Hecate, Goddess of Darkness, Magic and the Moon

Magan Lodge - Various Authors

(Translated by Shaagar from Glimpses of the Left Hand Path)

Terrible lady of the night and witchcraft, with snakes in her hair and a torch in her
hand, surrounded by howling dogs – such is the representation of Hecate in visual
arts and mythological stories. The cult of this ancient goddess originated in Thrace,
had many followers among the Carians of Anatolia, and her worship spread
throughout Greece. It was through Greek myths and legends that it was introduced
into Western culture. Hecate was represented as a woman sitting on a throne, as
three women joined at the back (a maiden, a nymph, and an old woman), or as a
character with three heads. There were also statues depicting her as a woman with
the head of a horse, a dog or a lion and a bull .

Hecate has many aspects and many powers. Their cults often referred to the
concept of life and death, mystical transformation through death and rebirth. She
was benevolent and generous towards nature and humans, as well as ruthless,
responsible for all nocturnal atrocities and destructive magic. He ruled the earth, the
sky and the sea and also decided on human destinies. His worshipers prayed to
him for happiness, wealth and prosperity. In Athens, houses had a small altar in
honor of Hecate and she was highly respected among the people. According to
Hesiod's Theogony, she was the daughter of the Titans: Perseus and Asteria, a
benevolent deity who was the nurse of the children of Zeus. Hecate of Hesiod was
the favorite of the gods and humans, the goddess who always listened to and
answered the prayers of the people. It could provide man with wealth, power and
fame, it protected soldiers in battle and sailors at sea. He monitored justice in the
courts and guaranteed victory in competitions. And finally, she was also associated
with the moon and worshiped as the patron saint of agriculture 2 .

On the other hand, she was considered the goddess of darkness and death. It was
believed that she appeared at night at crossroads accompanied by dogs, ghouls
and ghostly spirits. She could assume a terrible form, haunting graves and
announcing misfortune to all who saw her. Thus, one of her names was Antaia (she
who is found). It was also called Trivia, since it appeared on three intersecting
paths. In many cultures crossroads are considered the locations on earth of the
point where worlds and dimensions meet and intertwine: the world of Spirit, the
world of Matter, the place of the gods and the mundane reality of the humans, the
terrestrial and the divine. During her nocturnal wanderings, she was extremely
dangerous and people stayed away from places where she could appear, as she
brought death to all those she encountered. But to those who dared to seek it, it
showed them the correct path, the only one of the three intersecting paths that must
be followed, the path of initiation into its dark mysteries.

Hecate was often seen in desolate places: on top of mountains, deep in forests,
and in forgotten areas. His kingdom was that of wild animals: hounds, wolves, deer
and snakes. Their witchcraft often included mysteries of beast transformation, a
practice similar to the shamanic tradition of shapeshifting. Like the goddess, who
assumed animal forms, followers of her path could change into the forms of bestial
creatures associated with her tradition. In his entourage we can find Empusa, the
terrible ghoul who fed on human flesh and hunted his prey in the form of a beautiful
woman. Hecate was also the goddess of the underworld – she guarded the gates of
Hades alongside the infernal dog Cerberus. It was believed to rule over revenge
and atonement. At crossroads his worshipers left cakes and honey as offerings,
and sometimes animals were also sacrificed to him, especially black dogs. His cult
was different from that of other gods that was practiced in open, public festivals.
The offerings were left secretly at night. They were deposited for wild animals,
creatures of the night, their servants and companions.

Anyway, she was above all, the patron saint of witches and the goddess of black
magic. She invested them with power over the forces of Nature, revealed the
secrets of herbs and taught how to prepare magic potions. She was the mistress of
necromancy and funerary magic. He appeared to his followers with torches in his
hands, or in the form of an animal – a mare, a dog or a wolf. He led his followers
through the path of the deepest and darkest layers of the irrational. Her cult was
persecuted by patriarchal religions because it involved practices that seemed
tortuous and dangerous, especially those that connected with female sexuality. Its
mysteries were based on the cult of sexuality in its wild and primal aspect. Witches
who worshiped Hecate used sorcery to increase their sexual attractiveness and
attract potential prey. Their attitude towards sex was predatory – they treated their
partners like prey, taking advantage of them until they were dry and exhausted,
deprived of vital energy. The cult of Hecate, therefore, became associated with the
cult of unleashed female sexuality – endangering the patriarchal structures of the
community. In this sense, Hecate was one of the “darkest” goddesses in the
Western pantheon. His cult is the via sinistra, the exploration of the dark side of
human nature, the wild element, the dark instinct of the primordial traditions of the
left-hand path.

Hecate was also associated with the moon and, because of this, was considered a
goddess of moonlight. This is why she was called Mene, deriving the name from
Selene, the goddess of the moon and the underworld. Its mysteries can thus be
associated with the female menstrual period which has been linked to the phases of
the moon since ancient times. Hecate, however, was a chthonic goddess. One of
its main attributes is a key that opens the door to Hades. The torch illuminates the
dark corridors and tunnels of the underworld. She is the guide who leads adepts
through the realm of the dead, the goddess of illumination sometimes represented
as a living flame, illuminating the darkness of darkness and oblivion.

In literature, witches often invoke his name in rites and spells. In Shakespeare's
Macbeth, Hecate is the Queen of the Witches invoked by the “supernatural sisters”
in their sinister prophecies. Shakespeare often mentions this mysterious goddess in
his magic-themed works, such as Macbeth or A Midsummer Night's Dream. In
literature it is commonly linked to the night and witchcraft. Likewise, the Witch in the
title of the same name by the English playwright Thomas Middleton is called
Hecate. This dark goddess is often described as the personification of black magic.
This image is rooted in medieval tradition, when Hecate was the goddess of death
and moonlight, the mistress of the dead, the Wild Hunt and warriors, presiding over
the nightly gathering of witches and their malevolent spells.

The name “Hecate” itself is of unknown origin. It has been suggested that it could
mean “she who is far away.” There is also a similarity between the word “Hecate”
and the Egyptian term “hekau,” meaning “magic.” Or it may also be a derivative of
the name of the Egyptian Heqet, the frog-headed goddess of births. According to
Robert Graves, his name means “one hundred” and refers to the Great Year of one
hundred lunar months, when the Holy King once ruled. His blood was the symbol of
terrestrial rebirth 3 . Hecate has many other names as well. Apart from those
already mentioned, she was also called Aphrattos (“Unnamed”) or Pandeina
(“Dreadful”).

Among other goddesses, she was identified with Artemis, Selene, Demeter or
Persephone. It was she who told Demeter about Hades's abduction of Persephone
to the underworld. Through her marriage to Hades, Persephone became the
mistress of Nature's cyclical changes – at the end of autumn, she descends into the
underworld, marking the beginning of winter and the seasonal death of Nature. In
the spring it returns, bringing new life to the world. When she emerges from the
land of the dead, Hecate arrives to greet her, and thus becomes her companion in
the symbolic process of Nature's death and rebirth. As the goddess of magic and
dark rites, she can also be linked to the Celtic Cerridwen, the lady of witchcraft,
whose main quality is the cauldron of wisdom. The iconographic image of a witch in
the form of a woman preparing a magic potion in a cauldron is a re-enactment of
this ancient myth. The witch's potion was a source of great knowledge, unknown to
the uninitiated. There is a legend that says that a servant of Cerridwen tasted a few
drops of her elixir, which gave him deep knowledge, poetic talent and the ability to
see past and future events 4 .

Initiation into the mysteries of Hecate is the descent into the Darkness where
ancient knowledge lies hidden, waiting to be rediscovered. She leads us through
dark paths toward the gates of hell, where the terrifying Cerberus guards long-
forgotten secrets of power and immortality. The key to the door is in the hand of the
goddess and her torch is the flame of illumination, shining in the depths of the
adept's soul.

Work with Hecate

Below, we show a series of three works dedicated to Hecate, prepared to establish

communication with this dark goddess in her three aspects: the protector of wild
Nature, the queen of witchcraft and the guide of the underworld. The project was
originally developed in a group of three female participants from the Magan Lodge
and preceded by preparatory practices such as meditations, drawing images of
Hecate (the triple goddess), decorating the temple with the attributes of the
goddess and a night walk through the crossroads with the aim of leaving offerings
to their spirits.

Hecate – Protector of Nature

The work begins with a meditation on the Wiccan mantra “Isis, Astarte, Diana,
Hecate, Demeter, Kali, Inanna.” After this the participants must walk to the
crossroads (preferably in a forest, where the work is to take place) and leave an
offering. The offering can be traditional (cakes and honey) or can be replaced with
incense (thyme). The ritual can be performed at a crossroads or in a quiet, desolate
place.

The choice of ritual tools is left to the choice of the participants.

The altar, however, must include a chalice filled with pure water.
Let the ritual begin!

We invoke Hecate, lady and mother of wild Nature,

of the forests and meadows that surround us!

We seek union with the land we are on!

With the air we breathe!

With the water we drink!

And with the fire that burns on this altar!

Our desire is to hear the call of the Goddess in our souls!

 MELEZ!

Lady of the Moon, the forests, the mountains and the lakes!

Your hands mold us like clay.

You possess the secrets of the soul.

You appear at night in the darkest forests.

You make the earth live, breathe and pulsate with its wild rhythm. Come with your
servants: dogs, wolves, owls, snakes

and other beasts of the Night Desolation!

Let us join your dance with the priests

of forgotten sanctuaries and desolate places.

Hear us!

Hug us!

Reveal to us the mystery of life and death!

Now visualize a desolate forest and three women dancing: a young woman, a
mature woman and an old woman. The circle is surrounded by wild animals that
come from the forest and gather around.

Hecate!

Surround us with your darkness

in which we will hear the siren song

and the howling of wild beasts.

Let your whispers flow

through our spirits and our flesh.

Place a kiss on our foreheads

for which we will die and rise reborn!

Draw the glyph of the moon goddess on your forehead: the crescent moon with
three points above it.

ISIS! ASTARTHE! DIANA! HECATE!

DEMETER! KALI! INNANA!

Lady of Nature!

Mother!

Queen of Life!

Aphrattos!

Pandeina!

We call upon you by your name

and the names of your sisters:

MODRON! GOOD DEA! PERSEPHONE! CEERES!

MORGANA! EPONA! POMONA! DANU!

Come to us, Hecate!

Touch us with your hand and release the wild instincts

that lie sleeping in our souls!

Drink a little of the water from the chalice and offer the rest to the earth.

So be it!

Now visualize that you enter the circle and join the dancing women. You begin to
spin with the divine dance. Feel the kiss of the Goddess on your forehead – she will
transform you into a wild animal – and join your beastly companions on the hunt
through the forests.

Hecate – Queen of Witchcraft and the Moon

This work attempts to summon the nocturnal powers of Hecate, those that deal with
witchcraft and necromantic magic. The altar should be decorated with bones and
skulls, preferably both human and animal. The chalice must be filled with black
wine representing blood.

Let the ritual begin!

We invoke Hecate, queen of witchcraft, of the night and the moon! Our wish is
unite with the goddess

and contemplate the depths of our souls

in search of his Dark Flame!

MELEZ!
Hecate!

Goddess of Darkness, triple goddess!

You are the Moon, the Hunter and the devil of the dead.

Antaia!

Woe to those for whom you have no mercy!

Your breasts are full of blood

– bitter and delicate.

It flows into the chalice from which we drink.

Consecrate the wine from the chalice, visualizing how the goddess's blood drips
into it from her naked breasts.

We enter your cemetery temple.

We descend into Darkness.

Your path leads to the sanctuaries of the Abyss.

 We descend the black stairs

into the clear flame of the cold moonlight,

where your dark servants,

the ghouls and the ghosts of the ancestors

They gather in infamous feast!

Visualize that you are surrounded by shadows, ghouls whose eyes glow in the
darkness, predatory specters waiting to tear you apart. Feel his breath on your
neck. Hear his deep whispers in your ear.

HECATE! CERRIDWEN! ARJANRHOD! CAILLECH!

AL-ILAT! PERSEPHONE!

Lady of witchcraft, shadows and infernal spirits!

Your hair is made of snakes!

Your flesh is the flame of the moon!

Your breath is the breath of death!

Hate!

Trioditis!

Lady of the Crossroads!

We drink the blood of your chalice, offering our own!

Drink the wine from the chalice and offer a few drops of your own blood – pour it on
the earth or burn it in the fire, letting the odor ascend to higher spheres.

Hecate-Mene!

Lady of the Moon!

We hear the howl of your wolves gathering!

 We invoke you and enter your terrible sanctuary.

Let your shadows devour us!

We wish to be reborn in your infernal fire!

PROPYLAIA! PHOSPHOROS! SOTEIRA!

TRIODY! CTONIA!

We greet you!

May your fire be the force of our self-creation!

So be it!

Meditation:

Visualize yourself standing at a crossroads at night. You observe a woman in front

of you, dressed in black, with burning eyes. He bends over a cauldron, fills the
chalice with the potion from the cauldron, and gives it to you to drink. When you do,
you feel fire burn inside you. Then the shadows and demons around you swoop in
and tear you apart. You cease to exist. The only thing you can still feel is the flame
that crystallizes into a new body. Meditate on this process for a while. Then the
work is finished.

Hecate – The Guide to the Underworld

The third labor is the descent into the personal underworld with Hecate as a guide.
The short ritual opening is followed by trail work. It is recommended to do these
three jobs on three days in a row, each on a different day. The opening incantation
of this work is taken from “The Cry of the 27th Aethyr” from The Vision and the
Voice by Aleister Crowley.

Let the ritual begin!

UNTU LA LA ULULA UMUNA TOFA LAMA LE LI NA AH

RIMA TAHARA ELULA ETFOMA UNUNA ARPETI ULU ULU

 ULU MARABAN ULULU MAHATA ULU ULU LAMASTANA

Hecate!

Goddess of shadows and witchcraft!

Lady of Darkness!

Queen of all those who dwell in Heaven!

Queen of all the pure on earth!

Queen of all the sorcerers of hell!

Triple Goddess!

We call upon you tonight!

Come to us!

Lead us to the dark pits of the underworld

to find the wisdom of the ancients.

Guide us through your path, black as night,

eternal and endless.

HECATE!

Let us look in the mirror of the soul

through your eyes that see everything,

deep into the hell that hides

the secret of existence!

Let us try your transforming potion!

Manifest yourself as the force of our self-creation!

We call you by your names:

Chtonian, Crateis, Enodia, Antania, Kurotrophos, Artemis of the

crossroads, Propulaia, Propolos, Phosphoros, Soteria,

Prytania, Trivia, Klêidouchos, Tricephalus

 Come to us, Hecate!

So be it!

Meditation:

Visualize that you are alone in the forest. You realize that you are dressed in a long
black robe. You take the path that leads to the center of the forest, always moving
forward until you find the three paths that intersect. You look at the moon and
whisper the name “Hecate.” In front of you opens a portal that leads downwards,
towards hell. The descending stairs shine with strange light. In your left hand you
carry a torch. You can use it to illuminate the darkness while descending the stairs.
You can see shadows moving on the walls of the corridor and hear their whispers.

Now you are in front of a door. It is guarded by Cerberus, the monstrous three-
headed dog, with a snake for a tail and countless snake heads on his back. You put
your hand in your pocket – there is a key and a whip. You hit the ground with the
whip and the hound begins to obey you. You put the key in its jaws and the door
opens. You go inside. You are now in a torch-lit chamber. In the center of it there is
a mirror. You get closer and look in it, but there is no reflection. The mirror is
sleeping. You put your hand in another pocket and find a dagger. You cut your
hand and let the blood flow onto the mirror. Now he is alive. You can see images
moving and changing on it. You look in the mirror and see the visions. Everything
you see is the reflection of your soul.

When the mirror stops showing images and becomes silent, return to the chamber,
take the key and return, down the stairs towards the forest. Close the portal.

Glimpses of the Left Hand Path

1 Manfred Lurker: Dictionary of Gods and Goddesses, Devils and Demons

2 H esiod: Theogony

3 Robert Graves: Greek Myths

4 E dain McCoy: Celtic Myth and Magick