lalobalunaluz

[lalobalunaluz]

Epithets: Luko/Lyko, with nods to Lukaina and Lukodamna

(Yesterday was Thanksgiving, and I am so grateful to all of you! The Many Names of Hekate project is a labor of love, one that I wish I had more time to work on. Because I’m crazy, and tonight is the full moon, I’m also having a Wolfenoot celebration -complete with cooking-, and in the spirit of that, I decided to write about Hekate the Wolf.)  Wolf-formed

Self-gendered, wearing headband, vigorous, Leader of hosts, O Goddess of Dodona, Of Ida, e’er with sorrows fresh, wolf-formed… - PGM IV 2241-2358, lines 2275-2277, Betz.

ARTEMI DAMNO DAMNO LUKAINA - PGM III 424-66, a variant on DAMNO DAMNA LUKODAMNA, some ephesia grammata, associated with both Hekate and Artemis.

O Night-bellower, lover of solitude, Bull-faced and Bull-headed One You have the eyes of bulls and the voice of dogs. Your forms are hidden in the legs of lions. Your ankle is wolf-shaped, and savage dogs are friendly to you, Wherefore they call you Hekate, Many-named, Mene, Cleaving the air like arrow-shooting Artemis. - PGM IV 2785-2870, Ronan.

Hekate is closely associated with a range of animals, particularly snakes and dogs. In the ancient sources, we read about Her companions being larger than life, baying at the crossroads on the night of the dark moon. A Goddess and Titaness of the wilderness and the other, it should not be surprising that there are a few epithets that signify Her connection with wolves.

Lyko is found in the PGM, alongside Lukodamna and Lukaina. The first is generally translated as wolf-formed. Lukodamna means wolf-tamer, and Lukaina translates as she-wolf.

In much of surviving Greek myth, wolves are part of the wild, to be defeated, which frightens the children. Apollo is the Wolf-Killer in some stories, but Artemis and Hekate can tame the very wilderness itself. Where dogs are associated with death, scavenging, and in particular with Hekate, wolves carry none of those associations in the old lore.

Hekate Lyko, and as Lukodamna and Lukaina, is a creature of the reaches where only the brave tread. In my meditation on this aspect of our Many-Named Goddess, I see her wearing furs in the winter, a wolf at her side, finding the hunters who have been defeated by nature, and welcoming them into the afterlife. I see a Goddess who flits along the edges of the campfire, stalking those who cling to its warmth and the safety of light. No gentle Goddess this. She is fierce and free.

Hail Hekate Luko, Though I stand in the warmth of my home, I speak your name, Hekate Lukaina, And offer you these simple prayers and gifts. That there be peace and grace upon us. That your ferocious guardians protect us. That you tame the wolves who would intrude upon the peace of home. Hail Hekate Luko, May you be pleased.

Sources:

Betz, Hans Dieter. The Greek Magical Papyri in Translation: including the Demotic Spells, University of Chicago, 1992. Gager, John G. Curse Tablets and Binding Spells from the Ancient World, Oxford, 1999. Ronan, Stephen. The Goddess Hekate, Chthonios, 1992. West, David R. “Some Cults of Greek Goddesses and Female Daemons of Oriental Origin: especially in relation to the mythology of goddesses and daemons in the Semitic world.” Dissertation in pursuit of Phd. University of Glasgow, 1990.

Images:

Remington, Frederic. “ Moonlight, Wolf,” oil on canvas, 1909. Now in the Addison Gallery of American Art, via wikicommons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Frederic_Remington_-_Moonlight,_Wolf.jpg

[lalobalunaluz]

Hello Beloved...Who Am I?

Hi, I am Luar Wolf, and I use Lulu. 32 years old. Sun in Aries, Rising Leo, Moon in Capricorn. I home many identities in my lived experiences carrying each with honor and grace. I am Puertorriqueñx and Dominicanx with ancestral roots and lineages of Afro-Descendiente, Indigenous Taino, and Basque-Iberian. I am non-binary, trans, queer, and intersex. I was born, raised, and lived on Occupied Munsee Lenape Land (New York City). I currently live in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

For more than a decade, my ancestral and cultural roots in Afro-Caribbean traditions have evolved into practicing Espiritismo, Palo Brillumba (Vriyumba), and Ocha. As a seasoned Espiritista, I function as a medium, facilitating and channeling the transmission of messages from spirit guides and ancestral beings. My expertise encompasses guiding Mesa Blanca (White Table) ceremonies, adeptly interpreting the guiding central figures of one's Cuadro Espiritual (Spiritual Court), and assisting in healing one's ancestral lineages and generational curses.

Within the complex framework of Palo Brillumba (or Vriyumba), I hold the initiatory titles of Tata Nkisi and now Tata Nganga, defined and translated as the 'Father of the Spirits' and 'Father of the Nganga'. This tradition, deeply rooted in the Afro-Cuban Bantu/Kongo traditions, weaves together elements of sorcery, necromancy, and a profound connection with natural forces, utilizing the sacred bones of the dead and tools of the natural world.

My exploration extends into Ocha (also known as Lukumi and Santeria), where I am known as an Aborisha, walking towards the revered Kariocha initiation. My Alagbatori is Oya Yansa, the Orisa marked on my head (Ori), who is the Orisha of Storms, Gatekeeper of the Cemeteries, and Queen of the Dead. I have received through ceremonies by my Elders the following: Elekes, the Warrior Orishas, Olokun, Ibejis, & Inle.

Originating from a foundation in Witchcraft, I am an eclectic practitioner of Traditional Witchcraft and hold an intimate relationship with Hekate, Queen of Witches. I work exclusively with Her epithet of Hekate Lyko, Lukaine, & Lukodamna. In these epithets, She is the Wolf-Formed, Wolf-Tamer, & She-Wolf.

Finally, I am a Reiki Practitioner. My skills have been refined through decolonial training with the NYC POC Healing Circle. I have shifted my reiki practices to be respectful of their cultural origins to one more aligned with my cultural practices of 'Laying of the Hands', a similar energetic healing practice.

In my community work, I am dedicated to crafting sacred spaces grounded in a decolonial and healing justice framework. My focus is on nurturing the transformative journey, embracing the metamorphosis into the rooted sacredness of our true selves. Drawing upon the intricate webs of ancestral lineages, I actively dismantle generational trauma and break curses through the practice of ancestral veneration and spirit work.

I extend an invitation to you to engage with my approach by bringing your full authenticity, sharing your personal truths, and embracing your lived experiences. Together, let us embark on the profound work of honoring ourselves, ancestors-in-the-making. As the living dreams and legacy of those who paved the way before us, we straddle two worlds—one foot planted firmly in this reality and the other in the realm where we connect with ancestral dead and our guiding spirits, present in our first and last breaths.

Sincerely,

La Loba Luna Luz,