Hekate is one of the most fascinating Goddesses of the Ancient World. Loved, feared, hated and worshipped by people throughout history, she is the Witch Goddess of the Crossroads. She faces three ways with her three faces and remains an image of power and awe even in the modern world today, amongst those who understand and respect her power.
Hecate
Many years ago, from some long forgotten source, I read that the Goddess Hecate's sacred festival was celebrated on January 31. I have never been able to find the source or corroborate this information and I have always celebrated August 13 as her main feast day, a day special to me because it also happens to be my birthday. But I'll tell you what I do know about January 31 ... Depina Hekates. Because I like old, historical stuff, and I think there is more here.
Probably the first thing I should do is give you a short description of when Hecate first came into man's knowledge AS the Goddess Hecate. She was likely around before this, but recorded history only goes back so far. I got this information about the Hellenic Hecate from an old text called Hesiod's Theogony. Please read on:
"Hecate's (Ἑκατη) worship was most likely imported from Thrace or Anatolia, where—especially at the latter—records were found of children being named after Her. This version of Her is single-faced, rules in heaven, on the earth, and in the sea, is a Theia of childbirth, to both animals and humans, and it is She who bestows wealth on mortals; victory, wisdom, good luck to sailors and hunters; and prosperity to youth and to the flocks of cattle. Yet, if mortals do not deserve Her gifts, she can withhold them just as easily. After the Titanomachy, Zeus bestowed upon Her the highest of honors. This is the Hecate found in Hesiod's Theogony, written around 700 BC."
Here is the photo that accompanied it and I believe it to be drawn in that same year.
As you can see, the Hellenic Hecate is a very normal one-faced, not three-faced, woman with one dog not two. Much about Hecate has changed from 700 BC until today, but she has managed to keep herself relevant. In fact, she is actually more popular than ever!
I have celebrated August 13 every year, in preparation for Imbolc and as an entry into the coldest (but not darkest) part of the Winter. In 2024, Imbolc will fall on Thursday, February 1st so I'll be doing another blog post on that in a few days. I don't do much celebrating of my birthday these days ... perhaps only to thank the Fates that I've made another journey around the sun.
November 16 is the modern Neo-Pagan (literally meaning 'New'-Pagan) or Wiccan on which Hecate's Feast is celebrated. It is the day of the festival of Hecate Trivia, which is a day that honors Hecate as a Goddess Of Crossroads. Her feast day begins at sunset. A meal to which Hekate is invited, and given her own plate of food, which is then left at a crossroads.
My experience as an 'old' Pagan of Hecate is as a seasonal Goddess. Although I sense her presence each day, it is especially strong in October, as the plants outside die back, as the light deepens into honey and amber. The practice which occurs on January 31 (and at one time occurred at the end of each month) was particularly associated with the sacred three-way crossroads of Hecate, is known as the Depina Hekates, or Hekate Supper.
I feel the veil begin to thin between our world and the other world in late August each year, right after my birthday, and it grows increasingly stronger as it gets closer to the end of October. Hecate is present in the Descent, and in the Underworld, and in the solemn, silent movements of our beloved dead. She is present in the rapidly darkening year, and she helps to midwife in the promise of the Sacred Child, reborn as the Sun (Son) at the Winter Solstice. She is also there as we sift out the events of the past year and divine out clues for the next one.
Hecate is a complex Goddess with a long history. She is the Goddess of Witchcraft, a guide along the path, and the universal Keeper of the Keys. There is much to learn about Hecate from the written records, but for a witch to truly know Hecate, we need to experience her. She is a face of The Great Mother, Creatrix of all. Notice I said 'a' face, not 'the' face. The Great Mother has many faces, both male, female and anything else. The Great Mother has no limitations.
Her archetypal keys represent the opening to the mysterious and her guidance along our earth-bound journeys. She is Anima Mundi, the very soul of all creation. She is the essence, the vibration and the magick. Unknowable, yet as close as our breath. To her witches, she is The Mother. Liberator. The One. Hecate holds the keys to the unseen worlds. She stands at the juncture of the mundane and mysterious.
On January 25, we had a full moon ... The Wolf's Moon. I'm not particularly an astrology-buff, but I do remember certain things that are associated with my Goddess, and this is one of them. In the cold and dark of the Wolf Moon, we find ourselves still in the dark and the quiet.
Sometimes, the lure of what's going on outside my seclusion is tempting but in general, long Winter nights are tailor-made for reflection, meditation, for sinking into ourselves and finding answers in the stillness. Hecate is present with all of this self-inquiry. For many traditions, this time leading up to Imbolc is the time of dedication, of making magickal commitment.
Even today, as I sit and type this, my front door is open and the warm(ish) air is flowing into my home. But tonight will be very cold as it was last night. The sun is shining though, right now. We are going to have an early spring. The trees are already budding out. It is too early, but that is how The Great Mother wants it, and so it shall be.
I'll be putting down some thoughts on Thursday about Imbolc. This year, especially, is a time for some serious reflection in several areas, I think.
Darkmum
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