hihi!! recently my friend expressed interest in learning more about hekate and I thought that I could do some research and put it into a post. I have an altar to her but I don't necessarily commune with her often, and I didnt know as much of her lore as I probably should've. let me know if there's another deity yall would like me to do another deep dive on. i will link the sources that i used at the very end!
Domain: magic, witchcraft, the night, the moon, ghosts, crossroads, boundaries, herbalism and necromancy. she ruled over sky, earth, and sea, and was often venerated as a part of the household deities. she is widely respected and revered, even by the other gods
Parentage: Perses, titan of destruction and known for his great wisdom; Asteria, titaness of falling stars and nighttime divination
Important Imagery:
-she is often depicted holding two torches, a key, a dagger, or snakes
-her familiars include a dog--the Queen Hecuba who committed suicide or was received as Odysseus' consort after the fall of Troy--and a polecat (like a ferret)--or the midwife Galinthias who was transformed by the goddess Eileithyia
-she was often given three heads or three bodies
-her arrival is often preceded by the howling of dogs
-she is sometimes shown flanked by lions or (multiple) dogs
-in some depictions she will have an animal head, including anything from a cow, dog, boar, serpent, or horse
-wheels and caves
Associated Offerings: garlic, cypress, oak, aconite, belladonna, dittany, mandrake, yew
Other Offerings: the typical historical offerings like myrrh and frankincense, wine, and barley. eggs or eggshells (cleansing, protection), black salt (protection from spirits), chocolate (underworld), coffee (underworld), lavender or cedar or sage (cleansing, magic), asphodel (underworld), black pepper (banishing, protection), camphor (dreams, psychic divination), clove (exorcism, wealth). evil eyes if its not cultural appropriation for you to use them. then of course keys, mirrors, bones, imagery of deceased, triquetra, jewelry or magic items like
Crystals: obsidian, smokey quartz, black tourmaline, black moonstone, lapis lazuli, amethyst, labradorite, jaspers (especially dalmation or star), howlite, opal, angelite, celestite, lepidolite, larimar, aventurine, citrine, malachite, jade, blue calcite, gems, gold/silver
Associated Holiday: Hekate's Deipnon (which I covered in my last post)
Lore:
-In Hesiod's Theogony he describes Hekate allying with Zeus against the Titans and how "Zeus the son of Kronos (Cronus) honored [her] above all. He gave her splendid gifts, to have a share of the earth and the unfruitful sea."
-In the Homeric Hymns Hekate is described as a close companion of Persephone, as she (along with Hermes) helped deliver her back to Demeter after her capture by Hades
-During the Deipnon she is said to lead the souls of the restless dead out of Hades during the night and must be placated with offerings
-Hekate is also seen as a kourotrophos (probably because of her association with Eileithyia and Artemis), or protector of children, and is often invoked as such
-Hekate is often seen as Medea's (from Jason and the Argonauts) patroness and the one who advised her of what to do to get over Aeetes' trials
-Sometimes she is considered the mother of Circe and Medea
Epithets: (used like a surname to call upon her different aspects)
-Perseis: destroyer (after her father)
-Aionios: eternal, ever-flowing
-Apotropaia: the one that protects
-Brimo: angry, terrible one
-Indalimos: the beautiful
-Aidonaia/Chthonia: of the underworld
-Propolos: who serves
-Soteira: savior
-Trimorphis: three-formed
-Trioditis: off the cross roads/three-way
-Enodia: of the way/road
-Propulaia: before the gate
-Nyktipolos: night wandering
-Phosphoros: light bringing
-Atalos: tender, delicate
-Kourotrophos: nurse of the young
-Skylakagetis: leader of the dogs
-Kleidouchos: holder of keys (of Hades)
-Liparokredemnos: bright-coiffed
-Anassa eneroi: queen of those below
Things That Are Probably Neopagan But I Can't Tell:
-Hekate being seen as a maiden-mother-crone triple goddess
-Hekate's wheel symbol
You are a deeply cruel person who enjoys hurting others. The dangerous thing about you is that, instead of acknowledging this flaw and looking to limit it, you wrap up your worst impulses in self-righteousness, thereby excusing your viciously sadistic behavior. You are, morally speaking, the worst person I have ever seen.
As we (hopefully) cleanse our physical bodies routinely with care, our energetic bodies need just as much attention. According to the first law of thermodynamics, energy cannot be created nor destroyed, but it can be transformed. Cleansing is the act of converting existing stagnant or negative energy into harmonious, good vibes.
Soul Scrubbing 🧼🧿
Generally, cleansing is recommended at least weekly. Of course, the frequency is flexible and dependent on your spiritual practice. Here’s a list of special circumstances that would benefit from cleansing.
When you feel unbalanced or “off”
Before and after spell work
After having an argument
When feeling low vibrational emotions such as sadness, resentment, anger, guilt, or shame
When experiencing a lack of abundance
Before a deep meditation
Now, let’s dive into how exactly to cleanse the energetic bodies!
Body By Spirit 🌍
The first energetic body that needs spiritual cleansing is your physical one. The element of Earth rules this energy field.
Smoke Cleansing 🌱💨
This practice involves burning any plant (except sage) via incense sticks, herb bundles, or a censer. In whichever method you choose, after the herbs are well-lit and smoking consistently, envelop the object or person in the smoke. To purify a room or house, walk through the area letting the smoke seep into the air and pour into the space. You can visualize a white light around the object, person, or place transmuting anything dormant into balanced energy. It’s usually a good idea to have a window open during this process.
Please note that smudging, a ceremonial practice burning sage, is a closed practice reserved for people indigenous to America only. It’s important to help preserve beautiful, unique cultures by respectfully keeping their practices out of our spiritual path if we do not share their cultural background.
Music 🎶🌈
This method is pretty simple. Use any type of music you like and allow the vibrations to overtake your surroundings! Bonus points for playing an instrument or creating your own music. As long as you have the intention set to cleanse, you can’t really go wrong. While you’re at it, go ahead and dance the bad vibes away. 🩰
Emotion of the Ocean 🌊
This energetic body is known as the emotional, astral, or dream body. It’s the field where we’re able to receive and interpret psychic information and is connected to the element of Water.
Bathing 🛀🔮
Creating a bath spell or ritual bath is a relaxing and effective method to cleanse the emotional body, not to mention self-care. Run the bath with care and infuse it with the intention to deeply cleanse your astral body. Use any bath bombs, essential oils, crystals, or candles you want! I suggest adding sea salt to draw out and neutralize any negative energy. Apple cider vinegar is recommended for similar properties. The rest is up to you!
Blessed Water 🧊🙏
Water designated for energetic cleansing has many uses. You can create this by simply mixing sea salt with water and blessing it in whatever way aligns with your spiritual practice. You can add any herbs or crystals to this water, but make sure the crystals aren’t damaged by water or salt before using them. You can use this to brush door frames, touch chakra points, or spray rooms.
Mellow Mind 🧠
The mental body can be difficult to cleanse, but it can lead to the insight of awareness if we take the time to journey within. What we think creates what we feel which creates what we say and do. The mental body is linked with the element of Air.
Routine Meditation 👑🌹
Establishing a meditation routine is key to becoming aware of your thoughts and being open to receive Divine Guidance. There are many studies showing the benefits of regular meditation such as decreased blood pressure, improved sleep, increased attention, and decreased symptoms of depression and anxiety. You can start with ten minutes a day and notice any changes you experience. It’s worth it.
These are just some of the ways you can spiritually cleanse your physical, emotional, and mental energetic bodies. There are many other methods out there if none of these resonated with you. Remember to be creative and have fun with it!
The old gods are not Barbie dolls on a shelf. No one should pick their deity based on aesthetics or personality quizzes. If you are drawn to paganism, but do not know where you belong, you can use tarot as a guide to find the god who loved you in your past lives.
Step 1: Invoke your higher self.
Find a quiet place where the lights are dim and the air is cool. Take deep breaths until you are calm and focused. Overhand shuffle your cards, while asking your higher self, “Whose mortal child am I?”
Step 2: Draw your cards.
Take the card from the top of the deck and the one at the bottom. If, while shuffling, any cards jumped out and landed face side up, take them too. Otherwise, put any rogues back in the deck.
Step 3: Find your gods.
Gaze at the cards you drew… and wait for your past lives’ memories to come back to you.
Did The Hanged Man play tricks with your eyes and a grew a beard for a split second? You might have seen Odin.
Did the jackal in the Wheel of Fortune give you a vision of the desert? Look to the religion of ancient Egypt.
Did the laurel wreath in the Six of Wands transport you to a windy place with dark blue seas? Follow the footsteps of the ancient Greeks.
Did the Ten of Pentacles seem to rearrange itself into a tree? That symbol is Kabbalistic. Turn to Jewish mysticism.
Did you suddenly think of Spain when you saw the red and yellow in The Magician? Explore the mythology of the ancient Basques. There you will find your gods.
And if the cards somehow led you to the Roman divinities, perhaps you and I share the same gods. Which ones exactly? This will tell you with certainty.
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