So it's been since June since I've made a post. I'm not a very good blogger but I won't apologize for it. I'll just pick this up where I might have left off. 

This is actually something I've been wanting to write about for a few weeks now. If you're an active member of any online group, you've probably seen the request numerous times in varying words:

"Seeking energy/positive thoughts/prayers/etc"

I know in the past, I've asked. But I've also learned not to ask people I don't know. Why? Because you never know what you're going to get. As a human, we'd like to think that people are kind and nice, like we are. But the truth is that not everyone out there is. And sometimes, it's not done on purpose. There are people out there who could inadvertently send out the wrong energies. It could range from something like they don't know what they are doing or that they don't know how to control it. And they're just having a bad day and accidentally send out the wrong energy. Which means things will just get worse for you. Then there are those who know what they are doing and they know how to control it and they purposely send out bad or negative energy. I would like to think that these people are few and far between, but I honestly think there are people out there who do it. Without a second thought as to who it effects or how it effects them.  

So please, be careful when you ask for such things. Especially in a public forum. Make sure you know who you're asking. And if not, be sure to protect yourself and those around you.

My apologies to the members and creaters of COH

I am writing this as an apology to any and all members, current, future and past. It has come to my attention that my recent actions towards the Covenant of Hekate and its members and founders has caused a lot of upheaval and dislike (dare I say hatred?) towards me. I can't make excuses for what I've done. I can say that I was trying to impress others with my actions maybe. Peer pressure? I don't know. I honestly don't know. I do know that my words upset many people and for that I am truly sorry. I know what I've done can't be forgotten or forgiven. I'm only asking for a chance to make amends. I know it can't and won't happen overnight. And that I have months of work ahead of me. All I ask for is the time and patience I know I'm going to need.

Dark Origins Of Valentine's Day

The Dark Origins Of Valentine's Day

by Arnie Seipel

February 13, 2011

Valentine's Day is a time to celebrate romance and love and kissy-face fealty. But the origins of this festival of candy and cupids are actually dark, bloody — and a bit muddled.

A drawing depicts the death of St. Valentine — one of them, anyway. The Romans executed two men by that name on Feb. 14 of different years in the 3rd century A.D.

Hulton Archive/Getty Images

A drawing depicts the death of St. Valentine — one of them, anyway. The Romans executed two men by that name on Feb. 14 of different years in the 3rd century A.D.

Though no one has pinpointed the exact origin of the holiday, one good place to start is ancient Rome, where men hit on women by, well, hitting them.
Those Wild and Crazy Romans

From Feb. 13 to 15, the Romans celebrated the feast of Lupercalia. The men sacrificed a goat and a dog, then whipped women with the hides of the animals they had just slain.
The Roman romantics "were drunk. They were naked," says Noel Lenski, a historian at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Young women would actually line up for the men to hit them, Lenski says. They believed this would make them fertile.
The brutal fete included a matchmaking lottery, in which young men drew the names of women from a jar. The couple would then be, um, coupled up for the duration of the festival – or longer, if the match was right.
The ancient Romans may also be responsible for the name of our modern day of love. Emperor Claudius II executed two men — both named Valentine — on Feb. 14 of different years in the 3rd century A.D. Their martyrdom was honored by the Catholic Church with the celebration of St. Valentine's Day.
Later, Pope Gelasius I muddled things in the 5th century by combining St. Valentine's Day with Lupercalia to expel the pagan rituals. But the festival was more of a theatrical interpretation of what it had once been. Lenski adds, "It was a little more of a drunken revel, but the Christians put clothes back on it. That didn't stop it from being a day of fertility and love."
Around the same time, the Normans celebrated Galatin's Day. Galatin meant "lover of women." That was likely confused with St. Valentine's Day at some point, in part because they sound alike.

William Shakespeare helped romanticize Valentine's Day in his work, and it gained popularity throughout Britain and the rest of Europe.

Perry-Castañeda Library, University of Texas

William Shakespeare helped romanticize Valentine's Day in his work, and it gained popularity throughout Britain and the rest of Europe.

Shakespeare In Love
As the years went on, the holiday grew sweeter. Chaucer and Shakespeare romanticized it in their work, and it gained popularity throughout Britain and the rest of Europe. Handmade paper cards became the tokens-du-jour in the Middle Ages.
Eventually, the tradition made its way to the New World. The industrial revolution ushered in factory-made cards in the 19th century. And in 1913, Hallmark Cards of Kansas City, Mo., began mass producing valentines. February has not been the same since.
Today, the holiday is big business: According to market research firm IBIS World, Valentine's Day sales reached $17.6 billion last year; this year's sales are expected to total $18.6 billion.
But that commercialization has spoiled the day for many. Helen Fisher, a sociologist at Rutgers University, says we have only ourselves to blame.
"This isn't a command performance," she says. "If people didn't want to buy Hallmark cards, they would not be bought, and Hallmark would go out of business."
And so the celebration of Valentine's Day goes on, in varied ways. Many will break the bank buying jewelry and flowers for their beloveds. Others will celebrate in a SAD (that's Single Awareness Day) way, dining alone and binging on self-gifted chocolates. A few may even be spending this day the same way the early Romans did. But let's not go there.

Cemetery Work--Part 2

Protection from Random Dead

It’s never a good thing to have random dead spirits hanging around you. It may seem cool to others, but random dead spirits mostly have a desire to feed on your energy and magick. And if these are dead spirits of violent or mentally ill people, then all the worse as they tend to be dangerous and unpredictable. Being able to tell what type of spirit is around you is not always easy, even for seasoned worker. Spirits can be tricky in concealing their identities and can blend into the shadows or even into one another. Therefore, it’s best when planning a trip to the cemetery to protect yourself from attracting the attention of a potential “friend”.

There are many methods of protection, so use the ones most known and comfortable to you. Here are a few things I’ve found effective. Use a protection oil (a blend that can be used directly on the skin) on your hands, back of the neck, top of the head, in the bellybutton (seriously, most people ignore that spot, but it’s a major opening into one’s body/spirit), underarms, crooks of elbows and knees, and bottom of feet. Cascarilla is sometimes used in place of the oil. Wear protective jewelry. Carry a protective amulet or talisman or gris-gris. Tie a red string around your waist (next to your skin, inside your clothing). Carry salt with you to throw over your shoulder (without looking back) as you leave the cemetery, as salt drives away the dead.

Some people will not speak to anyone else after leaving the cemetery until they arrive at their next destination and cross over a protected threshold, usually the person’s house but it can also be a church. This is so their voices are not recognized by anything from the cemetery and so they don’t provide any openings for spirits to enter through. While inside the cemetery, you might be under the protection of the guardian you honored, however, once you leave, you’re on your own.

If you perform an especially strong or malicious working while in the cemetery, chances are you’ve gotten the attention of many more spirits than you probably want to. One method of keeping these spirits from following you home is to remove your outer-most layer of clothing, turning it inside-out, and putting it back on. This is very difficult to do without drawing attention to yourself unless you are doing this in a remote cemetery at night. It’s illegal to be in most cemeteries after dark or passed their public hours, however, if you’re planning a work that calls for such extreme protection, I hope you’ve found a cemetery that will allow you the freedom and privacy for not only the protection but for the work as well.
Grave Dirt

Properly collected grave dirt can be used for a variety of works, but most commonly it is used for dark purposes. Drawing on the magickal laws of contagion and “like attracts like”, grave dirt brings forth its immediate connection with death, the dead, and the underworld. If the dirt is from an actual grave, as opposed to dirt from the cemetery grounds, it also can also call upon the properties of the gate or veil between life and death, as every grave is potentially a portal into the Underworld. There are sources that list either ground mullein or patchouli as substitutions for grave dirt, but these sources are absolutely WRONG. There is no substitute for grave dirt. It must be, exactly as its name implies, dirt from a grave, or at least from inside a cemetery. Most likely, these incorrect assumptions were the musings of squeamish practitioners, for whom I have no tolerance. Mullein and patchouli can both facilitate magickal connections with the cemetery if, like any other herb, they are actually found growing within one, but that is still not a substitute for actual grave dirt. If one is going into a cemetery to collect herbs, then why not just collect dirt, as well? There are herbs and trees that have Underworld and Death associations, but none of them are used in the same manner as grave dirt as far as I’m aware.

Properly collecting grave dirt can be simple or complicated, depending on your intentions. The first set of actions that place into motion the ritualistic collection of grave dirt is discussed above in properly honoring the guardian of the cemetery upon entering. This makes sure that no one in the cemetery sees you as a thief or an easy target. Next, go to either the grave you intend to collect from or the area of the cemetery grounds. If you are collecting not from a grave but the cemetery grounds, it’s very simple. Kneel down, knock three times on the ground, and state, mentally or aloud, your intention. It can be as general as “I am collecting this dirt for any future magickal workings that call upon the virtues of the cemetery,” or it can very specific. The important thing is to state some intention, magickally charging the material, otherwise you just have dirt. Collect the dirt, and place three coins into the hole, covering them with any loose dirt as well as hiding as much as possible all traces of your actions (fallen leaves from nearby help with this).

To collect from a grave, do as above, but at the end add an offering for the person whose grave it is, such as a small amount of whiskey or rum or Florida Water. Collecting from a grave can get complex. Sometimes we collect from a grave for its “portal to the Underworld” properties, and sometimes we collect to either capture the essence of the type or person buried there, such as a murderer or insane person, or to try to call upon the actual spirit of the person. The latter is much more difficult and rarely successful. Research often has to be done, as well as a preliminary trip to the cemetery to locate the grave prior to any working (more so for actual workings, rather than grave dirt collection).

Cemetery Work--Part 1

Entering and Exiting the Cemetery

At the entrance of every cemetery there is a guardian, sometimes synonymous with the Guardian of all cemeteries or even Death itself, depending on who you ask. Regardless of how you see this guardian, there should be a proper acknowledgement and/or payment upon entering its guarded territory in order to successfully carry out anywork you wish to do there. Otherwise, you are simply a visitor or guest, and it would be considered rude or insulting to start conducting business in a host’s home without proper permission. Just like it would be considered theft to take or collect anything from the cemetery without paying for it. Also, it’s considered a bit sketchy to sneak into a cemetery from an opening other than the main entrance or another entrance, almost like coming into someone’s home through an open window, rather than the door. Proper respect should always be given to the cemetery and those who guard it, as there are consequences that await those who do otherwise even if those consequences are not immediately experienced; Death has a way of sneaking up on you.
Upon approaching the gate or entrance, have three coins in your hand and mentally make a connection with the guardian, sending a very brief introduction of yourself (this can be as quick as a thought). State that you wish to do business or you have come to collect grave dirt or whatever you need to do, but you don’t need to go into detail. Then, knock three times on the gate, the gatepost, or, if nothing else is available, the ground. At this point, you enter the cemetery either face-forward or backward. If you are there to do something innocuous, such as collecting grave dirt or herbs growing within, then walk in facing forward; however, if you are there for more sinister reasons, walk in backward. (This is to protect your identity from those spirits who stand just inside the cemetery and keep track of who enters and leaves the cemetery, and if you are there for sinister work you want as little record of your actions as possible.) Which ever way you enter, drop the three coins as you cross the threshold. You have now acknowledged, honored, and paid all those concerned with the guardianship of the cemetery and are now free to carry out whatever business you have come for.
To leave the cemetery, just walk out the same way you walked in, either forward or backward. Some say you have to pay on your way out, also, but I’ve not found that completely necessary. You may say a mental word of thanks to the guardian, if you feel lead to do so. Older cemeteries tend to have older guardians who don’t really care, but if you intend on regular visits to the same cemetery, you may want to establish a relationship with that particular guardian. However you leave, just make sure to keep walking forward and don’t look back.

Baba Yaga~The Black Goddess

The story of Baba Yaga is prime among many images of the Black Goddess. The Black Goddess is at the heart of all creative processes and cannot be so easily viewed. Men and women rarely approach her, except in fear. Women are learning of her through the strength and boldness of elder women who are not afraid to unveil her many faces.

 
Sofia as wisdom lies waiting to be discovered within the Black Goddess who is her mirror image. Knowing that, until we make that important recognition, we are going to have to face the hidden and rejected images of ourselves again and again.

As women, we are confronted throughout our lives with unavoidable body messages regarding the uniqueness of our form and the inevitable changes that characterize aging and the passage of time. Although aging presents difficult challenges for both men and women, women confront some specific difficulties because of their gender. In traditional narratives, the end of biological fertility has relegated women to the status of "old women" who are stereotypically viewed as poor, powerless, and pitiful in our sexist and youth oriented culture. Baba Yaga, often referred to as the Black Goddess, and Vasalisa, often representing Sophia (Matthew's 1992, p. 289-90), are intrinsic to the psyche of girls and women because they shows us that the illusion of form can hide wonderful qualities within.

One of the cruelest of stereotypes that older women face is the "menopausal woman." These are accentuated by the very fact that younger women are often rejecting or distancing to older women in society, unwilling to identify with women older than themselves. These experiences are painful confirmations that the aging woman no longer meets the social criteria of a physically and securely attractive woman. The common result for most women is the activation of shame -- as if becoming/looking older means that something is deeply and truly wrong with oneself.

Conscious femininity is a cyclic process (Woodman 1990) and involves an awakened awareness of the triple form of the Goddess - Mother, Virgin and Crone - and how she exists simultaneously and continuously in all of our psyches, each taking center stage in awareness at different moments. These archetypal patterns are considered intrapsychic modes of consciousness in the individual, and the primordial image of a powerful and integrated woman, crowned with wisdom gleaned through real experience, is again reemerging through both the individual and collective psyches of humanity. First, however, women must learn to embrace, respect and honor their changing bodies, abilities, capacities and WISDOM. We can learn a lot from Baba Yaga!

An archetype is a universal symbol, an inherited mental image to which humankind responds, and which is often acted upon as an unconscious reaction to human experience. These stories are no different and the story of Baba Yaga exemplify this phenomena. The female experience is symbolized by and archetypally corresponds with the ancient Triple Goddess as the creator and destroyer of all life -- "the ancient and venerable female divinity embodying the whole of female experience as Virgin, Mother, Crone" (Mantecon 1993, p. 81). The archetypal figure representing the end of a woman's childbearing years, or the "third age" for women, is the third aspect of the Triple Goddess, the Crone.

At the climacteric or menopause, women are often forced to stand precipitously between the culmination of past experiences, to realize that youth is left behind, and prepare a new space within whereby a fresh image will coalesce as she envisions her future. This is real labor. The traditional constructs that are available to women are largely influenced by patriarchal standards of youth and beauty and we need fresh constructs that honor the diversity of life in all of its forms.

When a culture's language has no word to connote "wise elder woman," what happens to the women who carry the "Grandmother" consciousness for the collective? Prejudicial (prejudged) attacks throughout history against older women symbolized patriarchy's feminization of fear: the ultimate fear of annihilation, to be nonexistent (no existence). Centuries-long indoctrination limits our imagination so that we see this ancient aspect of the feminine only in her negative forms. We see her as the one who brings death to our old way of being, to our lives as we have known them, and to our embodied selves.

Our fear of the unconscious makes the Crone or Baba into an image of evil. The prevalence of paranoid masochism finds its expression through feminine perversion. Kristeva (1986) writes from "Stabat Matar" that: "Feminine perversion is coiled up in the desire for law as desire for reproduction and continuity, it promotes feminine masochism to the rank of structure stabilizer" (p. 183).

Structure stabilizer! Natural death is to be feared, hidden away, certainly not recognized as part of the natural rhythm of cycles of birth, death and rebirth? Only when death becomes projected does it become a monster to be feared. There is an unconscious belief that a woman who has outlived her husband has somehow used up his life force. Walker (1985) claims that the secret hidden in the depths of men's minds is that images of women are often identified with death. Women have also bought into this mindset largely because of lost connection with their own spirituality and the natural cycles of nature!

To be sent to Baba Yaga was tantamount to being sent to one's death, but Vasalisa was actually helped by Baba Yaga. By facing her own worst fear -- death itself, Vasalisa became liberated from her previous situation and immaturity.

The myths of our society tell us much about the attitudes and world view of the myth-owners (Kaufert 1982), and these attitudes are the products of women's roles within the wider society. Myth arises out of the collective level of humankind's experience, which is presented through images and symbols that resonate within our psyche. It is something we inherit from our ancestors and it is expressed through our genetic, racial memory. Kaufert (1982) reminds us however, that "myth is a system of values presented as if it were a system of facts" (p. 143).

The symbol of the Crone is unique to a feminine worldview where the face of the Virgin and the fecund Mother, the Virgin Mother Mary, was absorbed in Western tradition into Judeo-Christian imagery. Likewise, we see the image of Vasalisa embodied as this innocence. The Crone has retained much of her pre-patriarchial character where she has haunted the fringes of Western culture, largely ignored, unacknowledged and rejected; one that often strikes fear into the hearts of men and some women because she has tremendous power and cannot be confined (Hall 1992). "Wise women," in the past, were literally seen as having the power of life and death. They symbolized maturity, authority, attuned to nature and instinct. They were women whom men could not bind by making pregnant. They personified, as Hall (1992) writes:

 
"That aspect of life that men would most like to control but against which they are powerless: death. The Crone was healer, seer, medicine woman and, when death arrived with inexorable certainty, she was the mid-wife for the transition to another life (p. 170)."

Over time, and in recent history the Crone became associated with the dark side of the feminine; the withered old hag, the witch. Ironically, the word "Hag" used to mean "holy one" from the Greek hadia, as in hagiolatry, "worship of saints." (Starck 1993). And during the middle ages hag was said to mean the same as fairy.

In deconstructing these familiar images of the older aging woman, we must first identify their symbolic roots and challenge them in order to allow for potent, vital images that energize women's potential creative spiritual evolution. In this quest it is crucial to find valued female images that present creative and spiritual power, that offer a paradigm of ongoing formation and integration. If we do not do so, we risk encountering images of women that reinforce stereotypical models and moreover, can only alienate us from our own truest selves.

The Crone is a figure who incorporates both dark and light, life and death, creation and destruction, form and dissolution. The doll [Vasalisa's doll, given to her by her dying mother] becomes the symbol of the Sibyl, a figure of inspiration and intuition. She acts as a guide through the great passages of life, leading a woman into her own inner knowing.

We see this in the story of Vasalisa and Baba Yaga, the innocence of the maiden coming of age through a series of tasks. Baba Yaga forces Vasalisa to look within through intuition (the doll) and she awakens to the illuminating light that is carried in her heart. Within the simple limits of a folk story, the interactions of Sophia (Vasalisa) and the Black Goddess (Baba Yaga) are demonstrated. Baba Yaga or the Crone also embodies the inner archetype of Sophia, feminine wisdom. Hall (1992) writes:

"Sophia is a Wise Woman, one who epitomizes feminine thought. This thought is of a particular kind. It is 'gestalt' or whole perception; it synthesizes and looks at the overall pattern; it is logical but empathetic, and combines acute observation with intuition. It is relational (taking account of the past in order to project forward into the future), and it arises out of care and concern for man and womankind. It uses both the left and right brain modes of thought. It is creative and concerned with vision and solutions -- attributes which are an integral part of the Wise Woman (p. 179)."

Sophia plays, hides, adepts, disguises, and brings justice. Interestingly, we see these very same qualities attributed to the wise woman as being Vasalisa's, only not fully formed. Thus affirming the feminist perspective of the Goddess in all of her aspects and that all ways to wisdom are valid paths. Girls and women are encouraged to rely on their own subjective experience or on the communal experience of other women This is a very important point!

From a feminist perspective, the entry into the third phase of women's life is seen as a time of spiritual questing, renewal and self-development. It is a time where women are encouraged to explore themselves through interaction with other females who are providers of friendship, support, love, even sexual satisfaction, rather than a woman's family.

Likewise, the young girl growing into maidenhood needs the guidance and wisdom that elder women can provide. She must receive the gifts that the wise ones can give her. Baba Yaga may appear as a witch, yet she is instrumental in folk traditions. She aids heroes to find weapons, simplifying tasks and quests when she is treated with courtesy. Her transposed reflection is none other than Vasilisa the fair - the young righteous maiden who defeats her opposite aspect by truth and integrity (Matthews 1992)

The older woman is the keeper of the wisdom and tradition in her family, clan, tribe, and community. She is the keeper of relations, whether they be interpersonal or with all of nature. Every issue is an issue of relationship. It is assumed that she has a deep understanding of the two great mysteries, birth and death.

Another quality is the ability to be mediator between the world of spirit and earth. She is emancipated from traditional female roles of mothering and is free to make a commitment to the greater community. As a result of this freedom, there is an abundance of creativity unleashed in this phase of life; often expressed through art, poetry, song, dance, and crafts, and through her sexuality as she celebrates her joy (Joussance).

This elder time must again become a stage of life revered and honored by others and used powerfully in service by women themselves. The elder "Wise-woman" can represent precisely the kind of power women so desperately need today, and do not have: the power to force the hand of the ruling elite to do what is right, for the benefit of future generations and of the earth itself.

Like Baba Yaga, the Crone must help us by her example and "admonish us to revere all peoples and all circles of life upon this earth . . . not only important for the dignity and self-esteem of each woman, but vital for the countenance of life on our sweet Mother Earth" (Eagle). Since men define power as the capacity to destroy, the Destroying Mother Crone must be the most powerful female image for them, therefore, the only one likely to force them (us) in any new direction.

A woman who denies her life process at any time in her development, clinging desperately to outmoded images, myths and rituals of her past, obscures her connection with Self, the Divine, and therefore, with her spiritual heritage, the natural universe. The same holds true for our daughters, maidens who are coming of age. There is a kind of internal balance and sense of holiness available to us when we accept ourselves as part of a world that honors cycles, changes, decay and rebirth. It is time for women to reflect and give form to the authentic self in its evolving, formative process. The woman who is willing to make that change must become pregnant with herself, at last. She must bear herself, her third self, her old age with labor. There are not many who will help her with that birth. To Crone is to birth oneself as "Wise-woman," and see the world through new eyes.

We have not had the safety valve of feminine metaphor in our spiritual understanding; consequently, the Feminine, both Divine and human, have appeared monstrously contorted, threatening and uncontrollable.

The Black Goddess lies at the basis of Spiritual knowing, which is why her image continuously appears within many traditions as the Veiled Goddess, the Black Virgin, the Outcast Daughter, the Wailing Widow, the Dark Woman of Knowledge.

The way of Sophia is the way of personal experience. It takes us into the realm of "magical reality," those areas of our lives where extraordinary vocational and creative skills are called upon to manifest. Those treasures of Baba Yaga and Vasalisa lie deep within each of us, waiting to be discovered.

REFERENCES: 
Matthews, Caitlin. (1992) Sophia Goddess of Wisdom: the divine feminine 
from black goddess to world-soul. London, Eng.: Thorsons, p. 289-90)

Starck, Marcia. (1993) Medicine ways: cross-cultural rites of passage. 
Freedom, CA: Crossing Press.
Tijerina-Jim, Aleticia. (1993) Three native american women speak about 
the significance of ceremony. Women and therapy: a feminist quarterly, 14 (1/2), p. 33-39.
Audio 
Eagle, Brooke Medicine. Grandmother wisdom: lessons of the moon-pause. 
Guerneville, CA: Harmony Network Productions

Author of text is unknown.

B is for Beltane

Beltane is a Celtic word which means 'fires of Bel' (Bel was a Celtic deity). It is a fire festival that celebrates of the coming of summer and the fertility of the coming year.

Celtic festivals often tied in with the needs of the community. In spring time, at the beginning of the farming calendar, everybody would be hoping for a fruitful year for their families and fields.

Beltane rituals would often include courting: for example, young men and women collecting blossoms in the woods and lighting fires in the evening. These rituals would often lead to matches and marriages, either immediately in the coming summer or autumn.

Other festivities involved fire which was thought to cleanse, purify and increase fertility. Cattle were often passed between two fires and the properties of the flame and the smoke were seen to ensure the fertility of the herd.

Today Pagans believe that at Beltane the God (to whom the Goddess gave birth at the Winter Solstice) achieves the strength and maturity to court and become lover to the Goddess. So although what happens in the fields has lost its significance for most Pagans today, the creation of fertility is still an important issue.

Emma Restall Orr, a modern day Druid, speaks of the 'fertility of our personal creativity'. (Spirits of the Sacred Grove, pub. Thorsons, 1998, pg.110). She is referring to the need for active and creative lives. We need fertile minds for our work, our families and our interests.

Fire is still the most important element of most Beltane celebrations and there are many traditions associated with it. It is seen to have purifying qualities which cleanse and revitalise. People leap over the Beltane fire to bring good fortune, fertility (of mind, body and spirit) and happiness through the coming year.

Although Beltane is the most overtly sexual festival, Pagans rarely use sex in their rituals although rituals often imply sex and fertility. The tradition of dancing round the maypole contains sexual imagary and is still very popular with modern Pagans.

This year, Beltane is Thursday, May 1st.

Lore: 

May is the time of fertility and new beginnings after a long winter. The Faeries are afoot! They dance in the hills and roll in the grass, reveling in the joy of warm May breezes. Our spirits are high with the lust and heartiness of spring. New life is stirring and appetites are keen. -Laurie Cabot, Celebrate the Earth

In Celtic tradition, the two greatest festivals of the solar year are Samhain and Beltane, celebrations of death and rebirth, respectively. Love is in the air at Beltane. In our rituals, we celebrate the union between the Great Mother and her young Horned God. Their coupling brings fresh new life on Earth. Some form of this Great Rite is enacted on this sabbat in nearly every modern pagan circle. The Great Rite symbolizes the sacred marriage, or sexual union, of the the Lord and Lady. Often the rite is performed symbolically by a male and female who place a knife (a phallic symbol) into a chalice (a female or yonic symbol). In Old Europe, whole villages would celebrate May Day by slipping away into the woods for indiscriminate sexual encounters. Any children conceived during this occasion were known as "merry-begots" and were considered children of the gods. These "greenwood marriages" were acts of sympathetic magick believed to have a positive effect on their crops, animals, and themselves. (In this age of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, however, we must exercise responsibility -- by means of safe sex, monogamy, or even abstinence. Use your better judgment.)

Crop fertility was a strong theme at this sabbat. Besoms were ridden hobbyhorse-style through fields by women in symbolic fertility rites. Menstruating women ran and danced naked in the newly-sown fields. Cows were led to the fields to calve, and ritually consecrated chalices of sheep's blood and milk were poured on the crops, as were ashes from the balefire.

Herbs:  All-heal, blessed thistle, broom, curry, daffodil, dogwood, coriander, dragon's blood reed, fern, fireweed, nettle, flaxseed, hawthorn, marjoram, paprika, radish, rue, snapdragon, mushroom, almond, meadowsweet, rose, woodruff, tansy, elder leaves.

Incense: Rose, jasmine, ylang, ylang, peach, musk, or vanilla
Stones: Malachite, garnet, rose quartz, emerald, beryl, tourmaline

A New Year, A New Me.

Is this really A good start? Can I actually use the letter A for my word? Well I am! Because this post will be some random ramblings about me!! 

I've decided to do the old cliche thing since it's a new year---I'm going to try and make a new me. Over the past few months, I've made so many promises to myself as to what I was going to do with the spiritual side of my life and I never really followed through. I also made promises to the higher ups that I need to follow through on. A dear friend of mine knows exactly what I am referring to as I've come to her more times that I should have with my issues. Well I got to thinking about everything going on and I've come to two realizations---- stagnation and too much.  

#1. Stagnation.
       My life, spiritual and mundane, has become stagnant. Day in and day out it's the same old shit, just a different Monday. Although my spiritual life really isn't stagnant so much as just not there. It just decided one day to leave me. That's what happens when you make promises to someone and don't follow through. I spend too much time worrying about how much sleep I can get to I can supposedly function the next day when I know exactly how the next day is going to go. So I need to buck up and suck up and start making my life what I want it and need it to be. And no one but me knows what I need to do. No one can tell me to do this or do that. 

#2. Too Much. 
       Too much of everything....weight, books, junk, stuff, obsessions. Anyone who knows me knows I've been struggling with my weight. Doctor ordered to lose 20 lbs by March. He thinks it will help my high cholesterol, which I am currently taking meds for. So I am working on that. Yes, too many books. But they just need to be organized better. I won't even get into the junk and stuff part of it. Obsessions---I am a nerdy fangirl and my obsessions run from Loki and Sherlock to Marvel and Doctor Who. I spend too much time with them and I need to scale back to I have more time for other things.


Oh then there is Too Much Stagnation. Too much of nothing going no where. And I finally figured out why....I have all these...things...running around in my life and in my head. Nothing knows where to go or how to work properly. It's like all the forks of the river hit a beaver dam in the main river and everything is just spilling over each other, trying to fight for space to make it over the rocks and broken trees. So I've decided to start removing some of the rocks and broken trees. But slowly. Because I don't want everything to come crushing down at one time and drown me. I want to slowly remove it so the river has a slow but steady trickle. And when I remove the final rock or limb, it's a slow steady stream flowing. 

A is for Apathy

Apathy as defined by Merriam-Webster online:

ap·a·thy

noun \ˈa-pə-thē\

: the feeling of not having much emotion or interest : an apathetic state

Full Definition of APATHY

1

:  lack of feeling or emotion :  impassiveness

2

:  lack of interest or concern :  indifference 

This has been me lately. Well for the past 6 months or so, when it comes to being a Pagan. I can't really put a finger on how exactly when it happened. All I know is that I've had no desire to light a candle, cast a spell, or do whatever it is I'm supposed to do as a Pagan. Is there really things I have to do to be considered one? I suppose not. But whatever is supposed to be there hasn't been. And I have no idea why. So I'm hoping by doing this Pagan Blog Project that maybe things will change for me. I'm hoping it will help out my focus back on the way things used to be for me.

Blogging again...maybe..Pagan Blog Project

Hello again! My last post was August 2012! Obviously I suck at blogging! So I've decided to try a new route this year. I've signed up to be a part of the Pagan Blog Project. If you don't know what it is, it's basically a years worth of blogging through a Pagan alphabet! Each week, I am supposed to write up an article here in my blog. The catch is I am given a specific letter and I have to chose a word that begins with that letter and it has to be a Pagan entry. Hopefully it will help me to get back in touch with my spirituality.

Wish me luck!

Have you ever seen an aloe plant bloom?

I affectionately call this aloe plant Naomi. She comes from part of a plant that was given to my dad from my grandmother, his mom, Naomi. I got it 7 or 8 years ago, I can't remember now. She was normal sized when I got her. My grandmother passed away from cancer in May 2007. She loved having plants, a trait she passed down to me. I now have this main aloe plus 3 or 4 other plants from it's offshoots that I call great-grandchilden!! I also have an ivy that I named Naomi because it came from a leaf my dad took from one of plants and rooted.   

There are several leaves this size. When it first started blooming 4 or 5 years ago, I got worried that it would be like a Century plant-- take a century to bloom then die. But it didn't. And every year since it's bloomed. The stalk gets 2-3 ft high. The first year it made white flowers. Every year since they've been pinkish. These were taken a year ago also but these are very similar to this past Spring's blooms:  

With yard stick to show how tall it got.  

I am anxious to see what this new bloom is going to look like!

THE GODDESS HECATE

As a triple Goddess, Hecate represents Maiden, Mother and Crone; mind, body and spirit; and birth, life and death.  As Mistress of the Night, She represents the three stages of the lunar cycle of New, Full and Dark.  Hecate symbolizes the dark within us, the part of our psyche we refuse to acknowledge.   Many ignore the wisdom, the strength and the truth of Hecate because our fear of the darkness is so strong.   Hecate is associated with the dark side of the moon, but this is the true Moon.  The Moon has no light of its own, only reflected light from the sun. Dark is the Moon's true color as is Hecate's.    Although most see Hecate as the third phase of the moon, She is actually a Triple Goddess in her own right.  She is Hecate the maiden, Hecate the Mother,  and Hecate the Crone.   Hecate can be called upon during any moon phase, as She is the One and the Three.  In pronouncing her name, in the Greek language the "H" is silent.  So, to properly pronounce her name is "E-CA-TA" or "e-CO-ta." 
In Her maiden aspect, she stands for new beginnings.  She can also be called upon when you need to look at something in a new, fresher way....a way that you have never looked at it before.   You turn to Her when the moon begins to first wax.   In Her Mother aspect is a time to turn to Her when you need nurturing and protection like any mother would give.  Turn to Her when the Moon is Full.  In Her Crone aspect, it is a time to turn to for protection, wisdom and magick.  However, please bear in mind that Hecate is not a Goddess full of tenderness and compassion with white lace and linen.  She is also more prone to be stern with you if you brought a situation upon yourself.  However, Her wrath is swift and just to those who cause harm to a follower of Hers, because those who seek Her, honor Her and do not fear Her are in Her protection and She does not take lightly to those who cause them harm.    She does not tolerate nor does She coddle.  Turn to another Goddess if you seek this.   Her actions are swift and without frills.  So, when you do call upon Her, be prepared for Her swift actions and changes because it might not be what you expected. 
Hecate teaches us an important lesson, which is that the feminine should be valued for itself, not because it brings sexuality or power, but because deep within it there is an eternal wisdom.  Hecate is also the High Priestess, the keeper of the Mysteries. Hecate is not the priestess who seeks the inner knowledge, but High Priestess who has found it and imparts it to others.

Hecate, who sits enthroned before the Veil of the Temple as the High Priestess, the card in the Tarot which is ruled by the Moon. To reach daylight on the other side of the Veil, we must all become at one with the Dark Mother of the night.  Whether it be Hecate guarding the home or of the temple, She will avert evil and provides protection.
The Goddess Hecate is also known as the liberator of women, as she sets women free from the bonds created by man.    That is why the Christian Church put Hecate down and created her as the Goddess of evil and destruction.  During Medieval times, pagans were being tortured based on their belief in the Goddess.  Patriarchy reigned and the fear of feminine power caused the Church to demonize Hecate.  She was made infamous as the crone; old, wrinkled, ugly, warts protruding from her nose and chin, mysterious, dark and loathsome.   Many mistakenly call Her the destroyer, but She is not for if you destroy something, that something is forever gone.  You cannot bring something back that has been destroyed.     It has been said that the Goddess's service is perfect freedom. She is the liberator because She is manifest in our deepest drives and emotions, which always and inevitably threaten the systems designed to contain them. She is love and anger, which refuse to fit comfortably into the social order. To be "free from slavery" once meant that, within the ritual circle, all were equal, whether they were peasant, serf, or noble in the outside world. Slavery today could be mental and emotional as well as physical: the slavery of fixed perceptions, of conditioned ideas, of blind beliefs, of fear. Witchcraft demands intellectual freedom and the courage to confront our own assumptions. It is not a belief system: it is a constantly self-renewed attitude of joy and wonder to the world.   Hecate enforces feminine independence from masculine influences and this deals in all things including the religion known as Wicca.  Wicca is heavily influenced by the male God.  The Sabbats are centered around the male God.  The word Wicca is a male term....a term connected to the Goddess religion. 
In today's society, we hide our elderly (or look right through them as if they do not exist) our sick, and our poor so e can pretend to be immune to such human conditions.  But Hecate reminds us of the truth. She sees through the facade of societal amenities.  She is not deceived by social standing, education or titles and wealth.  Instead, She is impressed only by what is in the heart!  She is patroness to those of the heart. 
Hecate originally was a Thracian and pre-Olympian Goddess. Zeus bowed down to her antiquity by granting to Hecate alone a power shared by Zeus, that of withholding from humanity anything she wished. He also "granted" her the powers of the heavens, on Earth and the underworld......as if She did not have these powers already! He gave her nothing of that which She did not already have.  Of all the Goddesses, she was the most markedly triple and the most complex. She was Goddess of the Wild Hunt. She was to Greeks and Romans, especially the Goddess of the crossroads. Statutes of Her stood there, and food offerings –"Hecate’s Supper" – were taken there at dead of night, on the eve of the full Moon. Her annual festival on August 13 was a propitiatory one, to avert the harvest-destroying storms which the Moon is apt to send at around that time. She also haunted graveyards and the scenes of crimes–as a goddess of expiration and purification.
Hecate is the Darksome Mother, in both the positive and in the negative sense. To those that dare to welcome Her, she brings creative inspiration. She is Hecate Antea, the Sender of Nocturnal Vision, and, typically of a Moon Goddess.  She is Hecate Trivia, Goddess of the Crossroads.
One of her symbols is the torch, for the Dark Mother also holds the light which illuminates the Unconscious and reveals its treasures.  With Her torches she guides those who are seeking the mysteries.  The light from these torches will lead those wishing to understand the mysteries.  
In the Tarot, She is the Threes and the High Priestess; Her gems are star sapphire, pearl, moonstone, and crystal; Plants are the yew tree, cypress, opium, poppy, almond, mugwort, hazel, moonwort, civet, menstrual blood, camphor, garlic, aloes, all sweet virginal odors; Tools are the cauldron, the besom, knives, the key; animals are the dogs and horses, black cats.  The owl is Her messenger.   Her chariot is pulled by dragons.   Hecate’s colors are silver and black.
Through Hecate’s Cauldron, we must look at our true self, the nature of our motives and the results of our actions, because only through Her cauldron can we truly be reborn in becoming a better person than we were before. Only when we look into Her dark cauldron can we see the light.
Hecate, and none but She, is Queen of all living things. It is through Her that all things live or die. She is the laughing maiden, the living mother, and the black hag of death. She is the three and the one. She smiles and the radiance of the moon, whether it be full or dark, is everywhere for there is no power like Her power and no living thing can withstand Her power. For She is anticipation. She is the fulfillment. She is death. Hear her words, children, worship and be glad for if you seek Her, She is with you always.    She was with you in the beginning and shall be with you at the end.
Days of Hecate are August 13 which She is honored and prayed to in order to not send fearce thunderstorms and ruin and the crops.  November 16 is the Night of Hecate which begins at sunset.  This is the night of Hecate's supper and animals were sacrificed in honor of Her.   November 30 is Hecate-Trivia--the day of the Crossroads.  The 29th of each month is the Moon of Hecate. 

from http://www.hecatescauldron.org/

Hekate, Queen of the Night

“Come Hekate, Beloved of all Grandmothers!
Goddess of Transformation. Goddess of all Sacred Changes!
Sing praises to Old Women and Hags! Glory be to Crones!
Sing praises to Old Hekt! Welcome, Mother of all magical, healing words!
Beloved Grandmother! Bringer of life – too short but never ending.”

Hekate (also spelled Hecate) is a primordial Goddess whose genealogy goes back to Her birth at the beginning of time as a daughter of Nyx, Ancient Night. Hekate may have been originally derived from the Egyptian midwife goddess Heket, who in turn evolved into Heq or the tribal matriarch of predynastic Egypt. In Greece, Hekate was a pre-Olympic Goddess, but unlike many other primordial deities, Hekate was absorbed into the classical Greek pantheon.

Later Greek myths give other accounts of Her parentage rather than that She was a daughter of Nyx. In one version She is the daughter of Aster and Perses (both symbols of shining light) and Hekate is portrayed as a torch-bearing Moon Goddess who wears a gleaming headdress of stars. Later traditions make Hekate the daughter of Zeus and Hera and reduce Her power to only that of the underworld and the waning dark moon. However, no matter what her parentage was said to be, Hekate was a key figure in reuniting the mother and daughter in the story of Persephone’s abduction into the underworld by Hades, and her periodic return to her mother, Demeter. This myth was the basis for the Eleusinian initiation rites of birth, death, and rebirth, which were derived from the mysteries of natures’ seasonal cycle.

Hekate, was known by many names: ‘Queen of the Night’, ‘Queen of the Dead’,'Queen of the Ghosts’, ‘Mother of Witches’, and ‘Mistress of Magic’.

By medieval times, Hekate became particularly diabolized by Xtian Catholic authorities. The church projected onto Her their own sexual hang-ups and spiritual insecurities, and turned Her into the ugly hag as Queen of the Witches. It was Hekate who was now responsible for inciting the Pagans to supposed acts of devil worship and dark rites.

Hekate is one of the most ancient embodiments of the Great Triple Goddess, in which form She is associated with Artemis and Selene as a moon triad. Hekate is most often linked with the dark of the moon and presides over magic, ritual, prophetic vision, childbirth, death, the underworld, and the secrets of regeneration. As mistress of the crossroads, She dwells in caves, walks the highways at night, makes love on the vast seas, and is the force that moves the moon. As Queen of the Dead, Hekate is a wardress and conveyor of souls through the underworld. As Goddess of Magic and enchantments, She sends prophetic or demonic dreams to humankind. Her presence is felt at tombs and scenes of murders where She assists in liberating the souls of the newly dead. Hekate is also worshipped as a goddess of fertility, whose torch can be carried over freshly sown fields to symbolize the fertilizing power of moonlight.

All wild animals are sacred to Hekate, and She is sometimes shown with three animal heads – the dog, snake, and lion, or alternately the dog, horse, and bear. However, Her primary animal form and familiar is the dog. She is associated with the three-headed dog, Cerberus, who derived from the Dog Star Sirius, whose rising foretold the annual flooding of the Nile. At night, particularly at the dark moon, Hekate can be seen walking the roads accompanied by Her howling dogs – which are usually black in color.

The black poplar and yew trees are sacred to Hekate. The yew is considered the central tree of death, and is associated with immortality because it takes longer than any other tree except the oak to come to maturity. Hekate’s cauldron contains ‘slips of yew’ and Her sacred tree is said to root into the mouths of the dead and release their souls and it also absorbs the odors of death. The willow tree and bark is also sacred to Hekate as it is to all the Moon Goddesses.

Other symbols of Hekate are: torches; the dark and pre-new moon; crosses and crossroads; a crescent crown with mandragon leaves; the Dove (a Goddess symbol of freedom); Baetylic (a black type of meteorite which is Hekate’s magic stone); and winged serpents.

Because of Hekate’s role as a Triple Moon Goddess who typifies the cycle of birth, life, death and re-birth, She is a good Goddess to call upon when you wish to lose something of yourself or when you wish to end something in your life.

The Goddess Hecate

Often depicted as a  "hag" or old witch stirring the cauldron. Hecate, the Greek goddess of the crossroads has been denigrated in status from goddess to witch in current times. The reasons are explained more fully in the full version of Hecate's story. (see the link at the bottom of this page. The Greek goddess Hecate was the only one of the Titans who Zeus allowed to retain  authority once the Olympians had defeated them. She was given the position within the new regime of being the guardian of the households and the protector of all that was newborn. This goddess of witchcraft was once highly revered and had great influence in the pantheon. Only with Hecate was Zeus willing to share the tremendous power of giving mortals anything she wished (or, if she please, the power of withholding it).

Hecate was one of the three "triple goddesses", sometimes illustrated as Persephone (young maiden), Demeter (the mother), and Hecate ( wise-woman,  old "crone"). The goddess Hecate features in the story of the abduction of Persephone and the wanderings of her mother Demeter.Hecate, known for her farsightedness, had witnessed the abduction  of Persephone and told Demeter,  the mother what had happened. Later she became a close friend and confidant to the frightened Persephone and helped her adjust to life in the Underworld.  To express his gratitude for her assistance to his young bride, Hades invited Hecate to become a permanent resident in his kingdom and allowed her to come and go as she wished. Images of Hecate often depict of  this "triple" aspect...showing her with three heads. It was said he could  see in all directions, into the past, present, and even the future. Thus the crossroads were sacred to her, especially those with three roads that converged.  In ancient times such intersections  were often marked with three masks on a pole. and food was often left there to honor her and to feed those who traveled with her at night. The reclusive Hecate (who was called the 'Queen of the Night') often enjoyed nightly jaunts, accompanied by her hounds and sometimes by a following of  "ghosts" and others who were social outcasts.  The goddess Hecate was known (and also feared) as the protector of those who were oppressed and also those who tended to live a bit "on the edge". Her role in the Underworld, the land of the sleeping and the dead, undoubtedly made her feel more tolerant of those who most would shun out of fear or misunderstanding and more comfortable in their company. Not surprisingly since Hecate had great influence in the "spirit world", appeals were often made to her for assistance in keeping one safe. She was known as a protector of young children, shepherds, and sailors. In addition,  the goddess could be counted upon to help those who were dying, easing  their transition into the "Otherworld" and helping them prepare for a return in their next life.

The Greek goddess Hecate is a goddess who helps us make transitions and new beginnings, especially ones that were not planned.  As a magical goddess at home in the spirit world, she helps keep us in touch with our spiritual selves.

Hecate Titan Goddess of Crossroads: Queen of the Witches

Queen of the Witches - Goddess of Crossroads

I am Hecate, Queen of The Witches--Sorceress, Psychic, Crone, Hag.
I ride through the night sky, bathing the landscape in supernatural light.
Guardian of the Unconscious; Mistress of the Night; Holder of the Key.
I am Hecate; I command Earth, Sea and Sky;
I control the lunar cycles; I control your menstrual cycles; Goddess of Life and Birth
I am Hecate the ultimate Feminine.

Hecate is a triple Moon Goddess; skilled in the arts of divining and fortune telling. She represents feminine energy and independence from the masculine. Hecate as Queen of the Witches is the protector of women and children, in her role as Mother Goddess. As the Crone she is all wisdom, understanding and protecting the tribe (society). As the Maiden her role is that of fertility, the cycle of life, and rebirth. Hecate is the Goddess of Crossroads, and with three faces can divine past, present and future. As Queen of the Witches, she protects and guides both solitary witches and covens, and can grant great power to them and bestow upon them great gifts. As Goddess of the night and holder of the key, she is able to freely move between the worlds and guide one into or out of the darkness of intuition and self-knowlege.

Hecate is an ancient Goddess from an early, pre-Greek period of myth. It is believed she was a Titan Goddess, and was so powerful and respected by her followers that she maintained control even after the fall of the Titans to the Olympian Gods. She had dominion over sky, earth and the underworld making her the bestower of wealth and the blessings of life. Even Zeus honored Hecate in that he allowed her the ancient power of giving or denying to mortals any desired gift.

As a Triple Moon Goddess Hecate gives humans dreams and visions which, if interpreted wisely, led to greater clarity. Hecate presents the three faces of the Goddess, that of maiden, mother, and crone and she is connected to death and regeneration. Hecate is the holder of the keys to the underworld and allows hope of re-birth and transformation as opposed to Hades, who represented the inevitability of death.

It is believed that Hecate's name derives from the Egyptian midwife-Goddess Heqit, Heket, or Hekat. The hag was the tribal matriarch of per-dynastic Egypt and was known as a wise woman. Heket was connected with the embryonic state when dead grain decomposed and began to germinate. She was also one of the midwives who assisted every morning at the birth of the Sun.

In Greece, Hecate was one of the original trinity who were connected with the moon's three phases and ruled over heaven, earth and the underworld. She was worshipped at places where three roads met and was known as Hecate Trivia, Hecate of the Three ways. It is believed that Hecate's worship was recognized by the pre-Olympian divinities whom Zeus and his cohort had ousted. The newcomers also bowed to her antiquity by granting to Hecate alone a power shared with Zeus that of granting or withholding from humanity anything she wished.

Hesiod in Theogony says that Hecate was the daughter of the Titan Perses and Asteria, a star Goddess, both symbols of shining light. Asteria was a sister of Leto who gave birth to Apollo and Artemis, making Hecate a cousin to Artemis. An even older tradition saw her as a more primal Goddess and made her a daughter of Erebus and Nyx (Night). 

During the middle ages, Hecate became known as Queen of the Witches. Religious authorities during this period said that the people most dangerous to the faith were those whom Hecate patronized - midwives, healers and seers. They also saw the simple peasants practicing folk religion as devil worshippers and Hecate was portrayed as an ugly hag leading covens of witches in these practices.

Hecate of the Amazons was a Moon and underworld deity. Her chariot was often pulled by dragons. She was the oldest Greek form of the triform Goddess, who ruled heaven, the underworld and the Earth. After the matriarch fell, the Greeks worshiped Hecate only as Queen of the Underworld and ruler of three-way crossroads. In Greek Mythology, when the Olympian Gods claimed fame, Zeus did not dare try to take any of Hecate's powers from her, as he knew her powers were just as great as his if not greater.

As Hecate Trivia, Hecate of the Three Ways, Her images stood at the crossroads, where offerings of dogs, honey and black lambs were left on Full Moon nights, Divination and communication with the dead were performed in these places.

She was also know as angelos (angel) and phosphorus (light). In the myth of Kore-Persephone, Hecate does not interfere when the Maiden is dragged down into the underworld. Demeter is outraged and vengeful, but Hecate remains calm, knowing that certain things in life must come to pass and there is little point in becoming hysterical about them. This inner illumination (phosphoros) of consciousness, this learning to roll with the punches and then coming back to better things is the deep wisdom taught by the Dark Mother, the dark angel (angelos) of the collective unconscious. If we do not know this aspect of the Goddess or acknowledge Her wisdom, we cannot have a truly integrated personality.

Other studies from the middle ages show Hecate with three heads and six arms. Hecate was shown holding three torches, a key, a rope, and a dagger. With the key, she unlocks the deep mysteries, the rope is a symbolical umbilical cord, the dagger, which has become the athame of Witchcraft, cuts through illusion to true power. But Hecate was also known as the most lovely one, a name for the Moon. It was said that She wore a shimmering headdress and was second to none in her powers.

Hecate was also called the Silver-Footed Queen of the Night, likely due to her connection with Persephone, who was also called by that title. In Italy at Lake Averno, an extinct volcanic crater, the thick, dark forest surrounding the lake was known as Hecate's sacred grove. Actual temples to this Goddess were rare. During the Middle Ages, Hecate became known as Queen of the Witches.

Hecate is known for her gifts of prophecy, her clear vision, and her knowledge of the magical and occult arts. Because she stands at the crossroads, she can look into the past, present and future, Her Priestesses were many, including Medea and Circe. Medea had Hecate's foresight and wisdom, Circe her gift of the magical arts.

Hecate's worshipers invoked her in ritual and placed food for her as an offering. This was known as Hecate's supper. Rituals were always in the darkest hours of the night. Worshipers gathered to study and learn occult wisdom. 

Hecate is the Dark Mother, in both the positive and the negative sense. She can send demons to torment men's dreams, she can drive them mad, if they are not well integrated enough to cope with her, but to those who dare to welcome her, she brings creative inspiration. 

Hecate is the ultimate advisor, as she sees clearly back into the past through the present and on into the future. She is the Keeper of the Key to the Akashic Records. The final mysteries of life and the universe are hers. She is the gentle Death Priestess who meets us at the end of our lives and guides us into the world of spirit.

Hecate, the Crone blends with the Maiden and Mother as they blend with Her. She is the greatest of Teachers and Initiator, for She leads us downward into the entrance of the labyrinth web. From that point, we have no choice but to face the cycle of life and death. We are shown past lives, the mistakes, the victories, and the talents gained. Only when we can accept and understand, at least in part, does the Crone show us the most sacred of Her Mysteries: that the labyrinth does not end but continues on, back into life, a never-ending cycle of existence.

She stands at the triple crossroads that exists at all levels of our being, manifesting as spirit, soul and body. We should recognize that the terrible, awful hag-like image of Hecate is merely a document of the unconscious fear of the feminine, the mystical, and the underworld. 

We must visit and come to terms with the dark unconscious side of our "inner nature" for, if we avoid this realm, we create polarity and eventually develop a dualistic world view. We have to face up to our inner Hecate, make a relationship with her as guardian of our unconsciousness, our dark side, and, trusting Her stewardship, allow ourselves to grow into an awareness of the rich realm of our personal underworld. Only through this can we become integrated beings.


from dragonoak.com