The Order of the White Moon Goddess Gallery Presents
Hecate
A Level I Final Project for The Sacred Three Goddess School by Initiate Autumn Faol Dreamweaver (©2018. All original material in this work is under copyright protection
and is the intellectual property of the author.) A quote from Brene`
Brown: ‘Only when you are brave enough to explore the darkness will you discover
the infinite power of the light’ Hecate is that light
in the dark The Mystery of Hecate Who is Hecate and from whence did she come? Hecate
Hecate Hecate I need only to say her
name to feel her strength and mystery. I’ve
always felt a strong connection to Hecate. Although, I don’t remember my first introduction
to her, it’s as if she’s always been there.
She is both dark and light. She’s
the mystery within us that cannot be ascertained. She is both the dark moon and the light of
the full and all the stages in between. When
I began doing my research for my project I found there are many stories and
myths but there’s no ‘main’ story or ‘myth’, she was just ALWAYS. I’ve tried to summarize below what I
connected with the most during my research.
Was there a beginning? The Her-story of
Hecate has evolved over time. To some
she is the Triple Goddess, ruler of the Heavens, Earth and the Underworld, to
others she is the Queen of Heaven and now more recently she is known as the
Crone of the Triple Goddess. Wikipedia states that
Hecate is a Goddess of Ancient Greece. There
are different stories as to who her parents were though. Some say she was the only child to Asteria (who was the Titan Goddess of the falling stars)
and Perses (the Titan God of destruction. Other stories say she was the daughter of Zeus
and Demeter, and still others read that she is the daughter of Leto and
Tartarus. Her name comes up
repeatedly throughout Her-story. Linking
her to the Homeric Hymns (a collection of 33 ancient Greek Hymns celebrating
the Gods). She appears in a hymn to
Demeter. Demeter has lost her daughter Persephone
after Hades had abducted her and taken her to the underworld. Hecate is the only one of all the God’s who
hears Persephone screams. She helps Demeter locate her daughter. In other accounts some
believe that she and Artemis are one in the same. In Wikipedia, we find
that there is Her-story of her being worshipped in Thrace, which was once
between Greece and Turkey.
Thracians were an
ancient Indo-European people inhabiting Southeastern Europe. She was also one of the main deities
worshipped in Athenian households. She
was known as a protective Goddess that bestowed prosperity and blessings on the
family. In post-Christian
writings we find that she was a ruler over Earth, Sea and Sky and was seen as a
Savior. She was referenced as Mother of
the Angels and Cosmic World Soul. Her faces have changed
over time. She has been seen as a beautiful young maiden and turned into ugly
old women. The Patriarch tried to
denounce her in the old days. They tried to demonize her saying she was evil
and dark, ugly, old and wrinkled. Afraid were they of
the power of the feminine and the beauty and strength that the Goddess was and
gave. It’s what the Patriarch has done to women throughout time to make them
feel less than they are. They were correct in
one aspect. We ARE the ugly old crone,
the beautiful young maiden and all of the in-betweens. We’ve been forced into silence and
repression, into hiding our “Truth”. We
were unable to publically worship the Goddess for hundreds of years and
millions have suffered death and alienation over our beliefs in the Goddess,
but it didn’t make Her go away or any less powerful. I believe the contrary. She has been with us the entire time, through
every trial and tribulation. She has
been standing with us in the darkness.
As the facade of the patriarch slowly begins to crumble she will be
there with her torches showing us the way and using her keys to unlock the
doors that the Patriarch has shut us out of, and there will be “Truth”. When to call on Hecate You may call on Hecate
all the time. She is the Triple Goddess
and represents all three stages of the moon.
She is the darkness within us that we refuse to see. She is the darkened moon which is the true color
of the moon; it’s the “Truthful” moon, as the moon has no light of its own, but
only reflects the light of the sun. In this she is the
“Truth”. If you take away the light, if
you take away the reflections of the mirror, if you take away your sight, what
is left? Darkness, truth, only then are
you forced to see what’s really on the inside. She teaches us not to
be afraid of the dark because she will guide us through it. In the darkness we can find our
strength. Triple Goddess ·
Maiden, Mother, Crone ·
Birth, Death, Rebirth ·
Mind, Body, Spirit ·
New moon, Full Moon,
Dark Moon In the Maiden aspect
you might call on her for new beginnings or when you’re at a crossroads and
uncertain as to which way to proceed. In the Mother aspect
one might call on her for protection or nurturing, and you can feel the
fullness of her guidance with the light of the full moon. In the Crone aspect
one might also call on her for protection but also for wisdom. Regardless of how the
human perspective of Hecate has changed throughout time, she was and will
always be the Goddess who stands between the worlds, the light bearer of the
cross-roads, the guardian and the gatekeeper of all the Cosmos, above and
below, within and without for all time. Many Names of Hecate ·
Queen of the night ·
Goddess of the cross roads ·
Goddess of Witch Craft ·
Queen of Nature ·
Triple Goddess
·
Key Holder ·
Nurse of Children ·
Phosphorus (light giving) ·
Protector of Women Symbols of Hecate Keys The keys have a few
different interpretations. To some they
can represent that she has the ability to open that which is locked away or
hidden. To others they can represent the keys to the underworld. The keys have also
been symbolic of keys to the “household”, because she is also strongly
connected with protection of women, children, hearth and home. Finally, the keys to the Cosmos. Torches In the past fire was always seen as divine or a gift from the
Gods. Hecate was known as the “Light Bringer” – her torches are symbolic of
divine light and illumination. She
brings the light to the dark so that we may find our way. The Strophalo or Hecate’s
Wheel There’s limited
information regarding Hecate’s Wheel. An
old Alexandrian test called the Chaldean oracle describes it as a ‘labyrinthine
serpent’ which symbols rebirth.
When I meditated on the
symbol as I was painting it (original picture is attached below), I felt that
the center wheel that looks like a sun (which could also be a representation of
Hecate’s light) was symbolic of our lives turning. The three outer elongated shapes could
represent the different paths we take along with the three faces of Hecate,
Maiden, Mother, Crone, all encompassed within an infinite circle. Animals associated with
Hecate: ·
Dogs ·
Horses ·
Owls ·
Serpents ·
Crows Crystals associated with
Hecate: (You’ll find that
all of the crystals have very similar healing properties) Jet: ·
Ward off evil ·
Helps to clear aura of
impure energies ·
Helps to cleanse other
crystals ·
Help balances emotions ·
Protects against psychic
attacks ·
Help release negative
behavior patterns and release old emotional attachments Smokey quartz: ·
Helps to Ground you ·
Helps relieve stress,
anxiety and doubt ·
Neutralizes negative
vibrations ·
Lifts depression
and fear Black Tourmaline: ·
Repels negative energy, psychic
attacks and spells ·
Helps to remove negative
energies within a person or a space ·
Protects and heals on
all levels, physical, emotional, mental and spiritual Black Onyx ·
Absorbs and transforms
negative energy ·
Prevents the drain of
personal energy ·
Use when you need more
physical strength ·
Helps to stimulate
intuitive powers, good for magical work Lapis Lazuli ·
Protection against
physic attacks ·
Brings harmony and deep
inner self-knowledge ·
Stone of Truth Offerings to Hecate: ·
Bread ·
Honey ·
Cheese ·
Oil ·
Fish ·
Wine ·
Fruits (especially Pomegranates) ·
Milk ·
Eggs Followers of Hecate
would offer foods such as these to connect with any negative energy they wished
to dispel. Then they would take the
items and leave them at a crossroads.
Incense: ·
Myrrh ·
Bay Leaves ·
Juniper ·
Cypress ·
Lavender ·
Rosemary ·
Thyme ·
Dragons Blood ·
Frankincense ·
Citrus (Orange) Personal Devotions and
Art to Hecate: A call to Hecate –
written by Autumn Faol Dreamweaver Darkened Moon, void of
light Shadows hidden, out of
sight The path before me
cannot be found My hands outstretched,
I spin round and round Confused, conflicted,
ungrounded I stumble My spirit sinks, my
knees buckle Cool Earth below I
grasp in hand I take a breath, I try
to stand Hecate, Hecate, Hecate I call out in a
whisper Mother of darkness,
Goddess of Witches Protect me now so I
need not fear Lend me your light so
my path is clear
Original Artwork by Autumn Faol Dreamweaver: I did this
piece to represent a few aspects of Hecate.
The Keys that she carries to unlock what is hidden, the flames at the
top to represent her torches and the triple moons to show the 3 aspects of her.
Original Artwork by Autumn Faol
Dreamweaver: This is my representation of Hecate’s Wheel.
Inside Altar to
Hecate: ·
Crows: represent the sky, mystery and magic, seeing
beyond the veil ·
Skulls: symbolic of
underworld ·
Black: darkened moon ·
Ivy: earth ·
Honey: ritual food
offering left for Hecate ·
Lavender: ritual herb
for Hecate ·
2 candles: her torches
Outside Altar
Resources
used: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hecate Art
used: https://pre00.deviantart.net/d836/th/pre/i/2014/210/2/6/hecate_by_annaiceflames-d7srbtg.jpg https://wanderingwomanwondering.wordpress.com/2011/06/01/faces-of-hekate/
