For my 
Weekly Witchy CHALLENGE - Dual Wielding I keep coming back to Hecate as my choice (perhaps she wants me to talk about her…
)
In exploring both lighter and darker sides of my craft I tend to rely heavily on connecting with Hecate for guidance. As many of you know, since opening up more to my craft and my learning, Hecate has always been a high interest for me.
I am attracted to her duality in both being a protector, guide, and teacher but also an instrument of justice. Her torches in themselves are an element of duality where they are the beacon through the darkness and a weapon. The contemporary idea of Hecate paints her in a much darker format with being known as the Dark Goddess, Queen of Witches, or Dark Mother. To think of her as a Light Goddess is some what of a struggle for others.
Personally, I embrace both the dark and light that I sense from Hecate, because there is dark and light within all of us and almost every factor in our lives.
Her darker side gives me confidence and strength, especially when I explore my shadow, I own the shadow parts of myself as a badge of which I have evolved away from or work that needs to be done, and in that sense its motivational.
The lighter side of Hecate puts her as a protector shining her torches to illuminate the path for those at a crossroad in their life, and to escort those between Life and Death. Just as she guided Persephone to and from the Underworld.
“ If darkness is the absence of light, and light the lack of darkness, then Hekate is both a Goddess of Light and a Goddess of the Dark.
Hekate is able to use her torches to fight against the Titans because fire can burn. It is the fear of being burned which makes fire such an excellent tool for protection, combined with the way in which the light it produces reveals that which is hidden. Today we continue to use light to make a place safe – streetlights, security lights, torches and car headlights all contribute towards our safety (or feeling of security) on a daily basis. It stops us from tripping up or bumping into that which we are unable to see in the dark. Light can also reveal or highlight many beautiful things, and we talk about “shining light” on knowledge which was previously hidden being revealed. But coming face to face with that which was previously hidden can be a harrowing experience, and it can be both frightening and unwelcome. The truth about a situation is not always desirable, and it can be terrifying, especially in cases where it has been hidden in plain sight for a long time. This is the kind of light which Plato wrote about in The Cave. In this way, the revelation of what was hidden, with its potential for transformation, may at the same time become a genuinely terrifying experience. Hekate’s light has the potential to be both illuminating and transformative; and dreadfully dark and petrifying.” (D’Este, 2018)
So, the duality I find within my goddess Hecate is both Nurturing and Defensive in nature. She is there in either form as so it is necessary for her to be. Respectfully, she wields both with such grace.
D’Este, S. (2018, 3 21). Hekate, Goddess of Light? | Sorita d'Este) . Retrieved from www.patheos.com: Hekate, Goddess of Light? | Sorita d'Este)
Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful challenge entry!