30 Days of Devotion to Hekate: Day 30

30. Any suggestions for others just starting to learn about this deity?

Touch screen phones are going to be the end of me. If I delete a whole blog post while trying to copy and paste from my notepad ONE MORE TIME...

We've reached the END. Way to go us!

Anyway. The biggest thing for me is probably to do your own research. Don't just follow other people's interpretations, not mine, not a random stranger, someone in a facebook group, a random site just because it says it's devoted to Her or have been practicing for 20 years. Do your OWN research and find out how She works with YOU. Is she going to appear to you as a triple goddess, a maiden, a crone? I don't personally believe in the triple form or crone aspect. It kind of bothers me to be honest. I can't speak for other Hekateans but it just steps all over me the wrong way for some reason. And like I've said a million times, I won't tell another that they're wrong (just why I feel it isn't traditional or why that particular view came into existence/popularity). That is between you and Hekate. It's not my place to tell you She can't appear a different way. I don't know that to be true or false, I can only say what **I** see. See what I mean?

Another is to actually DO. Many people shy away from actively worshipping, especially with something new or if they're new to the path. Don't be afraid to work with Her because four course rites (big lengthy multi part rites - like a four course meal) are intimidating or you haven't finished your "year and a day" and are hesitant to actually do just yet. I have just as many positive outcomes from small offerings on Her altar and just being myself. Calling out to Her, stating my intentions in what I'm asking for or for Her, asking for small requests or guidance in or to something. I've yet to actually be let down in either full rites or just small ones. Don't be afraid to reach out, introduce yourself, state your intentions in Her, leave an offering, etc. Her worship is about more than just research.

And of course, don't expect everything to be sunshine and roses. If that's what you want let me just go ahead and stop you right there. It's not always going to be pretty or fun. Sometimes it will down right suck. I mean, it's not fun being forced to face something hard that you would rather hide from. To practically be shoved into awareness and responsibility, yea, not always the best time. But it is definitely worth it.

Bright Blessings my fellow Hekateans new and old. Hail Hekate!

30 Days of Devotion to Hekate: Day 29

29. Any interesting or unusual UPG to share? 

I typed out a big post but hit a button when I copied it on my phone and it deleted it. Sigh.

Ok so I'll shorten it to UPG *I've* encountered. It's a short list since I haven't been on this path as long as some.

I've found she likes saffron incense as an offering.

She also likes tea, I'm not a wine drinker so I really don't buy it. I'm considering buying small quantities for special rites but I have no use for big bottles and would only use it for devotion. I typically use pomegranate tea.

I also feel called to cover my hair in rites or celebrations, though not in every day life and not necessarily modest or for modesty. Loose draping for instance. I know some people are the opposite and feel called to unbind or I've even read dreading. My hair is up in a pony tail 90% of the time and to wear it down I have to straighten it (which would be my ideal method but isn't feasible often for health reasons). As frizzy and wild as it gets when dry it would just distract and annoy me if left completely unbound. That may be a cross over from my every day life. I hate leaving my hair unbound and untamed but I want to do more than just the usual ponytail.

30 Days of Devotion to Hekate: Day 28

28. Something you wish you knew about Hekate but don’t currently.

I think the people who created this ran out of ideas for prompts. The whole point of not knowing is you don't know what to ask. I know quite a bit but there's always more to know.

Maybe since there's so much guesswork on her origins, I'd like to know where she originated, Thrace, Mesopotamia, near there, not even close, where, beyond just our inferring fact based on ancient information.

I'm drawing a blank here. There's always that pesky heated debate (that I've basically beaten to death) on whether it's ok to see her as a Crone or Maiden/Mother/Crone. What She really thinks. Me personally, not my monkeys, not my circus but I do think it's at best a modern spin on it and not really accurate.

Ok seriously, that's all I can think of.

Meet The Witch Behind Calypso

So I've been toying for a couple days with a plan to do an introduction. The first post (which is generally reserved for introducing) was more of a why this blog and why Hekate. 

Anyway. 

About me. I am 26 years old, Year of the Snake, which I love. I've had several snakes over the years myself. I'm also a Gemini and it definitely shows. A lot of people say zodiac are rubbish but I read the basics (as in overall details, not daily "fun" horoscopes) and I find myself agreeing with a majority of what it says. 

I am married, have been for 9 years and have been with my husband for 11 years.  We have 3 daughters together, S9.5, D7.5, and J4.5. It's kind of touchy in terms of religion as mostly everyone in this area is Christian. My children ask to go to church on occasion but I'm trying to teach them that it isn't the only option, nor is mine the must take path. Husband isn't necessarily sure what he believes anymore, so we'll see where that leads. 

I have numerous chronic illnesses and more that haven't. It took 13 years to get the first diagnosis and an additional 3.5 to get where I am now. It's honestly like pulling teeth. Actually no, pulling teeth is a breeze compared to modern medicine when you're complicated. My neurologist calls me a special snowflake. I'm not sure how I feel about that to be honest. My electrophysiologist just says my case is complicated. Most of these you'll probably have never heard of unless you or someone you know have them. They are as follows;

Hyperadrenergic Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome - also called Hyper POTS. The hyper part means my adrenaline system is hyper active and my blood pressure while usually normal to low, turns hypertensive while standing  (Orthostatic), my heart rate also goes a bit crazy with any activity which was originally diagnosed as Inappropriate Sinus Tachycardia. Along with the same line, I also have PACs and PVCs so sometimes even while sitting it goes a bit haywire. A form of Dysautonomia.

Neurocardiogenic Syncope - or NCS, a fainting disorder that seems to be temporarily in somewhat remission. Before, my blood pressure was low on a normal day but would drop dangerously low and occasionally my heart would briefly stop beating. With the HyperPOTS manifesting and everything else driving my blood pressure up, I no longer lose consciousness, just get super dizzy. When I get some of the other disorders under control, my blood pressure issues may resolve to where I'm back to passing out (joy). Also a form of Dysautonomia.

Narcolepsy - I don't have cataplexy but I do still take naps and sleep quite a bit along with insomnia. Sometimes I fall asleep and can't help it. I call them microsleep, they last roughly 30 minutes and I always wake up anxious and my heart racing.

Hashimoto's Thyroiditis and Insulin Resistant PCOS - my hormones are ... more than screwed. My thyroid antibodies are in the thousands (normal is below 35) and my insulin levels for a year have been quadruple what they need to be. Last check they were only double that which was "ok" but not good enough so hopefully it's getting there. I'll skip the details into the more feminine aspects of PCOS.

Migraines with and without aura - self explanatory on the migraine part. The aura, also called ocular migraines take my vision both central and periphery though not at the same time. It usually means a bad one is coming but gives me time to treat.

Neuropathy due to the insulin resistance pre-diabetes and Dysautonomia. My hands, arms, legs and feet "fall asleep". I wake up with numb arms, if I'm sitting, my legs fall asleep. Sometimes it's so bad I have to hobble instead of walk.

Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder - PMDD, think ... PMS on steroids. Anxiety, depression, rage, weepiness. All or switching for 2 weeks. My anxiety gets so much worse during this time and EVERY little thing sets me off. 

It took 13 years to get the NCS diagnosis and the rest have trickled in over the past almost 4 years (4 in February for the official diagnosis though unofficial from November 4 years ago). Most of the time if I hadn't fought, it would have been brushed off. NCS only came because my doctor told me there was nothing he could do and I asked him if I was just expected to suffer because no one could explain why I've been passing out since age 10. That "Well we have one more test we can try." Was the turning point for where I am now. The Hyper POTS diagnosis took an additional 3 years and traveling 6 hours one way for an all day appointment. The narcolepsy diagnosis I had to get a second opinion because even with a "classic positive" MSLT sleep study, she couldn't believe I had so much wrong with me. That second opinion was with a neuro sleep specialist (most sleep studies are done by a pulmonology sleep specialist - like my MSLT) who looked at it, said "Yep, that's positive, why did she send you to me?" Good question doc. My Hashi, I had to request the *right* tests because the normal ones ran, came back normal. Seems that's always the tests. They all come back normal until the doctors run the tests they don't usually run or the "well there's one last test" tests. Fun right? Yea.

Next subject, most of this region, and I guess by default, my family, are southern baptist. That's how I was semi raised. We moved 8 hours away when I was 10 so no familial or regional influence after and my mom wasn't practicing prior to moving. Just holidays with family. I think I've questioned what I was told to believe for as far back as I can remember. It was either a non issue or I was questioning it. Long strings of reaching out to a deity that wasn't answering, feeling abandoned, watching the hypocrisy, no thanks. Cliché as it is, my love for all things other began by kids tales. Sabrina the teenage witch, Harry Potter, the like. Then one day while browsing the books in the library at my moms work I found one of those girly books, spells for girls on love and luck and beauty... you know what I'm talking about. I still have that book. I've been tiptoeing down the line ever since. I think before now I was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information and so many options and didn't know how to reach out and take it. 

Mundane stuff, I love reading, curling up with a good book and a cup of herbal tea, and writing, swimming. I love cop shows, CSI (all of them), Law & Order (SVU), NCIS, Chicago Fire/PD/Med, Criminal Minds, etc. I also like the SiFi stuff, Minority Report, Grimm, Charmed, etc. Also, I find it kind of hard to relate when picking "music selections" relating to the craft because my favorite (on one hand) is Rap/R&b/Hip hop. I do genuinely like the songs I linked the other day but in finding them... I have no clue where to even begin most days. 

Ok my brain is numb from the info dump. I can't think of anything interesting enough to share.

Later!
Bright Blessings!
~ Calypso

30 Days of Devotion to Hekate: Day 27

27. Worst misconception about Hekate that you have encountered?

Didn't we cover this on page 9 already? I feel like I should just copy and paste from 9 because there's only so many ways I can talk about the Maiden/Mother/Crone aspect or the singular Crone aspect. I'm starting to feel like it's just repeat repeat repeat.

- Repeat from #9 -

This one is a bit iffy. As I said in my previous entries, Hekate is different things for different people. Obviously I have the picture in my head of who and what She is, as well as the feeling of wrongness when I see Her described differently. Then again, who am I to tell a Devotee that they are wrong, if She appears to one a certain way, and another to another, what business is it of mine? Obviously this blog prompt made it my business at least for the duration of this writing so I may as well cover it to the best of my abilities.

One of the most common is of that as Hekate as Crone Goddess. No stories or depictions have surfaced where Hekate is a Crone. Maid and Mother yes, Crone, no. In fact, aside from Shakespeare's Macbeth, which describes Hekate's witches as hags, but not Hekate Herself, Aleister Crowley is the first to actually describe Hekate as a Crone. Then again, like I said, She has appeared many ways to many people over the centuries. If she appears to you as Crone or if your path devotes yourselves to her as a Crone, that is between you and Hekate. As yet, Hekate has not shown herself to me as an elderly anything and I feel uncomfortable describing her as such. I even go so far in my *personal devotion* to avoid the crone terminology and will reword things to escape it. Again, that's just my *personal* devotion. I'm not here to tell you how to worship, just to present as much detail as possible so you may decide for yourself.

Another common misconception is that She's evil or some such nonsense. I admit (and I believe I've admitted in an earlier post) that when I first started really immersing myself into Paganism, I actually avoided Hekate because of all the misconceptions about Her. I mean, a fresh faced new witch (especially one with anxiety like me) that had been interested for years but ran for cover every time, doing research and hearing how dark and dangerous and evil She is? Yea, I skipped on by Her without more than a mild by your leave. I trusted everyone else and didn't even try looking for myself. I suppose I can blame it on being so overwhelmed with everything that I was taking the easy way out. I'm glad She stuck around though.

Which brings me back to her "evil" misconception. I've written in previous blog posts about some of the reasons people think badly about Her and also the true reasons behind them. Like how She shows us (from my post on Day 1) through the light of her torches, that which is already there, illuminating the subconscious, shining light on the shadows of our self doubt. Some say this is Hekate sending demons after them, or nightmares, or torturing them when in reality, she is merely showing us what we need to see so that we may over come it. So that we may heal. Though it is what we NEED it is often not what we WANT. And that can be a scary process.

She is also Queen of Ghosts, of the Restless Dead, Queen of the Underworld. That can be scary to think about. It is a dark topic but dark doesn't equal evil. Death is a part of life, we all die. That doesn't mean there is anything malignant in Her workings with the Underworld.

Furthermore, yes She is one you don't want to take lightly but would you anger Aphrodite, or Hera, or Zeus, or how about Apollo? No? I didn't think so. It would be just as foolish to anger them as it would Hekate but does that stop their followers from following them? Perhaps some are intimidated enough to not persue it but overall, no it does not. No one said this path was easy or inherently safe. It's one of the reasons for casting circles, for amulets and talismans, for protection jars or bags ad crystals. There is danger in so many things that we do. The question is, do you think it is worth the risk.

30 Days of Devotion to Hekate: Day 26

26. How has your relationship with Hekate changed over time? 

How has it changed? Hmm. I suppose if anything, it's grown stronger. I've mentioned time and again that by most standards. I'm very new to my devotion to Hekate, less than a year. At first I was hesitant. Not in embracing Her but in that I knew literally nothing about Her, nothing of what I was doing and really I was amazed to have even been picked by a deity and had a Patroness. Not everyone does. Sure you can worship any deity but you'll see time and again in research that not everyone has a Patron deity and not every deity you call to, to see if they are or will accept you, actually will. I felt like I did but was prepared for disappointment (in case I didn't).

These days I'm just working more towards becoming even closer to her. I'm fully devoted, bound by rites as a Devotee and Priestess to Her but there's always more work to be done in Her name. I don't think I'll ever stop working to be closer to Her unless such time comes where She feels time to move on, which also does happen. For now, I'm just trying to do my part.

30 Days of Devotion to Hekate: Day 25

25. A time Hekate has refused to help:

Seems like, like me, several devotees have a ton of experience with her not really saying outright "No" but instead telling us that we're capable of doing it ourselves. Just like my post yesterday, what I asked for and what I got weren't and aren't always the same thing. Probably a good thing too considering. But in a round about way I still got results.

One thing to consider when asking for things, Hekate won't just grant every request for you. Especially if you're fully capable of doing it yourself. You may not THINK you can but time and again She'll show you that you can. She also likely won't grant you frivolous things you don't need. So I wouldn't bother asking for a vacation house in the keys or a yacht or things of that nature. Even things you may need, sometimes the most you'll get is the courage to strike out and do it yourself.

There's been a couple of times when I've been ... pretty wound up. A ball of emotions and stress and sought Her help and She gave me strength to push through it but didn't do it for me or even lead me in the right direction. Sometimes it's enough for her to say "I'm here with you but this you must do yourself."

30 Days of Devotion to Hekate: Day 24

24. A time when Hekate has helped me:

I haven't been a Devotee to Hakate long enough to claim She’s made miracles in my life but she's given me strength time and again to not give up when it feels like I'm about to crumble. She was there for me when my last grandparent passed away a couple of months ago. She gave me strength when my nuclear family faced major financial constraints to not give up and to keep pushing through. She helped during a particularly tough day that I'd rather not get into publically, not in ending my anguish or stopping what was going on, but by giving me strength to endure. Really though, that would probably be the biggest so far. Some similar instances years ago before I embraced this path, calling out to a different deity and felt nothing, no comfort, nothing but emptiness. Probably one of the most enlightening moments on this path, and one of the reasons I know beyond reasonable doubt that this is right for me.

She also gives me strength to get up some days. I have *several* chronic illnesses that I haven't gotten into here yet (I have an older blog that isn't updated that is devoted basically just to my health) and some days I just want to lay in bed but I can't most days. She gives me the strength to push through when all I want to do is give up. And weeks like these when everyone keeps getting sick including myself. Especially like for myself where I'm chronically ill, every other illness I get makes the chronic illnesses so much worse and add that on top of trying to stay on top of bills (can't mope in bed) AND caring for 3 also sick children. I'll be the first to admit, some days it takes extreme effort to function. I really can't wait until this cold/sickness season is over but She's dragging me through it regardless of my self pity parties. Since the week before Thanksgiving, J, my youngest,  came home with a fever of 103.5°F, a wet cough and an ear infection. She then passed her fever to S and D, her older sisters and came down with Pink Eye, which she then also passed to her sisters AND me. Now my sinuses are aggravating me, my ears and throat are starting to get sore and my face is flushed (on top of literally just getting rid of pink eye but not 100%). My heart rate and blood pressure are protesting. I'm just waiting on the flu or something.

I'm hoping all sicknesses are gone by Christmas (preferably before school break). Goddess knows I've been relying on all my strengths to stay afloat these last several weeks. I think I'd have fallen apart if not for her.

30 Days of Devotion to Hekate: Day 23

23. Your own composition – a piece of writing about or for this deity 

I already wrote one devotional hymn this past month (that I can't share as it was an offering directly to Hekate and not for public view). I'm also super sick so I'm doing excellent just stringing two sentences together.

♡

Hail Hekate! Torchbearing Mistress and Keeper of Keys.
She who guides me through the darkness.
Illuminating the paths on which I travel,
Leading me through both triumph and sadness.

Hail Hekate! Night Wandering Savior.
She who wanders the night with her restless dead.
Mistress of Magic, She of the Three Paths,
Walk me down these roads of mine and lead me not astray.

Hail Hekate! Sovereign Goddess of Many Names.
Unconquerable Queen of the Crossroads.
Blessed Be Thy Names
O' Glorious Saffron Cloaked Lady of the Night.

Copyright (c) Rosalind Calypso – All Rights Reserved. If you see this or any of my other works copied *without crediting or permission* please contact me here or at calypso (dot) rose423 (at) gmail (dot) com.

30 Days of Devotion to Hekate: Day 22

22. A quote, a poem, or piece of writing with which Hekate resonates:

What better piece of writing than an Orphic Hymn to Hekate?

Einodian Hekatên, klêizô, Trihoditin Erannên,
Ouranian, Chthonian, te kai Einalian, Krokopeplos.
Tymbidian, Psychais Nekyôn meta bakcheuosan,
Perseian, Philerêmon, agallomenên elaphoisi.
Nykterian, Skylakitin, amaimaketon Basileian.
Thêrobromon, Azôston, aprosmachon Eidos echousan.
Tauropolon, Pantos Kosmou Klêidouchon, Anassan,
Hêgemonên, Nymphên, Kourotrophon, Ouresiphoitin.
Lissomenos, Kourên, teletais hosiaisi pareinai,
Boukolôi eumeneousan aei kecharêoti thymôi.

Hymn I: To Hekate
Hekatê of the Path, I invoke Thee, Lovely Lady of the Triple Crossroads,
Celestial, Chthonian, and Marine One, Lady of the Saffron Robe.
Sepulchral One, celebrating the Bakchic Mysteries among the Souls of the Dead,
Daughter of Persês, Lover of Solitude, rejoicing in deer.
Nocturnal One, Lady of the Dogs, invincible Queen.
She of the Cry of the Beast, Ungirt One, having an irresistible Form.
Bullherder, Keeper of the Keys of All the Universe, Mistress,
Guide, Bride, Nurturer of Youths, Mountain Wanderer.
I pray Thee, Maiden, to be present at our hallowed rites of initiation,
Always bestowing Thy graciousness upon the Boukolos.

30 Days of Devotion to Hekate: Day 21

21. Music that makes me think of Hekate:

Nocturnal Hekate - Daemonia Nymphe

Hekate - Wendy Rule

Unda - Faun

Hekate - Seelenreise

Orphic Hymn to Hekate

Voda - Elitsa et Stoyan

Agreeing with another devotee here too. Not 100% on the music but the video itself.
Frozen - Madona

30 Days of Devotion to Hekate: Day 20

20. Art that reminds me of Hekate:

I know it says "that reminds me of Hekate" but what better way than to post images that people have made OF Hekate. I'm not big on art or interpreting art so I picked a few images I've come across that really speak to me of Hekate.

By Jo-Freyr @ DeviantArt

This one speaks to me particularly as a Devotee. I don't typically follow Hekate as a triple deity oras a 3 headed deity or any other than singular but for some reason a few of these DO speak to me despite or maybe because they're in triple form.

HECATE By Victoria Frances 

I LOVE this one. Triple Goddess and all. 

The only source I can find on this says "Mermade Arts"

Hecate by Mari-Na (on DeviantArt)

Hecate by Hrefngast (on DeviantArt)

I'm not sure if I should read more into the fact that several of my favorite pieces on Hekate are of a triple Goddess. But I love all of these. Maybe I should look into more single pictures.

30 Days of Devotion to Hekate: Day 19

19. What quality or qualities of this god do you most admire?  What quality or qualities of them do you find the most troubling?

I don't necessarily not like any of her qualities. I don't emulate all of them myself but I like a lot of who She is and how She helps me. She leads those who society normally shuns, those that battle mental illness (like my own anxiety and depression and PMDD mood swings and even perhaps bipolar as runs in my family), of the LGBTQQIAP community  (of which several of those I hold dear are a part of), of witches (of which I am one), etc. She is the Torchbearer, She who shines light on the paths you may take and on problems you may be facing. Even if it isn't always pleasant. I may not necessarily LIKE what She shows me but I know ultimately that it is right and I needed to see it. She may not hold my hand and whisper empty promises that it'll all be ok, and I respect that because sometimes it just isn't, and sometimes I may want it to be ok but even if it's not She gives me the strength to keep going.

30 Days of Devotion to Hekate: Day 18

18. How does this deity stand in terms of gender and sexuality? (historical and/or UPG)

Hekate has traditionally been the Goddess of Outcasts. Protector of those that society by and large shun. This includes witches who have faced persecution over time, the LGBTQQIAP community, the mentally ill, etc. MANY priestesses, including Hekate's Semnotatoi, the "Revered ones of the Goddess". These assigned male at birth misgendered priestesses told fortunes, practiced magic and cared for Her sacred places/temples. Some of them were even ritually castrated. She was also served by assigned female at birth misgendered priests and cisgendered priests and priestesses. Her priesthood  (the Demosioi), in addition to horoscopes, spell work and maintaining the sacred temples and groves, also led processions in which children clad in flower garlands sung hymns of praise to Hekate. They served the patron goddess of thetemenoa, of magic, and of all those who live on the edge.

Hekate isn't the only ancient deity to follow this practice either. Cybele is associated with transformed priestesses, her gallae, Isis had gender-variant priestesses, often self-emasculated, they danced and performed magical rites with the other devotees as viewed on a marble relief at Ariccia. These devotee were called cinaedi. Hera also had gender variant priestesses who dwelt on the island of Samos. Ma-Enyo from Asia Minor was served by thousands of hierodules known as fanatici carried double-axe emblems in procession and used a whirling dance to achieve states of ecstasy, the latter tradition remains today in the dervishes of Konya. Roman Goddess Bellona becamr syncretized with Ma-Enyo. Aphrodite's priestesses also crossed the boundary between the sexes. Venus Castina became the patroness of Roman males who were born with a woman's soul. Diana was served by two kinds of priestesses, the melissai "honeybees", and the remarkable assigned male at birth misgendered Megabyzes, these gender-variant priestesses commonly served as makers of magic amulets, telling fortunes through the casting of Ephesian runes.

Hekate does not care how you identify or who you're attracted to. You can be straight, lesbian, gay, bi, misgendered, curious and questioning, intersex, asexual, pansexual, etc. She wants you to be you.

Personally, I'm a cis gendered female who married a man and most of my sexual partners (99%) have been male. I am not sure 100% how I'd identify truthfully as I've fooled around with females but I don't actively prefer or seek them out. I identify as straight but every so often. I also have several non straight relatives and friends and one of my own children identifies as non-straight. Just like my Lady, I welcome all and will fight for each of them.

30 Days of Devotion to Hekate: Day 17

17. How does Hekate relate to other Gods and other pantheons?

I find it kind of hard to relate to Hekate with other deity since in my worship she's not a triple goddess or really as working super close with any. I know from history that She worked WITH several deity over time and especially with the concept of triple goddess She is linked to several too.

Triple Goddess (it really grinds my gears when Hekate winds up the Crone in everything).

Artemis, Selene and Hecate - were said to represent one deity in different states.
 
Isis - was also linked to Hekate in many ways, "Hecate is one of the many titles of "Isis the great Hecate" and "the mother-goddess Isis, the great Hecate."

Bendis: A Thracian Goddess associated with Artemis, Selene and Hecate.

She's been linked to several more over time but those are a couple to start.

30 Days of Devotion to Hekate: Day 16

16. How does Hekate represent the values of Her pantheon and cultural origins?

It's kind of hard to go into her cultural origins since her origins can't be 100% pinpointed. Some give her origins as Macedonia, Thrace, Caria, some say she was an Egyptian Goddess Heqet.

Over the years she's gained attributes from the various places and people that have worshipped her. The Greeks called Her a guardian and She guarded their homes, Goddess of Witchcraft and Magic, of those "other". The protector of every newborn. The Romans called her Trivia. That's also where the Hecate/Hekate split comes from. Some pagans (particularly wiccans) view her as a Crone, and some also view Her as a triple goddess. She is ever evolving and gains new attributes all the time.

30 Days of Devotion to Hekate: Day 15

15. Hekate in my “mundane” life

I've had a lot of instances in my life where I felt the need to have a deity to lean on, where I needed to be strong, to have strength, where I needed to fight for myself and I felt like the deity I was looking for wasn't there. I've mentioned before that I've always felt called to paganism but was too afraid to really reach for it and fully embrace it until more recently. In all these instances, I felt totally alone. Turns out, I was looking in all the wrong places and should've braced my path from the beginning.

Now that I have, I feel even stronger. Having faced all of that seemingly alone, and survived or pushed through the struggle, I feel even more courage now that I KNOW I have Her to guide me. I don't feel that emptiness anymore. It's so, isolating hearing all of your friends or family talk about how wonderful they feel and singing the praises of their specific deity and how much that deity has done for them, or even their trials and outcomes and wondering why you have never, not one single time felt like that. I get it know. I can feel Her presence the way I've never felt the other, and it truly is amazing.

Even now I'm still evolving, trying to better myself to be worthy of my Lady. I feel like a better person even when I'm struggling. Which I do still struggle, I've felt anguish and anxiety and disappointment since finding Her, but I feel the strength to push through more readily, like I can do it. I've found where I belong.

For 11/26/15

30 Days of Devotion to Hekate: Day 14

14. Has worship of this deity changed in modern times?

I think it's safe to say the worship of ALL deity have changed over the years. Life has evolved over the past millenia. It's just a fact of life. Even taking worship out of the equation, look back to what life looked like in countries all over the world 2000 years ago, how different from that it was 1000 years ago, again 500 years ago and even 50 years ago. We are constantly changing and while we may retain some or even most characteristics from the generation before us, things are different.

The same is true of worshipping deity. Today more places are pretty diverse, while a region might be predominantly one religion, it's likely that there's a couple others here and there. My city for instance is largely southern baptist, it's the religion I was raised in, most churches around here are SB. There are however, almost as many methodist churches, a catholic church (and school), a Russian orthodox church, a synagogue and a Unitarian Universalist. Those are the ones I've seen personally or been to. My city is small but not tiny, smaller cities may have even less. In decades/millenia past, whole cities followed one pantheon or deity. Greeks followed the Greek Pantheon, Romans the Roman Pantheon, Egyptians the Egyptian Pantheon, etc. Wars have been fought over religion. Still are truth be told. But for the most part, several religions live and worship in the same general location. It's like watching the world evolve in front of your eyes. Growing and evolving.

Even if you wanted to worship Hekate in the EXACT same way as the ancients did, it's nearly, if not totally, impossible. A lot of information has survived over the years but some things were lost. Hellenic Reconstructionists generally spend a lot of time familiarizing themselves with the knowledge that remains, information that has been passed down, and theories that have been developed over the centuries. This is how they form their modern practice. But again, it may be closer than some others but it's not identical.

It's also a bit different in that while, if you can find a group of like minded pagans, you can perform semi public rites but mostly you're not going to get the majority of your city to show up in the temple square, most ancient temples are completely gone, turned into Christian places of worship or are little more than basic rubble and ruins. I can't walk (or drive) down the street to a magnificent temple to my patroness. If I had the means (financially for example) I could perhaps build one, and there ARE modern sanctuary, just not exactly the same or as wide spread.

Many modern pagans and especially wiccans have strayed from much of the ancient ways and instead fit the two together in a more modern way. Wicca especially is a fairly recent path vastly different from even the ancient Greeks in terms of their rites and rituals. These days we give offerings in much the same way except locationally we might not be able to offer the same exact things as readily though we can order a lot from all over easier than say, 500 years ago. Most modern pagans that I know of also do not sacrifice animals anymore either, granted, several ancients preferred to "sacrifice" representations instead of actual living animals but it did happen much more than modern worshipers.

Other ancient practices *can* be done, just again, differently than how it was done. You can go to a sanctuary if you're near one or make a trip if you have the means. You can offer animals, already killed animals and/or their blood from butchers. You can chant and sing hymns and pray publically to your deity, though you'll probably face some funny looks by some of the less ... open minded. I kind of wish I had a big group of Hekateans and a local santuary. I can just imagine the celebrations. Nostalgia is in full force.

For 11/25/15

We Interrupt Our Regularly Scheduled Program

I got off track due to a massive allergy attack (think inhaler, benedryl, the whole nine) that put me to sleep for the last half of the day. I'm try to get caught up between Thanksgiving festivities today (it's after 2 AM) but if not I'll have a WHOLE lot of catching up to do late this evening and Friday.

I managed to get a full moon rite and a devotional hymn in but that's about it.

In the interim, I'm wide awake sitting on the edge of my bed enjoying my furry baby Nyx trying to burrow into the blankets where my husband is sleeping. Nyx has a thing for hours and hours of blanket burrowing and face nudging at night then around 6-7 AM runs off somewhere.

Goodnight friends.
Bright Blessings!
~ Calypso
🌕

30 Days of Devotion to Hekate: Day 13

13. What modern cultural issues are closest to this deity’s heart?

This one I'm kind of iffy on. If you feel called to something in Hekate’s name then I would say that is something she is holding dear.

As for me, well I've always been an animal lover, and animals are sacred to Hekate. I help out as much as possible with a family members dog rescue with fostering or providing transport or menial tasks in the office. I've also fostered cats or again transport, taken in abandoned kittens because I have a mama cat and can syringe feed. I had 9 cats/kittens this past month on top of my dachshund. I'd take in more if I had the room. Especially that little fluffy orange one that follows me up the sidewalk nearly every night. I still may, it's getting cold and I'm not sure if it has anywhere to stay warm. Or at least I may make an insulated box for it to hunker down in.

It is also said that Hekate protects those that society shuns, thieves, prostitutes, begars, witches, etc and that some of her priest(esses) were trans or the like. My voice may be small and I can't do much but I'm an ally to all those who are oppressed, against family, friends, strangers, etc. I can't do much in the grand scheme of things but I don't tolerate any of that around me. My blood pressure is really suffering these days.

30 Days of Devotion to Hekate: Day 12

12. Places associated with this deity and their worship

There are several modern sactuary all over the world and more purportedly being set up. The Covenant of Hekate have several, in Wiltshire, UK; Lugo, Spain; Melbourne, Australia; Indiana, USA; Cheshire, UK; Southern Spain; London, England UK; Aerzen, Lower Saxony, Germany; and Glastonbury, UK.

I'm currently following one in North Carolina that is trying to get up and running since it's not too far from me. Not exactly close but I could make infrequent trips.

Ancient Cults: (these are mainly direct quotes from translations so it's basically a bunch of copy and paste from theoi)

Athens - Chief city of Attika - Pausanias, Description of Greece 2.30.2 (trans. Jones) (Greek travelogue C2nd A.D.):
"It was Alkamenes, in my opinion, who first made three images of Hekate attached to one another, a figure called by the Athenians Epipurgidia (on the Tower); it stands beside the temple of Nike Apteron (Wingless Victory) [on the Akropolis]."

Eleusis in Attika - Hekate was one of the chief goddesses of the Eleusinian Mysteries. Aristophanes, Thesmophoriazusae 280 ff (trans. O'Neill) (Greek comedy C5th to 4th B.C.):
"[Description of the Thesmophoria festival held in honour of the Great Goddesses, Demeter and Persephone:]
Woman Herald: Silence! Silence! Pray to the Thesmophorai, Demeter and Koura [Persephone]; pray to Ploutos, Kalligeneia, Kourotrophos [Hekate], Ge (the Earth), Hermes and the Kharites (Graces), that all may happen for the best at this gathering, both for the greatest advantage of Athens and for our own personal happiness! May the award be given her who, by both deeds and words, has most deserved it from the Athenian people and from the women! Address these prayers to heaven and demand happiness for yourselves. Io Paean! Io Paean! Let us rejoice!"

Aigina - Pausanias, Description of Greece 2.30.2 (trans. Jones) (Greek travelogue C2nd A.D.):
"Of the gods, the Aiginetans worship most Hekate, in whose honour every year they celebrate mystic rites which, they say, Orpheus the Thrakian established among them. Within the enclosure is a temple; its wooden image is the work of Myron, and it has one face and one body. It was Alkamenes, in my opinion, who first made three images of Hekate attached to one another [in Athens]."

Titane in Sikyonia - Pausanias, Description of Greece 2.11.8 :
"In the portico [of the temple of Askepios at Titane, Sikyonia] are dedicated images of Dionysos and Hekate, with Aphrodite, the Mater Theon (Mother of the Gods), and Tykhe (Fortune). These are wooden."

Pausanias, Description of Greece 2.12.1:
"In Titane there is also a sanctuary of Athena, into which they bring up the image of Koronis [mother of Asklepios] . . . The sanctuary is built upon a hill, at the bottom of which is an Altar of the Winds, and on it the priest sacrifices to the winds one night in every year. He also performs other secret rites [of Hekate] at four pits, taming the fierceness of the blasts [of the winds], and he is said to chant as well the charms of Medea."

Argos Chief City of Argolis - Pausanias, Description of Greece 2.22.7:
"[In Argos] near the Lords [shrine of the Dioskouroi] is a sanctuary of Eilethyia, dedicated by Helene when, Theseus having gone away with Peirithoos to Thesprotia, Aphidna had been captured by the Dioskouroi and Helene was being brought to Lakedaimon. For it is said that she was with child, was delivered In Argos, and founded there the sanctuary of Eilethyia, giving the daughter she bore [Iphigeneia] to Klytaimnestra, who was already wedded to Agamemnon, while she herself subsequently married Menelaos . . . Over against the sanctuary of Eilethyia is a temple of Hekate [the goddess probably here identified with the apotheosed Iphigeneia], and the image is a work of Skopas. This one is of stone, while the bronze images opposite, also of Hekate, were made respectively by Polykleitos and his brother Naukydes."

Pherai kn Thessalia - Lycophron, Alexandra 1174 ff (trans. Mair) (Greek poet C3rd B.C.):
"Brimo Trimorphos [Hekate] . . . appeasing the goddess of Pherai with sacrifice."

Haimos and Strymon Mountain and River in Thrake - Hekate was closely identified with the Thrakian goddess Bendis. Lycophron, Alexandra 1174 ff (trans. Mair) (Greek poet C3rd B.C.):
"Brimo Trimorphos [Hekate] . . . queen of Strymon."

Ovid, Fasti 1. 389 ff (trans. Boyle) (Roman poetry C1st B.C. to C1st A.D.) :
"I have seen Sapaeans [a Thrakian tribe] and your snow dwellers, Haemus [mountain in Thrake], offer the guts of dogs to Trivia [Hekate]."

Zerynthia Mountain and Cave of Samothrake - Lycophron, Alexandra 74 ff (trans. Mair) (Greek poet C3rd B.C.):
"Zerynthos [on the island of Samothrake], cave of the goddess to whom dogs are slain [Hekate]."

Lycophron, Alexandra 1174 ff:
"The maiden daughter of Perseus, Brimo Trimorphos (Three-formed), shall make thee [Hekabe queen of Troy] her attendant [Hekabe was transformed into a dog], terrifying with thy baying in the night all mortals who worship not with torches the images of Zerynthia [Hekate] queen of Strymon, appeasing the goddess of Pherai with sacrifice."

Strabo, Geography 10. 3. 20 (trans. Jones) (Greek geographer C1st B.C. to C1st A.D.):
"Some, however, believe that the Kouretes were the same as the Korybantes and were ministers of Hekate [in the Mysteries of Samothrake]."

Strabo, Geography 10.3.10:
"Now most of the Greeks assigned to Dionysos, Apollon, Hekate, the Mousai, and above all to Demeter, everything of an orgiastic or Bakkhic or choral nature, as well as the mystic element in initiations . . . And branch-bearing, choral dancing, and initiations are common elements in the worship of these gods."

Nonnus, Dionysiaca 3. 61 ff (trans. Rouse) (Greek epic C5th A.D.):
"Already the bird of morning was cutting the air with loud cries [on the island of Samothrake]; already the helmeted bands of desert-haunting Korybantes were beating on their shields in the Knossian dance, and leaping with rhythmic steps, and the oxhides thudded under the blows of the iron as they whirled them about in rivalry, while the double pipe made music, and quickened the dancers with its rollicking tune in time to the bounding steps. Aye, and the trees whispered, the rocks boomed, the forests held jubilee with their intelligent movings and shakings, and the Dryades did sing. Packs of bears joined the dance, skipping and wheeling face to face; lions with a roar from emulous throats mimicked the triumphant cry of the priests of the Kabeiroi, sane in their madness; the revelling pipes rang out a tune to honour of Hekate, divine friend of dogs, those single pipes, which the horn-polisher’s art invented in Kronos’s days."

Nonnus, Dionysiaca 4. 184 ff:
"Grottoes of the Kabeiroi and Korybantian cliffs [on the island of Samothrake] . . . the revelling companies of my mother’s [Elektra, queen of the island of Samothrake,] Hekate with their torches in the night."

Nonnus, Dionysiaca 13. 400 ff:
"Zerynthos [on the island of Samothrake] of the unresting Korybantes, the foundation of renowned Perseis [Hekate], where the rocks are thronged with torchbearing mystics of the Maid."

Nonnus, Dionysiaca 29. 213 ff:
"[The Kabeiros] Alkon grasped a fiery bolt in one hand, and swung about a festal torch of Hekate from his own country [i.e. Samothrake]."

Suidas s.v. Zerynthia (trans. Suda On Line) (Byzantine Greek lexicon C10th A.D.):
"Zerynthia : . . . Also Zerinthian cave, where they used to sacrifice dogs. There the mysteries of the Korybantes [Kabeiroi] and of Hekate took place."

Suidas s.v. All' ei tis humôn en Samothraikei memuemenos esti:
"In Samothrake there were certain initiation-rites, which they supposed efficacious as a charm against certain dangers. In that place were also the mysteries of the Korybantes [Kabeiroi] and those of Hekate and the Zerinthian cave, where they sacrificed dogs. The initiates supposed that these things save [them] from terrors and from storms."

Psamite Islet near Delos - Hekate was worshipped on Psamite an islet in the vicinity of Delos. Some accounts have this island as a metamorphosed body of her mothee Asteria.

Suidas s.v. Hekates nesou:
"Hekates nesou (of the island of Hekate) : On the approach to Delos lies a certain islet, which some call Psamite. They say that it is called this because the goddess is honoured with psamita. A psamiton is a particular kind of cake."

Rhodes - Suidas s.v. Asphodelos:
"Asphodelos (Asphodel): A bulbous plant, having long leaves and an edible stem; and its seed when roasted and the root chopped up with figs fetches a high price. [It is] sacred to Persephone and the underworld [deities]. Also Rhodians wreath Kore [Persephone] and Artemis [Hekate] with asphodel."

Ephesos city in Ionia/Lydia - Strabo, Geography 14.1.23 (trans. Jones) (Greek geographer C1st B.C. to C1st A.D.):
"They [the priests of the temple of Artemis at Ephesos] showed me also some of the works of Thrason, who made the Hekatesion (Shrine of Hekate)."

Kolophon in Ionia/Lydia - Pausanias, Description of Greece 3.14.9 (trans. Jones) (Greek travelogue C2nd A.D.):
"I know of no other Greeks [than the Spartans sacrifices to Enyalios] who are accustomed to sacrifice puppies except the people of Kolophon; these too sacrifice a puppy, a black bitch, to Enodia (of the Wayside) [Hekate]. Both the sacrifice of the Kolophonians and that of the youths at Sparta are appointed to take place at night."

Lagina, Karia/Caria - Strabo, Geography 14.2.15 (trans. Jones) (Greek geographer C1st B.C. to C1st A.D.):
"Stratonikeia [in Karia, Asia Minor] is a settlement of Makedonians . . . There are two temples in the country of the Stratonikeians, of which the most famous, that of Hekate, is at Lagina; and it draws great festal assemblies every year."

This one happens to be a favorite of mine for some reason and is on my bucket list.

R. Halys River in Paphlagonia - Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica 4. 245 ff (trans. Rieu) (Greek epic C3rd B.C.):
"They [the Argonauts] made fast their stern cables on the Paphlagonian coast at the mouth of the River Halys. Medea had told them to land there and propitiate Hekate with a sacrifice. But with what ritual she prepared the offering, no one must hear. Nor must I let myself be tempted to describe it; my lips are sealed by awe. But the altar they built for the goddess on the beach is still there for men of a later age to see."

Pakhynos in Sikelia (Sicily) - Lycophron, Alexandra 1174 ff (trans. Mair) (Greek poet C3rd B.C.):
"[The goddess Hekate] shall make thee [Hekabe queen of Troy] her attendant [after her transformation into a dog] . . . And the island spur of Pakhynos [in Sikelia] shall hold thine [Hekabe’s] awful cenotaph, piled by the hands of thy master [Odysseus], prompted by dreams when thou hast gotten the rites of death in front of the streams of Heloros. He [Odysseus] shall pour on the shore offerings for thee, unhappy one, fearing the anger of the three-necked goddess [Hekate], for that he shall hurl the first stone at thy stoning and begin the dark sacrifice to Haides."
And more.

30 Days of Devotion to Hekate: Day 11

11. Festivals, days, and times sacred to this deity.

Deipnon - traditionally celebrated on the dark moon of every month from sundown to sundown. Traditionally the day is spent cleaning the home, yourself (both spiritually and physically), offerings include food stuffs (mentioned in several other places), libations of wine or mead, collections from your cleanings, dust etc are all left at the crossroads. You also empty your Kathiskos each Deipnon and begin filling it each Noumenia.

Noumenia - The first day of the lunar month, this is the time to honor the deities of your home/practice which in our case, includes Hekate and ask for blessings for the coming month. This was the second of 3 Hellenic festivals each lunar cycle held in a row (the third being Agathós Daímōn). In the words of Plutarch, Noumenia was THE holiest of days. No other religious festivals are allowed on this day.

Festival of Kourotrophos (κουροτρόφος, child nurturer) the annual festival of Kourotrophos that occurs in August around the time if the full moon (the 15th or 16th of Metagetinion) in honor of the Kourotrophos goddesses. I've found conflicting information on how many times this was done. Many list it as just in August, some in February and August, and another in February  (3 days before the dark moon), June (3 days after the new moon), and August  (3 days after the full moon).

Thesmophoria - a 3 day festival in the Greek month Pyanepsion (October) held to ensure fertile land and good harvest. Only women who were married to citizens were allowed to participate. Women started preparing for the festival nine days before the start of Thesmophoria. During this time, they abstained from sexual intercourse, slept alone and ate garlic to keep the men away.

Day one of the festival, Anodos (which means Uprise), they buried pig carcasses in a large pit and unearthed the carcass buried the year before.

On day two, Nesteia (Fasting), the women fasted, only partaking of pomegranate seeds. Rotten pig flesh and seeds were mixed and left on the alter there. They spent most of the day in silence until sunset, at which point the fast and silence was broken with ritual cakes shaped as female genitalia.

Day three, Kalligeneia (Fair Birth), is spent reflecting the fertility of women. They sang ritual songs, the older women took the offering from the previous day and then they each buried a portion in the fields.

August 13 - Some have referred to this night as Hekate’s Night  (which is November 16) as well. This is a modern construct by those who wish to worship Hekate’s more volatile nature. It began from Nemoralia, the Festival of Torches, the chief Roman festival in honor of the Goddess Diana Nemorensis (Diana of Nemi) who is occasional associated with/as Hekate or in a triple Goddess/triad with Hekate. Worshipers would form a procession bearing torches around the waters of Lake Nemi. Hunting or killing any beast is forbidden on Nemoralia.

October 31st - Samhain - While this sabbat isn't directly tied to Hekate, this is a celebration of the dead and of our Ancestors and many turn towards deity that deal with death, ghosts and the Underworld, of which, Hekate fits this bill (along with several others). Also, being my patroness, I turn to Hekate for many things, worshiping my ancestors and giving thanks to Her on this day being one of them.

November 16th - Hekate’s Night - Hecatesia - a good night to associate with Hekate of the Three ways.

November 30th - Day of Hekate at the Crossroads - use this night to connect with Hekate at the crossroads.

Eleusinian Mysteries - it is said that Hekate is one of the chief goddesses of the Eleusinian Mysteries. The Lesser Mysteries were held annually and contained the Rites of Cleansing. These were held in Anthesterion (March - though the exact time is not fixed). Priests purified the candidates for initiation myesis. The Greater Mysteries were held every 4 years and included a week of special rites.

They took place in Boedromion (the first month of the Attic calendar) and lasted nine days. The first (14th Boedromion) was when they brought the sacred objects from Eleusis to the Eleusinion, a temple at the base of the Acropolis. Day 2, 15 Boedromion, hierophantes (the priests) declared prorrhesis (the start of the rites). Ceremonies began in Athens on 16 Boedromion with celebrants washing themselves in the sea at Phalerom and the sacrifice of a young pig at the Eleusinion on day 4, 17 Boedromion.

On day 6, 19th Boedromion, the procession began at Kerameikos (Athenian cemetery) and the initiates walked to Eleusis along the Sacred Way, swinging branches called bakchoi. At certain points in their walk they shouted obscenities in commemoration of Iambe (the old woman who made Demeter smile as she mourned her daughter). Upon reaching Eleusis, they held a day of fasting in commemoration of Demeter's fasting while searching for her daughter. The fast was broken while drinking a special drink made of barley and pennyroyal called kykeon κυκεών.

Day 7 and 8, 20 and 21st of Boedromion, initiates entered the great hall called Telesterion. This was the most secretive part of the Mysteries and initiates were forbidden from ever speaking of what took place under penalty of death.

Modern theorists conclude that priests were the ones to reveal visions of the holy night, the fire that represented the possibility of life after death and the various sacred objects. Some claim that insufficient and instead say the experiences were caused by a powerful psychoactive ingredient in the kykeon.

Following this was the Pannychis meaning all night, an all night feast or ceremony that was accompanied by dancing and merriment. These took place in the Rharian Field, rumored to be where corn first grew. This night or the following morning a bull was also sacrificed.

On 22 Boedromion the initiates honored the dead by pouring libations. 23 Boedromion the Mysteries ended and everyone returned home.

Her Sacred Fires - Full Moon in May
This is a modern celebration started in 2010 by Torchbearers for The Covenant of Hekate to celebrate the full moon and coincided with the launch of a book (Her Sacred Fires - by Torchbearer Sorita d'Este).

Full Moon - Hekate is usually celebrated during the dark times of the moon but I also feel called to embrace the light of the moon as well.

It will also do to mention that the ancient calendar looks nothing like ours. The first of their month began with the new moon and ended with the dark of the moon. Their days also began at sunset so when you say a festival begins on a certain day, say Deipnon, it really begins that night after sunset  (alternatively, it begins the night before at sunset to the night of at sunset).

Hellenion’s Calendar:

30 Days of Devotion to Hekate: Day 10

10. Offerings –

I've mentioned these earlier when I discussed the Deipna but common offerings both past and present are things like bread, cheese, garlic, leeks, raw eggs, honey, cakes (such as the asamphiphôn), fish (Red Mullet is a particular favorite), apple, fig, pomegranate, olives and libations (wine, cider, milk, tea, etc). I also like to include a lit candle and incense  (UPG - unverified personal gnosis - but she's told me she prefers saffron though I haven't found it easily locally and need to order it online).

Others include black puppies (I do not suggest you try this and it is even said that in ancient times they would use figurines representing black dogs and usually only when they felt they needed to ... go that extra mile to get back in Hekate’s good graces.

Blood, be it an accidental or purposely made cut for this, blood from meat you're preparing  (or if you work in a meat farm or as a butcher), some go as far as to offer menstrual blood.

Holocausts, in which a religious animal sacrifice is completely consumed by fire. The word comes from the Greek holocaustos ὁλόκαυστος from ὅλος "whole" and καυστός "burnt", which is only used for the major forms of sacrifice. These are apotropaic rituals meant to appease the spirits of the underworld and as an offering used to malign powers, such as the Keres and Hekate. Typically the inedible portions were burned on altars to the Gods while the rest was eaten by men though in times of great need whole animals were given.

Others include lavender, roses, juniper, frankincense (an endangered tree), myrrh, mint, rue, jasmine, cardamom, bay laurel, barley, oak leaves, mushrooms, apples, mugwort, maidenhair fern, wormwood, poppy, sesame, herbal tea.

Snakeskin, dog hair, poisonous plants, graveyard and crossroads dirt, moss, yew, lanterns, torches, keys, amethyst, obsidian, onyx, black stones, lapis lazuli, labradorite, lodestone. The list goes on.

Again, I'll just mention I wouldn't sacrifice live animals. Don't do that and say I told you to. It's not one of those things to be done in modern times. Take beeswax or something and mold a likeness of an animal if you feel it necessary.

Just like there's many different things to offer, there are many ways. Some people leave their offerings at a crossroads (preferably on biodegradable plates like a banana leaf etc) or on outdoor altars/shrines but PLEASE be mindful and double (and triple) check that what you're offering isn't toxic to animals. We may leave these offerings for the gods but the probability is very high that some animal will find it. Many of the foods we eat today are toxic, lethal or somewhat damaging to certain animals, even if it's safe for one animal, it can still kill or seriously injure another.

Some place their offerings at their altar then after their ritual, either partake of the offerings themselves, place them in a separate bag and throw them away, bury them (again, be sure it's not going to harm anything), burn them, etc. The options are pretty extensive.

That's what I get for posting so late, the pic didn't attach and there were errors.

30 Days of Devotion to Hekate: Day 9

9. Common mistakes about this deity.

This one is a bit iffy. As I said in my previous entries, Hekate is different things for different people. Obviously I have the picture in my head of who and what She is, as well as the feeling of wrongness when I see Her described differently. Then again, who am I to tell a Devotee that they are wrong, if She appears to one a certain way, and another to another, what business is it of mine? Obviously this blog prompt made it my business at least for the duration of this writing so I may as well cover it to the best of my abilities.

One of the most common is of that as Hekate as Crone Goddess. No stories or depictions have surfaced where Hekate is a Crone. Maid and Mother yes, Crone, no. In fact, aside from Shakespeare's Macbeth, which describes Hekate's witches as hags, but not Hekate Herself, Aleister Crowley is the first to actually describe Hekate as a Crone. Then again, like I said, She has appeared many ways to many people over the centuries. If she appears to you as Crone or if your path devotes yourselves to her as a Crone, that is between you and Hekate. As yet, Hekate has not shown herself to me as an elderly anything and I feel uncomfortable describing her as such. I even go so far in my *personal devotion* to avoid the crone terminology and will reword things to escape it. Again, that's just my *personal* devotion. I'm not here to tell you how to worship, just to present as much detail as possible so you may decide for yourself.

Another common misconception is that She's evil or some such nonsense. I admit (and I believe I've admitted in an earlier post) that when I first started really immersing myself into Paganism, I actually avoided Hekate because of all the misconceptions about Her. I mean, a fresh faced new witch (especially one with anxiety like me) that had been interested for years but ran for cover every time, doing research and hearing how dark and dangerous and evil She is? Yea, I skipped on by Her without more than a mild by your leave. I trusted everyone else and didn't even try looking for myself. I suppose I can blame it on being so overwhelmed with everything that I was taking the easy way out. I'm glad She stuck around though.

Which brings me back to her "evil" misconception. I've written in previous blog posts about some of the reasons people think badly about Her and also the true reasons behind them. Like how She shows us (from my post on Day 1) through the light of her torches, that which is already there, illuminating the subconscious, shining light on the shadows of our self doubt. Some say this is Hekate sending demons after them, or nightmares, or torturing them when in reality, she is merely showing us what we need to see so that we may over come it. So that we may heal. Though it is what we NEED it is often not what we WANT. And that can be a scary process.

She is also Queen of Ghosts, of the Restless Dead, Queen of the Underworld. That can be scary to think about. It is a dark topic but dark doesn't equal evil. Death is a part of life, we all die. That doesn't mean there is anything malignant in Her workings with the Underworld.

Furthermore, yes She is one you don't want to take lightly but would you anger Aphrodite, or Hera, or Zeus, or how about Apollo? No? I didn't think so. It would be just as foolish to anger them as it would Hekate but does that stop their followers from following them? Perhaps some are intimidated enough to not persue it but overall, no it does not. No one said this path was easy or inherently safe. It's one of the reasons for casting circles, for amulets and talismans, for protection jars or bags amd crystals. There is danger in so many things that we do. The question is, do you think it is worth the risk.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Sorry for the brevity, my youngest,  little 4 year old witchling is pretty sick with a viral bug, raging fever and pink eye so I'm exhausted and not on top of my game. I debated on holding off until perhaps tomorrow but this is part of the point of a 30 day devotional. Sometimes it may not be possible but if it is at all possible, even if it's while you're running on fumes after sick kiddies are in bed and would rather crawl into bed yourself? I'll get there.

30 Days of Devotion to Hekate: Day 8

8. Variations on this deity (aspects, regional forms, etc.)

Aspects:
This one will vary depending on who you ask. You ask one Devotee who Hekate is and what way She shows herself to them and they'll tell you She's a triple Goddess, another will tell you She's a wizened crone and yet another will tell you She's a beautiful albeit fierce yonder maiden. Some say She's a moon goddess, some say not. None of these are wrong. She appears to me in her younger aspect, as a single deity and under the dark of the moon. If she appears to you as a crone, or a triple goddes, or with 3 heads, or however you see her, that is correct. Join a room full of Devotees and each may tell you a different story. As Persephone/Artemis/Hekate and as Demeter/Hera/Selene, as Hekate/Persephone/Demeter.

Triple Goddess; the Maiden, Mother, and Crone (all three) or as one part of a group trio.
Triple Goddess: In various classical depictions she is shown as a triple goddess, often just three versions of herself. In these she is typically holding a torch (or 2 or 3), a key, serpents, daggers, black dogs and numerous other items. Also as a triple goddess she was said to represent the goddess of the moon in three forms. That of Selene, the Moon in heaven, of Artemis, the Huntress on earth, and that of Persephone, the Destroyer in the Underworld.

Maiden - many classical depictions of Hekate is of that of a younger maiden and that was largely the way She was worshipped by the ancients. The Crone aspect is much newer.

Mother - this Queen of Witches she is the protector of women and children. Of those who are pregnant or in childbirth. As the goddess of Midwives

Crone - in her Crone aspect, symbolized by the dark of the moon, She is Goddess of the Restless Dead, Queen of Night, Mistress of sorcery and magic. She is the Wise Woman, this Queen of Ghosts.

Goddess of Fertility and Plenty - Hekate was often looked upon as a goddess of fertility, whose torches were carried over freshly sown fields symbolizing the fertilizing power of the moonlight.

Goddess of the Underworld - in this aspect as well as the others she also reigns over those in childbirth, called upon by women having difficulty in child bearing. She travels the earth at night accompanied by her hounds and the restless dead. Some say she sends demons in the night, that she is the cause of nightmares and insanity. Still more say this is false and that she merely illuminates the pieces of us that we need to see, or the paths we need to traverse. This is not always a pleasant realization.

Regions:
Lagina - Hekate’s largest cult center was and is (as the ruins still remain today) in the southwestern Anatolian region of Caria at Lagina. In what is now Southern Turkey. Some scholars believe that this is Hekate's original homeland though more recent scholars question this.

The temple itseld is a Hellenistic merging of Greek and Carian cultures, and was built at roughly the same period as the famous temple of Artemis Ephesia, in the ancient city of Ephesus.

Traveling to the temple at Lagina is definitely on my "bucket list". The photo below is *not* mine. In all instances I've left the mark/watermark from whomever I've borrowed the images from so that you may find them at their origin).

Samothrake/Samothrace/Thrace in Greece - It is a municipality within the Evros regional unit of Thrace, in Eastern Macedonia. West of Lagina was Zerynthos. There lies a cave in the Zerynthia Mountain, there they sacrificed dogs in Her honor.

Athens, Chief City of Attika southern Greece - we find mention here in Aristophanes, Wasps 799 ff (trans. O'Neill - Greek comedy C5th-4th BC) it is written:
"Athenians ... on their own houses ... constructed in the porch ... altars of Hecate ... before every door."
And in Pausanias, Description of Greece 2.30.2 (trans. Jones - Greek travelogue C2nd AD):
"It was Alkamenes, in my opinion, who first made three images of Hekate attached to one another, a figure called by the Athenians Epipurgidia (on the Tower); it stands beside the temple of Nike Apteron (Wingless Victory) [on the Akropolis]."

Eleusis in Attika - Hekate was a chief goddess of the Eleusinian Mysteries, along with Demeter and Persephone.

Aigina in Southern Greece - Pausanias, Des of Greece 2.30.2 (trans. Jones - Greek travelogue C2nd AD):
"Of the gods, the Aiginetans worship most Hekate, in whose honor every year they celebrate mystic rites which, they say, Orpheus the Thrakian established among them. Within the enclosure is a temple; its wooden image is the work of Myron, and it has one face and one body. It is Alkamenes, in my opinion, who first made thrww images of Hekate attached to one another [in Athens]."

And many more.

30 Days of Devotion to Hekate: Day 7

7. Names and epithets.

Hekate/Hecate/Ἑκάτη
This is by no means a complete list.

Adonaea/Aidônaia (Lady of the Underworld)
Agrotera (Huntress)
Anassa eneroi (Queen of those Below)
Angelos (Messenger)
Antaia (the One in Front)
Atalos (Tender, Delicate)
Antania (Enemy of Mankind)

Brimo (Angry One)

Dadophoros (Torch Bearer)
Despoina (Mistress/Lady)

Enodia (Of The Paths/Roads)
Epiphanestate Thea (Most Manifest Goddess)
Epipurgidia (on the tower)

Khthonia (of the underworld)
Kleidophoros (key bearer)
Kleidoukhos (keeper of the keys)
Koure mounogenes (Only Begotten Maiden)
Krataiis (strong one)
Krokopeplos (saffron-cloaked)
Kurotrophos (nurse of the children and protectress of mankind)

Liparokrêdmnos (brightly coiffed; with bright headband)

Megiste (Greatest)
Monogenes (Only Child)

Nyktipolos (Night-Wandering)
Nyktipolos Khthonie (Night Wanderer of the Underworld)

Perseis (Destroyer; Daughter of Perses)
Phosphoros (the Light-Bringer)
Propolos (the Attendant who Leads)
Propylaia (the One Before the Gate)
Prytania (Invincible Queen of the Dead)

Selene (the Far-Shooting Moon)
Skylakagetis (Leader of the Dogs)
Soteira (Savior)

Trikephalos (Three-Headed)
Trimorphis (Three-Formed/Three-Bodied)
Trioditis (Of Three Roads)
Trivia (Of the Three Ways)

Zerynthia (Of Mt Zerynthia)

Holy One
Invincible Queen
Lady of the Underworld
Mistress of Magic
Mistress of the Lower Way
Opener of the Way to Death
Goddess of Crossroads
Goddess of Midnight
Goddess of Storms
Goddess of the Dark of the Moon
Goddess of Earthly Ghosts
Goddess of the Scene of the Crime
Goddess of Witches
Queen of Crossroads
Queen of Death
Queen of Ghosts
Queen of the Night
Queen of Witches
She Who Has Power Far Off
She Who Works From Afar
Sovereign Goddess of Many Names
The Distant One
Great Mother
Divine Friend of Dogs
Divine Three-Formed
Golden Shining Attendant of Aphrodite
Holy Daughter of Great Bosomed Nyx
in Saffron Veil Arrayed
Leader
Minister and Companion to Persephone
Queen of the Night
Unconquerable Queen

30 Days of Devotion to Hekate: Day 6

6. Other related deities and entities associated with this deity.

The Restless Dead - Hekate rules over the dead and the underworld. Specifically the restless dead, those who died before their time, who suffered extreme violence at their time of death, those denied proper burial. Every month on the dark moon, Hekate’s worshipers celebrate the Deipna and leave out offerings to Her and the Restless Dead.

Persephone - Περσεφόνη Also known as Kore (the maiden), daughter of Zeus and Demeter. She is the Goddess of the Underworld, springtime, vegetation and maidenhood. Consort of Hades. Her symbols are the pomegranate, pomegranate seeds, bats, seeds of grain, flowers, etc. Hekate accompanies Persephone on Her journey to and from Her home with Hades in the Underworld each spring and autumn.

Aphrodite - Ἀφροδίτη Goddess of love, beauty and sexuality. Her symbols are the dolphin, rose, scallop shell, dove, sparrow, girdle, swan, etc. It was the poet Sappho (630 BC) who described Hekate as Handmaiden to Aphrodite.

Gorgons - Γοργών daughters of Echidna Ἔχιδνα and Typhon Τυφῶν, the mother and father of all monsters, they are also attributed to Phorkys Φόρκυς. Their names were Stheno Σθεννώ, Euryale Εὐρυάλη, who were immortal, and the most notable, Medusa Μέδουσα, who was not immortal and was slain by the Demigod Perseus. Many used the depictions of the face of a Gorgon as a popular protective motif. Many modern day followers connect the Gorgons with Hekate.

Kerberos - Κέρβερος Cerberus, the Hound of Hades. The multi-headed guard dog of the underworld who prevents the dead from leaving. Another offspring of Echidna and Typhon, Cerberus is usually described as having three heads, a serpent tail, snakes protruding from various parts of his body and lion claws. Some stories say that Cerberus was Hekate’s, not Hades as he was often in her presence, such as in the picture ca 330 - 310 BC "Detail of Kerberos and Hekate from a scene showing the journey of Orpheus to the Underworld. Hekate is shown dressed as a huntress, and wielding a pair of Eleusinian torches. Herakles (not shown) is dragging Kerberos away on a lead."

Kharites - Χάριτες (Charites) were also called Graces, three goddesses of grace, beauty, adornment, mirth, festivity, dance and song. They were attendants of goddesses Aphrodite and Hera. One Kharis, was the wife of Hephaistos and another, Pasithea, was married to Hypnos (sleep). They were also seen in the company of Hekate, as depicted by surviving statuettes but no explanation is known. While 3 is the most common number attributed to their rank, that figure as well as their names vary widely

Erinyes - Ἐρῑνύες Also known as Furies, the Erinyes were female chthonic deities of vengeance. Sometimes referred to as "infernal goddesses" of the netherworld. They avenged crimes against the natural order, particularly focusing on homicide, unfilial conduct, crimes against the gods and perjury. Most powerful was their curse from a parent murdered by a child as that was the crime of which the Erinyes were borne, being sprung from the blood of Ouranos, when he was castrated by his son Kronos. They have been connected to Hekate, at least one depiction of a witch calling on Hekate and placing Her opposite Tisiphone, one of the Erinyes.

Hekate’s Hounds - one legend depicts these hounds as once having been mortal women who called on Hekate and she transformed them and so they remain at her side. The hounds howl during the 'between times', at sunrise and sunset, howling at Hekate as She passes.

30 Days of Devotion to Hekate: Day 5

5. Members of the family – genealogical connections.

Parents:
1. Perses (the destroyer) and Asteria (Starry One) - Hesiod Theogeny 404, Apollodorus 1.8
2. Perses - Homeric Hymn 2 to Demeter 24, Orphic Hymn 1, Lycophron 1174, Apollonius Rhodius 3.1036, Diodorus Siculus 4.45.1, Ovid Metamorphoses 7.74, Seneca Medea 812
3. Zeus and Asteria - Schol. on Apoll. Rhod. 3.467 ap Musaeus
4. Nyx - Bacchylides Frag 1B, Scholiast on Apoll. Rhod. 3.467
5. Aristaios - Schol. on Apoll. Rhod. 3.467 ap Pherecydes
6. Demeter - Orphic Frag, Scholiast on Apoll. Rhod. 3.467.

Perses - Greek Titan God of Destruction. He was one of three sons of the Titan Krios/Crius and Eurybia. Most remaining works that survive are but fragments that describe his role as husband to Asteria and father to Hekate.
Asteria - An Oracle. A Titaness whose name suggests that She is of the Stars. One version of the birth of Artemis and Apollo has Asteria transformed into the isle of Delos so as to provide a place for Leto (her sister) to give birth.
Nyx - One of the Protogenoi (cosmic forces that predate the Titans) whose purview is Night. A primeval Goddess born of Chaos.
Zeus - King of the Gods. notorious womanizer, He is a heavenly ruler, with powers over law and the weather.
Demeter - Goddess of Agriculture whose name literally means The Mother. She’s most well known for the story of the Abduction of Persephone and of being pursued by Poseidon. Her wrath could be truly intimidating. Though her main purview was the Harvest, she also held dominion over marriage.
Aristaios - A Shepherd God who also governs the apiary arts (bee-keeping), olive harvests, herbalism. He is the son of Apollo and Kyrene.

Lovers:
Phorkys - God of the hidden reaches of the Sea. Known as the “Old Man of the Sea” he is the father of a range of monsters. He slept with Hekate, who bore forth Skylla. He, too, is often depicted as a Torchbearer.

Aeetes - Demigod son of Helios, who is married to Hekate in versions of Her story wherein She is a mortal Queen. He is also King of Colchis, the land of the Golden Fleece.

Hermes - Messenger God of Thieves, Roads, and Trade. He shares many traits with Hekate, including the role as a Guide between the Worlds. In spite of stories where the two are described as lovers, there are no surviving bits that mention them having children.

Offspring:
Skylla - A Sea Monster best known from Her role in the Odyssey.  Herakles killed Her but Phorkys resurrected his daughter with his torches.

Kirke - In the versions where Hekate is a mortal queen wed to King Aeetes, they have three children, Kirke, Medea, and Aigialeus. Kirke is, of course, the witch of Odyssean fame who turned his men into pigs and seduced the hero.

Medea - The witch who fell in love with Iason in the Argonautika, who helped him attain the fleece and thereafter assisted his escape. She is also one of Hekate’s most prominent devotees.

Aigialeus - Medea’s brother who was murdered by her to halt the pursuit of her father who was chasing after Jason and the Argonauts.

30 Days of Devotion to Hekate: Day 4

4. A favorite myth or myths of this deity.

Hekate, Hecuba and black dogs:
After the fall of Troy, Odysseus received Queen Hekabe/Hecuba as his captive. During the return voyage, Hekabe murdered a Thracian king and was stoned and the gods transformed her into a black dog, henceforth known as the the animal familiar of Bendis, the Thrakian Hekate who was in ancient times offered dogs as a sacrifice (particularly on/around Deipna/Deipnon if they wanted to please Hekate and bring good fortune back into their homes). Alternatively, it is said that Hecuba threw herself from a rock once the city was captured and Hekate took pity on her, thus turning her into a dog.

Hekate, Alkmene and Galinthias/Gale and the polecat:
There are at least two myths as to how the polecat became associated with Hekate. One, as the myth goes involves a witch named Gale. Gale was so full of greed and lust that the gods punished her by turning her into a black polecat, and Hekate welcomed her amongst her favorite animals. (Greek natural history C2nd A.D.): "I have heard that the land-marten (polecat) was once a human being. It has also reached my hearing that Gale was her name then; that she was a dealer in spells and a sorceress (Pharmakis); that she was extremely incontinent, and that she was afflicted with abnormal sexual desires. Nor has it escaped my notice that the anger of the goddess Hekate transformed it into this evil creature. May the goddess be gracious to me : fables and their telling I leave to others."

The second pertains to Alkmene and the birth of Herakles. Antoninus Liberalis, Metamorphoses 29 (trans. Celoria) (Greek mythographer C2nd A.D.): "At Thebes Proitos had a daughter Galinthias. This maiden was playmate and companion of Alkmene, daughter of Elektryon. As the birth throes for Herakles were pressing on Alkmene, the Moirai (the Fates) and Eileithyia (Birth-Goddess), as a favour to Hera, kept Alkmene in continuous birth pangs. They remained seated, each keeping their arms crossed. Galinthias, fearing that the pains of her labor would drive Alkmene mad, ran to the Moirai and Eleithyia and announced that by desire of Zeus a boy had been born to Alkmene and that their prerogatives had been abolished. At all this, consternation of course overcame the Moirai and they immediately let go their arms. Alkmene’s pangs ceased at once and Herakles was born. The Moirai were aggrieved at this and took away the womanly parts of Galinthias since, being but a mortal, she had deceived the gods. They turned her into a deceitful weasel (polecat), making her live in crannies and gave her a grotesque way of mating. She is mounted through the ears and gives birth by bringing forth her young through the throat. Hekate felt sorry for this transformation of her appearance and appointed her a sacred servant of herself."

Hekate, Demeter and Persephone:
A daughter, Persephone was born of Demeter, the goddes of the crops and harvest, and Zeus, the king of the gods. One day while Persephone was gathering wild flowers, she was abducted by Hades, the god of the underworld. Some say Zeus gave his daughter to his brother while others claim Cupid is responsible, having struck Hades with one of his arrows. Hekate and Helios hear Persephone’s please for help as does her mother, Demeter who is too far away to help. Demeter was distraught when she could not find her daughter and wandered over the face of the earth searching for her, neither eating nor bathing. Eventually she comes upon Hekate who tells her she heard the screams but does not know what happened and suggests she asks Helios, the Sun god, if he saw anything during his trek across the sky. Helios tells Demeter everything and tries to consol her by pointing out that Hades will make a wonderful husband for her daughter as he's an important and powerful god.

Furious with Zeus (who in one story is the cause, and another, refuses to intervene), Demeter withdraws from her role as agricultural goddess, vowing to not set foot on Mount Olympus again and to not allow anything to grow on earth until she gets her daughter back. The resulting famine threatened the extinction of the entire human race. Seeing this, Zeus sends Hermes to the underworld to tell Hades to release Persephone. Hades agrees but not before he tricks her into eating pomegranate seeds, the fruit of the dead (the number of which varies in the tellings).

Once Demeter is reunited with her daughter she asks if she had eaten anything in the underworld. Persephone admits that she has and so must remain in the underworld. Demeter, in a rage swears nothing will ever again grow on the earth and once again Zeus must intervene. Hekate arrives and consols Demeter and Persephone while Zeus sends his mother, Rhea to broker an agreement with Demeter. She reluctantly agrees to allow Persephone to spend part of the year in the underworld with Hades (how long varies in different tellings) but in mourning during this time, once again vows that so long as her daughter remains in the underworld, nothing will grow, only allowing life to take root in the earth once her daughter is once again returned to her.