Hecate

Hecate (sometimes spelt Hekate), is the Greek goddess of the crossroads (a three-way crossroad, each of her heads facing in a certain direction), magick, dark moon, spirits and necromancy. She was the only child of the Titanes Perses and Asteria from whom she received her power over heaven, earth, and sea.

She is most often depicted as having three heads; one of a dog, one of a snake and one of a horse, usually seen with two ghost hounds that were said to serve her. She walks between the seen and unseen world but resides in neither, carrying a flaming torch so she can see where others can't - into the human psyche. 

     Hecate rescued Persephone, (Demeter's daughter, the queen of the Underworld and the maiden of spring), from the Underworld. She is said to appear when the "ebony" moon shines. She also represents the third aspect of the Goddess, the wise woman/Crone. (The goddess in her three stages is often referred to as "the triple goddess" consisting of the Maiden - Persephone, the Mother - Demeter, and the Crone - Hecate). 

     Hecate was looked upon as a goddess of fertility, whose torch was carried over freshly sown fields to symbolize the fertilizing power of moonlight. In women's agricultural mysteries her trinity took form as Kore the green corn, Persephone the ripe ear, and Hecate the harvested corn. In later times Hecate took on the form of a pillar called Hecterion.

     As discussed, she carried a torch, but she also carried three sacred emblems. A key, rope, and dagger. With the key to the underworld, Hecate unlocks the secrets of the occult mysteries and knowledge of afterlife. The rope symbolizes the umbilical cord of rebirth and renewal. The Dagger or Athame is a symbol of ritual power.

     Hecate was the protector of far off places, roads, and byways. At night during the dark moon, Hecate could be seen walking the road of Greece with her howling dogs and torches. Statues of her stood at crossroads where the traveller faced three choices. Food offerings called "Hecate's Supper" were left there late at night on the eve of the full Moon. The person leaving the food walked away without looking back, for they were afraid to confront the goddess face to face. This was a way of honouring the threefold goddess where on could look three ways at once. Hecate was accompanied by her dogs, Hermes, and her priestesses, Circe and Medea who it is said in some histories were Hecate's daughters. Her dog, who was her sacred animal had been offered to her as a sacrifice. The appearance of black howling dogs at night meant that Hecate was near, and their barking announced her approach. Then, earth began to bellow, trees to dance And howling dogs in glimmering light advance Ere Hecate came.
 

As Hecate belonged to a class of torch bearing deities, and was conceived as carrying a burning torch, the belief was that she was the nocturnal goddess of the moon and a huntress who knew her way into the realm of spirits. She was depicted wearing a gleaming headdress of stars. All the secret powers of Nature were at her command. She had control over birth, life, and death. Because of her power in the three areas of nature, heaven and earth she was represented as a triple form. She was called the triple goddess. The three phased moon. She was depicted as three female figures or as one with three animal heads. Of horse, dog and bear, or sometimes of three dogs. All wild animals were sacred to her.
Her main area of work was goddess in the world of the dead, of night and darkness, mistress of all the witchcraft and black arts. We must remember that before Christianity the underworld was not the evil place it is considered today...then, it was the resting place of the dead.
During the Middle ages, Hecate became known as Queen of the Ghostworld, or Queen of Witches.

Witches have called on Her to empower magickal works for centuries. In Medieval times, the Church mounted a violent campaign to demonize and destroy the Goddess and Her Daughters. She was diabolized by Catholic authorities who said the people most dangerous to the faith were precisely those whom Hecate patronized: the midwives. Her ancient threefold power was copied, however, by priestly writers who reassigned it to their own deity - The threefold power of Christ, namely in Heaven, in earth, and in Hell.

     Hecate was not defeated. She exists in the dark, mysterious part of each of us. In order to be complete and integrated within ourselves, we need to come to know and appreciate the hidden side of our nature. We need to face the Dark Goddess Within and build a relationship with Her. She is the Guardian of our unconscious and we should allow ourselves to appreciate the beauty and strength of that secret internal realm.

     Calling on Hecate to help us fulfil our dreams, wishes and goals adds Her power to our workings. Magick is an affirmation of the Goddess Within and of our connection with Her. Ritual and spell work reaffirm and strengthen this connection. The warm, energized feeling that remains after magickal work is physical proof of Her presence and the flow of magick.

     To learn from Hecate involves spiritual sacrifice. To gain the knowledge that She can bestow, we must give up negative habits and thought processes. We should be considerate and thoughtful of our fellow inhabitants of the Earth. We need to open our minds to new ways of thinking and understanding.

     A relationship with Hecate based on respect and trust opens us to a universe in which anything and everything is possible. Our potential is limited only by our imagination.

Correspondences:

Colours: Black (Candles also white, mauves & purples)

Moon Phase: Waning moon and especially the dark moon.

Celestial: Scorpio

Stones: Black stones such as jet, onyx, black obsidian, Moonstone, black tourmaline, hematite and smoky quartz.

Herbs/Plants: belladonna/nightshade, garlic, mints, mandrake, sandalwood, cypress, myrrh, patchouli, hemlock, wolfbane, azalea, lavender, monkshood, dandelion, Almond, Willow, and funerary trees, especially the yew, alder, and poplar (the yew is associated with immortality).

Knowledge of: death, lunar magick, magical arts, wisdom, night, self

Workings: justice, banishings, protection, prophecy, divination, inner-self

Hecate Incense blend: 3 parts Sandalwood, 2 parts Cypress (can be substituted with pine, ground), and 1 part Spearmint or Peppermint. Grind on the new moon.

Hecate Oil blend: 3 drops Myrrh, 2 drops Cypress (again can sub. pine oil, not Pine Sol), 1 drop Patchouli, and 1 dried Mint leaf. Start on the new moon and finish on the next one.

Season: Autumn and Winter

Animals: all wild animals, but especially dogs, reptiles, dragons, horses, snakes, the frog (symbol of the foetus) or toad ("toad" in many languages means "witch" or "prophetess")

Numbers: Her scared numbers were 3 and 9

Tarot Cards: The Moon, the High Priestess, and the Wheel of Fortune

Sacred Days: Samhain, November 30 – Day of Hecate at the Crossroads, the Winter Solstice.

Times: Midnight, dawn and dusk, transitional times. Strong link to the menstrual cycle (PMS or during bleeding especially)

Activities: Banishing, releasing of negativity, inner work, dream work, healing, shamanistic journeys, meeting spirit guides, communicating with the dead, divination, spellworking, to increase psychic powers, scrying