Hekate

Hey there!

If you have bought my hand made Hekate candle, please note that it was made with permission from her on the new moon, then set out during the full moon.

This candle also has flower petals that are from her altar as well as wax that is from a candle that was on her altar.

Let’s talk about Hekate (good lort there are so many ways to say her name, you can’t be wrong. I say heh-KAH-tay). She is a Greek goddess of a few things. It seems like she was originally the goddess of the earth, sky and sea, hence the triple goddess. I am not sure how she transformed into the goddess of witchcraft, crossroads, ect. She has multiple theories of who her parents are so I’m not going to go into them. Some others are the crossroads, opening locked doors, midwifery, guiding souls to the underworld, and because of that she is also associated with ghosts, ancestors and shadow work. She is also said to be the goddess of witchcraft, though I am not sure why… I suppose because she can travel through the veil so easily and usually witches work a lot with spirit guides, ancestors and shadow work.

I hear folks can be nervous to work with her, and I can see why, as she's done nothing but kick my ass with shadow work. I suppose I do keep asking for it, though.

OK, let’s talk about how I came to work with her. When I was in high school, my favorite number was 13. At the time I was an adorable little (and traumatized but didn’t know it) keychain goth. I wanted to be different so bad. I rebelled against my parents as much as I could, while still craving validation and love that I would never receive. I loved to journal and read and wanted so badly to connect with something beyond me, but didn’t know how. A friend briefly introduced me to witchcraft, incense and Mystic Valley (a metaphysical store in STL). I was in-fucking-love. I felt like I-Had-Arrived! But me being me and never being taught how to be a good friend or how to interact with people on a supportive and healthy level, the friend shared something with me and I didn’t want to be a part of it. Rather, I didn’t know HOW to be a part of it. Little did I know I would be engaging in the same behavior years later… (talk about shadow work)

OK, back to the topic, shall we?

About a year ago I started getting interested in ghosts, and connecting with them and working on banishing them. I started researching witchcraft and ghosts and, of course, Hekate came up. I started reading about her and how she will call to you. Some of the ways were liking the number 13, wanting to connect with ghosts, and wanting to journey to the other sides of ourselves and learn. I was already in therapy and 12 step programs for multiple years, so I understood the shadow work side of her. She represents wisdom, intuition and, as stated above, cycles of death and renewal. She invites us to look deeper within ourselves and unlock the mysteries so we can shed the skins of old, and allow our shiny new skins glimmer in the sun.

Let’s talk about her being the goddess of the crossroads. The crossroads were places of spirituality way back when. The veil is thin there, so it’s where you would make a deal with the devil and commune with the spirits. Crossroads can also be a physical symbol of a human having to choose which way they want to go. Which path do they want to follow? Do you want to go somewhere new? Or stay with the old? 

Let’s talk about doorways. I have read in multiple places that doorways are also ways to meet her. When we walk through a new door in our physical lives, there is something beyond it we do not know. It takes courage and curiosity to do something new. When we are getting ready to close an old door and open a new one metaphorically, there is also fear there. We have to know that Hekate will open the door for us with her Keys, if we are ready for it. And that leads us to…

Her Keys. She is the “keeper of the keys”. When we pray and work with her, ask her for her guidance, she helps us open the doors of our subconscious. She helps us see things that we would not otherwise see. She unlocks the doors with us, holding our hands and nudging us forward with motherly love. In addition to unlocking the doors, she also lights the way with her torch. 

She is a torchbearer. This means that as we are searching, if we are praying to her, she will light the way. She will help us see in the darkness of our path. She will help guide us and light the path on our journey.

She often also carries a knife. I have read multiple things in multiple places on what the knife is for. Some say it’s an athame for use in magickal rituals, other say it was to cut the umbilical cord from newborns when she is acting as a midwife, others say it is to cut away the old so the new can come in.

I don’t see this often, but sometimes she also has a rope, or cord. Some folks think it represents rebirth and renewal, such as an umbilical cord.

Hekate was often associated with various animals, including dogs, horses, snakes, and owls.

I cannot for the life of me figure out why she is associated with horses, other than a way of transport? They are very gentle and intuitive? But they can also be fierce and used in battle? I’ve read in ONE place that they may have been associated with death and the underworld, so I’m not sure about that. 

Dogs because, why not. They can see through the veil and are very sensitive. Plus, they are (well, not mine) fierce guardians. When we hear them howling and barking, she is here with us. 

Snakes, because, well, they represent shedding the old things that no longer serve us so we can continue to live long and fulfilling lives. They represent rebirth, renewal.

And owls, because owls are fucking awesome. They are creatures of the night. Swift, focused, and full of wisdom and knowledge. 

On to herbs and stones.

I feel like every website says different herbs and stones are “her’s”. I have found obsidian and garlic on multiple sites, but that’s it. I have also read that if you are going to bring a gift to her on the new moon (or any moon), to make sure that dogs can eat it when they come across it. I have left her some hamburger and hotdog before. 

If I want to do spellwork with herbs, I get out ol’ Scott Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magickal Herbs and feel around for what I want to use. 

Her symbol is this Strophalos

I feel like this is such a powerful symbol. It is said to be the depiction of a labyrinthine serpent around a central spiral, and there are multiple additional reasons behind the symbol. The one I like the most is that it is the path to knowledge. She will help guide you through the maze of life. And it is used for protection because if she isn’t protecting you, you will get lost in the maze and she will guide you away. 

Let’s talk about the moon. She is seemingly most associated with the new moon, I would assume because it’s darkest on the new moon and better to meet at the crossroads, or do rituals outside in secret. I will specifically pray to her on the new moon if I am working on letting something go. I will also pray to her on full moons, though, because I do feel like that is when the energies are most powerful.

I am not the type of witch that performs big rituals, I do pray a lot and light candles. I wear a key around my neck as well. I’ll make a satchel for myself. You find what works for you. Try one thing, then another if that doesn’t feel right. Then when that doesn’t feel good, go try another thing. That’s what is great about witchcraft, is no one can tell you you’re doing it wrong. You can’t get into trouble. It really is, “You do you, boo”. 

So, I guess all of this is to say, if you want to do some serious connecting with spirits or shadow work and you feel called to her, she’s your gal. She has been pivotal in my shadow work journey, whether it’s through 12 step work, therapy, or simply journaling on my own and talking to friends. She is amazing, and I am so grateful to have been called to work with her. I feel like she really has helped me transform my life. 

This is obviously not a comprehensive list. If you want to pray to her, worship her, ect, it may be good to get other folks' opinions, not just mine. 😀