witchiestshit

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☀ Egyptian theme solstice celebration! Thanks and praise to Anubis on these long days. ☀

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Missing tonight. Not sure what's up, but I feel wrecked. Day 9 tomorrow

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Day 8 is in my journal again. Typing is exhausting today. Internet is exhausting today. I'll type them up later for accountability :)

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Day 7 is gonna be in my notebook for now. Internet is out and it's impossible to post on my phone. :p

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Day 6: Other related deities and entities associated with Hecate

So this is why I’m doing this mostly just here.  Some of these could involve a lot of rambling and what not, but I’m not here to write a paper, I’m recording what I’ve learned in my studying and some of it is not really good at fitting into a blog. 

Hecate is referred to as a liminal goddess. Wikipedia says “ A liminal deity is a god or goddess in mythology who presides over thresholds, gates, or doorways; "a crosser of boundaries".” And also a chthonic deity “concerning, belonging to, or inhabiting the underworld."  She is most often associated with other deities like this such as Hermes, Persephone, Hades, and Ge.

There are some goddess that she is sometimes merged or syncretised with as well, Artemis, Selene, Enodia, Brimo, Isis, and others.

She is also associated with Helios, Zeus, Demeter, and Apollo

Because of her reach and her orgins (which seem to stretch back beyond Greek and into Persian mythologies), and her triple realms she is seen with and associated with several different gods and goddesses.

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Day 5: Members of the family – genealogical connections

There are a couple different ideas over who is a part of Hecate’s family tree.  Most sources have Perses as her father and Asteria as her mother. Demeter and Nyx are also names as possible to mothers to Hecate.  Zeus and Aristaios are also names as her fathers in others. Asteria was sister to Leto, the mother of Zeus meaning she was related to Apollo, Artemis, and quite a lot of the other Greek gods and goddess since Zeus was kind of a big deal. 

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Day 4: A favourite myth or myths of Hecate

This one is a little tough because I have only been reading and learning about her myths for a fairly short time. The one that I remember the most is her involvement with the Titan War. She sided with Zeus and after the war was over he was so in awe of her (honored by her? scared of her?) he let her keep her reign over her realms. 

Hecate was also important to the story of Persephone and Demeter. She helped Demeter search for Persephone.  After Persephone was found Hecate helped her get comfortable in the underworld.

Hopefully I will be able to add to this entry as I learn more about her myths and stories.

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Day 3: Symbols and icons of Hecate

My favorite of Hecate’s symbols is the serpent.  As a dragon person, I have always also loved all things serpent or lizard like, so it was even more meaningful to discover that my love of snakes probably also came from being drawn to Hecate.  Other symbols of hers are keys, dogs or hellhounds, gate ways, and crossroads.  Triple crossroads are supposedly the more traditional form, but 4-way crossroads are more common now. 

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Day 2: How did you become first aware of this deity?

So this feels like a loaded question that could also mean a lot of different things.  So I think I’m going to answer it both ways (all the ways?).

I first became aware of Hecate when I was younger and learning about Greek mythology.  She wasn’t ever much of a forefront “character” but something about her always stuck around with me. Later, I learned more about her via her association with being the Goddess of witches and magic.

With that connection I “worked” with her on and off. I asked for strength for my work and she helped me believe in myself more.  But it was a very sporadic relationship.

It wasn’t until I was working with the Morrigan that I began to really hear Hecate calling for a more serious connection with her.  She mostly stayed in the background, but I could feel her waiting and watching for her time.

That time came in August of 2016. I was chatting to a friend about her distant calls and how she was being sort of patient (the Morrigan is not not demanding of attention and work). Of course the second I said that she was all over the place. It was time. So that was when I really took up reading more about her and found our true connection was her work with the veil and death.

And that was that. I have recently offended her greatly, and this is part of my making it up to her and also honoring and spending more time with the relationship we are forming and how she is going to be working with me.

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Day 1: Basic Introduction of Hecate

Hekate or Hecate is an ancient deity, possibly part of the Sumerian pantheon, though she most often associated with the Greeks. She was alive when the Titans were, and when Zeus buried them.  Zeus even “allowed” her to keep her powers out of respect. Definitely not fear or anything. She was known as the goddess of the triple crossroads where the Greeks would honor her with a dumb supper when they called on her.  She is also the goddess of the veil between the world and guardian of the gates. She is often associated with hellhounds, and even dragons. More recently Hecate is associated with magic and witches. She teaches, lends her power, and protects those that follow her. Hecate is a strong deity who does not take offense lightly. She will guide you, but you must learn your lessons. She doesn’t coddle or cuddle, but she will protect you when you are in need.

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30 Day Deity Challenge w/ Hecate

As a way to get closer to Hecate this is what I’ll be doing for the next 30 Days.  I shouldn’t miss any days.  That would be in incredibly poor taste.

1 – A basic introduction of the deity 2 – How did you become first aware of this deity? 3 – Symbols and icons of this deity 4 – A favourite myth or myths of this deity 5 – Members of the family – genealogical connections 6 – Other related deities and entities associated with this deity 7 – Names and epithets 8 – Variations on this deity (aspects, regional forms, etc.) 9 – Common mistakes and worst misconceptions about this deity 10 – Offerings – historical and UPG 11 – Festivals, days, and times sacred to this deity 12 – Places associated with this deity and their worship 13 – What modern cultural issues are closest to this deity’s heart? 14 – Has worship of this deity changed in modern times? 15 – Any mundane practices that are associated with this deity? 16 – How do you think this deity represents the values of their pantheon and cultural origins? 17 – How does this deity relate to other gods and other pantheons? 18 – How does this deity stand in terms of gender and sexuality? (historical and/or UPG) 19 – What quality or qualities of this god do you most admire? And find the most troubling? 20 & 21 – Art and music that reminds you of this deity 22 – A quote, a poem, or piece of writing that you think this deity resonates strongly with 23 – Your own composition – a piece of writing about or for this deity 24 & 25 – A time when this deity has helped you, and refused to help 26 – How has your relationship with this deity changed over time? 28 – Something you wish you knew about this deity but don’t currently 29 – Any interesting or unusual UPG to share? 30 – Any suggestions for others just starting to learn about this deity?