Ninth

I invoke you, beloved Hekate of the Crossroads and the Three Ways

Saffron-cloaked Goddess of the Heavens, the Underworld and the Sea

Tomb-frequenter, mystery-raving with the souls of the dead

Daughter of Perses, Lover of the Wilderness who exults among the deer

Nightgoing One, Protectress of dogs, Unconquerable Queen

Beast-roarer, Dishevelled One of compelling countenance

Tauropolos, Keyholding Mistress of the whole world

Ruler, Nymph, Mountain-wandering Nurturer of youth.

Maiden, I beg you to be present at these sacred rites

Ever with a gladsome heart and ever gracious to the Oxherd.

Hekate. Lady of the Night, Goddess of the Crossroads.  Last week, I attended an open ritual during the traditional time to honor Hekate and to ask for her guidance and protection. The goddess of transition, she offers us gifts of enlightenment and perspective when we are at a crossroads in our lives. Physical, emotionally, whenever there is a decision to be made, Hekate is there. She is always here with us.

The ritual description stated:

On an inner level, Hekate is a guardian figure of the mysterious depths of our unconscious that accesses the collective memory of the primal void and whirling forces at the onset of creation.

Nothing is more true than this. It was never more apparent than in the ritual when we evoked her. We cast the circle, and after a brief introduction of Hekate, the priestess put a cowl over her head so we couldn’t see her face. We asked Hekate to join us.

And she did. And for a moment, I was afraid. I had never invoked a goddess to that she came to me in physical form. My legs shook, and ecstasy quaked through my body.

In the form of the priestess of the ritual, Hekate spoke to us, and told us that we could offer her things that other gods find distasteful. Fear, anger, grief. We could offer her our weaknesses and in return she would give us a gift. We must offer these gifts and never look back if we wanted to receive Hekate’s gift. As we approached the Lady of the Night, we had a choice. After giving her our offering, we could go left and choose the Mystery and see what gift Hekate had for us, or we could go right and choose the gift for 

ourselves. I don’t think anyone went right.

After selecting our gifts, we returned to our place in the circle and faced outward, away from Hekate and the altar. On the count of three, we stepped forward, taking the first step toward our future and away from the gifts we sacrificed to Hekate. As we stepped, there was the sound of a deep bell ringing, almost like a gong, but no one in the circle rang it.

It was a deep magick and I am honored Hekate came to us.

I selected to give Hekate my fear and my laziness. In return, she gave me a doorway, the propylaea, the transition. I am unsure what form this gift will take, but I can’t wait to find out.

**From this website.

**Pic from Hekate