Hecate, beautiful crone of night

Hecate

By Ella

Chant to Hecate

I call you here to put things right.

Transform the negative thoughts and pain

And help my life be whole again.

Hecate queen of the underworld,

Mother of the dark night,

Behold my fears.

Goddess, take these fears away from me,

Smash them, trash them, banish them.

Words by Silver Ravenwolf and Gerina Dunwhich

Music by Ella ~ Coming Soon

Image from Paleothea

http://www.paleothea.com/Gallery/HecateDD.html

Hecate, you who stand at the crossroads, guiding us through our choice, our path, that which is destined to be. You and your hounds that howl under the dark moonlight. You who are Hecate of the crossroads.

Hecate, Queen of the Underworld, you who carry those parts of our lives away, those things that are of no use to our spirits; you who take them into the dark womb and help them to be reborn into something that, once joined back with our spirit, will help us to radiate your light even brighter. You who are Hecate, the light bringer.

Hecate, ancient crone of wisdom, of magic, you who are all seeing, you who are all divining, you who, when called, will help us to see, to divine, the path we must choose to walk before us. You who are Hecate, queen of the witches.

We call on you now, we call on your radiant presence. Be here with us as we dance with you down your path, as we learn your mysteries, as we learn your beginnings, as we learn your gifts. Be here with us as you teach us your ways.

Here is Hecate.

Hecate / Greek Triple Goddess

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, compound stone, 10.5"H.

Image from Talaria Enterprises

http://www.talariaenterprises.com/product_lists/greek_marble_fbust_pg2.html

Her-story and Mythology

Hecate has a complex history. There is much disagreement on her origins and her attributes. Most say she is derived from the Egyptian midwife, Goddess Hekat, but she is most known to us from her history in Greek mythology as Hecate, one of the many names for the original feminine trinity ruling the Heaven, Earth and Underworld.

Most historians agree that she is the daughter of Titans, Asteria and Perses, which makes her the cousin of Artemis and Apollo. She is also considered the mother of Skylla by Pokys, a minor sea god. When the Olympians took over, they allowed Hecate to join their pantheon, and Zeus, in a sign of great respect for her previous station, let her retain her original powers and shared with her the power of granting humanity whatever she desired.

In their pantheon she was considered a goddess of the waning or dark moon, but she really held power over three realms: earth, water, and sky. As a virgin goddess, she was unwilling to give up her independence in marriage. She carried a torch or torches with her and because of this was sometimes called the light bringer. Sacred dogs, usually black, traveled with her and often announced her coming by their howls. An owl was also said to travel with her, a symbol of wisdom.

This wisdom is most likely connected to her farsightedness. To those who call on her for aid she sends dreams of foretelling. It is this aspect of her, this ability to see all things, past, present and future, that led to her role in the Demeter and Kore myth.

When Kore was kidnapped into the underworld, Hecate was able to hear what had happened and she told Demeter, Kore’s mother. Some believe that the reason she could only hear what had happened was because Kore was kidnapped under the eyes of the sun, and as a moon goddess she was unable to see the occurrence - only to hear it.

She became Kore’s guide and guardian while she traveled into the underworld. She also became her friend. Her friendship with Kore caused Hades to honor her as a permanent guest of the underworld.

Hecate, like her cousin Artemis, was known as a protector of woman, especially during childbirth. She was the midwife, she held the power to help a newborn grow strong in the first days of life, to overcome illnesses, and was called on for aid in basic childrearing. She also was of help to the elderly in their transition into death. Any passage of life was her domain.

Hecate is a goddess of new beginnings, new paths. Any gate, crossroad, or door is her domain. She will sometimes ask us to let go of those things we are holding, those things that feel safe and secure, so that we may walk a new path to greater spiritual connectedness. Hecate’s worship is focused on an individual's needs, usually by offering insight, magic, or guiding the caller through difficult transitions. Considered mostly as a goddess for individual woman, Hecate represents independence, power, and freedom from the masculine - attributes very much needed by many women both then and today.

She was also honored by social outcasts and was called the protector of the oppressed. Many of the priest who came to live and worship in her groves in Greece, were ex-slaves that had been released by Rome.

Offerings to Hecate, typically done under the dark moon, were usually in the form of Hecate’s supper: food left at the crossroads, on doorsteps, or anywhere one may think her and her dogs would be likely to travel. These offering were most often the left over food from dinner, meat for her dogs, or currant cakes.

Another way of honoring her was with triple-faced masks hung on poles at the crossroads or on the doors of dwellings.

Her Image

Hecate, image from Sacred Source

http://sacredsource.com

Her image has varied through her-story. Originally she was seen as the most beautiful one, which is another name for the moon. She was considered to have black or silver hair, pale, luminous skin, and stars in her eyes. She usually travels in a cloak or robe in a shade of purple or blue like the dark night sky.

As her story grew and changed, so did her image. She was more and more often depicted in a triple image form. At first, as 3 woman intertwined, and then into a woman with 3 heads. She was still radiantly beautiful, but was also still changing. The 3-headed goddess began to have the heads of animals: a snake, a dog, a lion, a horse, or a boar, but most always with the dog.

The last of her incarnations is the saddest. It is the image we associate the most with her in modern times - that of the hag; An old woman, crouched, with withered skin and walking with a staff. Some of the old symbolism is still there with her. A dog is always with her and snakes are usually in the image as well, but her radiance, her beauty, has been stripped. She has been cast in an image of fright, and has been cast in the role of fear. She has become misunderstood, as have many a goddess with the coming of the patriarchy.

We must remember who she is, how she is our light, our guide, our friend. She is the one to call on when faced with the fear of walking a different path, when choice becomes, not an opportunity, but a time of paralysis. She will bring us through this life, all it’s changes, all it’s doors, gates, and cross roads; She will bring us through in strength, freedom, and power.

She is Hecate.

Banishing Ritual to Hecate

Created by Ella

Done on the waning moon, preferably while on your moon blood.

Supplies:

1 black candle

2 white candles, or candle of appropriate color aspect

dagger (one of her symbols)

chalice filled with water

Alter decorated in whatever images you can find that could represent her (cauldron, snake, dog, or lion statue, black and purple things, black feathers, etc.)

Incense, sandalwood and patchouli preferable, carried in a censor

Your moon blood

Preparation:

Cleansing and Purification:

Try to have a clean house for this ritual, I know it may be difficult, but it seems to work better, at least for me.

Ritual bath and purification.

Candle dressing:

I like to write the things I want banished on the black candle, like negativity, anger, fighting, misunderstanding, spiritual disconnect. I try to leave the things I want taken away vague. I don’t believe in targeting individuals or situations, but the pain, and feelings that are being caused within myself, the weakness that I am finding. Make sure that for every banishment, you have an idea of how to fill it back in your life. Ideas such as happiness, spiritual connection, understanding, and respectful communication are some ideas. What you get rid of, you need to replace with something better. Make sure you dress the candle going away from you.

When you are done, rub some dark oil on it, I like the earth smell of patchouli, or honey works well for Hecate, if you have it.

Set the altar

Ritual Body:

Purify with sage

Mediate and center

Do your basic circle cast, whatever is most comfortable for you. Here is what I like to do.

Invoke elemental goddess’ that fit the circumstances

Cast circle, using anthame, leave a gateway to walk through your house, if possible.

Light black candle

Invoke Hecate: sing chant:

Hecate, beautiful crone of night

I call you here to put things right.

Transform the negative thoughts and pain

And help my life be whole again.

Hecate queen of the underworld,

Mother of the dark night,

Behold my fears.

Goddess, take these fears away from me,

Smash them, trash them, banish them.

Sing and sing, raise her power, close your eyes, stare in the space of your third eye, feel her wrap her cloak around you and her light fill you.

Light the incense

Go through the house, counter clock-wise with the incense. Whenever you come to a door or gateway, mark it with your moon blood saying:

“With the protective power of my blood, I have banished spiritual disconnect” or whatever you are banishing. “I no longer allow spiritual disconnect to affect my life and the lives of (whomever).” Or something like this.

Do this through your entire space until you come back to the circle.

Light the white candles, ask for those things that you wish to have drawn into your life, happiness, spiritual connectedness, etc… Make sure you speak it as if it were already there.

Light the sandalwood incense.

Go back through the house with the new incense, in each gateway call for those things you want to be drawn.

Do this until you come back to the circle.

Once in the circle sing this chant:

Let the path be clear before me, let all go as I will

And the past be clean behind me, let all go as I will

And the ones I love beside me, let all go as I will

And the goddess light above me, let all go as I will

And the solid earth beneath me, let all go as I will

And my own true self within me, let all go as I will

Song music and lyrics by Ruth Barret

When you feel focused and full of energy, mediate. See what Hecate sends you.

When done the meditation, take a sip from the chalice then offer the chalice to her as an offering. Thank her for her presence in the circle.

Devoke circle

Thank Hecate for her presence and aid.

Thank elemental goddess’

Close circle

Put some food outside for her and her dogs.

Let candles and incense burn out. When all is done, bury the ashes and remains in the earth to bring rebirth from the underworld.

Symbols

Symbols: Torch, rope, cauldron, dark moon, crescent cakes, crossroads, and 3 headed animals or statues, number 3, masks, candles, keys, dagger,

Animals: all wild animals, especially- black dogs or wolf, horses, black sheep, owls, bats, snakes, boars, crows, ravens

Plants: willows, dark yew, hazel, cypress, groves of trees, raisins, currents, gourds (pumpkins), aconite

Scents: cinnamon, myrrh, mugwart, honey

Gems and Metals: sapphire, silver, gold, moonstone, any stone that is dark or luminous

Colors: black and purple

Other images and sites of interest on Hecate:

http://www.paleothea.com/Gallery/HecateDD.html

http://www.paleothea.com/Gallery/HecateWalsh.html

http://www.somaluna.com/product.asp?p=785&m=96

http://www.goddessgift.net/images/HEC%20with%20Torch-front-lrg.jpg

Hecate fun:

http://www.pacificnet.net/~spectre/Temple/librarydesk.html

References:

(my favorite) Hecate’s Cauldron, great site with lots of information on Hecate, rituals, pictures, just wonderful. This is the site that I got most of my information from.

http://www.hecatescauldron.org/Hecate's%20History%20and%20Origin.htm

The Goddess, this is a site with a wonderful paper written on Hecate by Jassmine.

http://www.gotojassminesitenow.com/goddesses/hecate.html

Traditional text and Hymn about Hecate

jassmine@jassmine.com

Love of the Goddess, great site with many goddess links, and good historical background on Hecate.

http://www.pinn.net/~swampy/hecate.html

Goddess gifts, another great site, good historical and modern information, as well, as divination type information.

http://www.goddessgift.com/goddess-myths/greek_goddess_hecate.htm

Shrine of Hecate, good information

http://inanna.virtualave.net/hekate.html#Sign