to translate as "Invincible Queen of the Dead" but it is more likely a connection to the Council Chamber, the Prytania.: See The Symbolical Language of Ancient Art and Mythology: An Inquiry by Richard Payne Knight, p. 26 for a discussion of the Prytania. The modern (mis)understanding as Invincible Queen of the Dead fits well.
Purphoros: Fire-bearer: Applied to a wide range of deities, though as of yet I haven't found a direct reference to Hekate Purphoros. Yet, the name fits suitably with Hekate Dadophoros.

R

S

T

U

V

W

X

Y

Z

I readily admit that my research is in the early stages, and will happily accept the opportunity to improve it. Already Part 1 has had several additions! :) Florian Schlie has been an immense help, and Georgi Michev has pointed me in new directions. All my gratitude. 

Hekate's Many Names (Part 1 of 3)

This has been long in the working... Several months ago I was asked by Sorita D'Este to research Hekate's Epithets, as many of those that are commonly listed are... well, detached from reality.

This initial post is a list of those Titles which have a clear history with Hekate. It is by far the longest list, with a diverse selection of sources. I have tried my best to clarify any confusion over translations. Highlighting indicates that I am unhappy with the evidence I have thus far found, even if it is a decent second or tertiary source.

If you have a better source for an Epithet, please let me know!

Part 2 will share epithets that while having history, have little to no connection to Hekate, but which seem appropriate to Her in some way.
Part 3 will be, perhaps, be the most difficult to accept, as it will be a list of those epithets that have no basis in reality.

The reason this is being shared here is so that I can continue to fine tune the list. So please, give voice to your own sources and the like.

A Thousand Lights for Hekate by Sara Croft (me), 2012

Epithets with  Historical Precedence (Epithet: Meaning: Source and Notes if Applicable) 

?: Subduer of All: Greek Magical Papyri Hymn IV 2714-83
?: Fawn-slayer: Hymn to Selene-Hekate-Artemis, Greek Magical Papyri IV 2714-83.
?: Greatest Overseer: Hymn to Selene-Hekate-Artemis, Greek Magical Papyri IV 2714-83.
?: Untamed: Hymn to Selene-Hekate-Artemis, Greek Magical Papyri IV 2714-83.
?: Who Pours Forth Arrows: Hymn to Selene-Hekate-Artemis, Greek Magical Papyri IV 2714-83.

A

Agriope : Wild-eyed, Fierce-faced, Savage-watcher, wild-voiced : A name associated with Eurydice, Orpheus' wife, likely came to be attached to Hekate when the two were conflated. From Orpheus and His Lute: Poetry and the Renewal of Life by Elisabeth Henry, SIU Press, 1992 p. 3. Also, Maass' Opheus, 1895.
Aktiophis: of unknown meaning: various hymns to Selene and Hekate in the Greek Magical Papyri.
Alexeatis: Averter of Evil:  A 5th c. BCE inscription to Enodia mentioned by Sarah Iles Johnston in Restless Dead.
Ameibousa: One that transforms: Oracle Table from Pergamon dedicated to Hekate. (Special thanks to Florian Schlie for the information.)
Amphiprosopos: Double-faced: The Chaldean Oracles, also Reading Plotinus: A Practical Introduction to Neoplatonism by Kevin Corrigan.
Anassa: Queen:  The Orphic Hymn to Hekate.
Angelos: Messenger: The Chaldean Oracles. Associated with numerous Gods. Karl Kerenyi discusses the shared role of Angelos between Hermes and Hekate in Hermes: Guide of Souls.
Aphrattos: Unnamed One:  In "Taranto" by Enzo Lippolis, Salvatore Garraffo, Massimo Nafissi by the Instituto per la Storia e l'Archeologia della Magna Grecia, 1995, p. 194-5.
Apotropaios: Averting, Averter: Supplementum epigraphicum Graecum (SEG) 42 1816.
Atala: Tender, delicate: Hesiod's Hymn to Demeter.
Atala Phroneousa: Gay-Spirited: The Homeric Hymn to Demeter. 
Azostos: Ungirt, without a belt: The Orphic Hymn to Hekate.

B

Basileia: Queen, Princess:  The Orphic Hymn to Hekate. Also, Farnell's Cults of the Greek States vol. 2, p. 507.
Borborophorba: Eater of Filth: Greek Magical Papyri, 1402, 1406.
Boukolos: Ox-Herder: The Orphic Hymn to Hekate.
Brimo: Angry One, The Terrifying, of Crackling Flames : Apollonios Rhodios 3.861-63, 1246. Also applied to Persephone, Demeter, and Cybele.

C

Chrysosandalos: of Golden Sandals:  The Hymn of Hekate-Erechkigal, Greek Magical Papyri LXX.
Chthonian: of the Earth: The Orphic Hymn to Hekate.

D

Dadophoros: Torchbearer:  Well-attested in sculpture and coins.
Daeira: The Knowing One, Teacher: A nymph and lover of Hermes who was sometimes conflated with Persephone and Hekate, according to the Perseus Project.
Despoina: Mistress:  An Arkadian Goddess of Fertility and daughter of Demeter. Identified with Persephone, Artemis, and Hekate.
Dione: The Goddess: Dione is a Goddess in her own right that came to be conflated with Hekate. From the Oracle Table of Pergamom. Source: Hekate die dunkle Gottin by Thomas Lautwein.

E

Eileithyia: nurse of Childbirth: Goddess of midwives, conflated with Artemis and Hekate.
Einalian: of the Sea: The Orphic Hymn to Hekate.
Empylios: at the Gate:  See the Orphic Argonautika 902, as well as an inscription in a museum associated with the Temple of Zeus in Nemea.
Enodia: of the Path:  Pausanias' Description of Greece 3.14.9,  Hippocrates Of Sacred Disease, and The Orphic Hymn to Hekate.
Ephodia:  travelling expenses... of uncertain appelation with Hekate.  Inscription in a museum associated with the Temple of Zeus in Nemea.
Epiphanestate Thea: the Most Manifest Goddess:  "The Priviledges of Free Nontributary States" by Sulla, 81 BCE.
Epipurgidia:  on the Tower: Pausanias's description of Athens.
Eukoline: Good tempered:  grave stele in Athens. Additionally Kallimachos refers to Hekate Eukoline. Additionally, could be applied to Eileithyia.
Eurippa: Horse-finder:  Robert Brown, Semitic Influence in Hellenic Mythology, Williams and Norgate, 1898.

G

H

Hecatoncheires : Hundred-handed:  The Chaldean Oracles
Hegemonen: Guide: The Orphic Hymn to Hekate.

I

J

K

Kleidoukhos: Keeper of the Keys: The Orphic Hymn to Hekate.
Kore: Maiden: The Orphic Hymn to Hekate.
Kourotrophos: Child's nurse, nurse of youths: The Orphic Hymn to Hekate. Shared with Artemis and Eilytheia.
Kratais: The Strong One, of the Rocks: Apollonius of Rhodes' Argonautika.
Krokopeplos: Saffron-cloaked: The Orphic Hymn to Hekate.

L

Laginitis: of Lagina, possibly: The city of Idrias had a temple to Hekate Laginitis. : See A History of Discoveries at Halicarnassus, Cnidus, and Branchidae, vol. 2 by Charles T. Newton, R.P. Pullan, 1863.
Lampadephoros: Lamp-bearer, torch-bearer, who warns of nighttime attack. : Associated with the Mysteries of Phrygia.  The Cities and Bishoprics of Phrygia by William Ramsay.  Suidas describes a statue dedicated to Hekate the Torchbearer for saving the city of Byzantium from Philip of Macedon.
Leaina: the Lioness:  Porphyry, Fragmenta III, 18. See also Kraus' Hekate, p. 32-33.
Liparokredemnos: of the bright-headband, Bright-coiffed: The Homeric Hymn to Hekate.

M

Maera: Shining:  In Ovid's Metamorphoses connects the story of a woman Maera turned into a dog with Hekate.
Megiste: Greatest:  Sarah Iles Johnston mentions this Hellenistic Carian epithet in Restless Dead, p. 206.
Monogenes:  Only Child: Hesiod's Theogony, 11.404-452.
Munychia: of unknown meaning, possibly of the village Munychia. An epithet of Artemis associated with the Attic military port of the same name. See Women of Classical Mythology by Robert Bell, Oxford, p.312. Also Farnell, p. 473.

N

Nykteria: of the Night: The Orphic Hymn to Hekate.
Nykti: of the Night: From the Oracle Table of Pergamom. Source: Hekate die dunkle Gottin by Thomas Lautwein.
Nymphen: Bride: The Orphic Hymn to Hekate.

O

Opaon: Follower: The Homeric Hymn to Hekate. 

Ourania: Celestial, Heavenly: The Orphic Hymn to Hekate.
Ouresiphoites: Wanderer in the Mountains: the Orphic Hymn to Hekate. 

P

Pandina: possibly something about whirling or rotating, but largely unknown. : See The Numismatic Circular and Catalogue of Coins, Tokens, Commemorative and War Medals, Books and Cabinets, vol. 16, Spink & Son, 1908, p. 10308
Pantos Kosmou Kleidokhos: Keeper of Keys of the Kosmos: The Orphic Hymn to Hekate.
Parthenos: Virgin: The Chaldean Oracles.
Patrogenes: Father-begotten: The Chaldean Oracles.
Perseian: daughter of Perseus: The Orphic Hymn to Hekate.
Pheraea: of Pheraea, daughter of Zeus and Pheraea (daughter of Aeolus): theoi.com/cult/hekatecult.html
Phileremos: Lover of Solitude: The Orphic Hymn to Hekate.
Phoebe: Bright: From the Oracle Table of Pergamom. The epithet is also associated with Artemis and Apollo. Source: Hekate die dunkle Gottin by Thomas Lautwein.
Phoinikopeza: Ruddy-footed: Pindar's Paean 2. Also applied to Demeter.
Phosphoros: Light-bearer: Artemidoros. See also Euripides Helen, 569.
Phroune: She-toad:  JGR Forlong's Encyclopedia of Religions or Faiths of Man pt. 1 p. 269. This is also one of the sources of the idea that Hekate and Heqet might share common origins.
Physis: Nature: The Chaldean Oracles.
Prodomos: Of the Vestibule, literally Before the House: Aristophanes' Fragment 388.
Propolos: She Who Leads, Guide, Companion: see archimedes.fas.harvard.edu 's entry on the term Propolos.
Propylaia: One before the Gate:  See Tooke's Pantheon of the Heathen Gods and Illustrious Heroes by Francois Pomey, 1823, p. 178.
Prothyraea: Before the Gate: The Orphic Hymn to Prothyraea doesn't explicitly use Hekate's name, but carries many of Her traits, and  it uses the names of Diana and Eileithyia, both of who were conflated with Hekate.
Psychopompe: Soul-Guide:  a psychopomp is a class of beings with the responsibility of guiding souls into the afterlife, rather than an epithet. Hekate certainly qualifies.

R

Rexichthon: Earth-cleaver: Hymn to Selene-Hekate-Artemis, Greek Magical Papyri IV 2714-83.

S

Skotia: of the Dark, of the Gloom:  Diodorus I describes Hekate Scotia as worshiped in Egypt. The title was also associated with Aphrodite in Egypt.  The Day of Yahweh by William Arthur Heidel, 1929, p. 516.
Skylakitin: Lady of the Dogs: The Orphic Hymn to Hekate.
Soteira: Savior: see Hekate Soteira by Sarah Iles Johnston for a great exegesis. This epithet has been given to many different Gods and Goddesses.
Speirodrakontozonos: Girt in Serpent Coils: See Michael Italicus' Letter 17, as quoted in Stephen Ronan's The Goddess Hekate.

T

Tauropolos: Bull-herder: The Orphic Hymn to Hekate
Tergeminus: of Triple-Birth: An Elementary Latin Dictionary by Charlton T. Lewis, American Book Co. 1890.
Thea Deinos: The Dread Goddess: Apollonius Rhodius Argonautica 3.1194
Therobromon: Roaring like a Wild Beast, of the City of the Beast: The Orphic Hymn to Hekate.
Triaucheros: with Three Necks: Lycophron's Alexandra 1186.
Triceps: Three-formed: Ovid's Metamorphoses 7.194.
Trikephalos: Three-headed: numerous sources, coins, and statuary.
Trimorphos: Three-formed: numerous sources, coins, and statuary.
Trioditis: Of the Three Roads: Athenaeus.
Trivia: Of the Three Ways: The name for the Roman Goddess of the Three Roads.
Tymbidian: sepulchral: The Orphic Hymn to Hekate.

U

V

W

X

Y

Z

Zerynthia: of Mount Zerynthia: See Gimbutas' Old Europe, p. 197. Likely named after Zerynthos in Lagina.
Zonodrakontos: Covered in Snakes, Intertwined with snakes: The Chaldean Oracles.
Zootrophos: Nourisher of Life: The Chaldean Oracles. 

Expect Part 2 sometime in the next few days. :)

ETA: Five Epithets were added, thanks to Florian Schlie! You are awesome, my friend. 

And sometimes... Life shifts its balance

No matter how close you feel to the Gods, to your True Will, and to your goals in life, sometimes life changes.

You have to skip a ritual that you love.
A planned outing gets cancelled.

It happens.

And coming to terms with that, and forgiving yourself for that is part of the journey.

Recognizing boundaries and priorities is important.

I didn't get to do what I wanted on the 16th for Hekate, and my New Moon ceremony for this month is not going to happen either. But I'm glad.

What I will get in return for this break is well worth the cost. But don't worry!

I plan on continuing my blog posts, though they're going to be a little bit more erratic.

To my fellow Americans, Happy Thanksgiving. I have a lot to be thankful for, starting with apples, hot tea, cats and dogs, and paint and pencil, and ending somewhere around zoology. I sincerely hope, no matter where you live, that you can take a moment to give thanks for the good things in life.

44 Days of Witchery: Day 27

Today's entry is supposed to be a witchy "want-it-now"... Hmmm...

I don't exactly have something I want right this moment. Stuff can be a distraction from the spiritual.

That said, I'm patiently biding my time until I can commission a statue from Jeff Cullen of Hekate. They're not too expensive, and he builds them around a core of stones and herbs that are relevant to the deity.

I'm also hoping to score a copy of Maxine Miller's statue of Hekate.

But these aren't things that I want right this moment. What one really desires to have in their lives, one should be willing to wait for.

44 Days of Witchery: Day 23

Today's topic is Favorite candle which is a really light thing to talk over... ba-dum-dum.

I adore beeswax candles; they burn better and cleaner as well as smelling better than the chemicals that most candles carry.

But conceptually, I really love the red candle that I keep to represent Hekate's Sacred Fire when I am doing my Work. It isn't beeswax, but I love it for the pure fact of its symbolic meaning.



As you can tell, things have been becoming a bit more erratic. Autumn is so important to me, and we're getting right into the swing of things. I'm going to love it. :) In other words, expect some occasions when I won't be able to blog.

44 Days of Witchery: Day 15

The afterlife. It is the question that everyone asks eventually, I think. What happens when we die?

Any ounce of honesty requires one to say, "I don't really know."

But I have had dreams of other lives. I am certain that something of us survives, and I believe death to be a doorway.

Now when I say that I've dreamt other lives, I don't mean that I think I was Cleopatra or Napoleon. That's ego speaking when people think that... maybe.

I mean that I was the child of a farmer. I was the daughter of a slave. And I don't remember much.

I have a complicated understanding of the afterlife, however. It was born out of the contradiction of believing in ghosts (I've seen those too!), Ancestors, and reincarnation. Why establish a practice talking to one's Beloved Dead if they're already back amongst us?

Now I don't really see a contradiction, but my original solution to the question holds still. The Afterlife isn't beholden to the same laws of time as this existence. Perhaps my next life will be in Sumer. Maybe I'm already living out my next life right now in the Czech Republic. Who knows?

I'll let that sink in for a moment.

I believe that we have lessons we take in and that we have the chance to integrate our experiences when we die, and then we come back. Outside of that, I don't have a clue.

I don't think of life as something to escape. I consider the idea that the material realm is automatically foul to be short-sighted and anthrocentric. I believe that animal souls and plant souls are just as vital and important as we are, and that we can come back in those forms as easily as we can as humans.

As a Panentheist, I don't believe that there is anything that doesn't partake of the Cosmic Soul, who I name Hekate like the Chaldaean Oracles have for centuries.

44 Days of Witchery: Day 14

Favorite Witchy Day.

Halloween/Samhain is definitely my favorite for decoration and social activity. We buy a single witchy decoration per year, and we have a huge box of them as a result. I love it.

I maintain an ancestor altar year round, and it is generally small, but carefully cared for. I keep an ancestor box, and photos of my Beloved Dead. As the veil thins in October, I move it to the main altar, which quickly becomes dense with items and memories.

The university students host a public ritual, and I help design the ritual and supply what is necessary for it. Usually it is a grand time. This year's seems promising.

For my own purposes, I don't do my ritual until the astrological cross quarter, which is usually around Nov. 5-10, depending. This year Samhain is November 7th at 6:30 in the evening.

All that said, in May of 2010, I was honored to do the Rite of Her Sacred Fires with hundreds of people around the world. I invited a few friends and the ritual was so enriching that it has become an annual affair for all involved. We get together every May to feast and commune. It has overtaken Halloween in terms of meaning for me.

I'll also be hosting that ritual in November this year for a small group because a friend hasn't been able to attend any of the May ceremonies. I am curious if there will be differences as a result.

It all goes back to Hekate lately, I admit.

44 Days of Witchery: Day 5

A Favorite Goddess: Hekate

I'm pretty much a walking fan club for the Light-bearing Savior, Hekate. Much maligned in literature, much loved by her people, Hekate is the Goddess known as the Gentle-Hearted, the Guide, the Protector, and also the Queen of Phantoms, the Destroyer, the Invincible.
Her earliest images are of a young maiden sitting on a throne, or running with torches (though those images can also represent Artemis). The image of her with three forms seems to have been born in Athens.
As the Goddess of Crossroads, she is more associated with three-way junctions than with four. As locations where suicides and criminals were buried (and in some societies where criminals were executed), she does hold sway over the Restless Dead.

In my own personal experience, she is kind, but firm with her needs. She almost always has me hard at work, if not on an offering then on my self. Doing the work with my own inner demons is, of course, the harder of the two.
She loves to communicate with visions and dreams.

When she first came into my life, she intimidated me into a tiny ball, but now, I wouldn't have it any other way. She pushes me in new directions, reminds me of the majesty of life, and generally has made my life a better one.

She is one of my first thoughts in the morning, and my prayer before I sleep.

Hekate, Queen of Heaven, Earth and Sea
Who ensouls the world,
She who is the bringer of New Life
and the Guardian who accompanies the Dead into the World Beyond.
Hekate, Mistress of the Wild Beasts,
Whose light-bearing presences
Warms the souls of those who speak your names
and Guides us through towards new mysteries.
Hekate, Gentle Nurse,
Whose call strikes fear,
She who stands at the limit
where ever that might be.
Offer thanks to her,
She was there when we were born.
Offer thanks to her,
She will welcome us when we pass onward.
Offer thanks to her,
Her Mysteries are the secret that shall never be spoken, but felt and known.

44 Days of Witchery: Day 1

44 Days of Witchery - stolen from Tumblr
1. What's your witchy background?

I started off where a lot of people start, Scott Cunningham and the like in the library and the bookstore. It is really hard to describe the path I've taken. I did the out of the book Wicca stuff with a focus on the Greek pantheon (I was going with what I knew!), then more bookish pseudo-Celtic Wicca (what? I was a teenager, and didn't know it wasn't Celtic.) Then I started educating myself and went more towards Druidry, then to Gaelic Traditionalism.

But I never connected well with the Irish Gods that I was trying to chat with - except An Dagda, and he made it clear that he was happy to hang around while I needed him, but that was about it.

I drifted a bit. Life got in the way and I found myself in despair.
Then Sekhmet and Bast helped me out, and Aset too. I was Kemetic Orthodox for a good while. Then some of the Greek Gods from my early days showed back up and went, "Ahem." They reminded me of some promises I made a long time ago. The Kemetic Gods were cool with me going elsewhere with my life, so I did.

I followed the bread-crumbs and ended up with Hekate. I don't really have a name for what I do, but I love it here. ^.^ My Lady pretty much rules my spiritual life, and, sometimes that's a little scary, but I'm good with it.

Ritual Design Considerations

Life has been so crazy around here. There is a lot to be grateful for, and some that has our household reeling. This Saturday is the Full Moon and it is also a festival that historically has been dedicated to Diana. In recent years, however, August 13th has become linked with Hekate.

So I'm trying to figure out what to do for the event. I have a few people coming over for a potluck, but I also have responsibilities to Hekate that night via the Covenant of Hekate and my own relationship with the Keybearer.

I have a painting that I did of a vision that Hekate gave me back in March that I will be dedicating to her and offering, then hanging it at my altar in my bedroom. It is moments like these that I realize it is probably good that we live in a small place right now, because the list of people that I wish we could invite.

Ritual design can be tricky, especially when designing for a group. One needs to take into consideration the space, the way that sound carries, the experience levels of each participant. For example, you want people to each participate, but you don't want the new person to be put in charge of holding a quarter during an intense ritual.

If you don't own the room you are using for the ritual, you want to look over the rules of the property. Follow the rules, even if they put a cramp in your hopes for the property.

At the same time, think about why you are doing the ritual. If it is like this weekend's plans for me, dedicated to a specific deity, try to tailor the food as well as the ritual to their tastes. Decorate with the symbols of the god in question, and plan to answer questions about the deity from those who aren't familiar with them.

If your ritual is more focused on spellcraft, then tailor it towards your intent. If the ritual is one of healing, then try to decorate with colors that are soothing.

Begin the ritual with an explanation of your purpose, and then do something to delineate a difference in purpose. Most neo-Pagans do this by casting a circle.
In my experience circles work best with altars in each direction for the elements, but that isn't always practical. In my current living room, there isn't room for that many tables. So we tend to keep all the elements on one table.

Ultimately, rituals all follow a pattern, so it is important to make sure that your own design touches each of the steps.

I. Preparation: Set up the space. Ritually bathe and purify the area. Dress in fresh clean clothes. Take a moment to prepare by meditation.

II. Establishing Sacred Space: In many Pagan rituals this means casting the circle, inviting the elements, and welcoming the Gods and ancestors.

III. Statement of Purpose

IV. Ritual Acts. This is where you do the work itself. It might be as simple as meditation, or it might be ritual dancing and singing. Sometimes it is a lengthy event.

V. Gratitude. Be sure to give thanks to the Gods and spirits involved in the ritual. If you have a feast as part of the event, ask the Gods to bless the food and offer part of it to them prior to sharing it amongst yourself.

VI. Ending the Rite. Give thanks again to the Gods and Spirits and explain that the rite is done and that the Elementals should depart. Essentially you want to say, "Thank you for coming, the party is over." Then be sure to ground and center. Take a moment for meditation.

VII. Clean up. Pick up everything. If you need to do something like set out your offerings, do so now.

VIII. Follow up. If you were casting a spell, you need to do something in your everyday life to enact the ritual. If you cast a job spell, send in applications, go to interviews and generally do the footwork involved in getting a job. For a healing spell, eat accordingly if you are the recipient of the spell.

And there you have it. Sit back and let the acts reverberate through your life. Pay attention to dreams and the events of your life afterward. Some people include divination in their rituals, which would take place after the ritual act or after the gratitude portion.

This is, of course, just a basic outline. It won't work for everyone obviously.

May the Gods walk with you in darkness and light,

Hekate and a Tarot Spread

I want to share with you a tarot spread inspired by Hekate. As a goddess, she inspired Shakespeare's three witches in the infamous opening scene of Macbeth, which helped to create her modern conception of Hekate as a crone. For the 5th century Greeks, Hekate was described as a maiden goddess of roads and witches. Her name was invoked at three way crossroads and, yes, by witches.

Her epithets describe a goddess of immense beauty and power. Zeus honors her, and she rules earth, sky, and sea. She stands watch over birth as well as death.
For the later mystics, she came to be understood as the Goddess who Ensouls the world.

Hekate's Crossroad Spread

This spread was created for me at a time when I was really mired and stuck immobile in my life. My obligations were simultaneously telling me to remain where I was and to move on to grad school, and I needed insight.

As a result, it works best for moments when you feel like you are in between, such as deciding whether to quit a job or between any other situation. That said, it can be used outside of that situation with some thought and consideration.



Card 1: Significator: This card represents the querent, and may be chosen or pulled. It may refer to how the querent is behaving or the situation that they are facing.

Card 2: The Path: Represents the situation, or the recent past that has brought the querent to the crossroad.

Card 3: The Rope: Represents the limitations that the querent is experiencing, or the responsibilities that the querent has. This may also indicate other influences not described in the prior cards.

Card 4: The Knife: Represents the factors that the querent can discern about the situation, what the True Will thereof might entail, or things that must be culled from one's life in order to proceed in the situation.

Card 5: The Triodotis/Herm: Represents the central fact of the situation, the crux of the decision.

Card 6: Torch the First: Describes the first option before the Querent.

Card 7: Torch the Second: Describes the second option before the querent.

Card 8: The Cavern: Represents Hekate's chthonic character. Hekate's cavern is a door to the underworld, and a place from which the ancestors can lend insight as well as the Goddess.

Card 9: The Stars: Represents Hekate's celestial character. Hekate's stars are a door to the deepest aspects of the soul. The guidance offered here can reflect the will of the divine or offer a glimpse of the future as it presently stands.*


*By the mere chance of doing a spread and accepting that knowledge means that the future changes.

The image above is Hekate from Pirner, 1901. :)

Hymnal: The Grove of Poplars

As promised, a poem for Hekate:


Deep in the forest where few dare to tread
There stands a grove of poplars
Near a bubbling stream
There stands a Maiden
She waits there for me.

Her torches shimmer and shine in the night
Against the darkness of the trees.
A growling descends from the hills near and far
As I walk towards the crossroads
She waits there for me.

Deep in the forest where few dare to tread
There stands a grove of poplars
And the path is a crossroads
Whereon stands the Maiden
She waits there for me.

She knows all my secrets that I could not speak,
With her torches, the truth she reveals
The mysteries she guards for those who would seek
These span the heavens, the earth and the sea.

Deep in the forest where few dare to tread
There stands a grove of poplars,
and the moon shines brightly down
Where stands the Maiden
She waits there for me.

I have washed and dressed
I have carried forth the offering
to stand at the crossroads where she gave me the key
There in the darkness with torches so bright
A maiden waits there for me.

Deep in the forest where few dare to tread
There stands a grove of poplars.
Grown by Hekate's hand.
------
According to Walter Burkert, Black Poplars grown in the Underworld, and the Poplar and Fig were both understood to be signs of a nearby entrance to the Chthonic Realms.
This came to me while I was singing to my plants and folding laundry the other day as I was just starting to come under the weather. It will probably get sorted and tweaked for a while longer, and I need to sit down with my lap harp and work on the music that it will be set with to be played. Here's hoping I can remember how to do music notation! :)

Overdoing It

In preparing for The Rite of Her Sacred Fires, I made an altar cloth, designed and crafted bookmarks for the guests (I invited about ten, and we had six participants), finished an offering for Hekate, cooked a decent amount of food, and did half a dozen smaller tasks that included finishing my spring cleaning.

In my enthusiasm, I totally overdid it. My allergies kicked in, my throat inflamed, and I've now spent two days in bed. I don't do so well at sitting still, truth be told, and I get a bit grumpy when my body insists that I stop for rest.

That doesn't mean that I just lie down and take it, of course. I'm a fan of shifting my diet to kick my immune system into gear, and even using the occasional healing spell. I thought about talking about how to use sex magic to heal the body, but even that brief mention makes me blush.

I did promise that I would post at least once a week, however, and I wanted to at least try to make good. Neglecting to fulfill one's promises is a fantastic way to sabotage your trust in your own Will!

The ritual and then getting ill means that I haven't done much in terms of art. I wrote a poem for Hekate for the Full Moon, however, and will share it shortly, after some minor editing to improve its cadence.

In the meantime, I'm going to go back to dozing in bed with my dog and my cats, and my hot cup of tea. I hope you all have a lovely week.

Tomorrow is Huge for me

and it's all about Hekate.

The house is as spotless as I can get it without making it feel sterile, the food prep is almost finished, and my offerings are ready I think.

I have preserved figs, double dipped dark chocolate and white chocolate blackberries and cherries, the fixings for gyros and Greek salad and a lemonade that has watermelon in it. A friend is making homemade real Baklava. Another friend is bringing more food, and I'm making that Southern classic, sun tea (with Moroccan Mint in it).

There are eight people that I know are coming, most of whom celebrated The Rite of Her Sacred Fires a year ago with me. This time, though, my best friends - who couldn't be there last year - will join us.

Last Spring, I was surfing on Facebook and came across a request from Sorita D'Este for Art and Articles for a book on Hekate, and I got a nudge to show her my two paintings of Her.


Hekate v.1 by ~Neheti on deviantART


torchlit hekate by ~Neheti on deviantART

To my eternal joy and gratitude, both were accepted and I became a contributor to one of the most amazing projects: Hekate: Her Sacred Fires. That May, at the Full Moon, the first Rite of Her Sacred Fires joined thousands of followers of Hekate together.

Even then, I knew that this would become an annual thing. The ritual was amazing and pretty private that night.

Tomorrow we do it again, and I am blitzed with joy and pre-party jitters.

If I had the room, I'd have invited everyone I could think of in Texas, and there would be much scarier logistics. :)

Thankfully, my very not interested in any of this husband is amazing and wonderful and happy to help me out with all of this.

Now to go off and brew some non-hallucinatory kykeon for tomorrow.

New Moon

A lot of my art is born out of my spiritual life, and at the heart of that life is the New Moon. The Goddess that I honor, Hekate, has a bit of a bad rap, and her followers have been honoring her at the dark of the Moon for a very long time.

She's most well known from her roles in Shakespeare and in what has survived of Greek Mythology. If you dig through the remains of the Hellenes, however, you do not find a dark crone stooped over a bloody cauldron. Instead you find a young Goddess, proficient in herbs, for good or ill, who can lead you through the darkest parts of your life and help you to find a new day.

There is a reason why She has been called Soteira, Savior. She is also the Torchbearer. The Key-bearer. She guides those who know Her mysteries, and sometimes it is a scary ride, but Her gifts are more than worth it.

A lot of the art I make for myself bears Her mark. She has such a large role in my day-to-day life, that it's to be expected. Sometimes I think I'm becoming the Pagan equivalent of a nun in Her service. ^.^'

That doesn't mean that I can't do art for other Gods and non-spiritual purposes, of course.

Tonight is Her night, however, and soon I'll be participating in the Rite of Her Sacred Fires with thousands of others worldwide. I'm honored to be one of those lucky enough to hear Her call. For the next few weeks, I'm sure Hekate will be a prominent part of this blog, as I prepare altar cloths, paintings, trinkets for my guests, and redecorate the house a bit. Hope it doesn't bore you too much!

May She stand before you to light your way,
Sara