Exploring Identity: Hekatean, Hellenic, or something else? Part Two

Turns out I had a Lot to Say™ so this ended up needing two parts. In Part One, I got into the “something else” rather than explain why I don’t often self-identify as a Hekatean or Hellenic, despite occasionally and partially using both. Somewhat backwards of me but I hope you won’t mind terribly.

As I explained in Part One, Hekate is the central deity of my practice and overall Triskelion system. Understandably, one might ask “how are you not a Hekatean then?”. The answer is, well, I am! I do consider myself a Hekatean practitioner (devotee, witch etc) but I don’t often use it as an identifier unless I’m referring to the Hekatean community in general. The main reason for that being that despite Hekate’s monumental significance in my practice, She is far from the only important deity or influence. Limiting myself to identifying mainly as Hekatean would be a disservice to the other Gods and Spirits I follow and who are dear and important to me.

This reason also applies to my avoidance of “Hellenic” as a self-identifier although in this case, there are other reasons as well. To begin with, I have to say, being ethnically Greek means I am Hellenic anyway. “Hellenic” is an ethnonymic adjective for my people, our land, our culture and all we create (the Hellenic language, for example). We call ourselves “Hellenes”, not Greeks (though the latter exists in our language today as well as in antiquity: “Γραικοί”). We call the Gods my ancestors worshiped and named Hellenic or Greek: they are “of the Hellenes/Greeks”. Furthermore, I do worship and honor Hellenic Gods as well as study and utilize Hellenic sources for religious and magical practices (though not necessarily as a Reconstructionist would).

Technically speaking, I am a Hellenic polytheist. I don’t usually call myself that though. A big reason is my personal disdain with the local and international Hellenic communities and the tendency to equate Hellenic polytheism as a whole with Reconstructionism (which is a methodological approach, not a religion or religious practice in itself). In other words, I avoid self-identifying directly as Hellenic polytheist because I do not want to be associated with the related communities in general (that said, I know plenty of individuals who are excellent people and practitioners and do wonderful work to heal the Hellenic polytheistic communities – sadly moreso internationally than in Greece). The general disapproval of magic and mysticism in the Hellenic communities is another factor, given the importance of magic and mysticism in my own practice.

I have chosen a unique label for my religious identity (Triskelion Witch) and prefer to use more neutral labels when interacting with less in-the-know people, such as “polytheistic witch” or “religious witch” plus a brief mention of my devotional relationships, i.e. “devotee of Hekate, the Wildwood Court, and the Witchfather”. Even then, despite the rather common label of “Witch”, I still use another word to precede and clarify it. The complexity and multi-aspected nature of my praxis require a suitably unique and specific label. Fun fact, before it evolved to its current incarnation, I used to call the early form of the Triskelion system “NeoHellenic Witchcraft”. However, the growing importance of the Wildwood and the eventual arrival of the Witchfather made me reconsider the place of “Hellenic” in the main name for the practice.

Names are powerful. As a theologian and practitioner of magic, names are power to me. To name something properly, to know its true name, is to hold power over it. Taken a bit further into the mystical, to name something properly, to know its true name, is to truly know that thing. Properly naming yourself, your practice, your work means truly knowing these things. Dare to name yourselves.

Exploring Identity: Hekatean, Hellenic, or something else? Part One

This blog post is one among a handful that had been works-in-progress for a while and it was completed thanks to the support of my patrons over at my Patreon! I'm posting these articles as early access content there first and two weeks later they will be posted here. This is the first one out of the batch, with Part Two coming out tomorrow!

Let me start by saying that the title is a little clickbaity. I don’t talk about those particular labels specifically, but I used them because they are well-known and understandable. Tackling them would make this too long and I wanted to address some less explored labels, especially those that generate a level of “discourse” and reaction, such as “witch” and “religious”.


Identity is a complex and highly personal topic. Even so, we look to how others define and identify themselves for guidance and inspiration in figuring out our own identities. In addition, as a theologian I think it’s important to share definitions of terms, our identities and our religious labels. In my opinion, I believe doing so helps create clearer common vocabulary as well as increase the pool of accessible information for all fellow co-religionists and practitioners.


My identity has many layers and aspects, not all of which are immediately understood or recognizable by everyone. Let’s start from the way I self-identify “officially”: a Triskelion Witch.


Immediately, we see a label a lot of people recognize but few would agree on how to define: witch. The way I understand and define “witch” and, therefore, the way and reason why I call myself one is thus: a practitioner of magic, especially “low magic” and folk magic though not limited to that, who holds powerful relationships and alliances with spirits and entities, and who has a varied liturgical structure that can range from very casual to fairly ritualistic. Going with this definition, we can safely say that not everything I do and practice is witchcraft. Yet, I choose to call myself a witch anyway. Why?




Before I tackle that question, let’s explain the Triskelion part. A triskelion or triskele (from Greek “τρισκελής” meaning “three-legged”) is a triple spiral or three-pronged symbol that is commonly associated with Celtic cultures and motifs but which was present throughout the Old World (ancient Greece included). My choice of this symbol and its name as the label for my magical-religious system of practice is in reference to the tripartite nature of my system itself: it is comprised of the Hekatean Craft, the Wildwood Art, and the Witchfather’s Way; three distinct practices that overlap at points and are grounded on the common culmination of my experiences, divine & spirit relationships, and my journey thus far. You can read more about this elsewhere on this blog though keep in mind I ought to post a more current and accurate overview and explanation.


From this we can define a Triskelion Witch as a witch who practices the Triskelion system. But many people might not be familiar with my personal system or might not even know what a triskelion is at all. Knowing this, I often describe myself as a “polytheist witch” or “religious witch” in addition to listing my main devotional relationships. These tend to be more recognizable to the wider community and thus people understand more clearly what I am. But it doesn’t stop there. I also label myself “mystic” and “devotional polytheist”, for example. To explain these, allow me to give you a brief summary of the Gods and Spirits I serve and how my relationships with them affect my identity.


My primary deity is Hekate. I’ve been devoted to Her since 2010 although I spent a full year before that studying everything about Her and forging the relationship-to-be. Pretty much everything I do or build is centered on Hekate or related to Her in some capacity. At Her request and under Her guidance, I started making what I came to call the “Hekatean Craft” I mentioned earlier. This became the basis of today’s Triskelion. Through my spiritual explorations of the Otherworld (or, more accurately, the Triple World), I was led by Hekate to interact with a group of spirits and divinities in a realm I call the Wildwood. These are the Wildwood Court. I don’t have a specific devotional date for them because our relationships have been less clear-cut than with Hekate, and they took much longer to take more concrete forms. I would say I started recognizing them in more-or-less the ways I do now around 2012-2013. Finally on 2016, through Hekate and the Wildwood Court, I attracted the attention of the being I call the Witchfather, who is the infamous “Devil of the Craft” as he is known in the traditional witchcraft community. My relationship with him is, perhaps disagreeably so for others, not particularly steeped in Christian imagery, and is of a primarily Dionysian, ecstatic approach. Perhaps this a way he would appear in a pre-Christian setting before gaining the devil associations (which still exist in my own relationship with him, mainly because I used to be Christian and thus affected by such imagery on the necessary levels for the kind of work the Witchfather engenders).


Now do you see why I call myself a Witch? There is an undeniably current of witchcraft and “witch-type magic” in my overall practice, even if it’s not alone. Still, it is central and fundamental, therefore it is a core aspect of my identity and its labels.


These Gods and Spirits and the relationships and pacts I have with them also explain why I would call myself “religious”, “mystic”, and “devotional polytheist”. My service to them is transformative, spiritually transmutative, socio-culturally transgressive and non-conforming, self-affirming and life-affirming, self-empowering, spiritually dedicated, molded through worship, devotion, and divine ecstasy. The experience of the Mysteries, devotional practice, and incredibly varied magic are vitally significant for me.


It is by examining my own practice and path that I arrived at the labels I use. I looked to what I was doing, what I believed in, how I interacted with my Gods and Spirits and what they govern and impart to me in order to be able to properly define myself in religious terms. I am “blank” because I do “so and so”, practice “this and that”, and believe “these things”. Personally, I am of the strong opinion that you create something first and then name it, especially when it comes to our religions. I believe so because our religious practices as well as ourselves change and evolve so much that they are almost never what we expect when we begin. When I started on this multi-aspected path, I thought I was a Hellenic Reconstructionist. The polytheistic part and the Hellenic part remained (and not just because I’m Greek) but everything else changed irrevocably. At some point early on, I also thought I would be an Eclectic “Wiccan” or some version of that. Yet my witchcraft journey made me something quite different (fond as I may be of traditional Wicca – the influence and lessons I treasure from initiates stay with me to this very day).


Identity is deeply personal. At the same time though, we must remain cognizant of the way our wider community utilizes and treats various names, labels, and terms. Sometimes this means following along. Other times, it means fighting against preconceptions and ignorance. In many cases, it may even mean we have to forge an altogether new name or term or label and make that known. I’ve certainly done all three in varying degrees. It is easy to use an identifier out of a need to belong. It is also easy to reject a label out of a need for rebellion. Both are rooted in important feelings and matters but they need to be examined carefully; they are also a highly personal subject that no one, save perhaps for one’s therapist, can truly help you solve.


That is why I recommend a well-rounded approach. Like I said earlier, look first at what you do. Then look to your Gods and spirits (if any, though if you’re reading my writings, you probably believe in and interact with Gods and spirits in some way). How do these affect you? How do they shape who you are? What would something like that be called? Following that, look to the various communities. How do they identify one another? How do individuals label themselves and others? Where and what causes conflict and reaction, and why? Then take all conclusions, thoughts, and further questions these raised, and try to mold them into something. What shape does it take? Perhaps no current name you’re aware of exists that fully applies to you. Or maybe many different ones do but they can’t be easily combined. Or maybe you are right at home with “stereotypical” or mainstream labels. All that is fine. What matters is that when you identify yourself, to others, in your work, to your Gods and spirits, to your mirror, you feel yourself.

Polytheist Devotional Arts Challenge: Week One

I am happily participating in the #DevotionalArts2021 challenge created by Michelle Simkins! I decided to do it one week at a time because I'm a little swamped with things to do. Here's the first week's prompts and what I wrote for each one!

Day 1: “Prayer”

Hestia Polyolvos I call, the firstborn of Kronos and Rhea, beloved Olympian, caretaker of every hearth and altar. Hear me, kind Hestia, shining one, first and foremost among the household Gods! As is your right since time immemorial, I offer to you this first creation, a hymn and prayer in love and reverence. May your gentle gaze continue to bless us and our homes.

Day 2: “Love”

Ὦ, δύναμι ἀμαιμάκετε…

Inscribed in gold and silver

Honeyed and caressed

In everlasting bloom

Resplendent in glorious light

Born of desire and beauty

Matured through bittersweet pain

Walking barefoot through thorny paths

Trembling in blind fear

Of a mind assaulted by storm-clouds

But evermore rejuvenated by a single drop

Of such divine ambrosia

Of such succulent nectar

That truly deathless part of humanity

Nourished by you

O, love, divine and mortal, ever dying and resurrecting

In hearts, souls, and minds,

Ὦ, πολύμορφε, πολυτίμητ’ ἀγάπη.

Day 3: “Offering”

An offering is a precious thing. Even if its material and monetary value is negligible, an offering is precious. A proper offering is a sacrifice, however small. It is a gift and a nourishment for the Gods and Spirits we so honor. I offer my prayers and hymns, my writings and drawings, my rituals and magics. I offer grain and water, wine and honey, bread and olive oil, flowers and stones, blood and fire and pain and time. Never have the Gods rejected an offering given in love and reverence. Giving offerings is among the holiest of practices.

Day 4: “Devotion”

One word

but a myriad,

wondrous layers of meaning.

Devotion.

Divine duty.

Holy purpose.

Devotion.

Heartfelt ἀγάπη.

Commitment.

Devotion.

Soul-transmutative ἔργον.

Transcendent relationship.

Devotion.

Privilege and labor of initiates and priests.

Lifelong journey.

Devotion.

Day 5: “Promise”

I have made many promises in my life as a polytheist. Some I have broken, some I have upheld, others I have honored above and beyond. I will make many more promises in the future. From a devotional polytheist perspective, promises are powerful bonds with our Gods. Promises should not be made lightly (though they aren’t as binding or strict as vows and oaths). Sometimes Gods can let us dissolve a promise, especially if it’s one made in error or if seeing it through would cause more harm than good. However, more often than not, I have experienced the Gods requiring us to honor most promises made, even the “bad” ones. Usually, this results in lessons; painful but important lessons. Responsibility is important and promises are sacred. Be careful what promises you make and to whom you make them.

Day 6: “Transformation”

He danced a slithering dance, swaying back and forth like a serpent before the altar. The only light came from the flames of the candles on the altar, which were arranged in a sacred pattern. He whispered secret names and uttered holy phrases. His serpentine dance became wilder but his mind had long lost contact with his body. In the soft glow of the candles, in the soothing darkness of the shadowy room, under the consecrated veils, unaware of his fervent dance, he saw the mythic cave and the Titan who opened its tartarean gate. Primordial water gushed forth and in the dimly lit room, fresh, cold water poured in a glass chalice. He continued to whisper the secret names and holy phrases. In soul-flight, he sought the obscured light. At last, he found it! The light entered the waters and the world was rejuvenated. Water purified and merged with light wet his parched mouth and throat, and he returned to this world, like a seed bursting in spring with budding life, renewed and reborn, filled with divinely blessed potency.

It was done. It had begun.

Day 7: “Ritual”

A Triskelion-Inspired Rite of Liminality

This ritual is meant to confer a liminal state to a place, as a preliminary step to advanced invocation, for the purposes of theurgic communion and henosis with the divine. I have removed certain Triskelion-specific elements, such as certain consecrated tools so this ritual is actually unfinished and shouldn’t work very well as-is. Instead, it is meant to act as an example for the necessary framework such a ritual would exhibit and it should be thoroughly adapted to the practitioner’s needs and Gods.

Materials:

Three white candles

Incense & censer (frankincense, styrax, or any herbal incense with lavender will suffice)

A key

Preparation & Process:

Have the ritual space be clean and prepare an empty surface, such as a desk, small table or other similar place. Put the key in the middle of the surface and the three candles in a subtle arc behind it, as if they’re surrounding it on the side across from you. Place the censer with the unlit incense in front of the key, on the side closest to you.

Purify yourself and the space in your preferred manner.

Say a hymn or prayer to the deity you will be invoking afterwards.

Start lighting the candles while saying:

O, holy light, transformative flame, pierce through the obscuring mists and reveal the presence of the Gods.

 

Light the incense and say:

O, smoke, winding like a serpent, made sacred with flame, fill this room and body with the subtle aether of the Gods.

Take the censer and move it clockwise so the smoke propagates throughout the room. Return it to its place and say:

Full is now this hall of the Gods with the blessed scent! They are and walk among us.

Take the key and raise it above the censer and candles so it is entangled in the smoke and reflecting the light of the candleflames. Say:

ASKEI KATASKEI ERON OREON IOR MEGA SAMNYER BAUI (3 times)

PHOBANTIA SEMNE

Keybearing Mistress of the Crossroads, World-Spanning Queen, Initiatrix and Guide, Liminal One, You Who Treads All Realms, Keeper of the Secret Names and Goddess of Mysteries, bless this place! Make it as your sacred Crossroads, make it an in-between space, a place fit to receive the full presence of Gods!

AKTIOPHIS PHERSEPHATTA SELASPHOROS

Open the Gate, Sunder the Veil, Break open the Tartarean Doors!

Rouse the land-daimons and the wind Gods!

Unite the deathless, Elysian Olympus and the fruitful, Chthonic Earth!

In your many Names, O Nameless One,

Protogonos, Titanis, Krataia,

this place is now found nowhere and everywhere.

It is not of Land, Sea, or Sky, yet it dwells in their midst.

Your touch rends space!

Your voice connects all realms!

Your power shapes the center!

I am a vessel, an instrument of your force, O Great One, and through me, with your power, this space is now a Crossroads between the worlds of Mortals and Gods!

So it is, so it is, so it is!

Your working space is now consecrated and transformed into a liminal realm. Continue with whatever theurgic rituals and invocations you have planned. Once you are finished and you want to restore the space to its original state, do this:

Snuff out the candles and say:

The holy light is gone. This Crossroads is darkened.

Remove the censer and incense and say:

The divine aether is gone. This Crossroads is emptied.

Remove the key and cover it with a cloth or inside a box or other safe place. Say:

The sacred omphalos is gone. This Crossroads falls apart.

Close your eyes and say:

ASKEI KATASKEI ERON OREON IOR MEGA SAMNYER BAUI (3 times)

PHOBANTIA SEMNE

O Nameless One, O Great One, You who transformed this place into your Crossroads!

Return it to its former state!

This Crossroads has neither Light nor Aether nor a cornerstone.

It crumbles away.

Your power recedes.

Your voice falls on deaf ears.

Your touch becomes but memory.

And this realm becomes as it was before, a place upon mortal Earth, 

a place upon the Land, under the Sky, by the Sea.

This Crossroads exists no more!

It is done, it is done, it is done!

Perform any additional closings and give any offerings you have. The rite has ended.

 

Patron Gods of Cities: The example of Athena and how I interact with such Gods

This is a well-known concept, at least on a surface level. Throughout history, Gods (and in Christian lands, saints) have been patrons of cities and places, often giving their names to the land they protect and sponsor. One of the most famous examples is that of Athena, the patron Goddess of the city of Athens. Pretty much everyone knows of the mythical contest between Athena and Poseidon to decide the patron God of Athens, and how Athena won by offering the olive tree to the people of the city.

 

What I want to discuss here isn’t the mythical perspective – or even the theological exactly – but the practical, the empirical. What I’ve experienced as a practitioner born and raised in Athens (who still lives here too!) quickly put my worries of the Gods being relics of the past to rest. When I was still in my first couple of years of polytheist exploration and was almost entirely focused on the Hellenic pantheon, I felt guilty. I was drawn to deities like Selene, Artemis, and Gaia, yet I felt no real pull from Athena, the Goddess of the very city and land I lived on! I attempted to cultivate a relationship with Athena and in my teenage naivete I call upon her for help with school. 

 

It worked! While I oversimplified her attributes as a Goddess of wisdom and strategy, she still delivered. I never failed an exam or pop quiz, even without studying, if I had petitioned her beforehand. You’d think this would mean I could worship Athena more intimately than the occasional observance on the Attic calendar or, at least, Athena herself would warm up to me and become more prominent in my life. 

 

Wrong! None of that happened. I still felt practically no connection; I continued to honor her on traditional dates but that was it. I didn’t experience the kind of interaction I enjoyed with Selene for instance. Puzzled, I prayed to Athena, asking why things didn’t work out. The response I got was swift: “I’m only doing what is expected of me towards you, an Athenian.” 

 

That terse but honest response changed my point of view and made me realize something extraordinary. Even after centuries upon centuries of people denying Athena worship, honor, and recognition, she still acted as patron Goddess of Athens and, therefore, protected and supported all Athenians. She aided me because she saw it as a duty of her position! This also explained why there was no deepening of the relationship; it was strictly professional, so to speak. 

 

This experience led me to experiment, in a sense, over the years by “checking in” with various deities and spirits known to be patrons of cities, towns, and other areas. One of my findings was that these can overlap and coexist within the same place. For example, while the entirety of Athens is under Athena’s protection, specific areas have their own “sub-patrons”. Athena has the highest and most potent influence but the many regions that make up Athens are autonomously governed by Gods and spirits. The eerie similarity between human governance and divine organization of patronage didn’t escape me. Perhaps this is were we learnt that from? Who can know for certain. Another interesting thing is that there can be, and often are, more than one “big” patrons! This is usually the result of multiple religions existing in the same place, therefore multiple beings influence the same land. Whether this is always peaceful or not is another matter. 

 

Knowing the patron Gods of a location is important to me because my personal practice has a considerable bioregional character: I work with the Land, I practice in harmony with the spiritual ecosystem of my physical environment. When I visit another place, especially outside of Athens, I make it a point to contact the resident patron deity and honor them, ensuring my safety and a welcome stay on their land. This doesn’t necessarily look like much to an external observer, especially if I’m not at a place where I can easily and safely practice openly. My go-to method is as follows: 

 

I do a quick search for info on the location I’m in, if I haven’t already done so before arriving. If the area doesn’t have direct information on a patron deity (whether current or in the past – evidently from Athena’s case, patron Gods don’t really abandon their domains), I look into patron saints and their associations with ancient divinities. In the rare cases where neither option yields the necessary information, I do this: I pray to Hekate and Hermes to either reveal the patron deity to me or contact them and ask them to make themselves known. Once I have established who the patron God of the area is, I give them a simple offering, usually a libation of water and a prayer expressing my respect and reverence. 

 

Usually, things end there. Most patron deities of places I’ve visited welcomed my actions (and I’ve felt a sense of surprise more than once – how sad that most are so used to human ignorance and neglect) but leave it there. Some barely acknowledged me at all and promptly ignored me after I was done. I consider it the spiritual equivalent of going through customs: you don’t really become friends with the airport staff checking your ID and luggage. 

 

I haven’t had any negative experiences with patron Gods of places but I’ve also been careful not to do anything that would offend them. That’s not a particularly hard task and any practitioner worth their salt should be respectful and mindful by default, in my opinion. If one were to be so unlucky as to elicit a hostile reaction from a patron deity, then my recommended solution would be a standard propitiation and appeasement. In other words, give good offerings, apologize sincerely, praise them, and make actual amends (i.e. fix what you broke). 

 

In conclusion, patron Gods and spirits of the land are, in my opinion and experience, an irrevocable and vital part of “spiritual ecology” and we should show our appreciation and reverence to them more often. We’re part of their land, whether temporarily or for life, and we should be aware and courteous towards them.

Simple Offering Ritual

Regular practice is one of the cornerstones of an effective magical life and path. I used to struggle with it a lot when I was still new to these things and I think I underestimated its importance subconsciously. Over the last few years, my regular practice has expanded and I maintain it more consistently. The degree of improvement in my skills, my spiritual sensitivity, and my relationships with my Gods and Spirits has been staggering thanks to regular practice!

As part of my regular devotionals, I perform a simple offering ritual to my Gods. Feeding the Gods and Spirits is paramount in a living, evolving, and thriving religion like the Triskelion; the influences of my Hellenic polytheism and animism are undeniably present in this concept.

 The ritual itself is performed on a weekly basis. The process is quite simple: once per week, usually on Mondays, I place on the altar a bowl of grain (barley or wheat usually) with herbs, a beeswax candle, and a cup of water (replaced daily). The herbs are specific to the religious calendar period we're in at the time or, if I'm performing special work that week, the herbs are associated with the work at hand. The beeswax candle is lit during devotional prayers every day and extinguished afterwards to avoid fire hazards. I start the ritual with the Orphic Hymn to Hekate and continue with personally crafted prayers to the Wildwood Court and the Witchfather. The bowl of grain & herbs and the cup of water are presented and their purpose proclaimed. After that, I take a few moments to focus and spiritually open myself to any potential messages from the Gods as well as to ensure the offerings have been well received (a very simple divination afterwards is performed to double-check). Finally, I give thanks to the Gods and end the ritual. Also, when replacing the water daily, I say a small prayer to accompany the renewed offering.

Revealed Gnosis in the Triskelion System

 Revealed gnosis or transmitted gnosis as I've seen it called by various practitioners, is knowledge one receives from their Gods and/or Spirits. This gnosis is usually not some temporary message or generic advice from our Gods. It's information and knowledge transmitted for specific purposes. It is often esoteric in nature and helps guide the practitioner towards a fuller experience and understanding of the Mysteries. In many cases it can also have valuable practical uses. While not always as clearly communicated as we might hope, Gods and Spirits have the capacity to teach us techniques, incantations and spells, rituals and invocations, secret names and words of power, and even entire systems of practice over time.

 

Divination can facilitate
the imparting of knowledge
from Gods and Spirits

This type of knowledge, the gnosis revealed to us by the Gods and Spirits, is an extremely important part of the Triskelion's nature and identity. My system would not exist without such gnosis because a large part of it has been and continues to be revealed to me through communication with my Gods and Spirits. I do not claim to be some kind of prophet or oracle. It's simply that in order to fulfill duties, goals, and plans, the divinities I worship and work with have deemed necessary to teach me all sorts of things. This doesn't mean that the entirety of my personal practice is revealed gnosis - not by a longshot. Neither are the things I have been taught some kind of unique, never-seen-before super-tradition. Let me make things clearer with concrete examples.

In the Hekatean part of the Triskelion, there are a number of tools I employ for my rituals and various practices. These aren't necessarily completely newfangled tools; what is "new" and "Triskelian" - in other words, what was revealed to me - are the specific uses, properties, names, and methods of creating and utilizing these tools. For instance, the Dagger is nothing new: most magical systems have some kind of magical knife (or more!). What was revealed gnosis was the way to consecrate it, its specific uses and purpose within the Triskelion system, how it is connected with Hekate etc. Other types of revealed gnosis were the existence and names of specific spirits, the way to approach them as well as rituals and spells with Triskelion-specific purposes.

Revealed gnosis is a fundamental part of the Triskelion because most of it wouldn't exist without this gnosis. Almost everything ends up tying together with previous bits and pieces of gnosis and over time has allowed me to give shape and form to the magical tapestry that is the Triskelion system. There's also quite a few "gaps" in the system because I either haven't received the associated knowledge yet or I haven't applied all of what I've been taught (and in some cases, both). This is also a disadvantage of my personal practice and its reliance on revealed gnosis: Gods and Spirits don't operate on human time or terms. I've received gnosis that didn't make sense or have an applicable role until years down the line, when I reached certain points in my practice that related to it. Other times, I didn't catch all the information (the unclear communication I mentioned earlier) and couldn't proceed with what I had. Still, I find that this systemic model suits both me and the Triskelion as a practice due to the extensive presence and utilization of ecstatic rites, trance-work, and spirit-work.

How do I receive this kind of gnosis though? Honestly, in many ways. Usually it happens when I am in a trance state, either in full ritual or during more casual spiritual and magical exercises. Somewhat more uncommon ways are direct instructions through oracles, divination, or unprovoked "spirit dialogue"*. I've also received quite a bit of gnosis through omens, signs, dreams, and similar synchronicities, although this has been the most random and least detailed way to receive gnosis. My preferred method is to engage in "spirit dialogue" during communion rituals and similar ecstatic rites and thus open myself up enough to receive any knowledge my Gods and Spirits might want to impart. It is my preference because it's a more "controlled" and familiar method which affords me the capacity to both acquire a lot of information and retain almost all of it.

After all these years, I tend to always keep one eye (and ear!) open, so to speak, so I won't be caught off-guard and miss or forget any important information. Sadly, I'm not perfect so I do miss "cues" at times, especially if the imparting of gnosis occurs through dreams or the trance-like state before we fall asleep. Like I mentioned earlier, Gods and Spirits don't operate on human terms and time so Their timing and approach can sometimes be inconvenient. Still, I consider myself lucky and blessed to have received and continue to receive so much knowledge from my Gods and Spirits. I am extremely thankful and happy to see my path unfold in such a manner. That said, I do wish things could be a little clearer at times!

* "Spirit dialogue" is what I call ecstatic, direct communication with a God or Spirit. In simple terms, it's literally talking with an entity! For me, their side of the "conversation" tends to manifest as foreign thoughts (seemingly random thoughts that I didn't consciously form myself - they often mentally "sound" different and contain information I couldn't know and didn't have the time to imagine), feelings and impressions, visions and/or manifestations in pathworkings, etc. Physical auditory and visual responses are very rare for me in general so I don't generally experience them in "spirit dialogue" either.

I'm Still Alive!

Wow. More than TWO years since the last time I posted. Since this blog's beginnings back in 2010, there has never been this long a period of inactivity from me. I won't make excuses or jokes this time since it seems I only repeat myself every year! That said, I will give an update of my life and path for the past two years for anyone (still?) reading.

In the last real post, two years ago, I listed the various reasons and happenings in my life between 2016 and 2017 that kept me busy. There have been plenty of major changes since then and most are directly related to the things I was taking about in that post.

Here's what's new with me. First, the bad things:

• I got a job at a warehouse towards the end of 2017 till the middle of 2018. While the company I worked for wasn't completely horrible, the conditions of the job itself were literally backbreaking. I was working overtime constantly, ended up in relentless pain that permanently injured by left thumb and worsened the state of both wrists, and the pay was, while the legal minimum, truly measly. All aspects of my life - mental health, social life, spirituality, art - took a huge hit. 

• Unable to endure the warehouse job, I managed to land a retail job in mid-2018. While seemingly better at first, especially in terms of time (less hours which meant marginally less money but way less physically crippling), it turned out to be even worse as the boss was an atrocious creature (I have trouble calling her a person) whose unpredictable, insulting, and demanding behavior left me in a constant state of extreme anxiety and exhaustion. For those unfamiliar, I suffer from chronic generalized anxiety and depression and I've fought for years to return to a more healthy state of mind and life. Those two day jobs, especially the retail one, took me many steps backwards in terms of mental health progress. 

• In the end, at the beginning of March 2019, I was fired after demanding to be paid the money my boss owed me. That, coupled with four months of stressful, and ultimately futile, efforts to get my money as well as solve a number of other major issues, nearly destroyed my religious and magical practice, reducing it to a mere shadow of a spirituality. I'm still dealing with the psychological (and financial!) aftermath of this past year and a half of bullshit, unfortunately.

•  The Hekatean group I was in that operated under the auspices of the Covenant of Hekate ended up disbanding due to inactivity and the departure of core members. I still maintain a good friendship with the couple that started it and we occasionally do rituals or magic together but we're no longer a formal group of any kind.

•  During 2018, I was also undergoing training for eventual initiation in the Aurum Solis. Unable to cope with yet another source of pressure and being truly drained of time and energy, I ended up stopping the training. While mulling that over, I realized I was seeking initiation for the wrong reasons and the personal revelations that realization ignited changed my thinking and approach on many things in my life, especially in spiritual matters.
   
• The Stardust Compass apparently went inactive some time during my disconnect from my practices. As such, I have completely let go of that particular system.

Now, onto the more positive stuff:

• My boyfriend and I moved together in mid-2018 and have been living together since then. It has been amazing but also very challenging, especially since it's the first time for both of us. Building and maintaining your own, truly independent household is both incredibly rewarding and stupidly difficult!

•  I continue to have a magical relationship with my best friend, although mundane life has caused it to wax and wane in activity.
  
• My relationship with the Witchfather has grown exponentially since the last time I posted here. The development of the Triskelion Path as a whole has also reached new levels and Hekate has elevated me to new strata of understanding I was not expecting. There will be much to do and share regarding the Triskelion in the near future.
  
• Finally, my art and writing have grown a lot, both in terms of quality as well as in terms of productivity. My goal is for 2020 to be a year of publications and full-fledged work in those matters.

So, that's the cliffnotes version of the past two years of my life! I will jinx this again and say I'm hoping to post more in the coming months. I've been inspired recently so I'm revitalizing my online presence in regards to religious/magical matters, such as making a Pagan/occult-focused Instagram account. I found that doing so helped keep me productive and accountable with my artistic goals so I'm hoping it will do the same for my religious and magical stuff. Here's to more content!

P.S. I've also changed my online name to Chelydoreus. It's my public "magical name" and, in an effort to shift my mindset to a more professional approach, I've decided to also make it my screen name.