This ritual evokes Hekate in three of her most commanding roles: guardian of the vulnerable, healer of healers and guide to the departed, in addition to banishing, protecting and blessing the witch performing the rite.

Yet, still, we are her chosen who abide, like her, at the crossroads. Herein we see the fears within us, and those of the broader world. We sense, because we are mighty perceivers, the fear that is rampant in these times. The vulnerability of those who cannot protect themselves, such as children and the marginalized, the weariness of ourselves and other healers, the confusion of the recently departed.

 To walk the mother road is to seek the magick, medicine and mysteries of the Mother Goddess. Although she comes in many different faces, she is a guide along our journey down her twisting pathway. Long before the ancient scribes scratched Hekate’s name on their tablets, she was known as Enodia, the Goddess of the Way. 

Hail to the Hieros Pyr! The most powerful and primal of Hekatean symbols. Fire moves, it breathes, it bends, and it dances. Hekate’s Wheel of Fire spins, blending and empowering all that dare dance within it. This ritual activates the kinetic power of fire by connecting us to Hekate’s Wheel of Fire that consists of five sacred flames:

• The Star Fire: power of inspiration and mysticism
• The Fire of Life: the spark of the Anima Mundi in all things
• The Guiding Fire: Hekate’s torch that leads the way for our earthly journey
• The Witch Fire: the unique essence of Hekate within her witches
• The Fire of Destruction: the power of Hekate to destroy all things

I’m sharing this ritual in a format designed for you to do on your own, based on one we do in Hekate’s Modern Witchcraft on the May Full Moon. The Full Moon is an ideal time for summoning the power of Hekate’s Sacred Fires since the moon illuminated brightly by the sun reflects the role of Hekate as divine mediator between the earth and heavens. Envision the full moon as such, a sort of way station between the Star-Fire and the earthly fire of the material world. This perspective comes from The Chaldean Oracles’ version of Hekate as a complex force from which the fire of creation flows.

Purification with water is especially helpful to prepare for fire rituals. It is the counterweight to the Holy Darkness Cycle performed during November and December, balancing the energies of darkness through celebrating her brightness. If your personal Wheel of Time is not attuned to the seasonal energy of creation, then the Holy Darkness rituals of reclaiming, retrieval and rebirth may be more suitable for you.

Materials: A candle for each fire is recommended. Ash for anointing yourself is also suggested. For ash, use the remains from burning a suitable botanical sacred to Hekate, such as mugwort, sage or thyme.

Botanicals: The Hieros Pyr Incense and Holy Fire Water are suitable for this ritual. Directions can be found here.

The energy for this ritual is to evoke Hekate’s presence and to petition her sharing of the Hieros Pyr with you, merging your flame with hers. 

Hekate 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. Associated with the moon, fire and the underworld, but also with healing and mysticism.

There is much to learn about Hekate from the written records, but for a witch to truly know Hekate, we need to experience her. This is our awakening to what has always been within us.

Her history is that of all unruly women, labeled as witches and otherwise. However, learning this history helps us to reclaim our power and to understand how we are of her. It is a cautionary tale of beauty and power reduced to ashes, yet she rises again. As do her witches. 

 Hekate: Goddess of Witches

To her chosen, Hekate is the Witch Mother, our spiritual leader from whom we came. She lights our path, protecting us even when we are unaware. Hekate abides.

If you are newly awakened to her presence, read these tips for answering Hekate’s call.

She is the hidden power within her witches that is now awakening. Her powers are beyond compare. She is the Dark Mother who rules over all the universe. Her mother was the stars and her father the darkness.

Continue.

The return of wild women has led to a foundational shift in the power structure. It is a fault line over which we cannot traverse. There is no going back. From this cleavage has emerged the eternal primal power of the sacred feminine. The wild woman has broken free. Her crown in place, she now stands in her power.

This goddess rising is Hekate. She is the ancient mother called forth from her cave by the cries of thousands. She is fierce, bold and enduring. Hekate is the voice that whispers we can choose to stand in our power. She is the life-death-life cycle. That is what women know in our souls. This is the power that is feared. We are creators and destroyers. Tender, yet unbreakable. And we have broken free of their chains.

We are living in the aftermath of the chain-breaking earthquake. The terrain is dangerous, yet it is the territory in which we are most powerful. This is Hekate’s landscape; the crossroads between what was and what will be.