Hecate Is Going To Eat Your Face

Witchy Wisdom
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Got your attention, didn’t it? I’ve been thinking about making this post for some time, and by the end, it may begin to seem like it wasn’t entirely my idea. I can’t tell you what your relationship with Hecate is or should be. I can only tell you what mine is like, and how it differs from what you might read online. What your arrangement with her is may differ significantly.

Uh-oh, the Goddess is unhappy. Better toss a virgin into the volcano.

Hecate is very powerful, and holds influence over many things: Queen of the Night, Protectress of Witches, Goddess of the Borderlands and Crossroads, Goddess of the Underworld and Goddess of Magic, and more (see here) There is a suggestion on the internet that if you displease her, the Hounds of Hell will devour you every night in your dreams until you die of sleep deprivation, or some such silliness. The Hecate that I know would laugh at the suggestion. That is not the Hecate that I know.

The Hecate that I know is a guide and teacher. Yes, she expects loyalty and reverence and to be honored daily. That does not mean that I cast the circle, call the quarters and light candles and incense every day. On sabbats, esbats, and new moons, sure I do, and more, but honoring her daily means something different.

She expects what every teacher expects from her students: effort! That means study and practice. One of Hecate’s numbers is thirteen, she adores dogs, she is a goddess of herbs and magic. When I get up in the morning, I think of her and stir my coffee thirteen times clockwise. When the Therapy Dogs arrive at my job, I think of her as I pet and play with them. I ask her to bless my rosemary plants as I water them, and I have planted mugwort and lavender in honor of her. Before I start reading about magic and astrology, I acknowledge her and thank her for her guidance. I don’t have to light a candle to her every day, because I honor her throughout my day by the way that I live.

I used to point out to my daughter that there are people who go to church every Sunday and look down their noses at those who don’t. In my opinion, those who live by the teachings of the Christian God (or any other) during the week are more blessed than some Sunday showboat. So if I don’t honor her one night, it’s no big deal. She has high expectations, but she is not intolerant. She is often depicted as the Crone, but she is the Maiden and Mother as well. She recently reminded me that she is a Goddess of Light as well as Dark. She has taught me things about balance that I might never have discovered on my own, and she wasn’t even the slightest bit mean about it.

On the internet she is described as someone to fear. I do not fear Hecate, because I respect her and that makes fear unnecessary. But if you need someone to devour you in your sleep, I’m sure she can do that, too.

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You don’t mind if I bookmark this do you? I have been reading some of the things that you were describing about Hecate online about her being very intolerant. My biggest fear was that I was going to disrespect her in some way without meaning to as I didn’t fully understand how to worship her in a respectful way. I am still learning how to worship properly but reading how you acknowledge her daily made me feel a lot better about my own practice. I talk to her picture on my altar daily and I ask her questions or I’ll explain what I’m doing and why. I placed some amazing feathers on my altar for her.
I just was hoping that I wasn’t going to displease her by being a bit slow on the uptake by noticing if she if sending me messages or not.
The other day as I found a really different feather when I was out walking, I thought of her, I just happened to wake up and see 3:33am on my digital clock the other morning and I thought of her and I got given a new key for the new lock for work the other day too, again I thought of her. Are these signs from Hecate or am I just grasping and keys when they are actually straws?

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Of course, you can bookmark it.!

I completely understand being uncertain about Hecate. It took repeated signs, a deep meditation and some pendulum work for me to accept that I was being Called. I can only tell you what my “relationship” (don’t make it weird) with her has been. Maybe those other folks needed her to be their taskmaster. I haven’t found her to be that way at all.

Of course, being that I am male, she probably made certain allowances (just kidding. I am actually very perceptive) :grin:

But I have also viewed magic as a practice since before connecting with Hecate. I don’t just read spooky stuff and call myself a witch. I don’t just write in my BOS. I do magic.

You know what? Go to the ‘see here’ link in my post and follow it. The Spells8 Hecate page has a list of epithets for Hecate. Read them (and know there are even more). See Her in the fullness of who she is. She is the Protectress of Witches. You have less reason to fear her than your enemies do. In the end your connection to Her will be personal, between you and Her. Make an honest, genuine effort, and I think you will be fine.

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Thank you. That really did help a lot.

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I always feel guilty that I don’t feel called to Hecate like other witches. I think this is because so many just jumps on the Hecate bandwagon for the shock status. I wish I did feel called to Her though, She seems like a delightful Lady to follow.

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That might be why I was. I wasn’t chasing her. (Oof, huge lesson in there)

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This is just beautiful, and yes I know that may not make sense to say in response to your post, but I honor and respect Hecate as well. It was strange to me at first the pull I had to seek out every ounce of information about her so early in my craft path but it is one thing that I hold sacred.
I’ve read many things about her, some of which you mentioned but like you, my relationship with her bears no resemblance to the fear those words speak of. I agree with you about

Thank you for the wisdom.
Blessed Be

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This was very craftfully written, @anon87969570- you have such a way with words, this piece pulled on heartstrings one line and then had me chuckling the next! A real delight to delight to read :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

I’ve always viewed the different bonds and perceptions people have with deities to be similar to how different students view a professor. My sister and I went to the same school- but a teacher that I remembered as being kind and helpful, my sister claims was cruel and unqualified. The very same teacher! :woman_teacher:

Based on a huge array of factors, I’ve found that two people can have extremely different interactions and opinions about the same person. And that’s just with a fellow human- the gap in perception becomes even greater when it comes to deities and higher powers. Doesn’t mean one is “right” and the other is “wrong”, simply that everyone has their own perception of the world and the many things in it.

This was great food for thought and a wonderful exploration of your bond with Hecate. May She continue to watch over you, Ron! Thank you so much for sharing- it really was a pleasure to read :blush::open_book:

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I really liked how you wrote this!! It’s very creative and informative!! Thank you! Hecate is one of the first Goddesses that I worked with. And still do.

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Thank you for sharing your experience and your wisdom @anon87969570.

I agree with you and personally I think that we are here to heal past trauma, not to make it worse. Working with Hecate should be all about exploring our dark side and facing our fears. Hecate encourages to do it without fear of the process.

Some people think that scaring others is the way to teach but that’s not my cup of tea. Life is scary enough as it is.

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Omg! @jessica72 I was given new keys for a new job as well… totally didn’t even make that connection. Praise Hecate. Some may remember that a few weeks ago I was drawing her sigil and making offerings for a court case. @anon87969570 you have given me some wonderful ideas as to how to continue to show my reverence.

Thank you both :heartpulse: blessed be!!

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Blockquote
I feel she is teaching me and I can tell by your passion that you are very passionate about her! Thank you for your post I found it really impressive and I like how you used the power of 13 when drinking your coffee!
Blessed Be
Jeannie

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Hi! I’m new here and am learning about Hecate because I would love to work with her. A while ago I was in another group and we were learning about a goddess every month and I was doing a guided meditation to The Morrigan and about 10 minutes in all I hear in my head is Hecate, Hecate, Hecate about 5 times throughout the whole meditation! I was just wondering your thoughts about this. Do you think she was calling out to me to work with her? I would love any suggestions you have and how to work with her. Thank you! Deidre

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Hi and welcome! I think you will find that this is an open and welcoming space with very friendly people.

I have read that if you think Hecate is calling you, She probably is. It is best practice to note the kind and number of events that suggest to you that She is calling you. If there are repeated events, meditate and use some form of divination to verify.

As for working with Her, there are many ways to do so. Check out the Spells8 page about Hecate. She has many correspondences and epithets, so how you work with Her may depend on what your goals are. One of the best ways to start, in my opinion, is to read about Her. There is the Spells8 page, and articles all over the internet. Read from different sources, and compile the information that speaks to you in your BOS. There are videos as well that have good info. Researching Her is a way of beginning to work with her. As I suggested above, your relationship with Her will be unique to her. Some will caution you about Her, but they are speaking about their relationship. Also check out the Hecate’s Night post. Silverbear posted a video about Hecate Invocation that I found useful, and there are links from others as well. Here’s a link

I’m pretty sure that helping others learn about Hecate is scoring me some points! :rofl::rofl:

And if you ever need anything, or have any questions about anything, feel free to post on the forum. Someone will always try to help. Again, welcome, Merry Meet and Blessed Be!

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Thank you so much! You have been very helpful :heart: I’m still trying to navigate Spells8 but I’m sure I’ll find what I’m looking for. Merry meet and blessed be to you also :purple_heart::black_heart:

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Oh I forgot! There’s a link to the Spells8 Hecate page at the top of this thread! Click on “see here”

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@deidre hello and welcome

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@anon87969570 Thank you for sharing your story! I really enjoyed reading it. Hecate is a guiding light and fierce protector in my life also. I find her to be tolerant if I am sincere and to be kind and loving when she is respected. I am a better person because of her. Thanks again for sharing :black_heart: :old_key:
-much love and many blessings

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Okay, here’s more great stuff about Hecate and the relationship people have with her. Feeling info-bombed yet? :grin: There is just so much great content here, don’t just listen to me!

Moonshadow’s Challenge Post

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hello and welcome, I am so glad you are here. This is a safe place with friendly and sincere people who like to exchange their knowledge and help each other grow. there is an abundance of info on Spells8 that I have found to be valuable that is in a dialogue that I can understand and trust.
@deidre and @jessica72
I am by no means an expert on Hecate and would never dare to claim to be I suggest caution when using Google to find info. I have discovered that there is so much misinformation out there called “circular info” which is just a bunch of regurgitated stuff being told over and over again. I suggest going to sources to learn her love. There are different temples, groves, and circles dedicated to the Goddess Hecate. As a student of Hecate myself, I seek to honor her in ritual and prayer and like to work her will through art and creativity. Hecate calls me to see the power in me that comes from her(my soul). I strive to grow that power and knowledge to further honor her and take control of my life in her name to strengthen our relationship. I am always seeking to attain both balance and strength in her name.
I have learned that Hecate keeps a path lit for everyone but we alone choose the way, she does not choose it for us. In turn, we are all on our own path and each path is different due to our personal choices. When she answers my cries for help she reveals to me what is already there that I can not see. My journey with Hecate is my own personal relationship, There are so many different paths to divinity and we all have our own. So your way is the right way and my way is the right way. Most likely they are different and that is ok neither is wrong. Divinity is everywhere and everything is divine.
Here are some readings that I have found helpful in my studies:

  • Hekate Soleira by: Sarah lles Johnson (a must-read for anyone who wants to learn about Hecate)
  • The Goddess Hekate by: Stephen Ronan (lots of great info and sources to verify it)
  • The temple of Hekate: Exploring the Goddess Hekate Through Ritual, Meditation, and Divination by: Tara Sanchez (lots of great exercises and info)
    I hope this helps in some way. :smiling_face_with_three_hearts: :old_key: :black_heart: blessed be
    -much love and many blessings
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