Sanctuary Rite: devotianal month for purification

Sanctuary of Hekate Pasikrateia

Devotional month of purification

 

In many modern magical traditions February is a time for purification. I have designed this rite as devotional ritual that can be performed on a regular basis during February. For example on a daily basis, several times a week or once a week.

In Antiquity Hekate was strongly connected with purification of persons or the household- and in this ritual we will address Hekate in her roles as a Goddess of purification- but also in her aspects as the Goddess who has powers over the spheres of earth, sea and sky and who is the ensouler of the cosmos and the shining great saviour.

You will need:

A devotional shrine to Hekate with a picture, image or statue of the Goddess.

Two candles to illuminate the shrine

One white, red or yellow pillar candle

An apple or pomegranate (as offering)

Three bowls

Garlic, Onion or an egg

Water (if possible source water)

Lavender, basil, rosemary or hyssop

Incense (for this rite with cleansing properties, for example pine resin, sage, lavender, olibanum,sandalwood- you can use smudge sticks for example).

 

Preparation:

Prepare the devotional shrine for Hekate; the statue/image/picture of the Goddess should be in the background centre of the shrine. Put a candle to the left and right side of the statue/image of the Goddess; put the apple/pomegranate in front of the image of Hekate. Put the white/yellow/ red candle in front of the apple/pomegranate.  And arrange the three bowls in a triangle around the candle. Fill one bowl with the spring water and put a little bit of the herb (lavender/hyssop/rosemary/basil) into the water, fill the other bowl with the garlic (or onion/egg) and use the third bowl for the incense (fill it with sand if you use charcoal incense or put the smudge stick into the bowl)

 

The Rite:

Part 1: Lighting the flames.

Light the two candles that are on the left and right side of the statue/image of Hekate on your shrine. Speak:

“I light these divine flames in the name of the great Goddess Hekate, may her divine fire be present on this shrine, and may her light bring protection and blessings.”

 

Focus for a moment on the flames  see and feel the light that the flames create. Watch the fire. See and feel the atmosphere that the fire creates on your shrine.

Close your eyes take three deep breaths and relax.

Calm down Imagine the stars burning bright above you in the sky (even if it is day- the stars are there).Imagine that their silver light flows down into your body and fills you out. You begin to shine in silver light. Imagine the depths of the earth below you. Imagine a golden shining serpent that crawls up to you. This serpent is pure life source- the serpent is climbing in coils around your body and the life force of the earth fills you out. You begin to glow in a golden light.

Imagine and feel the ouranic fire of the stars and the chthonic serpent power filling you out. Imagine that in your breast a spark begins to shine, the light of this spark gets brighter and brighter until a radiant sun burns within your breast.

Open your eyes and see the shrine before you.

Hold your hands over the shrine and imagine that the ouranic and chthonic powers flow through your hands into the shrine. Imagine that they begin to shine. Speak again and again the Ephesian letters: Askion, Kataskion, Lix, Tetrax, Damnameneus, Aisia.And imagine that a sphere of light surrounds you and your shrine. The shrine is the centre of this sacred sphere. The divine fire of your shrine flames is filling this sphere around you.

If you feel it is enough bring your hand back to your breast. And stop to speak the Ephesian letters.

 

 

Part 2: Inviting the Goddess:

Burn some incense and say: “I burn this incense for the great Hekate, may this smell welcome her on this shrine”.

Close your eyes… Relax and imagine a beautiful young maiden. She wears a pure white dress with golden ornaments; on her feet she has golden sandals. Her hair is brown but shines with a light of gold and an aura of light is around the Goddess.  On her head she has a shining golden diadem. And a saffron coloured veil is around her shoulders.  In her hands she holds long burning torches. Around her neck is a necklace with a gold key.

Imagine that she stands behind your shrine. So that the candles on the shrine burn in front of her.

Raise your hands up to the sky. Begin to whisper again and again- Io Hekate, Io Pasikrateia… whisper this again and again with closed eyes. Imagine the Goddess standing on your shrine while you whisper this again and again. Let your words get louder and louder (or as loud as you are able to speak them in your home) and when you feel it is enough, open your eyes and speak:

 

“Hekate Pasikrateia- great and powerful Goddess,

heavenly, earthly, underworldly,

Key holding queen of the cosmos,

ensouler of life,

bearer of divine fire,

you who have power over earth, seas and sky,

almighty queen

Be here on this shrine,

and bring your protection, blessings and love!”

 

Let your hands sink down pointing towards your shrine; touch your shrine with your hands.Open yourself to her presence. Focus on your inner view of Hekate and watch the shrine with your physical eyes (you can speak again and again Io Hekate, Io Pasikrateia- until you feel her presence on her shrine- but that is optional)

 

Part 3: Offering to the Goddess.

 

Burn again some incense and take the incense into your hands and let it circle three times over the shrine and let the smoke touch the image of the Goddess. Speak: “I offer you this incense Io Hekate, Io Pasikrateia.”

Put the incense back to the shrine.

 

Take the apple/pomegranate into your hands, imagine that the apple begin to glow in your hands, shining like gold. And speak:

 

„ Hekate shining maiden, bringer of light, torch bearing queen

accept these offerings. Be gracious to my rite. “

 

Put the apple/pomegranate back to the shrine.

 

Part 4 purification spell:

Pray to Hekate and ask her to help you to clean yourself from all negativity and harmfull influences.

Take the garlic/onion/egg out of the first bowl and hold it in your hands. Imagine that all negative energies flow like a dark energy out of your body, aura and soul into the garlic/onion/egg and that it draws all negative influences out of you. You can focus on specific topics that you want to banish- for example fear, sadness, illness or you can just focus on everything that is negative no matter if you brought it over you yourself- or others (no matter if with intention or not). Let all negativity flow into the garlic/onion/egg and speak again and again: “IO Hekate Io Chtonia”. When you feel it is enough say in your own words that you free yourself from all negative influences in the name of Hekate Chtonia.

Take the water into your hands. Ask Hekate Einalia in your own words to bless the water. To fill it with her love and light. Imagine that Hekate holds her burning torches into the water and the water begins to glow into a wine-red light. Sprinkle the water again and again over yourself and speak again and again: Io Hekate Io Einalia. While you do this imagine that the water cleanses you and the love of the Goddess fills you. When you feel it is enough ask Hekate Einalia to clean you and to bless you and put some water unto your brow and bless yourself in the name of Hekate Einalia.

Now take the incense out of the third bowl and pray to Hekate Ourania to bless and clean you. Smudge yourself with the incense; imagine that you begin to glow and to shine and that all remaining negativity leaves you. Speak again and again:” Io Hekate Io Ourania”. When you feel it is enough smudge yourself a last time with the incense and bless yourself in the name of Hekate Ourania.

Now take the red/yellow/white candle and light it on the flames of the other candles. Hold it in front of you- so that the reflection of it light can reach you. Now ask Hekate Soteira to clean you with her light. Imagine that the Goddess stands with her torches in front of you and she puts her burning torches into your direction, the fire of her torches begin to clean you, to bless you, to heal you and transform you. Imagine that her fires are burning within you and you are shining like a bright star in the darkness- blessed by her burning torches. While you imagine that speak again and again: “IO Hekate, Io Megiste, Epiphanestate, Soteira. Let her divine fire transform you. When you feel it is enough open your eyes and look into the fire. Pray to Hekate Soteira and ask her to bless her with her divine fire of love, truth and belief. Imagine again that her fire burns bright within you. Then put the burning candle back to its place. The divine fire of Hekate burns now surrounded by the symbols of earth, sea and sky on your shrine.

 

 

Part 6: Thanking and ending the rite.

 

Now you can meditate, enjoy the presence of Hekate, do divination, play instruments, dance or do other devotional acts to Hekate. Or thank her and close the rite.

 

Thank her with your own words. Ask her to guide you with her light. To protect you and your home and to bring her blessings into your life.

 

Imagine that she disappears from the shrine- but a spark of her presence, power and energy stays connected to the statue/image and in the flames on your shrine.

 

Imagine that the sacred sphere around you begins to fade away; it flows into the flames on your shrine and into your heart.

 

Touch the ground with your hands and imagine that all energy that is too much flows down into the earth

 

Notes:

The Epithets that I use in this rite:

The Epithet Pasikrateia means the all-powerful one or the almighty one. The epithet comes from the Greek Magical Papyri. Chtonia, Einalia and Ourania are connected to Hekate´s power over the earth, sea and sky. The Epithets are used in the Theogony of Hesiod and in the Orphic Hymn to Hekate. Megiste means the greatest. Epiphanestate means the most manifest one or the most shining/bright one. Soteira means saviour. These were the main Epithets that were used in the temple of Lagina for Hekate. In this temple Hekate was worshiped as a local form of the Anatolian Great Mother- similar like Kybele or Atremis of Ephesos. Together these Epithets mean the greatest most shining saviour.

 

Repeating:

You can do this ritual on a daily basis during February or as often as it is possible for you. But the ritual is designed for a regular basis and will build up power and energy with each repeating of the rite.

You have to give Hekate the apple/pomegranate just when you do the rite the first time and can let it stay on the shrine. When it begins to get bad you have to bring it to a crossroad and use a new apple/pomegranate that you have to offer her now again. So you just have to do the offering the first time when you do the ritual or if you have to exchange the offering after some time. Several Hekateia (statues of the three-formed Hekate) had apples or pomegranate in her hands.

The herbs:

Rosemary, lavender, hyssop and basil have a long history as healing herbs. And are still used in folk magic a lot as cleansing herbs.

Garlic, onions and eggs:

These have a long history in purification rites and healing folk magic. You can use for each rite one bulb of garlic or one egg or one onion. Or you can use the same onion/garlic/egg several times until you feel that it is full. Bring the egg/garlic/onion to a crossroad and leave it there. When you leave the crossroad don´t turn back. You can also leave the remainings of the incense on the crossroad. And the water that was used during the rites.

Love, truth and belief:

These were the three virtues of Hekate in the Chaldean Oracles.

 

Other inspirations:

It would be wise to clean your home during this month of purification- you can use the incense that you have used during the rite. And you can sprinkle the blessed water in all rooms of your home. You can also use eggs/garlic/onions as magnets for negative energies in your home.

Do devotional walks and feel the elements and get in touch with them. For example when you bring the remainings of the ritual to the crossroad. Pray on the crossroad to Hekate Chtonia- geht in touch with the earth and give all negativity to the earth in her name.

Do nightly walks and watch the stars. Imagine that the purificating fire of the stars flows into you and cleans you from all negativity. Pray to Hekate Ourania to clean you with her star-fire.

Visit the sea and clean yourself with the sea water or visit sources and clean yourself with the fresh water that flows from the womb of the underworld. Pray to Hekate Einalia.

 

 

 

Advertisement

Deipnon,ceremonial tools and incense

 

In the nights of the dark moon I focus on Hekate aspects as chthonic Goddess. The queen of the night, who walks with the shades of the dead through the crossroads, the mistress of graveyards, queen of witches, protectress against evil and Goddess of crossroads.

 

She is dark but protecting, in her protecting aspects she can be fearsome- like a guardian dog, friendly towards the households but aggressive against enemies. In the nights of the dark moon the spirits wander, the veils between the worlds are thinner. Hekate is protecting the homes of her followers against negative spirits and harmful influences. But at the same time she is the mistress of spirits. She is queen of the witches and the protectress against malefic witchcraft as well.

 

The nights of the dark moon are usually busy times for me, in my devotion to Hekate and for my witchcraft and magical practices as well. Yesterday I have consecrated my ritual tools again. They were already consecrated years and months ago- each tool when I got it and brought it to my collection. My ritual tools for the ceremonial magic are quite different than most of the ritual tools of witches that I know. I use a sharp kitchen knife to cut herbs, to ward off negative spirits, to work for protection, I use a whip for apotropaic practices and if it is needed for banishing, I use a wand made from yew wood- to call the Goddess or other Gods/Goddesses, to create circles, to bless for invocations and evocations (I think that’s the tool that I have in common with most witches). I use a cord for trance work. And bowls and the oinochoe for sacred water and offerings. These are my basic ritual tools in my ceremonial worship of Hekate- as well as the bowls for incense (sky), blossoms (earth) and water (sea). As well as my drum and the divination tools.

 

And today I gave Hekate her Deipnon offerings, in antiquity this meal was used to calm the restless dead. In my personal practice I give this meal to Hekate and all the spirits that are benign- in my home and around me. And afterwards I bring it to a crossroad that also the restless dead have their share of it.

And I created incense for the cleansing of the home during the dark moon. I used cypress needles, cumin, poplar buds, bay leaves, pine resin, rosemary, juniper berries and essential oils of bergamot, cedar and Indian lemon balm. I charged the mixture after my Deipnon rite and will use it in my household cleansing practices that I do on the dark moon each month.

Creating a Hekateion 2

I have blessed and cleansed the first statue with the power of the three realms, incense (sky), sacred water (sea) and a mixture of herbs (earth). And asked Hekate to bless the statue with her divine fire.

I started to colour the statue and already got the central pillar. First I had in mind to buy a Greek column, but these are quite expensive in the size that I need for the statues. So I decided to use a wood pole and my husband connected it with the table that will be used as the altar, on which the Hekateion will stand soon.

I have created herbal bags that are filled with herbs that are connected to Hekate and with other symbolic objects. I will put these bags into the statues as heart. The statues will be filled with this bag and other items to strengthen the connection to Hekate and they will help to ensoul the statues, or to animate it- how it was called in ancient Theurgy.

I blessed and empowered the bags on my sanctuary shrine and petitioned Hekate to fill these bags with her love, protection and power, that they will strengthen the connection to her, that she sends daimons and spirits to fill these bags as mediators and to animate the bags (and than the statues soon). I have used a recipe from late antiquity as basis. Rue, bay leaves, gum (which was gum arabicum I think, but I used the good smelling ambra gum instead), myrrh, olibanum and in the original recipe the crushed tails of lizards that live near houses. I used snake skin instead. And I added other herbs that are connected to Hekate too and hair of a bag dog, beeswax (because of her connection to honey) and amethysts (I personal connect these with Hekate, I don’t know ancient references for this). The bags will be put into the statues when they are finished.

I cleansed and blessed the altar table and the pole with incense, sacred water and herbs, I gave an offering of honey to the nymph of the tree that was used to create the pole and asked her to be welcome, to get a share in the offerings that will be given in future to Hekate and to aid me and other devotees in our worship of Hekate. After I have done this I noticed that I never did the same for the nymphs of other wood materials that I used so far as shrines or altars- so I invited the nymph(s) of the trees who were used to build the tables that I use as altar. And did the same for her (or them). And played the drum for the nymphs and the other spirits who surrounded me in my rite.

Now I wait until the other statues arrive, tomorrow I will speak with the artist who will help me in my project and I look forward to carry on my work.

Understanding Hekate Part 8: Different ways to honour Hekate

Hearth Shrine

Hekate is a Goddess that is honoured today in very diverse traditions and on very different quite individual paths. She has followers that come more from a hellenic background, devotees that come from different paths of wicca, some from ceremonial magick and quite a lot from traditional witchcraft and a lot of her devotees follow a quite individual path today.

These different forms of worship and different backgrounds of her modern devotees create quite different views of Hekate. And the same was true in antiquity too, there was never one true form of Hekate or her worship, she was viewed and worshipped in quite different forms and ways from location to location and this changed over time too in general. There were even different phases in her ancient view and cults in general. In the archaic time period she was a primordial Magna Mater, in classical and hellenic time she evolved into a Goddess of transitions, liminality, crossroads, spirits and magic. In the roman period her lunar side got quite popular and in late antiquity she was seen as a great Goddess again, as mistress of the cosmos and the ensouler of the world(s). Her worship came into different cultures and some scholars have the theory that even the Greeks of the archaic time period adopted her (maybe from Asia Minor).

Hekate was honoured in diverse forms and today she can be honoured in different ways or forms too. With this article I will try to create a red thread to understand different of her devotion better in their essence. And I will speak a little bit about my personal different ways of devotion.

When I speak about devotion or worship in this article- I mean the practices cult of the Goddess. To maintain a shrine, to give her regular offerings, to spend some time regular in meditation, prayers and libations. All these forms of worship strengthen the connection between the Goddess and her worshippers. These practices bring the presence of the Goddess towards you and her blessings, guidance and protection.

Household Worship:

In antiquity Hekate was an important Goddess of the household cults.

And for many devotees today this part of her worship is quite important.

Hekate can be a protector against negative influences, she can keep negative spirits away from the home and from the people who live there. And she can bring good spirits into the home of her worshippers and is able to connect the household to the ancestral spirits and their blessings, support and protection. She can act as an mediator between the worlds, she connects the home with the blessings of the Gods and with the spirit world.

She can bring good influences, success, wealth and prosperity into the home, she can let good things grow and fills the home with the warm comforting light of her torches.

In my personal practice I worship her in this aspect on my hearth shrine (a symbolic representation of the hearth). She is there as with her torches and brings the divine fire into our home. On the hearth shrine I honour the Gods and spirits of our household. Hestia, Zeus, Dionysos, Hermes and Apollon. And the Goddess Bast has her own small shrine next to the hearth shrine. Hekate is a kind of door opener for me in this aspect, she opens the doors to the realms of the Gods. But at the same time she is a door opener to the world of the spirits, she brings the good spirits and ancestors into our home- she mediates between the worlds. She feels much nearer then the other Gods and is always there with her might, even if it is sometimes just in the background. Sometimes her presence is like a bright heating flame, sometimes like the glow of still warm coals under already cold ashes. The hearth is a threshold between the worlds, the Gods of the household and the spirits get their offerings daily on the hearth shrine, libations, incense or some food of our meals. And I bring the libation bowl regularly outside of the house and empty it near a tree, or on the trees next to our front door. On the hearth Hekate is for me like a caring parent, supporting and illuminating, a bright, beautiful but powerful Goddess. She feels for me like Hesiod described her in his Theogony. She is the main focus of my household worship and the other Gods and spirits are connected to her worship in my practices- she is always present, the focus point, the way and the door through which the Gods and spirits are connected with our home.

But Hekate is also on the threshold of the home, she stands as Propylaia before the door. She protects the home against maleficent witchcraft, against negative spirits and against negative influences in general. This aspect of her is well known and many devotees began already to honour her in this aspect in their homes. In this aspect Hekate is like a guardian dog for me, fearful for outsiders. But a faithful companion for the family in the home.

Hekate was a quite important Goddess in domestic worship, she was part of the everyday live and I think this aspects of her are quite important for us as modern devotees. If you invite her into your home she will begin to care for your household and your family. She is not the scary dread Goddess in this aspects but a strong guardian, a strong ally and a mediating and caring Goddess.

Statue of Hekate as Mistress of witchcraft and spirits

Magic and Witchcraft:

Hekate was very connected to magical practices in antiquity. She was connected to the folk magic of antiquity but also to witchcraft and the art of theurgy. But most of her followers were not practising the magical arts, her role as Goddess of spirits and magic was for them more important in a different way- to get her protection against maleficent magic or evil spirits.

But there were also devotees who practised magic, witchcraft or theurgy.

And the same is true today. Many modern followers of Hekate come from a magical background. And Hekate can be a great aid in these practices. She is a teacher of these arts, a protectress and a strong source of power. Hekate is the patron Goddess of the “magical arts”, like Athene is a a patron Goddess of the arts and crafts or Apollon is a patron God of music, divination and healing skills.

I personal come more from the witchcraft background. My practices for/with Hekate in this aspect are different to my normal household worship. I have a separate shrine for her (as mistress of witchcraft) and the familiar spirits and other Gods that are connected to witchcraft. For me she is as Goddess of witchcraft more ecstatic, wilder and more untamed. She is more nocturnal, lunar and earthly then in her aspects as domestic Goddess (in this aspects she feels more solar and fiery).

She is the queen of the night that wanders with the spirits through the landscape, she whispers secrets, knows the mysteries of herbs, she helps to cross the boundaries between our world and the underworld (the world of spirits), she brings power into potions, powders, oils and other spells. She can give you the support of familiar spirits and other mediating spirits.

If you begin to work with Hekate as mistress of witchcraft you will notice that she will lead you to a quite different path then it is often described in wicca 101 books. Her witchcraft is more connected to the traditional views about witches, to wander through the night, collecting herbs in forests and on old cemeteries, to get in touch with the spirit world, to learn about herbs, necromancy and the secret powers of nature and you will begin to get in touch with the underworld and its spirits and powers through her guidance.

But she was not only the Goddess of witchcraft, other magical paths and practices were connected with her too. She is a Goddess of liminality and her roles as Goddess of magic are quite connected with this aspect. Ceremonial magicians will benefit from the contact to Hekate too, like the theurgists in antiquity. But there she is not so much the lunar-earthly Goddess of witchcraft- more the solar-mercurial Goddess of theurgy who is able to open the doors to the empyrean realms and its beings, the guide to the ascending of the soul which she purifies with her empyrean fire.

Festivals:

Not all Gods were worshipped by all people on a every-day level. Most Gods had their special times and festivals where many people worshipped them. The same is true for Hekate. Even if the every-day devotion to Hekate brings a lot of benefits (in the household worship- or in witchcraft for example) this is not the right path for all people. Maybe because of time issues or because other Gods have a more important focus in their lives. But on the festivals of a God or Goddess many people worshipped them and the same is true today. In our modern world some festivals for Hekate evolved and these festivals are a great time to worship her, even if you are not an active regular devotee of her.

Even if you worship her regular or every day, you can use festivals as special times to give her some special attention, to do something bigger or more as usual.

Some festivals where she is honoured are:

Deipnon and Noumenia (dark moon and first crescent each month)

13th of August and 16th of November and the neopagan Samhain gets connected to her more and more too. There are several other dates too, but these are the most known today.

Sanctuary Shrine

Service as Priests/esses:

In antiquity most Gods had their priests and priestesses who served them in temples, on public shrines in small sanctuaries or in sacred groves.

This form of worship is different then the normal forms of worship.

As priest/priestess you act not for your own interests or the interests of your household/family but you serve the Deity. Hekate had only a few known temples in Greece- these were more small sanctuaries in comparison to the big temples of other Gods. But Hekate had shrines in the temples of other Gods and Goddesses and priests/esses there for sure as well. In Aisia Minor she had a great temple in Lagina and had priests/esses in other locations as well.

The roles of priests/esses were quite different from location to location and cult to cult. But in essence they served a God or a Goddess and served not the community like in Christians priests today. The roles and workings for the community of worshippers evolve through the service of the Deity. Not the other way around. To be a priest was a job- to care for the sanctuary, to care for the offerings, to keep the sanctuary clean, to care for worshippers who came to the temple, to do rites in honour of the Deity.

Today we have not temples but I think that will change with time.

I personal see myself as priest of Hekate, but I personal don’t like to highlight this role very much. In modern paganism there are so many people who use the title priest or high priestess as a title to be more important and special. And I personal don’t see it that way.

I did a rite of dedication to her as priest in 2005 and she accepted this. After this I grew into the roles and workings that she wanted from me as priest. I began to organise open rituals for her, so that other people can come into closer contact with her through rituals, I began to do regularly special rites to bless her devotees in general in her name. I began to bless the local spirits in her name and to act towards the goal bring the essence of Hekate more into the world through my acts and my service to her. I created a shrine on a crossroad in a public place and care for this shrine since than. I personal don’t see the role as priest as something special, it is more that you take more responsibility for the Goddess then you had as normal devotee before.

This year I became a torchbearer of the CoH and opened a CoH sanctuary. This brought more the community aspect into my former roles (for me personal). Now there is not just the community of devotees in general where I feel a connection, but a more formed community as well where I feel responsibility and try to bring myself into the community as torchbearer.

In my roles as priest I experience Hekate more as great and universal Goddess, as the ensouler of the worlds and key holding mistress of the cosmos. I personal see her other forms as different aspects of her. She has many forms and many faces. When it is about my home and personal live in general I encounter her as domestic Goddess, when it is about my witchcraft practices I experience her as queen of the night and mistress of spirits. In my service of her I encounter her more as great Goddess, maybe because as priest it is not about personal contact for my personal needs but the focus is more on her needs and on the community of her worshippers in the background. As priest I see my work as a kind of mediating function at times, to bring the blessings and energy of Hekate into the world and to the people (and spirits), to be a guide at times, to help through a transition here and there for some people, or to help to open doors. To give advice and informations and just to be open that she brings me to the right time to the right places and people.

Conclusion:

There are different ways to connect yourself with Hekate. Not all people who worship Hekate are interested in magic or witchcraft. They see her more as a domestic Goddess and her role as Goddess of witchcraft has not much space in their lives. But there are as well people who are interested in magic or practice witchcraft- for them this role can be quite important. And their practices can be quite different then the practices of a normal devotee. I personal see the household worship- or every-day worship as the basis on which other more mystical ways of worship can grow and evolve if this wanted (or needed). Other people maybe just get in touch with her when it is about magical practices or witchcraft and she has not much space in their every-day life at all.

Maybe some people don’t pay her attention every day but worship her on her festivals. The connection to a deity is something quite individual. And there are different ways to express this connection.

For me personal there are different layers of Hekate worship in my life- they are interconnected but different at the same time.

Links to other websites- one shows the view of a hedge witch, the other of a hellenic recon:

http://moon-books.net/blogs/moonbooks/hekate-a-devotional/

http://baringtheaegis.blogspot.de/2013/07/hekates-crossroads.html

Dark Moon- time to create Witches Salt

Before I celebrated the Deipnon on the last dark moon. I created Witches Salt. It is inspired by the Hoodoo formula Black Salt. I used wormwood black pepper garlic and salt to create the formula. I use it for protection, banishing and curses. I called on Hekate in her darker emanations. As queen of witchcraft, mistress of spirits, Goddess of nightly crossroads and graveyards. I called the spirits of the herbs to aid me and called the restless spirits to aid me too. I petitioned Hekate Chtonia to strengthen the spell while I burned the herbs to ashes and mixed this with the salt. And charged the Witches Salt formulated it’s purpose and breathed life into the formula.

Deipnon Pictures

Main shrine of the Sanctuary of Hekate Pasikrateia.

Working altar with incense, blessed water and some twigs of Solanum Dulcamara to clean the home.

 

The offerings to Hekate and the spirits on the working altar.

Witchcraft shrine. In honour of the the Witchqueen and the Master and hearth for my familiar spirits and my witches tools.

 

Shrine of Hekate Propylaia. On our front door. After the home was cleansed she got the incense water and the nightshade as offering.

Magic, Prayers and Religion…

On monday morning I have anointed a red candle with rose-geranium oil (I have created this myself some time ago from rose-geraniums in my garden). I have harvested fresh patchouli leaves, jasmin leaves and leaves of rose-reraniums (all these plants and some more are at the moment inside of my house through the winter months). I have put these leaves around the candle into a candle glass.

Then I lighted this candle in my hearth-shrine and invoced the presence of Hekate into her statue- I invoced her as Kourotrophos (nourisher of life), Phosphoros (lightbringer) and Soteira (savior). I prayed to her to fill me, my home and life with harmony, strength and balance. I connected myself to the spirits of the herbs and asked them to aid me and bless me (and home and life).Than I let my emotions, will and etheric energy flow through my hands into the candle flame and weaved the etheric energy of the herbs into the spell, too.

I have burned herbal honey as incense and the smoke filled the shrine as offering to the Goddess. And it filled my home, I blessed myself with the raising smoke. The flame of the candle burned bright in the hearth-shrine, filling the shrine and my home with blessings.

Often magic and religious acts are going hand in hand, often they are connected with each other and are melted together.

The word religion has in its original meaning something very mystical and magical- it comes from the latin word religio- and means to re-connect with something. To re-connect with the divine, to experience the divine through this connection.The religions of antiquity were not religions of pure believe (like the monotheistic religions today) but were quite mystic in its practices. They were not centered around the beliefe in the Gods and Goddesses, but they were focused to the connection to the Goddesses and Gods, to get in touch with them through prayers, rites, offerings and sacrifices, to experience the Gods/Goddesses. The Gods/Goddesses were reachable and their power could be felt. Symbolic acts (like the offerings and sacrifices) were important in the religions of the ancient world, they connected the worlds with each other, connected the humans with the Gods/Goddesses.

The offerings, sacrifices, prayers and symbolic acts created a bridge between the worlds. Prayers were not just a repeating of psalms and words- but a speaking with the Gods, a connection with them. And the gods answered the prayers (and do this today, too) through signs and omens, through dreams and inspirations and divination was an importand part of ancient religion, too. It was used to get signs and messages from the Gods.

It was not about to believe in the Gods but to get in touch with them, to experience them and to connect with them. Many people today feel a desire for mystical practices, for magic and for the direct connection with the divine.

The Goddesses and Gods of the ancient world are alive, they can be reached through offerings (like candles, food, flowers, incense, blessed water etc…), through their statues and idols, through prayers and invocations (or evocations), symolic acts, trance and rites. All these acts build a bridge to the old Gods, connects us with them, the Goddesses and Gods can be experienced today, they still answer the prayers like they did in the old times. Religion is something that is alive, that is living and breathing if we focus again to the old meaning of the word. Religion is connecting- if religion is practiced, if religion is lived: Than religion truly connects the humans with the divine- in the old days as today.

In this sense religion is something magical. Because the direct contact to the divine transforms us and changes us, it creates change- and that is magic.