#Hekate Deity

[the-purvashadha]

When you step into sunlight, you honor Apollo. When you admire the moon, you honor Artemis. When you admire cloud shapes, you honor Hera. When you smell petrichor, you honor Zeus. When you laugh at a joke, you honor Hermes. When your body twitches to dance at a particularly upbeat music, you honor Dinoysus. When you enjoy the first bite of your breakfast, you honor Demeter. When you choose your peace over any conflict, you honor Athena. When you warm yourself up by sheltering yourself in blanket, you honor Hestia. When you listen to Ocean sounds, you honor Poseidon. When you smell flowers, you honor Persephone. When you admire the coolness of first day of Autumn, you honor Hades. When you wear your favourite jewellery, you honor Hephaestus. When you smile, you honor Aphrodite. When you exercise, you honor Ares. When you light a torch in a dark room, you honor Hekate.

Your body is a shrine to Gods, your being an act of devotion for them. You, by yourself, are enough for them.

[jsraven7]

This is an odd post, but seeing all the new Hellenic Polytheists terrified of making the Gods angry breaks my heart.

You have to try extremely hard to make the Gods mad. They will not be mad at you for tiny things. You practically have to be intentionally trying to make them mad, or do something hubristic. I wanted to share a story of mine personally to aid others in this anxiety. I know this may be an odd way of helping others feel better, but I really do hope it helps.

I started working with and worshipping Lady Hekate over a year ago. I was in a horrendous headspace, and called out to Her for more selfish reasons. I built my relationship with Her on needing help to do baneful workings against the abuser I just escaped from. Which, really, is a thing a lot of people do. But, because I was in this horrendous headspace, I didn’t go about it the right way. I didn’t do a good job at building Kharis with Her, or giving Her any offerings for Her help. I was quite disrespectful to Her, really. I felt my relationship with Her turn towards something more strained. I felt more negative when thinking of Her, and a lot of the time I felt shut out from Her. Any offerings I gave Her felt disconnected, like a call that didn’t go through. She was not quite happy with me, and I couldn’t blame Her.

The thing is, though, is that She was never angry with me. I could feel our relationship break slightly, and I could feel a wall between us. My offerings didn’t always feel like they were accepted, and our relationship just felt discordant. But every time I sat down with Her with my divination tools and asked if She was mad at me, the answer was always a very strict, ‘no’. Despite how tumultuous our relationship felt, She was never angry. Disappointed maybe, yes, but not angry. I worked closely with Her on repairing the little cracks in our relationship as I begun to heal a bit more from what I asked Her to help me with, and as I got more stable in myself. I dedicated time to devotional acts for Her, speaking with Her, and giving Her offerings with the intention of reparations. Very quickly, our relationship healed. I wouldn’t say it’s perfect yet, but we have a very wonderful relationship now. I clean bones in Her honor, and I love to feel Her presence as I do so.

All in all, the point of this is, our relationships with our Gods are just that—relationships. The Gods will not be mad at you for every small thing, or even for bigger things, like the mistakes I made. Your relationship may feel odd with Them from time to time, but that’s completely alright. Like every relationship, you have to figure out your rhythm, and there’s no sense in a God being mad for you figuring out how this all works. I was very experienced with this all when I made those mistakes, and yet She was never mad. Why would They be upset when you’re just figuring it all out?

Rest easy, all of you. This is a religion, this is life, this is love. Religion is to be enjoyed, to let your happiest self go. The Gods rejoice in Themselves, and rejoice in you. Have fun, be respectful, and trust in yourselves and Them. Love to all of you—be kind to yourselves.

[mythixhekate]

Hecate/hekate

Goddess of the night, necromancy, crossroads, witchcraft, boundaries, ghosts

Offerings :

Garlic

Oak

Yew

Willow

Dandelions

Lapis lazuli

Bronze

Gold

Black candles

Silver candles

Red candles

Purple candles

Knives or daggers

Swords

Keys

Depictions of crossroads

Depictions of the moon

Depictions of hekate's wheel

Triple moons

Owl feathers

Crow feathers

Raven feathers

Dog hair

Statues of her

Statues of her sacred animals

Bones (naturally sourced)

Dark chocolate

A wand

A cauldron

A horseshoe

Devotional acts :

Be kind to dogs

Donate to a dog shelter

Invoke her when casting spells or praying

Visit a graveyard (be respectful)

Go to a crossroad

Leave offerings at crossroads

Make a playlist of songs that remind you of her

Speak to her at midnight

Hang keys around your house

Have a feast

Write poetry dedicated to her

REMINDER you don't need to do any of these things to worship a deity, these are just suggestions, remember that if you don't want to or can't do any of this that it's totally ok !!

[fabledfoxglove]

✧ ʜᴇᴄᴀᴛᴇ • ɢᴏᴅᴅᴇss ᴏғ ᴍᴀɢɪᴄ, ᴅᴏɢs, ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏᴏɴ, ᴛʜᴇ ɴɪɢʜᴛ, ᴄʀᴏssʀᴏᴀᴅs, & ɢʜᴏsᴛs ✧

[royal-wren]

In honor of Pride, I'm going to list a few Hellenic deities to think of more actively during this time

Aphrodite: Historically known to be intersex and trans, especially under the name Aphroditos. Not to mention as a goddess of love, that means all kinds of love and expressions of it. Everyone in the LGBT+ umbrella can turn to her without worry.

Apollon: He is known for epithets like the Unshorn, and for literally wearing feminine clothing for the time.

Artemis: Known for embracing masculinity and more masculine traits like her interests, mannerisms, and appearance (attire). Also known to be aro/ace spec.

Athene: Most know her to lean more toward masculinity, but she's more an equal mix of both masculine and feminine (nonbinary by human terms). Also known to be aro/ace spec and wlw as well.

Dionysos: Like Apollon, is known for wearing feminine clothing for the time and occasionally a feminine appearance to match. Embracing the unconventional and what lies outside of society's standards and mentalities is his thing, and it shows with epithets like Androgynos.

Hekate: A goddess of the liminal (everything in between), boundaries, and transitions, of paths and crossroads (which are more than physical ones).

Hera: As a goddess of women, that includes every kind of woman no matter what, there is no room to try and exclude anyone from that. She's also a goddess of marriage and one to lean on for rights on that matter.

Hermes: A god of the liminal, the god of transitions, boundaries, paths, and roads, and a god of romantic unions, the god of fire - the literal and figurative sparks that ensue as a god of friction, a weigher of love like Aphrodite. Before the late Classical and Hellenistic periods was also known to be aro/ace spec as outside of cultic unions, a majority of his immortal (and deity) children are goddesses as well, and he has two nonbinary (one intersex) children, Palaistra and Hermaphroditos, and occasionally the father of Eros either by Aphrodite or Artemis (and no this is real, you're just not ready for this conversation on this information).

Leto: In worship, she has the cult epithet Phystiê (the Grafter) that relates to a myth of her helping Leukippe transition at the wishes of his mother to avoid death. With the grafter epithet, she has a festival in her honor, Ekdysia (Stripping (Festival)). One of her sacred animals is the Ichneumon (Egyptian Mongoose), which was known to be both male and female in an individual member of the species.

Palaistra: The goddess of wrestling and daughter of Hermes is nonbinary, being both genders at once and neither at the same time

The Erotes: It kind of goes without saying that they should be here for a month of love, identity, and acceptance.

The Kharites: As goddesses of joy, merriment, and festivity/celebration, it feels as essential to have them here as the Erotes are. During Pride, they will lift your spirits and cause you to cheer.

[diana-thyme]

Greek Gods 101: Hecate

Hecate is a goddess of witchcraft, Magic, night, the moon, ghosts, and necromancy. Excluding the universal offerings, some common offerings include:

Divination Tools

Witchcraft Tools

Imagery of the Moon or Stars

Imagery or Depictions of Ghosts

Imagery or Depictions of Torches

Items Associated with Hunting (Boots, Bows, Arrows, Bones, Etc.)

Imagery or Depictions of Dogs

Imagery or Depictions of Polecats

Depictions of Darkness

Veils

For devotional acts, some activities that can be done for her include:

Performing Spells

Watching the Night Sky

Stargazing

Learning About Astronomy

Visiting Graveyards

Visiting Crossroads and Other Liminal Spaces

Lighting Candles to Help Ghosts Find Their Way

Volunteering at Animal Shelters

Hunting

She is celebrated in 4 Athenian holidays:

Hekate’s Deipnon

Noumenia

Lesser Mysteries

Heliogenna

[tinyscaredwitch]

my altar looks so full with my candle offering to Lord Hermes 🥹

i really want to get more items for Lady Hekate ♡

i might rearrange everything next week i think hehe

[eagle-of-zeus]

New altars and shrine set up in the new place I just moved 🙂 First is my main altar (top level is for Ouranic deities and bottom level is for Khthonic deities), second is a shrine to my personal patron deities (Zeus, Apollon, Hekate, and Artemis), and third is my hero altar to Achilles, Patroclus, and Herakles.

[keytothecrossroad]

for Lady Hekate.

[myrtleturtlee]

Hakate Hecate Hekate

Bless you Divine Mother. You wind me down treacherous roads, up cold mountains & through battlefields that test my every action.

Let me experience this pain

Help me define it

Clasp me in your earth bound hands & push me to the stars, from it is only here that I will be able to view my full potential.

Your advice never dies. You are long lasting love.

[morphic-mythos]

TRIVIA OBSCURA: books to honor Hekate

Disclaimer: this post is a perpetual WIP, serving as an archive of all the books I’ve read that I feel are appropriate for honoring Hekate. This includes books about Hekatean worship but also titles on witchcraft, occultism, cultural histories, death, and so on.

Other reading masterlists:

ARCANA OBSCURA: a personal occult library

DIVINA OBSCURA: a personal Hellenic library

MODERN WORSHIP

Keeping Her Keys, Cyndi Brannen

Entering Hekate's Garden, Cyndi Brannen

Entering Hekate's Cave, Cyndi Brannen

HISTORICAL WORSHIP

Hekate Liminal Rites, Sorita d'Este

WITCHCRAFT

Blood and Bones: Working with Shadow Magick and the Dark Moon, Kate Freuler

Rebel Witch, Kelly-Ann Maddox

Witch in Darkness, Kelly-Ann Maddox

Weave the Liminal: Living Modern Traditional Witchcraft, Laura Tempest Zakroff

MUSINGS & MEDITATIONS

Waking Up to the Dark, Clark Strand

Waking the Witch: Reflections on Women, Magic, and Power, Pam Grossman

Becoming Dangerous, Katie West

CULTURAL HISTORIES

Darkness: A Cultural History, Nina Edwards

Grimoires: A History of Magic Books, Owen Davies

On Monsters: An Unnatural History of Our Worst Fears, Stephen T. Asma

The Witch, Ronald Hutton

A History of Magic, Witchcraft, and the Occult, D.K. Publishing

DEATH & SPIRITS

From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death, Caitlin Doughty

All the Living and the Dead, Hayley Campbell

[esoteric-chaos]

Hekate's Blessing Deity Oil

"HEKATE (Hecate) was the goddess of magic, witchcraft, the night, moon, ghosts and necromancy." - Theoi

I work with Mother Hekate to heal generational trauma, dream work, introspection, and my clairsenses. I venerate her on Saturdays as the planetary correspondences of Saturn fit her well.

She's been with me for over a decade, since the start of my practice. She took on the mother figure role when I personally did not have anyone.

This blog is actually dedicated to her for helping others learn about witchcraft and the occult.

She's a stern teacher, who will take off your training wheels on your bike and push you. However, she'll help you up when you fall. She's kind and nurturing when you need it.

I made an oil for her to call upon her. I use it to carry her with me, to wear for certain purposes and as a candle-dressing. It helps me with my intuition, clairsenses, protection, spiritual communication and divination.

You will need

A clean and cleansed jar

Myrrh - The moon, introspection, protection, spiritual connection, she just loves myrrh (UPG)

Cypress - Historical herb, strength, protection, enhances spirit connection, grief

Lavender - Dreamwork, enhances spirit connections, peace

Thyme - Clairsenses

Carrier Olive Oil - Traditional offering

You can either do the folk method or the hot method. You can find my post on infused oils here to learn how to make infused spell oils. I suggest if you are an animist or someone who wants more power from your oils. Speak to the herbs kindly, treat them less like an ingredient and ask them respectfully for their aid and the purpose they'll have in your oil. Use intention. The same goes for the Olive oil.

You can sub any of these, however, Cypress is historical for her. So is Olive Oil among the Greeks. Try to keep within the theme of the underworld, death, spiritual connection and psychic work.

Blessings!

Looking for all of my posts in one place? Check out the Masterpost

[imimprisoned]

Hecate/Hekate: Goddess of Magic, Crossroads, Witchcraft, Sorcery, Ghosts, and Necromancy,

Offerings include:

1. almonds

2. foxglove

3. mint

4. sage

5. yew

6. rose petals

7. lavendar

8. cypress and willow leaves

9. frankensince

10. obsidian

11. quartz

12. seashells

13. black dog fur

14. dog nail clippings

15. images of dogs (pictures, personal drawings, dog plushies, etc.)

16. keys

17. personal offerings (nail clippings, hair)

18. anything relating to the moon (pictures, keychains, personal drawings, etc.)

19. crow, raven, and/or owl feathers

20. crossroads dirt

21. owl feathers

22. raven/crow/black feathers

23. snakeskin

24. horse hair (UPG, because horse is sacred to Her)

25. Lapis Lazuli

26. iron and bronze

27. lodestone

28. black stones/gems

29. candles, lanterns

30. statuettes of Her sacred animals

31. artwork of Her and Her sacred objects and symbols

32. poetry, music and writing in Her honour

Prayers to Hekate:

1. Glory to you, O Hekate Goddess who guards our opportunities

Queen of magic and circumstance

Keyholder, beloved mother of witches Hekate, guide me through blessed doors

Shut those that might lead to my destruction

Hekate, she who holds the keys to the realms of time

Hekate, the goddess of wisdom and fate

Who hears the whisper of prophecy

Goddess of mysteries

Take my hand, O Goddess

Put all your knowledge into my palm And let your magic flow through me

2. "Hekate, Mother of the Night so dark, Guiding spirit, with wisdom to embark.

In the moon's gentle glow, and shadows deep,

Your presence and power, our souls do

keep.

Goddess of crossroads, guardian of the way,

Hear our prayer on this sacred day.

With torches aglow, and keys in hand, Lead us through life's mysteries, we understand.

Hekate, your guidance, we humbly seek, In your wisdom and strength, we find what we need.

Protect and guide us, in darkness and light,

Mother of the Night, bless our path tonight.

3. Hecate when I doubt, Show me my strength;

When I am wrong,

Show me the right path;

Light the crossroads before me,

That I might see my way,

Queen of transitions,

Guardian of Doorways, Hecate, bless my journeys,

Through dark and dawn, day and dusk.

Help me bring into balance the forces within myself.

Light and dark, above and below,

As a coin can not have only one side, I am not whole, one without the other.

[ravenandmoon]

I'll meet you at the crossroads,

Mighty Goddess of the liminal spaces,

Borderless night-wanderer.

Hekate, born of the Stary Night,

She who blessed all the souls,

I'll let your darkness swallow me,

For i'm your devotee.

[chthonioi]

Hecate or the Three Fates, 1795.

— William Blake (England, 1757–1827)