Tools of the Hekatean Craft

In this post, I will explore the main tools of the Hekatean Craft – and, by extension, the main tools of the Triskelion itself – as well as give brief explanations of their roles, uses, and symbolism.

The Triad of Hekate’s Seal

One of the central symbols in the Hekatean Craft is called Hekate’s Seal. This is actually a set of distinct symbols weaved together to form a coherent whole, a symbolic rendition of the Craft itself.

As you can see in the picture (a quick sketch just to demonstrate it here), Hekate’s Seal is comprised of an eye within a circle, surrounded by nine rays, and around that circle, in the points that would correspond to a superimposed triquetra, are three Hekatean symbols: the dagger, the key, and the rope. Flanking those are two lit torches, one white, one black. Below the symbolic pattern, there is Hekate’s name written in Greek capital letters.

In this post, we will only focus on the three main symbols (dagger, key, rope): these are also important tools in the Hekatean Craft, the ones collectively called “The Triad of Hekate’s Seal”.

The Dagger: the symbol of the Witch’s power and Will. This tool is an emblem of the Witch’s position, power, and authority under the auspices of Hekate within this practice and I wield it as a sign of my identity and status within all formal rituals of the Triskelion (and, especially in the Hekatean Craft). Moreover, the Dagger is a weapon, physically as well as spiritually, and a tool with the properties of authority, control, summoning, and protection. It is also a guide and conduit of my Will, mainly in manifesting it for ritual purposes (example: drawing the magic circle). Within the Triskelion praxis, it has no specific elemental affinity, instead containing all elements equally and in balance. It can be somewhat of a forceful tool, even when used solely as a “badge” or “ID” of sorts.

The Crossroads Key: The Key is an old, plain key imbued with the power and magic of a crossroads through an appropriate rite. It stands as one of the greatest symbols of Hekate and Her liminal powers. The Key is used to lock and unlock the three Gates, to provide a link to the crossroads, to serve as a focal point for the worship of Hekate as well as to empower any rite and working. Like the Dagger, it has no specific elemental affinity.

The Hanged Man’s Rope: The Hanged Man’s Rope is a piece of rope, consecrated with the power of the Underworld, and symbolises the bonds of both the ancestors and the Restless Dead – the deceased with whom Hekate is more closely associated – with our world. The Rope is used as a conduit or focus for interaction with the dead. Also, it can be used both to guide the Restless Dead to the underworld as well as to sever the bonds that hold them in this world. The first is combined with another tool, the Hermetic Rod, while the latter makes use of the Dagger to symbolically cut the lingering bonds by placing the Dagger’s blade on the Rope as part of specific rites. Again, like the Dagger and the Key, the Rope has no specific elemental affinity.

The Witch’s Tools

 

Beyond the Triad, there are additional and equally important tools: these are called “The Witch’s Tools” and are the following: the Hekataion, the Hermetic Rod, and the Three Sacred Waters.

Hekataion: The Hekataion is the “Book of Shadows” of the Hekatean praxis. A Hekataion is any place or object dedicated to Hekate or portraying Her. In ancient Greece, a Hekataion was often a column or other similar construct (like a statue or altar) portraying Hekate, usually accompanied by the Charites and placed on crossroads. Symbolically, the book is a Hekataion since it is dedicated to Hekate and the Hekatean Craft. It contains information and lore regarding Hekate and this Craft.

Hermetic Rod: The Rod is made from a plane tree’s fallen branch, from the trees of our previous residence. The Rod is the Dagger’s “sibling” in many ways. They have great, in some cases opposing, differences. Because of that, they complement each other and should often be used in conjunction. The Rod is the symbol of the messenger. Its properties are that of calm interaction, of communication, and exchange. The Rod is a tool of communication and soothing, a parallel of Hermes’ staff, the caduceus (Greek: Kerykeion – Herald’s Staff) which is both a symbol of his status as a messenger and a tool for putting people to sleep. The Rod is used for inviting entities (usually deities or respected daemons) as well as for invocation (alongside the Dagger). Unlike the previous tools, the Rod has a specific and highly important elemental affinity: it is of the element of Air (further empowering its properties and roles). Finally, the Rod is used to open and close (which follow and precede respectively, the unlocking and locking of) the Gates.

The Three Sacred Waters: There are three different and unique blessed waters I can make in the Hekatean Craft and overall Triskelion praxis. These are: the Meter Protogenos ("Primordial Mother" or "First-born Mother"), the Stygian Water, and the Eternal Water.

• The Meter Protogenos is the most useful and often utilised blessed water. It is used for purification, cleansing*, blessing, protection, and as a bearer of lunar properties and attributes. It is a mixture of salt and water, blessed and created with an appropriate rite. 

• The Stygian Water is used for lesser anointments (unctions), enhancement and blessing, lesser consecrations, and as a bearer of chthonic attributes and properties. It is created by the submersion of a wooden branch on fire (such as a lit match) in water and blessed in the appropriate rite.

• Finally, the Eternal Water is a special kind of blessed water reserved for very significant rituals. It is created by combining the Meter Protogenos and the Stygian Water in the appropriate rite. It possesses all qualities and attributes of the other two blessed waters and in a greater degree. It can be used for purification, cleansing, major blessings, major consecrations, major anointments (unctions), protection, enhancement, and as a bearer of Hekate’s own energy.

_______________________________________________

*Cleansing and purification: I differentiate between the two, somewhat. Cleansings are purifications but of a lesser potency while the term "purification" (Greek: καθαρμός, katharmos) is used in my writings to refer to more powerful techniques.

_______________________________________________

Elemental Pillars

In the Hekatean Craft, there are four tools that correspond to and represent the elements in ritual. Unlike other systems those four tools called Pillars, are stones. Every stone represents and corresponds to an element (fire, water, air, and earth). The making of these stones into the Elemental Pillars is a long and arduous process, in order to ensure that they have been properly and permanently imbued with the appropriate elemental energies only.

The Pillars are the magical foundations of many rituals (as well as most elabourate workings), especially magical ones or those that utilise the magic circle, in the Hekatean Craft. Their use can prove essential since nothing can be constructed (magically/energetically) without proper foundations. Each Pillar has its own meanings and properties and based on those, they can be positioned differently depending on the ritual/working.

Pillar of Earth: It represents the element of Earth. Its properties are: stability, calmness, power physical/bodily/life force, growth, fertility, support, death, precaution, restriction/confinement. It can be used as the foremost Pillar for workings and rites related/focused on these things.

Pillar of Fire: It represents the element of Fire. Its properties are: passion, power energetic, cleansing, banishment, catharsis, destruction, soul, sun, Will, protection, enlightenment. It can be used as the foremost Pillar for workings and rites related/focused on these things.

Pillar of Water: It represents the element of Water. Its properties are: memory, birth, cleansing, flow, moon, spirit, healing, clarity, feeling, goal, prediction/foresight, depth, time. It can be used as the foremost Pillar for workings and rites related/focused on these things.

Pillar of Air: It represents the element of Air. Its properties are: knowledge, message/news, cleansing, banishment, increase, empowerment, communication, in/evocation, mind. It can be used as the foremost Pillar for workings and rites related/focused on these things.

The Gates of the Otherworld

In the Hekatean Craft as well as the overall Triskelion praxis, an important tenet and practice is that of opening Gates to connect to realms and worlds entwined with the one we reside in as a means to either draw directly from where a rite or working’s goal is “originating” or to communicate and interact with the entities residing in those realms. The Gates are three: the Gate of Fire, connecting us with the realm(s) of deities and higher spiritual planes/spheres, the Gate of Water, connecting us with the realm(s) of daemons, the fae, other such spirits and the parallel (to us) planes and spheres and the Gate of Earth, connecting us with the realm(s) of the dead and lower planes/spheres. Each Gate has its own properties and roles. Air has no gate since it is the means, the road if you wish, connecting all of them.

Gate of Fire: The Gate of Fire connects to the higher realms. It aids interaction and communication with deities. Its element is Fire and its properties are passion and power. Its nature is solar. It brings forth energy and is related to the Anima Mundi, the World Soul. It symbolizes Will and the Higher Self (soul).

 

Gate of Water: The Gate of Water connects to the parallel realms. It aids interaction and communication with the fae, daemons and other such spirits. Its element is Water and its properties are feeling and healing. Its nature is lunar. It brings forth flow and is related to the Sensus/Spiritus Mundi, the World Mind/Spirit. It symbolizes the goal/intent and the Self (spirit).

Gate of Earth: The Gate of Earth connects to the lower realms. It aids interaction and communication with the dead. Its element is Earth and its properties are instinct, stability and fertility-death. Its nature is physical/earthly. It brings forth growth and is related to the Corpus Mundi, the World Body. It symbolizes the action and the Lower Self (life force/body).

Each Gate is represented by an appropriate elemental item. Specifically, the Gate of Fire is a source of fire, such as a candle, the Gate of Water is an amount of water, such as a bowl of water and the Gate of Earth is something of the earth, such as a bowl of rock salt or soil.

Different Gates are opened depending on the rite. In most cases, only one Gate is opened. The Gates are used for empowerment of workings and as an aid for communication and interaction with the appropriate entities for religious rites. In order to use them, a specific procedure must be followed. I can give the summary of the procedure here, but I cannot reveal the incantations and details involved.

First, I place the Pillars around the object to be turned into a Gate, with the Pillar of the corresponding element in front of the Gate, facing the practitioner. The Pillar of the opposing element is placed behind the Gate, while the other two can be placed in either side (left or right). Following that is the Unlocking of the Gates, a small rite unto itself, using the Crossroads Key to unlock and activate the Gate. Finally, using the Hermetic Rod I open fully the activated and unlocked Gate, just like one would turn the handle of an unlocked door to fully open it.

The Rod is very important in the rites of the Gates. It is used to ensure successful communication with the entities approached via the Gates as well as to maintain, through a calming authority, the exchange and working at hand. Should additional control and more forceful authority be required, the Dagger could also be used.

After the rite or working is complete, the Gate must be closed with the Rod and then locked with the Key, to fully deactivate it and make certain that nothing (energy, entities etc) will “leak” through. The objects used as the Gates are then cleaned (e.g. the water or dirt be disposed of, respectfully), cleansed and stored away. These objects are only used for the Gates, to ensure the purity of the energies involved.

The Minor Anima Mundi

The last main tool of the Hekatean Craft – but in no way the least important – is the Minor Anima Mundi (Lesser World Soul). It is a large candle, which underwent potent consecration rituals performed in trance-induced communion with Hekate. This candle serves as a vessel for Hekate’s power and presence, a living part of the Goddess to manifest in ritual. As such, it is an especially sacred object that must be treated with the utmost respect and kept solely for ritual use (I store it away safely whenever I’m not using it in ritual).

The Minor Anima Mundi acts similarly to a cult image, although a more abstract one rather than an anthropomorphic xoanon or statue. Due to it being imbued profusely with Hekate’s power, it exhibits and imparts many of the powers and blessings of the Goddess. As a – literal and metaphorical – Torch of Hekate (another name for it), it is particularly suited for mystery work, deep devotional practice, and theurgic magic.

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.

____________________

*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).

The Journey So Far

In lieu of recently celebrating the anniversary of my first, “official” Pagan ritual and the beginning of this life-long journey, I decided to write a post exploring my experiences and major milestones in my spiritual and religious evolution. I thought it necessary, lest I forget as I grow older: always remember your past so that you know what brought you where you are now, what the future might hold, and what mistakes you should avoid repeating.

I was always an odd kid, introverted and buried in books of fiction and fantasy. As far back as I can recall I was always enamoured with magic. This found an outlet beyond that of fantasy when I discovered a book in my grandfather’s library (a man of many talents and even more interests): Egyptian Magic, by E.A. Wallis Budge. The contents of this book utterly fascinated my 11-year-old self.

A bit of background info: I grew up in a decidedly Orthodox Christian country, where the only “choices” are Christianity or Atheism and where everything else is treated as either fairytales or something foreign and absurd. My family, with the exception of my maternal grandmother, are not religious (my mother and sister being, in fact, atheists) and I enjoyed as secular an upbringing as possible for a Greek. However, I was still exposed to the worldviews of Orthodox Christianity and (mild) Western secularisation, with all that entails. As such, and this being a time before the internet was widespread and easily accessible in Greece, I was ignorant of other religions, especially Pagan ones.

That book on Egyptian magic opened an entirely new world for me. Before I knew it, I found myself offering figs and water to Gods like Dhejuti (Thoth) and Bast, concocting “potions” with surprising results (such as making a “poultice” of sorts with mud and certain plants and grass that exterminated ant nests better than my grandfather’s chemicals), and weaving small spells inspired by that book which worked far better than I hoped or imagined.

This fascination persisted. When I turned 13, I was given a PC as a birthday present, along with an internet connection (I’m talking old dial-up internet, the kind that resulted in conversations like “Get off the phone, I want to check something on the internet!”). I immersed myself in the endless treasure trove of information that is the World Wide Web. I had already read the Da Vinci Code, which sparked my curiousity and fueled my doubts and skepticism towards Christianity. Soon, I decided to research the religion of the ancient Greeks, since we were never taught much beyond mythology at school. What I found enthralled me. I came across a Hellenic polytheist group, YSEE («Ύπατο Συμβούλιο Ελλήνων Εθνικών)», “Supreme Council of Ethnikoi Hellenes”), and studied practically everything available on their website. In the meantime, I found out about forums and Wicca. This new realisation that magic is real was almost too good to be true. I dived into the study of polytheism, witchcraft, and magic and I greedily consumed every bit of info I could find. Thanks to wonderful, knowledgeable people, mostly initiates of various Traditions and practices, I managed to shed my “fluffy-bunny fur” early on.

And thus came 2005 and my 14^th birthday. I had already decided that this was my life’s path. In order to make it “official”, I adapted the name-giving ritual from YSEE’s website and retook my given name (Stefanos) with its original, ancient Greek meaning of “garland” or “crown”. I named myself Pagan, polytheist, and Witch, and I dedicated myself to the study and practice of these things.

Around this time, I e-mailed the head of YSEE. I was deeply disappointed as I was treated rather badly; I was told I was “living miasma” because I dabbled in Witchcraft and magic, and because I am gay. This behaviour, along with the obsessively polemic and anti-Christian bias of YSEE, disgusted me so I abandoned it (I was never officially a member but from that point on, I stopped using their material or referring others to them). I ended up spending a few years in complete solitary practice, save for what semblance of community the internet provided.

Then, during 2009, I was hit by a powerful revelation. Three Goddesses – Hekate, Artemis, and Selene – made their desire for me to follow them and dedicate myself to them known.  I  was surprised and intimidated by this, especially by Hekate, whom I had never honoured or worked with before and for whom I even felt fear from what little I knew about Her. I performed many divinations and even requested help from good friends – and much more experienced practitioners. It was made apparent that I was called to devotional practice. However, I was asked to take some time to explore first. This was a truly God-sent message. After some time filled with study, rituals, and meditations, on October 31^st 2009, Artemis and Selene’s call all but disappeared. What remained, although empowered and crystal-clear, was Hekate. She asked that I prepare myself for a year: study Her, know Her, work with Her, experience Her, live Her, and then decide whether to devote myself to Her. Exactly one year later, on October 31^st 2010, I formally dedicated myself to Hekate.

This initiated (pun intended) huge changes and revelations. From that point on, on many occasions, I have felt the guiding hand of the Goddess and Her weaving of intricate plans. This persists even now and I suspect it will never end. Hekate has been the sole most important and deciding factor in my spiritual and religious life. She has shaped and continues to shape, everything about me.

Under Her wing, I found myself venturing forth to make more contacts, meet new people, and experience new things. I approached an Eclectic Pagan group in Athens, which sadly didn’t prove a fitting match. Through Hekate’s work, I got to know other devotees of Hers, and some years later met some here, in Greece. I also found another Hellenic polytheist group, Labrys, and was pleased to find it a much better community than YSEE.

Still, I strayed from all of that. Years of battling anxiety and depression made everything nigh unbearable. Unable to cope with fellow practitioners and co-religionists and even with my deities and spirits, I ended up abandoning almost everything: my practice, my writing, my dreams. The only thing that remained was Hekate’s aid: occasionally, I would have “good periods” when I attempted to regain what I had lost. This only helped to keep me somewhat “up-to-date” spiritually speaking, but that was enough and even necessary, as I recently realized.

The last year-and-a-half has been refreshingly fruitful, though! Thanks to treatment, I’ve been getting my mental issues in order (or, at the very least, making them manageable again) and this has had the positive effect of my being able to reinvigorate my religious practice. Specifically, since Summer 2015, I’ve been in a frenzy of inspiration, revelations, synchronizations, and improvement. My practice is almost entirely recovered and revamped. New aspects are being revealed to me and obstacles I could not overcome in the past are dissolved with barely any effort. In addition, I ended up reconnecting with a number of old friends and religious acquaintances and this has led to me acquiring a modicum of group practice and experience. There are definitely many things waiting for me in that direction.

As my recent posts will tell you, my overall practice is getting organized, cleared up, and stabilized, so to speak. I keep seeing old connections established again, old experiences and skills resurfacing, old knowledge returning and being relevant and useful again. This last year or so has been a time of true spiritual rebirth for me. I pray and hope it will continue and thrive.

That’s the summary of my journey so far. These past 11 years, I’ve gone from a kid half-playing at honouring Egyptian deities, to a teenager building his first polytheistic and magical practices, to hurdles and disappointments and the growing up that comes with late puberty, to a Hekatean devotee learning his place and role in the world, to a NeoHellenic Witch growing into an independent adult to, finally, the Triskelion practitioner, a Pagan, Polytheist, and Witch blessed to be himself. Here’s to further growth, improvement, development and the blessings of the Gods and Spirits!

Update: Blog Changes

Yes, another update post. Bear with me, this is a little important (if boring) because it deals with the way the blog will be structured and used from now on.

As things are right now, this blog is pretty messy and disorganised. I may not have enough posts here for things to be out of hand yet but I plan on changing that - big time - therefore I need to organise first and save myself future trouble as well as spare my readers from confusion and frustration.

Here's how things change:

Effective immediately (and retroactively!) all posts will be tagged with a particular category (or number of categories, if applicable) specific to their theme. I'll give concrete examples in a bit. First, let's take a look at the categories I have devised. Disclaimer: these are still subject to change so this won't necessarily be their final form (it probably is but I'm warning you just in case).

Reflections from the Mirror: this category will include any post that is "personal": personal experiences, personal opinions, posts related to my (religious) life and so on. Think of it as an online religious journal but tailored for public consumption.

Example: an upcoming post exploring my journey through the strata of Paganism and religion from when I first began and up to the current time (in honour of my 11 year anniversary since my first official ritual and the point when I said "this is who I am now").

Whispers from the Polis: this category will include posts dealing with regional practice and public religion and, specifically, my own approach as expressed through the Athenian Craft of my Triskelion path.

Example: rituals and experiences with local groups, religious work with local deities and spirits and so on.

Wanderings in the Forest: this category will include posts regarding "shamanic" spirit-work and, specifically, my practice and experiences through the Wildwood Druidry of the Triskelion.

Example: acquiring my familiar(s), forging relationships and alliances with spirits of the Wildwood, rituals and other practices "within" the Wildwood and so on.

Hekataia: this category will include posts dealing with magic in general, as well as my practice and exploration of the Hekatean Craft of the Triskelion.

Example: The Hekatean Pathworking, Greek Magic

Hieratika: this category will include posts about polytheistic theology in general, as well as Triskelion theology specifically.

Example: Thoughts on the Hellenic Religion, The Syncretic and Modern Character of the Hellenic Religion Today, Cosmology - The Triple World Model

Akademaika: this category will include posts about scholarly and academic matters as well as my own religious research and articles.

Example: Rebuttal to an Inaccurate Article on Hekate, Definitions, Academic Approach

Miscellaneous: this category will include posts that don't belong to other categories.

Example: blog updates, announcements, placeholder posts etc.

Obviously, various posts might belong to multiple categories and will be tagged in all of them (e.g. something might belong both to the Akademaika as well as the Hieratika).

In the near future, once the chaos (delightful though it is, in its own way) of the Greek Easter holidays dissipates and I have the necessary time, energy, and focus for the task, I'll tag everything appropriately and link them to their respective categories. This list has also been posted in a more abbreviated form on the "About the Blog" page for easier access.

Thank you for reading this and I hope this will make things easier for my readers (and myself!). It's only the first of many improvements and developments though, so stay tuned!

Update: Path Changes And Other Stuff

Hello everyone!

It sure has been slow around here. I only posted once in 2015. Well, it was a pretty shitty year for me personally. However, it was also a preparatory period, in a way, for the evolution of my path. Here's how things have been changing.


My personal path, as most of you know, was called NeoHellenic Witchcraft and it was a mix of Hellenic Polytheism and Witchcraft. It's no longer just that. After much contemplation and seeking, I have decided (with a lot of help from the Gods and spirits) to allow my budding spirit-work and Neopagan practices to merge and grow into a new, unique practice: the Wildwood Druidry. I decided on calling it "Druidry" after all, since I've drawn a lot of inspiration from Ár nDraíocht Féin and, specifically, Ian Corrigan's spirit-arte material. The "Wildwood" part of the name comes from a particular spirit-realm tied to many of my pathworkings and which has been cropping up repeatedly and in many forms throughout the years I've been practicing, regardless of the changes in my path. The Wildwood Druidry complements the NeoHellenic Witchcraft and together they have given birth to the fullest (and most fullfilling so far) form my path has taken in the 11 years I've been involved in all this: The Path of the Triskelion or Triskelion for short. The Triskelion is not exactly an Eclectic system. Each part (Hellenic Polytheism, Witchcraft, Wildwood Druidry) is an entire, standalone praxis in its own right. However, all together, practiced by a particular person (in this case, me), culminate into a multi-aspected system and that is the Triskelion. That being said, all three practices have connections with one another and many things gained or learnt in one affect the others.


What does this mean, in practical terms? Honestly, I can't reveal specific details because I'm still figuring things out. The spirits see fit to grant me bits and pieces, although these often turn out to be the small push needed for me to actually work things out. So, maybe it's just spiritual short-sightedness on my part, heh. What I can say, however, is that I have been undergoing a lot of processes, some of which began since early Summer 2015 (as I found out not long before I wrote this post), others more recent and some visible on the figurative horizon but not yet realised.

Here's what I can share:

1. I've been going through the process of bonding with a potential familiar spirit, a stray cat killed by a car and whose bones I took and have been preparing for a good while (with the help of Sarah Anne Lawless' methods). I call this process "The Familiar's Bone Rites".
   
2. I identified a powerful Daimon that is proving instrumental to my Wildwood Druidry (and is also connected to the Hekatean Craft of NeoHellenic Witchcraft) - this great spirit is guiding me towards the acquisition of an actual "magical name" (He revealed it with a full title in Latin and Greek: Nomen Magicum, Verum et Mysterium, Ὄνομα Μαγικόν, Ἄληθινόν τε καί Μυστήριον), something I never wanted or needed before and even found a bit silly for personal ritual use given my solitary status. It seems the spirits have other plans. I am conflicted as to whether I should share the identity of the great Daimon or my magical name online (I legitimately cannot get my intuition to budge towards either yea or nay) so for the time being I'll err on the side of caution and non-disclosure and if things change, so be it. This is tentatively called "Nomen Magicum Work" although it has more to it than just the name-giving.
   
3. I've been doing massive organising, archiving, evaluating, researching, studying, and reinstating neglected bonds and practices. In actuality, this is the busiest part of this whole thing. Things get messy when you have amassed a decade's worth of material and I really need to make it nice and neat (not just out of perfectionism but because it's literally counter-productive and inhibits my more theory-oriented work).
   
4. I've been working on my partially-developed Hekatean Craft, since I have finally been shown how to concretely utilise the Elemental Pillars, and how to proceed beyond the Rite of Hekate's Triad Seal I performed so, so long ago. This means I am occasionally bombarded, so to speak, by gnosis regarding rituals, procedures and even some rare glimpses of what completing the necessary framework can bring forth. These are actually two different but connected endeavours and are thus called "The Peregrination of the Triple World" and "The Crossroads Cycles".
   
5. Finally, there is Witchcraft and folk magic work to be done; specifically, household workings and "pragmatic" or material magic dealing with day-to-day life, such as prosperity spells, client workings and magical self-care. This is the "Getting-My-Hands-Dirty Juju" (intentionally not as eloquent as the rest, hah).

In conclusion, I am on a very good track, spiritually, religiously and magically, despite bad habits of laziness, procrastination and forgetfullness getting in the way. And here's what this all has to do with the blog and its future:

• Expect more posts. I won't promise a regular schedule or theme (i.e. scholarly, practical, theological etc) but I do have lots of things to write about. Let's hope I can stay focused and true to all this.
  
• The blog will undergo some changes, although I don't know when exactly or the rate of their progress. What this means is that I'll update various pages, finish any works-in-progress, and maybe categorise posts by theme and content.
  
• I have many, many ideas for things to share on here and even expand my writing into areas like book reviews, recommendations and even more educational material. These are just ideas for now.

P.S. I am also doing some research and somewhat unsure exploration of self-publishing since I've been told some of the things I can (and do) share on here would also work well in book format. If that bears fruit, you will certainly hear about it.

Thanks for reading and blessings to all of you! Here's to a productive, wonderful and better future!

A Hekatean Pathworking

In this post, I will do something a little different. I’ll move away from scholarly pursuits for a while and give you something more practical. A hymn for evoking Hekate as well as an intermediate-level pathworking designed for contacting and interacting with Her. Note that this requires prior experience with pathworkings as well as a working relationship and familiarity with Hekate.

Originally, this was supposed to be a submission for the Hekatean Prayerbook, a project by Skyllaros of The Crossroads Companion. Since, however, the project seems to have been abandoned (or, at least, placed in a long hiatus), I’ve decided to publish my submission here (I’m clearing my backlog material) and should the project restart in the future, I can submit something else.

Hymn of Evocation of Hekate

Khaire Hekate! Hail Goddess of the Mysteries, Key-bearer of the Inner Gate! I call upon you, upon your infinite names, Mistress of the In-between, You who guides us in the path of self-discovery! Hear my words, Hekate, and attend my rite. Skiaia Anassa, Potnia Mysterion, Pneuma Aniketon, Great Goddess of the Crossroads, You who wields arcane power without end. Come to me, Hekate, allow me to feel your presence and commune with you. Hekate, Queen of the Witches, Lady of the Restless Dead, stand by my side! May your favour always be with me. May the honour I offer satisfy you. May you grant me, Hekate, gifts unparalleled. Genoito!

Terms

Khaire = Welcome, Hail (“Χαίρε”, pronounced “KHE-re”)

Skiaia = Shadowy One (“Σκιαία”, pronounced “skee-E-a”)

Anassa = Mistress, Lady, Queen (“Άνασσα”, pronounced “AH-nah-ssa”)

Potnia = Lady, Queen (“Πότνια”, pronounced “POH-tnee-a”)

Mysterion = of the Mysteries (“Μυστηρίων”, genitive case, plural, pronounced “mee-stee-RHEE-on”)

Pneuma = Spirit (“Πνεύμα”, pronounced “PNEV-ma”)

Aniketon = Invincible, Undefeatable (“Ανίκητον”, pronounced “ah-NEE-kee-ton”)

Genoito = May it be, so mote it be, (“Γένοιτο”, lit. may it become, pronounced “YEH-nee-to”)

Hekatean Pathworking

Purify yourself in your preferred manner or in the methods of your tradition. Sit comfortably, ideally against a wall. Close your eyes. Begin performing the four-fold breath exercise: while inhaling, count to four, as fast or slow as you prefer. Don’t exhale immediately – instead hold your breath while counting to four again. Then, begin exhaling and, at the same time, count to four again. Hold your breath once more and count to four. Repeat as many times as needed to allow your body to relax and your mind to concentrate. If breathing exercises for entering light trance don’t work for you (or you have a medical issue that renders them unwise), you may use any similar methods you prefer. The goal is entering a mild trance state.

Once you have focused on your breathing and relaxed enough, visualise a dark-coloured cloak. Feel the cloak in your hands, see it in your mind’s eye. Wear the cloak and spend a few moments visualising yourself wrapped in it. The cloak will help shield you from unnecessary distractions. If, at any point, you feel the pathworking slipping, focus on the cloak and spend a few moments visualising it again. That should reaffirm your hold on the pathworking itself.

Once you have worn the cloak, look around you, always with your mind’s eye. You’re in a shadowy place, you cannot see anything – only yourself. Start walking. Notice how the shadows and darkness begin to dissipate after a while. You see a dirt road beneath your feet. Look around you. The road is surrounded by endless lines of trees. It’s a road running through a mighty forest.

Walk further ahead. Soon, you come across a crossroads. You look at the roads that spring from it – there’s no destination in sight. Your destination is the crossroads themselves. Now is the time to commune with Hekate Herself.

Recite a hymn or invocation of your choice. You can prepare one beforehand, you may use the one I have provided above or allow inspiration to guide you while in the pathworking. Once you have recited the hymn, chant Hekate’s name repeatedly. Keep doing so until what you experience in the visualisation changes. At this point, the results will vary among individuals. Try to approach Hekate in whatever way She might manifest Herself in that crossroads. This is a good time to mention any requests or voice questions you might have.

Should Hekate not manifest is some discernible way, repeat the hymn or say a small prayer (heartfelt is always best) urging Her to appear before you in what form or way She sees fit. Should that fail again (make sure you keep trying for a little while), end the pathworking in the way I have given below and try to figure out the lack of contact through divination (or, perhaps, appease the Goddess through offertory rituals).

Once you have finished your business with the Goddess, you may begin your return. It is not advisable to explore any further, neither the forest nor the other roads. This realm is Hekate’s own crossroads, the incarnation of all liminality and progress. To intrude further in this domain is to challenge the Goddess Herself; if nothing else, it’s hubristic. If you feel you can explore further or Hekate Herself tells you to, so be it; just be aware of the risks.

If you choose to exit the pathworking, retrace your steps. Follow back the road you came from until you find the dark place again. Untie your cloak and let it fall or vanish from your shoulders. Focus on your breathing (or other preferred method of exiting trance) and slowly ease yourself back to normal consciousness. It’s best that you get up and move around a bit, reaffirming your connection with your body and the physical plane. You may also eat something solid to further reinforce the return, especially if you’re feeling light-headed. Salty foods are the best for this due to salt’s natural grounding properties.

Note that this particular pathworking requires a moderate degree of experience with pathworkings. If you’re inexperienced in pathworkings – also called meditational journeys or extensive visualisations – you might want to try a few others first. Otherwise, you can perform this pathworking, minus the invocation part, a number of times until your grasp on the visualisation is satisfactory (i.e. the pathworking is flowing comfortably without you forcing it to develop).