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[intothewitchingwood]

Doing readings and spells for free if anyone wants one

[intothewitchingwood]

What is Hekatean Witchcraft?

As Hekate devotee and a witch, Hekatean Witchcraft is the path I claim. This is what it means to me.

Hekatean Witchcraft is a magical practice that centers around the Goddess Hekate as Queen of Witches. It involves venerating Her, invoking Her, and building a relationship with Her. 

Hekatean Witchcraft is also a tradition which honors Her followers. This means learning about and honoring the witches of Ancient Greek lore. Venerating and invoking Kirke, Medea, Simaetha, and others, recognizing them as part of our spiritual ancestry as witches who followed Hekate.

Along these lines, Hekatean Witchcraft is also a practice which aims to revive and reconstruct Ancient Greek magic and witchcraft. This includes learning what we know of magical practices in Ancient Greece, as well as learning about the literary iterations of magicians and witches in Ancient Greece. Furthermore, it involves trying to incorporate these practices, stories, and archetypes into our modern practice as witches and followers of Hekate.

Hekatean Witchcraft is also a path of poisons and herbs. Hekate and Her followers were considered masters of plants or drugs and their many uses. To follow these traditions, Hekatean Witchcraft aims to be a path of herbalism, with its followers learning the many uses of various herbs and roots, but especially poisons, which embody the balance of health and death.

Hekatean Witchcraft is a tradition which harms and heals. Hekate is a just goddess and is kind and warm, but also carries within Her a darkness and a power to harm. For She is ultimately a goddess of balance and liminal spaces. Followers of Her path seek to mirror and attain this balance, learning to curse and to bless, and doing so when each is justified.

Hekatean Witchcraft is a path which honors spirits. As Hekate is the Mistress of Souls, Hekatean Witches honor the dead, keeping them alive in our witchcraft. This could be the Beloved Dead, our family and friends who have passed, and/or the Mighty Dead, those we honor who shared in our spiritual and magical pursuits. We venerate them and give them offerings to work our magic.

A Hekatean Witch is one who seeks both personal power as well as humility before Her. Hekate calls us to recognize the part of Her that resides in all of us, as all our souls come from Her, but also urges us to learn our position in the Cosmic Order. Teaching us when to be confident and when to be humble. Striving to be balanced like She is.

A Hekatean Witch is one who seeks to honor and worship Hekate, to be Her student, to work Her will through our art, to take control of our lives in Her name. We see our power as coming from Hers, and strive to grow that power and knowledge to further honor Her and strengthen our relationship with Hekate, always seeking to attain both balance and strength in Her name.

[intothewitchingwood]

Offerings for Hekate

In case you don’t want to read this whole passage, I have highlighted the offerings. 

Traditional offerings to Hekate consisted of a lot of animal sacrifice, but so did most of the Ancient Greek gods. But, her offerings also had components of other kinds. One such example is found in the Argonautica by Apollonius of Rhodes (the edition I quote from is the Penguin Classics Voyage of the Argonaut). In this quote, Medea, the witch priestess of Hekate, instructs Jason on how to make an offering to Hekate:

”Wait for the moment of midnight and after bathing in an ever running river, go out alone in sombre clothes and and dig a round pit in the earth. There, kill an ewe and after heaping up a pyre over the pit, sacrifice it whole, with a libation of honey from the hive and prayers to Hecate, Perses’ only Daughter. Then, when you have invoked the goddess duly, withdraw from the pyre. And do not be tempted to look behind you as you go, either by footfalls or the baying of hounds, or you may ruin everything and never meet your friends alive”

(Page 136, Book III, lines 1002-1044)

The methods used here to perform the offerings were very common for deities like Hekate. She is a chthonic deity which means she resides in the Underworld, or at least lives there sometimes. When performing offerings for these deities and for the dead, they would be poured/sacrificed directly onto the earth, or in most cases a pit that was dug. Also in this passage, we see two offerings: honey and an ewe. Also noticed is the suggestion not to look back. This is quite a common practice when honoring chthonic beings such as Hekate.

Another passage which describes an offerings to Hekate comes from a later Latin (which is probably considered a little less traditional) text that also discusses the workings of the witch priestess Medea:

“As she came Medea stopped before the threshold and the door; covered by the sky alone, she avoided her husband’s embrace, and built two turf altars, one on the right to Hecate and one on the left to Youth. She wreathed these with boughs from the wild wood, then hard by she dug two ditches in the earth and performed her rites; plunging her knife into the throat of a back sheep, she drenched the open ditches with his blood. Next she poured upon it bowls of liquid wine, and again bowls of milk still warm…”

(Ovid’s Metamorphoses page 128 from book VII in the Barnes & Noble Classics edition)

Again, we see the sacrifice of a sheep, but this time, there is the edition of wine and milk.

As seen, though animal sacrifice is a common motif, there are offerings which require no animal bloodshed. The philosopher Porphyry in his work On Abstinence expanded upon this by writing about other offerings given to Hekate:

“He diligently sacrificed to them at proper times in every month at the new moon, crowning and adorning the statues of Hermes and Hecate, and the other sacred images which were left to us by our ancestors, and that he also honored the gods frankincense, and sacred wafers and cakes.”

(Porphyry On Abstinence quoted in Hekate: Liminal Rites by Sorita D’Este)

Porphyry’s quote displays a few offerings: frankincense and sacred wafers and cakes. Incense was a common offering to the gods, and remains so today. However, incense was not usually given to chthonic deities. This is slightly different for Hekate most likely because she was not always in the role of a chthonic deity. She was often honored in an ouranic, or heavenly, aspect. This could account for the offering of frankincense.

Some more offerings recommended are found in Sorita D’Este’s book Hekate: Liminal Rites, which I think is a must read for any Hekate follower. In the book she includes a chart which lists offerings of garlic, mullet, eggs, and cheese. Though this book is modern, these are often commonly accepted as traditional offerings to Hekate. She also references cakes called amphiphon which is described as a “flat cheesecake which was surrounded by small torches” offered to her at the Deipnon.

I have outlined some traditional offerings to Hekate, but I have some of my own that I find she enjoys from my experience honoring her. I have found that candles, scented or unscented, sprinkled with her sacred herbs make good offerings, not only for the evaporation of substance, but for the presence of a flame. As a torch-bearing goddess, I figured she might like fires. Another offering I give to her is just a modification of a traditional one. When offering milk to her, I sprinkle cinnamon in it for extra flavoring. Another thing I have found to be an effective offering is blood. I often give her my blood on festivals and celebrations, but I also offer it to her when I am in serious need of her assistance. These offerings aren’t really traditional, but they have worked well enough for me!

[intothewitchingwood]

Hekatean Witchcraft Recommended Reading List

Books on Hekate:

-Hekate Soteira by Sarah Iles Johnston:

A must read for any Hekate devotee or follower. Discusses Her earlier roles as well as Her position as Cosmic World Soul in the Chaldean Oracles.

-Restless Dead by Sarah Iles Johnston:

Discusses the Ancient Greek views of the dead, which includes a lot of useful information about Hekate.

-Hekate: Liminal Rites by Sorita d’Este and David Rankine:

A great overview of Hekate’s history and many different aspects. An easy, but well informed read.

-Circle for Hekate vol. 1 by Sorita d’Este:

A much more in depth investigation of Hekate’s hostory, highly recommend. There’s a lot of little known info in this book.

-The Argonautica by Apollonius of Rhodes:

This is a classical epic and it follows the journey of Jason. It also, however, discusses Medea and Her worship of Hekate very frequently. Excellent historical viewpoints.

-Theogony by Hesiod:

Contains the Hymn to Hekate which is one of the first literary mentions of Hekate. Outlines Her early, ouranic roles.

-The Goddess Hekate edited by Stephen Ronan:

A difficult to locate text, but an absolutely great study on many different aspects of Hekate’s history.

Books on Ancient Greek Magic and Witchcraft:

-Arcana Mundi by Georg Luck:

Discusses real, historical practices, as well as the texts we have that relate to them. Also discusses many ancient beliefs about magic.

-The Greek Magical Papyri:

An important historical document which illustrates the way much of magic was performed in Ancient Greece and Rome.

-Magic, Witchcraft, and Ghosts in the Greek and Roman Worlds by Daniel Ogden

A great sourcebook which contains excerpts from historical documents on the subject of magic and witchcraft, as well as discussion and analysis of these passages. An essential.

-Magika Hiera edited by Chris A. Faraone and Dirk Obbink:

Discusses a range of different magical practices in Ancient Greece, as well as their relation to theology. Discusses binding tablets, amulets, herbal magic, and more.

-Curse Tablets and Binding Spells from the Ancient World by John G. Gager:

This book has a more narrow focus but is really great and a lot of the information has been useful in reconstructing these practices.

-Greek and Roman Necromancy by Daniel Ogden:

A favorite author of mine and a great study of ancient necromancy, which was a huge component of magic in the ancient world.

-Night’s Black Agents by Daniel Ogden:

Has a great section which discusses Kirke and Medea as the first witches in western mythology and literature.

-Witchcraft and Magic in Europe Volume 2: Ancient Greece and Rome edited by Bengt Ankarloo and Stuart Clark:

Includes essays from many experts on the topics of witchcraft and magic in the ancient world and was my introduction to the subject. Highly recommend this book.

[intothewitchingwood]

Hekatean Witchcraft Master List

Hekate Posts

Informational Posts

Recommended Reading List

Common Misconceptions of Hekate

What is Hekatean Witchcraft?

Hekate as the Cosmic World Soul

Crowned with Snakes and Branches of Oak: Hekate Brimo

Hekate as a Witch Goddess

Starting With Hekate

Hekate’s Plants/Herbs

Offerings for Hekate

Signs From Hekate

Crossroads and Hekate

Hekate Oil Recipe

Small Ways to Incorporate Hekate Worship/Devotion into Your Everyday Life

Zeus and Hekate

Hekatean Home Protection

Hekate Prayers

Prayer to the Many Faces of Hekate

Hymn to Hekate Pharmakeia

Prayer of Devotion to Hekate

Prayer to Hekate on the Dark Moon

Prayer to Hekate for Vengeance and Justice

Medea’s Invocation of Hekate

Prayer to Hekate for Guidance

Nightly Prayer to Hekate

Prayer to Hekate Soteira

Prayer to Hekate of the Foxes for Guidance

Prayer to Hekate When Crossing Thresholds

Prayer to Hekate to Avert Evil Spirits

Spells and Rituals

Hekatean Circle Casting

Full Moon Ritual

Hekate’s Deipnon and Dark Moon Ritual

Rite of Dedication to Hekate

Invocation of Hekate for Rites of the Dead

Invocation of Hekate and Helios for Aid in Witchcraft

To Prevent an Enemy’s Progress and Success

Hekate’s Open Pathways Spell

Hekatean Witchcraft Curse

Ritual to Banish a Malignant Spirit

Medeia Posts

Introduction to Worshipping Medeia

Medeia Epithets

Prayer to Medeia for Women’s Empowerment

Prayer to Medeia for Aid in Witchcraft

Prayer to Medeia for Vengeance

Prayer to Medeia for Guidance

Pan Posts

Offerings for Pan

Invocation of Pan for Aid in Witchcraft

To Pan in the Fall

To Pan in the Winter

Prayer to Pan for Easing Depression

Pan’s Love and Sex Charm

General Posts

Shrines: A Moderately In-Depth Look

Witchcraft History Book Recommendations

Deities, Worship, and Magic

Prayer Candle Divination

On Substitutions

A Note on Priesthood

Witchcraft and Hellenic Polytheism

A Cunning Man Who Liked Men: A Bit About James Thomas

Spells and Rituals

Kirke’s True Colors Spell

Rite of Blood

To Curse a Bigot

Halloween Ritual

To Strengthen a Distant Relationship

Stop Gossip Spell

For Protection Against Witchcraft

Gay Love Spell: To Conjure Love from Another Man

(To be continuously updated)

[intothewitchingwood]

From Mother Goose to You- a Couplet, Curse, or Two.

*Use responsibly, and remember, NO action is without consiquence.*

A Curse of Disbelief:

————————————————————

There was a man, he went mad,

He jumped into a paper bag;

The paper bag was too narrow,

He jumped into a wheelbarrow;

The wheelbarrow took on fire,

He jumped into a cow byre;

The cow byre was too nasty;

He jumped into an apple pasty;

The apple pasty was too sweet,

He jumped into Chester-le-Street;

Chester-le-Street was full of stones,

He fell down and broke his bones.

—————————————————————

To “Teach a Lesson”:

This is a spell in which a person’s Prosperity will begin to diminish with time until a certain idea is realized, in which the curse will end itself.

The words “dead” at the end are not to be used to the detriment of the person but as a reward (I.e. death to the curse).

For example, say there is a particularly well off person that has achieved his success through direct theft. This spell would continue to worsen until the person “realizes the error of their ways”.

—————————————————————

There was a man of double deed

Sowed his garden full of seed.

When the seed began to grow,

‘Twas like a garden full of snow;

When the snow began to melt,

'Twas like a ship without a belt;

When the ship began to sail,

'Twas like a bird without a tail;

When the bird began to fly,

'Twas like an eagle in the sky;

When the sky began to roar,

'Twas like a lion at the door;

When the door began to crack,

'Twas like a stick across my back;

When my back began to smart,

'Twas like a penknife in my heart;

When my heart began to bleed,

'Twas death and death and death indeed.

—————————————————————

“For Want of a Nail” Curse:

This curse involves the taking of something seemly insignificant to cause a greater downfall. Example: Take someone’s pencil and carve their name into it.

—————————————————————

For want of a nail the shoe was lost.

For want of a shoe the horse was lost.

For want of a horse the rider was lost.

For want of a rider the message was lost.

For want of a message the battle was lost.

For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.

And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.

—————————————————————

A Spell to End a Spat by Which You are a Neutral Party:

Tweedledum and Tweedledee

Agreed to have a battle;

For Tweedledum said Tweedledee

Had spoiled his nice new rattle.

Just then flew down a monstrous crow,

As black as a tar-barrel;

Which frightened both the heroes so,

They quite forgot their quarrel.

—————————————————————

[intothewitchingwood]

Got some stuff from Amazon I love my tarot deck

[intothewitchingwood]

a knot charm

This is a simple charm of my own invention, taken from the chord and knot magic used to store the energy of storms in forms of folk magic, as well as the idea of rhetoric magic being a powerful tool, and stories being stored in knots.  I’d like to add that for me, it is truly effective for 12 days- beyond that, I am wary. 

Strength enough to carry the weak 

Rest enough to stay awake

Health enough to care for the sick 

Brave enough to be afraid 

Wise enough to be a fool 

Kind enough to carry cruel 

Old enough to be alive

Life enough to let it die

Bone to blood and blood to bone

To my hand by rope and stone

From flame to sea to earth to sky

Heart for heart and eye for eye

The simplest way to use this would be with a piece of string, spoken aloud, tying a knot after each respective line. 

My personal method is to take 12 stone beads and a piece of cord (made of a plant if it is available) and to tie them into the knots as I speak, and wear the product as a bracelet or necklace until it is no longer needed or I feel it has weakened. 

I imagine you could also incorporate herbs you associate with the qualities you are petitioning for, taglocks if you so wish, trinkets, working by moonlight, ritual, truly, anything. Magic is adaptable, and I cannot dictate what will work for you. 

The resulting product could be used as decoration, stored in a sacred or safe place, worn as jewelry, given as a gift, used as another spell component- experiment with it. 

Rest well. 

-Vivian

[intothewitchingwood]

Hello! From your experience as a cunning woman, is it common for a healer to get sick whilst healing others? I have petitioned gods on behalf of others to heal them in the past, but only recently did I began getting into doing the nitty gritty healing myself. My patients appear to be recovering, but I have found healing rituals to be exhausting and even more tiring than other forms of magic. Now I’m catching a cold too (might be unrelated though). Also, have a great day!

Healing is hard. In the world we live in, it is genuinely more difficult to love, to care, to protect, to nurture and comfort, to do justice and show mercy, than it is to simply obey to the « dog eats dog » logics permeating everything.

I personnally can’t say I have experienced anything similar, no. First, although of a fairly average constitution, it seems I have been astrologically blessed with a divine immune system (touch wood) and thus this translates as me rarely if ever finding myself afflicted by any sickness. Second - well, my ways of performing healing magic are odds.

My advice to you would be to be mindful of the principle of transference. It’s a common pitfall to fall for when starting out, but if you take away some illness, you have to either place it somewhere else or preferably destroy it : if not, then it may well be finding a new host, and it could well be you. Keeping yourself clean and pure and alert is essential in healing magic. When dealing with a patient in the hospital, one doesn't wish to get more germs in their wounds, nor to invite any in their own hazardous cuts. So you yourself have to be clean to do the work. Not just for reasons of propriety, but because from a magical perspective there is no distinction between physical wounds, spiritual wounds, and emotional wounds (it wouldn't do for it to latch onto your own dark feelings and then you be haunted instead, would it ?), and that because sometimes it is demons and such you're dealing with. You must be protected against their evils, and that starts from within.

The wounded healer is a truth, but not this way.

[intothewitchingwood]

A Charm Bag for Protection from Curses, Evill Spirits, and Ill Luck

Witch Power Recipe (x)

Traditional Witchcraft:

A Cornish Book of Ways

—by Gemma Gary

[intothewitchingwood]

“Anxiety is always feeling like something is out of place and when you can’t find what it is…you start to think it’s you”

-the suicide effect

[intothewitchingwood]

A Curse of Holly

Holly is variously associated with the planets of Mars and Saturn, making it an excellent choice for baneful work. Its berries cause vomiting when eaten, and its thorny leaves ensure suffering.

You will need:

A poppet of your foe, drawn as a paper doll

A seven-thorned holly leaf

A fresh holly berry

A needle

Black thread

- - - - - - -

Once the poppet has been constructed to your satisfaction, and taglocks have been attributed, you are to crush the holly berry and baptize it with the flesh inside:

"With sickening dew, I baptize you, (Name).

Your purpose is to deliver suffering and loss to the one who bears your name and face."

Press the holly leaf against the doll.

"By this holly's seven thorns, you shall suffer seven wounds."

Take the needle and thread, and begin sewing the leaf to the doll so that the thorns may torment it without rest. It need not look pretty. However you stitch it, the number of times you stab shall be seven.

"I stab your profession.

I stab your wealth.

I stab your possessions.

I stab your health.

I stab reputation.

I stab your lust.

By the seventh, friendships and trust.

No relief to you shall come. By spirit of holly, the act has been done."

[intothewitchingwood]

The Ruinous Rod of Blasting

Throughout time, the wand, staff, and scepter have become a part of the magician’s image. As kings held a scepter to symbolize their power, so a magician would hold a rod to symbolize their own. This symbol has existed from the ancient days of Moses into modern times where we have Harry Potter.  There were different kinds of wands owned and employed by sorcerers over the years, but none so terrible and harrowing as the blasting rod. This mystical stick could cause destruction in both the spirit world and mortal world alike. Because of that, both spirit and human feared this tool in the hands of magicians.  Just as many other magical tools, it can be found in both ceremonial magic and folk magic. However, unlike other tools, this is one that has two different interpretations for the two sections of magic. Both are used for ‘blasting’ and damning, but the methods of use and creation are different. It it originated with one or the other, simply that is a tool of magic useful to both folk magicians and ceremonial magicians.  Most of the time, when someone hears ‘blasting rod’, they hear it in the context of low magic. Blasting was something done by witches and cunning folk as a method of sharp, acute cursing. It caused illness, blights, storms, impotence, sterility, barrenness, and misfortune. One of the most common methods of blasting was when a witch would employ their trusty blackthorn rod. The stick was pointed, tapped, and shaken at its intended victims. In some lore, the same rod that placed the curse would be able to undo it. Witches with crooked blackthorn canes are the image tied to this lore. Blackthorn is the most commonly used wood for a blasting rod, so much so that the term has become semi-synonymous with ‘the blackthorn stick’. The thorns of the blackthorn are sharp and cause infection. It was thought to also take revenge on humans that cut it. Just as with other faery trees, the blackthorn was harnessed by witches and magicians as a tool of power. Though blackthorn is the traditional wood for a blasting rod, other thorny branches have been known to be used for it. I’ve seen sticks of blackberry, locust, and even old rose bush branches being employed for similar purposes. The thorns are sometimes left along the stick, and sometimes are taken off and fixed on the end. Sometimes a combination of the two is used. The rod is usually longer than other wands, but shorter than most staffs, making it just the right length for a cane.  In ceremonial arts, the blasting rod differs in creation and methods, but its purpose remains similar to the one used in folk magic. The blasting rod used in ceremonial magic serves a similar purpose to a black handled knife. It is used to command, compel, and threaten spirits or demons. The Grand Grimoire gives both uses and directions to make such a rod. The ritual process of making the rod is arduous, but the requirements of the wand are quite clear. Unlike the folk magic variant, a ceremonial blasting rod is to be made from a forked branch of wild hazel, measuring 19 1/2″ long. The tree it is to be cut from must have never borne fruit. The sharpened tips of the fork are capped with steel from a blade used to make a sacrifice and magnetized with a lodestone. When used in ritual, if the magician wishes to smite a spirit for noncompliance, the forked prongs are held over a flame while uttering a curse to the spirits. The Grimoire claims that this tool has come directly from God, as He used it to smite traitorous angels and throw them down. The Grimoire also accounts for its power over storms and its ability to both call them down and push them away.  Whether it be bloodied steel or piercing thorn, the blasting rod not only sends forth attacks, but it also protects the magician. It is, of course, offense which serves as the best defense. The rod can be used to place protection curses (I swear, it’s not an oxymoron) on places, people, and things. Should the protection spell be broken or compromised, the curse is activated and attacks the attacker. The rod itself might be charmed to spectrally attack those who seek to harm its owner, whether spirit or living being. In ceremonial magic, the blasting rod can be used as retaliation against a spirit or demon who seeks harm on the magician. In folk magic, the blasting rod might be used to blast someone who wishes ill on the magician. In addition, just as the blackthorn has the power to conjure frightful storms, it also has the power to wash them away. Though defense and offense are thought to be opposites, they are the same face wearing different masks.  I have no doubt that the blasting rod as described in the Grand Grimoire could also be employed as the thorny variation. A forked branch, capped with steel used to make a sacrifice, magnetized with lodestone, could very well prove to make nasty curses on the living, especially so in keeping mind of the damage it causes to spirits.  It is also interesting that the rod is tethered to the powers of lightning and storms. I suppose this keeps in line with its title and primary use. Lightning blasts things. It is quick, but it can cause untold destruction. Just as a single thorn prick can cause terrible infection (especially so for blackthorn), a single lightning strike can light the forest ablaze. As for the ceremonial one, God is known for striking and speaking through lightning and storms. His wrath is often thought to be called down through the sky. The blasting rod is His tool, according the to Grand Grimoire, so why would it not exemplify his ire and fury? The blasting rod is a true symbol of the terrible power that magicians hold over the world, as in direct symmetry with the power that God does. Both spirits and townsfolk remember that power.

[intothewitchingwood]

who else is in the mood to walk barefoot over the moors in a blood-red velvet ballgown w anguish in ur soul and wet leaves in ur hair while the wind blows moodily and dramatically?

[intothewitchingwood]

all cyberpunk stories are like “If you wanna crack open a cybercroissant this nasty, you’re gonna need a real top notch e-driller. i know a guy- Toledo Killswitch- he’s got the frag ordinance you need to grizzle this bocce ball.”

[intothewitchingwood]

Do you have any tips for those who are working on crafting their own incantations and spells? Thank you :)

Treat your incantations like poetry and become a wordsmith. Bestow power in your words, take care of your voice, and learn magical rhetoric as well as techniques of rhyme, images, sound, and scansion. Develop your own symbolic language and standards. Say what you mean to say and keep it to the point. Learn them by heart or improvise on the spot but do not read - breathe and live. 

[intothewitchingwood]

“When dealing with the power of poetry, we saw that this power was in fact considered as magic. It was irrational, it came from the gods, it was a charm (θίλκτηρι,ον). Now that we come to magic proper, we must first observe that it is directly connected with poetry. We have a number of magic formulas, generally written on tablets, which were then buried, or eventually written on papyri. But this is the lowest and latest level of magic spells. What we know of magic rests mainly on the poets […] Poetry, therefore, does not only resemble magic in the irrational influence it has on people’s emotions; it also conveys a lively picture of magic proper, with all the mysterious power of its formulas—a power which it may have been a temptation to emulate.”

— “Magic and Rhetoric in Ancient Greece” by Jacquiline de Romilly (via ivycrownedwitch)