Days of Hekate III: Labrys Full Moon Ritual and Wildwood Workings

On Sunday, May 22^nd, 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.

Days of Hekate II: The Nomen Rite

On Saturday 21^st of May, I performed a rite for which I was preparing for months.  The reason behind such lengthy preparation was that the Nomen Rite was as important as my dedication to Hekate and, in some ways, even more binding and serious for me. It was a long, intricate ritual, lasting a bit more than 2 hours, making it one of the lengthiest rituals I have ever performed in 11+ years of practice. It was also rather taxing and demanding in terms of invocations, maintenance and work. Truly, it ought to have been a group ritual, with at least two more people to help but, alas, the Triskelion is a solitary path (for now?).

The Nomen Rite, as the name suggests to those familiar with Latin, was my naming ceremony. In this ritual, I took a special name – a “magical name” for the first time in my entire Pagan life – that was revealed to me by Hekate and the Wildwood Spirits, and one I had to take if I was to commit fully and truly to the Triskelion and open up all channels and gates for the road ahead. At first, I was only aware of one name I had to take but during the preparatory period, I was “told” that it had a supplementary name-title indicating “where my heart was born”. 

I’ve mentioned this before here, and now I can finally talk more about it. Specifically, divination and spirit communion explained that I can, now, reveal the Great Spirit that has been aiding me in this work as well as a good deal of the Rite itself and a part of my name: the supplementary name-title. I am under oath not to reveal my “core name”, sadly. I also cannot share details of the Nomen Rite such as the invocations used or my Naming Oath (although I can tell you roughly what I swore). The Spirit that has been aiding me is the Heron and my new name is Chelydoreus, taken after the name of the village where I’ve spent nearly every summer of my life, the place where my maternal grandmother was born and raised, the place I consider my true home: the village of Chelydori, between Mt. Evrostini and Mt. Chelydorea, where Hermes found the tortoise he used to fashion the lyre, according to myth.

The Rite itself was deeply potent. Here’s the outline of the ritual: 

1.       Preparation:

·         Self purification

·         Space purification

·         Gathering necessary tools, offerings, etc.

2.       Casting the Magic Circle.

3.       Invocation of Hekate:

·         Hekataion Hymn, Orphic Hymn

4.       Invocation of the Wildwood Court:

·         Invocation of the Four Guardian Spirits

·         Invocation of the Heron

·         Invocation of the Horned One and His Lady of the Moon and Forest

5.       Rite of Manifestation of Hekate's Seal

6.       Main Working:

·         Declaration of the ritual's intent

·         Naming Oath (Όρκος Ονομαστικός, Sacramentum Nominis)

7.       Offerings, libations, hymns and prayers of praise

8.       Red Meal*

9.       Closing.

*Red Meal: Yes, this is indeed like the Traditional Witchcraft practice. The name and way to perform it were revealed to me by the Wildwood Spirits and after researching it out of curiousity I was shocked to find that it is an already existing and established rite - I thought it was a unique request from the Spirits!

One of the peculiarities of the ritual was that, even though the presences of the Gods and Spirits invoked were stronger than usual, I got very little in terms of communication and practically nothing in terms of epiphanies or revealed gnosis, despite my continuous requests to be shown what comes after this and what I should do from now on. After a lot of effort and communion, Hekate finally had a message for me: “You know what it is that must be done following this and We have nothing more to impart at this time.” In other words, we’re not going to spoon-feed you everything, you’re way past that stage. Do your own dirty work. Duly noted!

The offerings were nothing spectacular, sadly, but both divination and my intuition pointed towards them being very well-received, which made me very glad. Feelings of insecurity and inadequacy are some of my biggest personal “demons” and being told that even the small things – the only things – I am able to offer are happily accepted is a much needed reassurance.

This whole Rite and the naming itself primarily served as a dedication, of sorts, to the Triskelion. I committed myself fully and formally to this path and system and to the Gods and Spirits that come along with it. No more excuses, no more feeling bad about “dry spells” or periods of inactivity, no more arm-chair occultism. Moreover, the days after the Rite I found myself more open and sensitive to the Otherworld and receiving a lot more revealed gnosis that before – or, at the very least, more detailed and complete gnosis as opposed to the bits and pieces I was getting before. Indeed, other workings and divination confirmed that many spiritual “gates” within me and in my path had been opened and certain aspects of my work are finally accessible to me. In many ways, the Nomen Rite was a kind of spiritual initiation akin to what I experienced during my dedication to Hekate and felt very much as the – somewhat overdue – next step from the dedication.

That was the Nomen Rite or, perhaps more accurately, the Nomen Experience. I have a lot of things to still share here, beyond this; my account of the Three Days of Hekate is still not complete. I also have many other writings and work to finish and post. Until next time:

I am CHELYDOREUS, devotee of Hekate, practitioner of the Triskelion, Polytheist, Witch, Pagan, a student of the Mysteries indulging in the Great Work.

Overview of the Triskelion

The Triskelion is comprised of two distinct – though interconnected and occasionally overlapping – practices: Neohellenic Witchcraft and Wildwood Druidry.

NeoHellenic Witchcraft itself is comprised of three parts, called “Crafts”. These are:

•   The Hekatean Craft
•   The Ephestian Craft
•   and the Polis Craft (which is specifically called Athenian Craft in my case – more on this in a bit).

The Hekatean Craft can be considered the core and heart of Neohellenic Witchcraft and of the Triskelion itself. It is the primary practice that informs the rest of the system, especially in terms of tools, techniques, and direction. The patron of this Craft is, obviously, Hekate. The Hekatean Craft focuses on magic, mysticism, and devotional polytheism (centered on Hekate). It is a transformative practice, revealing the Mysteries of the Craft of the Wise and of Magic, as Hekate governs and teaches them. In accordance to the oaths and characteristics of this Craft, all magic I practice or use is dedicated to Hekate. In other words, all magic I may practice in my life is in honour of Hekate. The Hekatean Craft also deals with Gods related to Hekate as well as the various spirits in Her retinue.

The Ephestian Craft is a magico-religious version of Hellenism’s household cult. It follows the religious practices of Hellenic polytheism (the Ephestian Gods and spirits, Hellenic beliefs as well as rituals and celebrations) and marries them with my magical practice and identity as a Witch (also drawing from historical magical practices, especially Greek folk magic). This translates into a practice that focuses on the household and the many ways it can be supported, protected, and fostered.

Finally, the Polis Craft or, as I call it, the Athenian Craft focuses on the regional and communal aspects of my religion, spirituality, and magical practice. Specifically, it includes things such as (public) group religious practice, worship, and magic (such as in a Hellenic polytheism group like Labrys or even in a private group of friends and fellow practitioners). Due to its regional focus, it can change depending on my place of residence, with various practices and ritual duties for both permanent and temporary changes of residence. This includes working with local spirits and deities, especially the city patron (hence, in my case as a citizen of Athens, it is called “Athenian Craft”), participating in local group rituals and other practices, and striving to be a contributing and law-abiding citizen.

As you can see, these three Crafts, for all their “independence”, are interconnected and overlap a lot. For example, the Hekatean Craft provides the main tools that are used in rituals in the Ephestian and Athenian Crafts as well as magical skills and techniques that have uses in the other Crafts too. The Ephestian Craft deals, in part, with additional roles of Hekate in ways that the Hekatean Craft doesn’t, and it also touches on the Athenian Craft's focus on regional cult through its practices related to the “neighbour spirits” of my household (local daimons and spirits of place that influence the area near and around my home). The Athenian Craft can add to the other Crafts via the building of bonds and relationships with the local “spiritual ecosystem”, something that can enhance existing magical practice and spirit-work.

The Wildwood Druidry is not comprised of distinct parts, like Neohellenic Witchcraft is. Instead, it has very obvious influences and loans, in a very Eclectic-reminiscent manner, from other religious systems, namely (outer court*) Wicca and Ar nDraiocht Fein’s Druidic practice (with special focus on Ian Corrigan’s published material). This is especially obvious in the use of the Wheel of the Year, the worship of a God-and-Goddess-type divine couple ruling the spirit court of the Wildwood realm, the Fire, Well, and Tree of Ar nDraiocht Fein, the spirit-arte techniques of Ian Corrigan and so on. I decided to use these notions, practices, and beliefs because of the compatibility I perceive between them and the Wildwood; specifically, I have been led to believe, by the Wildwood spirits, that those “borrowed” practices are a highly compatible vehicle for working with the Wildwood – note that there have been hints that they won’t necessarily be a permanent part of my Wildwood practice and that, in time and through exploration of that realm, I might discover and build a more unique practice.

Despite the “borrowed” or “Eclectic” liturgical skeleton, the Wildwood Druidry’s focus is still the Wildwood realm, the Mysteries it offers and reveals, and the relationships between its spirits and me. In other words, the main focus is, above all, effective spirit-work and mystery practice.

The Wildwood Druidry is, at the time of writing of this article, still very new and in fervent development. Therefore, it is still in flux and a good deal of what has been revealed this far has been deemed especially private. In other words, I’ve only explored a small part of it, and even then most of it is not information or experiences I can easily share with the public (and, in some cases, I am not even allowed to share certain things at all).

Together, these two great practices, Neohellenic Witchcraft and Wildwood Druidry, are the Path of the Triskelion. As I’ve said before, it is the most complete version of my overall path and practice.

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*Outer Court: The public, published information regarding Wicca (which I understand and define as British Traditional Witchcraft, often calling it Traditional Wicca in my writings to differentiate it from Eclectic/Neo-Wicca).