As many know upon visiting the store HEKATE is our guard and guide, she holds a predominate place on our altar alongside APOLLON KARNEIOS (a horned epitaph of Apollo). Many come in to share offerings or just respectfully gaze at her. With the Dark Moon upon us in a few days we though we would share a guided meditation was from years ago. It places you at a crossroads, meeting HEKATE for the first time. The style has elements of a more modern contemporary view of Hekate and not fully in the traditional sense as we follow at the shop but still thought worth sharing.
Meeting Hekate on the crossroads
Begin by lighting a candle and some incense. Turn off the lights. Close your eyes, make yourself comfortable and relax. Next begin to prepare for the meditation by breathing in deeply through your nose, filling your belly, hold for a count of three and exhale through your mouth. Do this three times, or until you feel relaxed, centered and open.
Become aware of your feet on the floor. Feel your energy move through your feet, down through the floor, down through this building directly to the Earth. Feel the Earth’s energy joining with your own energy. Now, draw the energy up through your body. Feel the life-force move through you.
Picture yourself walking along a dark, graveled path on a quiet, clear night. The air is crisp, but you are dressed in a heavy woolen cloak. In the sky toward the east, you see the waning moon shining curiously just above the tree line. The sounds of the night are quiet and calm, but you can hear crickets singing off in the distance. As you walk down the path you can hear the sound of the gravel beneath your feet and seeing your breath making little puffs of steam reminds you that the summer air has left. Up ahead, you can see a flickering light. As you approach it, you can see that it is a torch mounted on a dead old knotted tree and that the path splits creating a crossroad. As you make your way closer, you can start to see small offerings of food left neatly at the base of the tree. There are small baskets of apples, and other fruits, a weathered, silver plaque bearing unreadable Greek letters, loaves of bread, and what looks like to be bulbs of garlic and onions. You realize that they are offerings, but for who? As you approach the crossroads, a breeze picks up and ruffles your cloak, send a chill up your back. You stop for a moment to take in the magick of the scene and wrap yourself back up in the cloak. Although, you are aware of your surroundings and perfectly comfortable being alone in the night, there is something in the air that makes you stay on guard.
You turn your head looking around having the strange sense that something is going to happen. Suddenly the sound of howling shatters the unnerving peace. The breeze has now turned into a much stronger force. The singing crickets have all gone silent. You begin to feel the earth vibrate beneath your feet, slowly growing into a tremble that causes you to lose your footing. Instinctively, you grab for the knotted tree as you try to keep yourself upright. As quickly as it began, it begins to fade, and the night returns to its eerie silence once more. Confused, you right yourself and upon looking around you realize that the offerings have now spilled over and is in disarray. Without a thought, you immediately begin to straighten them back out. Leaning the plaque up against the twisted roots of the tree and return the apples and fruits to their baskets. Upon moving the scattered offerings you notice three old-fashioned keys attached to a large ring. Intrigued, you pick them up admiring their shapes and textures. Carefully, you place the keys back where you found them. You look around to see if you might have missed any items and rise to your feet.
As you stand you feel as though you are no longer alone. Turning slowly to look behind you, you can see a large black dog running toward you out of the darkness. Your eyes widen, and ready your hands in defense. As the dog lunges toward you the force and weight of the dog knocks you onto your back and begins to lick your face, affectionately greeting you. Feeling relieved, you begin to laugh as you try to get the dog off your chest and sit up. After a few moments of struggle you manage to sit upright again. Wondering who the animal belongs to, you look for some sort of identifying tag around its neck. As you run your fingers through his fur looking, he suddenly tenses and goes on alert. You look up to see what has changed his demeanor and notice a woman is silently approaching out of the darkness. She is shrouded in a dark flowing cloak. As she approaches, you can feel your heart hammering in your chest and you quickly rise to your feet. As she walks into the flickering light of the torch, you can see her face and discover that she is the color of worn porcelain or a chiseled marble statue. In disbelief you blink and refocus. She now, appears as a young woman in a white dress. Mysteriously, her image shifts back and forth, one into another. The one thing that is constant is her eyes, no matter which face she shows you, her eyes and expression remain the same. Her hands rise to remove the hood of the cloaked image, and she pushes it back so you can fully look upon her. What is her true face?
“Welcome”, she says softly, in a voice that reminds you of your mothers. “I thank you for caring for my space” pointing to the items that you have just straightened out. She looks at sensing your unease and says “have no fear my child, it is those who are not ready for my mysteries who are afraid. Believing I am the bringer of death. But they are mistaken. I am the keeper who guides you in this world and who will later escort you into the next.” She holds out her hand, and the three old metal keys that you were admiring appear in her palm. With a feeling of uncertainty and gratitude, you reach for them. “I leave you with these symbols of knowledge, intuition and magick. Hold them close to your heart, and know that if you ever have a need of me, know that I will be there.” At this point, you may want to take a few moments to see what secrets she may reveal to you.
If you are comfortable to move on, hold the keys to your chest and bow your head. Take a few minutes to thank the mysterious woman for her gifts. She answered by pulling up her hood and smiling at you one last time. As she turns to leave, the dog leaps to her side and follows her down the path. A mist rises from the ground and seems to swallow them up as they disappear from your view. Standing in disbelief, you realize that you have just met the Goddess Hekate and have received gifts meant only for you. Focus on the image of the crossroads you are standing at. Keep this visualization in memory; should you ever wish to go back. Take a deep breath, and slowly open your eyes.
The Sea Witch of Cooca Village 