On Sunday,
May 22nd, I attended a public ritual for the Full Moon hosted by
Labrys on Philopappou Hill in downtown Athens (it’s a hill next to the
Acropolis). It was a very beautiful ritual: we were gathered in a circle around
the altar, the only light coming from the illuminated city around the hill, the
torches held by some of the women participating and the various candles and oil
lamps on and around the altar.
One of the
torchbearers invoked Hekate with a hymn I hadn’t heard before, although parts
of it were familiar. I didn’t have the chance to ask afterwards but I think it
was a hymn crafted personally by her and included pieces of other hymns as
well. It was beautiful, wild, and moving to the point that I couldn’t recall
the hymns to the other Goddesses afterwards. The whole ritual was exceptionally
pleasing, aesthetically and energetically.
There was a
bit of a problem though. It got really cold to the point that I couldn’t stop
shivering. Unwilling to break circle to get my jacket or to interrupt the
gorgeous ritual in any way, I silently called upon two of the Four Guardian
Spirits: Mother Bear of the North and Brother Wolf of the South, two important
spirit animals in the Wildwood Druidry. That actually helped a lot! Slowly, I
began feeling a sense of warmth emanating from inside me (my “centre”, the
point in my body I visualise as my core and centre during centering and
meditations, located a little above the solar plexus) which extended to my
entire body. It faded somewhat at times during the ritual because my focus was
divided but, other than that, it worked better than I expected.
After the
ritual, we had a simple feast of sorts, sharing salty foods and red wine and
having fun as a community (it looks a lot like an outdoors party, in fact!). As
always, I only took a few sips and offered the rest as a libation. Even so, I
felt a bit “tipsy” and unstable on my feet and I was positively buzzing with
the energy of the ritual, despite being dead-tired from the hours of standing.
When I got home, I was too charged up to rest so I performed an ecstatic rite
for the Wildwood Spirits, a working that brings me in communion with them
through the use of a veil, ecstatic dance, and “spirit-talk”*. I thanked them for
their aid with the cold and then decided on the spot to use this as a chance to
do something I had in mind for a while: request entrance to the Wildwood Realm
under their auspices**. I uttered my request and, while still in trance, drew a
card from the Wildwood Tarot deck to serve as the answer from the Spirits. It
was an overwhelmingly positive and reassuring card, essentially the Spirits screaming
“YES!” to me in regards to my request. Deeply moved, I thrice blessed and
thanked the Spirits and slowly finished the rite.
Thus
concluded the Three Days of Hekate, which began with Her Sacred Fires,
continued with the Nomen Rite, and finished with a public Full Moon ritual and
a private Wildwood rite. Those three days were filled with potent energies and
presences, moving and powerful experiences, and a lot of hope and determination
for the future.
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*Spirit-talk:
Speaking while in trance and communion with Gods or Spirits, with minimal
control over my speech, allowing the inspiration of the Spirits and the words of my soul to
come forth, unhindered by the conscious mind. It is essentially a type of oral automatic
writing, as well as a type of channeling and mediumship. The Gods and Spirits
don’t possess me or talk through me per se – rather, it is a way for me to open
up to their guidance and inspiration completely as well as speak what is True
and what comes directly from my soul (thus all speech during spirit-talk is
Words of Power and can be considered the same as spell utterances and
incantations). It is an important tool in my spirit-work as it allows me to
remember what transpires but also to gain insight and gnosis that would
otherwise be hidden from me. It also allows me to express my true will, intent
and feelings without relying on scripted prayer or invocations or stumbling to
find the proper words.
**Entering
the Wildwood Realm: This is part of a bigger subject that I will discuss on
this blog at some point. Long story short, it is part of a process for working
with and experiencing the Wildwood Realm and all its Spirits, and it refers to
getting the permission of specific Spirits before entering the Wildwood, for a
host of reasons, such as protection and guidance. While it is entirely possible
to enter the Wildwood without permission (it’s not a closed-off realm) and even
experience it in different ways (“enter it from different gates”, if you will),
requesting permission is a necessary step for entering the Wildwood in a specific
manner and being able to fulfill specific conditions and workings in the
future, as per Triskelion and Wildwood Druidry practice.
