Hail Hekate, Queen of the Witches! She who is my sister, mother, and grandmother, Lady of the Crossroads, and torchbearer! Blah, blah, blah! I could go on and on with salutations, invocations, and other praises to Her. I could talk about Her history. I could go on and on about Her in some boring, academic way. (Actually, nothing about Hekate and Her history is boring...) However, instead, I am going to use this blog to talk about my own personal walk with Her. She's requested I do so. Yet, my ego says it's a trite thing to sing the song of my patron goddess, but she begs to differ, so sing I shall.
I have been a follower of Hekate since Samhain of 2008, almost 5 years now. I can not even begin to articulate just how much I have suffered and how much I have been rewarded in that time. She is known as a Dark Goddess, and that gives most people pause. "Dark" must mean bad in some way. Aren't we conditioned to think that? For me, "Dark" means tough. It means strict. It means she is harder-headed and wiser than I am. It means that things will be done Her way and in Her time.
I'll begin my story in 2008, on that fateful Samhain night. Imagine, if you will, a young woman, a solitary practitioner who was wholly in the closet. As a solitary, I understood that I didn't need a lot of tools to practice my magic. I understood that I didn't need anything but myself. For a week leading up to Samhain, I kept getting images of a full altar, a skyclad priestess. I saw myself calling upon the Crone and asking for guidance. Until that point, my life had been pretty easy. I never wanted for much. I always had a full belly. I had everything the physical realm could offer, but something was missing.
So, I called upon Hekate, the goddess I saw as the consummate Crone. She was evoked into my circle and in a rush of power and fear on my part, She was there. My altar set up was satisfactory and my offerings to her were enough. Then, She lifted a gnarled finger, pointed at me and said three words, "You are Mine."
I'd been marked. I asked Her for Her help and she replied, "Are you sure?" I said I was and asked again. Another, "Are you sure?" The third time I asked, she cackled at me and replied, "Be careful what you wish for. You just might get it." And She was gone.
Since, my life has been in disarray. I'm not going to say it's all been bad, but every time I step off of the path She has set out for me, I have difficulties. Also in that time, I have had the pleasure of experiencing her as both the Maiden and the Mother.
As the Maiden, She comes to me as The Torchbearer. Her dark eyes glisten and there is mischief about her. She holds the flame up high and whispers, "Come, follow me!" Her steps are light and almost silent, as a deer bounding through a meadow, but her torch guides the way. I see her light far ahead of me, and then She is near. I know that there is nothing to fear when we play this way in the darkness.
Often times, She comes to me like this when I am approaching a crossroads and there are serious decisions to be made. Through this game of chase, she helps me narrow down my choices and I come to a place where they are not so overwhelming to me.
As the Mother, She is stern, but just. Usually, we meet at a crossroad under the light of the moon. There is a place we meet that has a small altar, tree, and rough seat. When I come to this point, I am often weary from weighing the decisions. I sit in the seat and She puts her hand on my shoulder as I release all of my anguish over my decision. I find this gesture to be very supportive. As the Mother, She allows me to take each scenario, each path, through dozens of unnecessary endings before coming to Her and simply giving it to Her. She allows me this for now. I know that there will come a time when She will no longer allow it. There will come a time when She is the one sitting at the crossroads, not me.
As the Crone, She is also full of mischief and mirth, but it is the kind of mischief that can only one with years of wisdom can create. More than once, I have felt Her near me and, in an instant, She has taken over my brain and words are tumbling out that I could not fathom saying. Literally, it feels as though She has stuck her finger in my brain. It can be quite embarrassing!
So many times when I am not paying attention or when I am not listening, Hekate leaves me scraped up and bruised. It is Her way to let me make a few mistakes. It is Her way to spank me when I do anything other than she asks. I would not wish the service of my goddess upon anyone, knowing what I have had to endure, but I would never ask Her to release me, either.
I have said many times and I will say it many times more, "I walk a path of service; service to my gods and service to my community." Hekate makes sure that my walk stays true to my path. She allows stumbling blocks. She removes stumbling blocks. She gives. She takes away. So it is with any path of personal responsibility and any path of personal growth.
Hail Hekate!!
Brightest Blessings, Friends!
I have been a follower of Hekate since Samhain of 2008, almost 5 years now. I can not even begin to articulate just how much I have suffered and how much I have been rewarded in that time. She is known as a Dark Goddess, and that gives most people pause. "Dark" must mean bad in some way. Aren't we conditioned to think that? For me, "Dark" means tough. It means strict. It means she is harder-headed and wiser than I am. It means that things will be done Her way and in Her time.
I'll begin my story in 2008, on that fateful Samhain night. Imagine, if you will, a young woman, a solitary practitioner who was wholly in the closet. As a solitary, I understood that I didn't need a lot of tools to practice my magic. I understood that I didn't need anything but myself. For a week leading up to Samhain, I kept getting images of a full altar, a skyclad priestess. I saw myself calling upon the Crone and asking for guidance. Until that point, my life had been pretty easy. I never wanted for much. I always had a full belly. I had everything the physical realm could offer, but something was missing.
So, I called upon Hekate, the goddess I saw as the consummate Crone. She was evoked into my circle and in a rush of power and fear on my part, She was there. My altar set up was satisfactory and my offerings to her were enough. Then, She lifted a gnarled finger, pointed at me and said three words, "You are Mine."
I'd been marked. I asked Her for Her help and she replied, "Are you sure?" I said I was and asked again. Another, "Are you sure?" The third time I asked, she cackled at me and replied, "Be careful what you wish for. You just might get it." And She was gone.
Since, my life has been in disarray. I'm not going to say it's all been bad, but every time I step off of the path She has set out for me, I have difficulties. Also in that time, I have had the pleasure of experiencing her as both the Maiden and the Mother.
As the Maiden, She comes to me as The Torchbearer. Her dark eyes glisten and there is mischief about her. She holds the flame up high and whispers, "Come, follow me!" Her steps are light and almost silent, as a deer bounding through a meadow, but her torch guides the way. I see her light far ahead of me, and then She is near. I know that there is nothing to fear when we play this way in the darkness.
Often times, She comes to me like this when I am approaching a crossroads and there are serious decisions to be made. Through this game of chase, she helps me narrow down my choices and I come to a place where they are not so overwhelming to me.
As the Mother, She is stern, but just. Usually, we meet at a crossroad under the light of the moon. There is a place we meet that has a small altar, tree, and rough seat. When I come to this point, I am often weary from weighing the decisions. I sit in the seat and She puts her hand on my shoulder as I release all of my anguish over my decision. I find this gesture to be very supportive. As the Mother, She allows me to take each scenario, each path, through dozens of unnecessary endings before coming to Her and simply giving it to Her. She allows me this for now. I know that there will come a time when She will no longer allow it. There will come a time when She is the one sitting at the crossroads, not me.
As the Crone, She is also full of mischief and mirth, but it is the kind of mischief that can only one with years of wisdom can create. More than once, I have felt Her near me and, in an instant, She has taken over my brain and words are tumbling out that I could not fathom saying. Literally, it feels as though She has stuck her finger in my brain. It can be quite embarrassing!
So many times when I am not paying attention or when I am not listening, Hekate leaves me scraped up and bruised. It is Her way to let me make a few mistakes. It is Her way to spank me when I do anything other than she asks. I would not wish the service of my goddess upon anyone, knowing what I have had to endure, but I would never ask Her to release me, either.
I have said many times and I will say it many times more, "I walk a path of service; service to my gods and service to my community." Hekate makes sure that my walk stays true to my path. She allows stumbling blocks. She removes stumbling blocks. She gives. She takes away. So it is with any path of personal responsibility and any path of personal growth.
Hail Hekate!!
Brightest Blessings, Friends!
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