| Attributes: Protecting women and dogs and cursing the unjust Color: Midnight blue, burgundy, silver and black Symbols: Torch, dog, snake owls, cauldron, key, rope, dagger and willow Element: Earth Stone/Metal: Onyx, moonstone and silver Scent: Dittany of Crete, mastic and myrrh (365 Goddess by Patricia Telesco, The Ultimate Guide to Goddess Empowerment by Sophia and http://pinn.net/~swampy/hecate.html) |
| Hekate is awesome and terrifying for us because She represents things
that we fear or keep hidden. Her main area of work was as goddess of the
underworld, of night and darkness. Before Christianity, however, the underworld
was not the place it is considered today. Then, it was the resting place
of the dead. Many fear death and associate Her with only death but there
is so much more to this Triple Aspect Goddess. Hekate has also been looked on as a Goddess of fertility, whose torch was carried over freshly sown fields to symbolize the fertilizing power of moonlight. Torches are a common attribute of birth goddesses, possibly through the association of fire with purification, as are dogs, probably because of the ease in which they give birth. The knife that She often carries cuts the umbilical cord that begins our lives, as well as severing the ethereal link between the body and spirit at death. She has long been a Goddess of Witchcraft and has been invoked to make spells more powerful. Hekate is known for her gifts of prophecy, her clear vision and her knowledge of the magical and occult arts. She can cut through the darkness and call back the past and reveal the future. She gives humans dreams and visions which, if interpreted wisely, lead to greater clarity. She is particularly skilled at and associated with scrying and looking into the darkness for answers. Because She stands at the crossroads, She can look into the past, present and future. Her worshippers invoked Her in ritual, which always took place in the darkest hours of night and placed food for Her as an offering. This was known as Hekate's Supper. |
| Hekate is a guardian, standing at the crossroads and doorways to keep
away evil spirits. She is the dispenser of judgment and a Goddess of atonement
and purification. We can relate to her today as a guardian figure in our
unconsciousness, holding the key to the shadow within us and bearing torches
to light our way to our inner self. When one learns from Hekate, one must be willing to sacrifice oneself on the inner altar to gain her goodwill. This is a spiritual sacrifice, a willingness to give up negative habits and friends, taking time for meditation and ritual, being kind and understanding to others and opening oneself to new ways of spiritual thought and understanding. Through Hekate's cauldron, we must look at our true self, the nature of our motives and the results of our actions; because only when we look into Her dark cauldron can we see the light. Hekate is about transitions; She is the guardian of doorways, She watches over birth and death and She guides the initiate who dares to pass between the worlds. Hekate guides us across the borders and because the crossing is fearful, She is often feared by association. If we honor Hekate, She will serve as a guide in the most difficult and traumatic changes we can know at birth, initiation and death. |
| For my original contributions, I chose to make a scrying mirror in honor of Hekate. Around the outside of it, I have used willow, which is a tree that is sacred to Her. I have also made an altar dedicated to Hekate and to shadow work. I am embarking on the journey to discover my shadow and I feel that this is why Hekate has come to me now, to help guide me through my own darkness and allow me to embrace it and learn from it. |
| On my altar I have my small wand in the eastern corner of my altar. I have a white, red and black candle in honor of Hekate being a triple aspect Goddess. In front of them, I have a smoky quartz sphere on a stand as it is appropriate for shadow work. Next to this, I have my jade athame. All of this sits in the southern corner of my altar. I have my cauldron in honor of Hekate's cauldron in the western corner of my altar. I have rose petals and a malachite turtle in the northern corner of my altar. I have placed the crone card from the Motherpeace tarot deck in the front center of my altar as this is a depiction of Hekate. Around it, I have my pendulum as this is another form of divination. I have placed the scrying mirror that I made in the back center of my altar. Notice the necklace hanging on the scrying mirror. The pendant is of Hekate, given to me as a gift. I made the necklace that it hangs from, using onyx and moonstone, which are stones associated with Hekate and adding red jade in honor of Hekate being a triple aspect goddess. |
| Sources: 365 Goddess by Patricia Telesco The Ultimate Guide to Goddess Empowerment by Sophia http://pinn.net/~swampy/hecate.html http://www.hecatescauldron.org http://www.hecate.org Original Contributions: Scrying mirror Altar dedicated to Hekate and shadow work |