Hecate 2

Hecate

Once a fairly benign goddess in early Greek times, Hecate became the dread Greek-Roman Goddess of ghosts, a close confidante of Persephone and a patron of witches.

The brutally wronged Hecuba of Troy was reincarnated as Her black bitches, who accompanied Her on Her night walks.

Hecate was worshipped at three-way crossroads at night even by ordinary Greek families and could ward off ghosts if properly propitiated. But Romans also believed She had more sinister worshippers -- the witches and sorceresses who could coerce even the gods to do their will.

When Persephone was kidnapped by Hades in the later Greek myth, far-seeing Hecate was the only one who witnessed it.

Created by Robin M. Weare, 1995. May be distributed freely, but not sold, with acknowledgement of source and artist.

Further Reading:

Hekate in Early Greek Religion, I. Robert Von Rudloff

Hades Bacchus And Persephone

My partners and I have begun working with Hades and Persephone within the larger scope of the Helpful Deity work. Last night I worked with the Witch. Not long ago, I worked with them and Flower. I am finding Hades a bit difficult to fathom. He moves from what I perceive as a void state to an authoritarian king. The latter is easy for me to understand even if that personality (godality?) is a bit difficult. The void state is different. How can one internally describe such a thing and make sense of it? There is nothing to mentally hang onto in the void. Light does not exist there. Thoughts too seem not to exist, even though I could hear and understand my partner's/Persephone's words, I did not think about them nor respond.The odd part was that with a strong manifestation of Hades, Bacchus arrived. I carried both of them as distinct personalities for most of the long ritual. I didn't think these too associated much. Considering the ritual chant appeared to take us down to Hel, Bacchus' appearance was more than odd. I was under the impression the only Greek Deity that could travel in and out of Hel besides Hades was Hermes. Perhaps by then we were on the common ground, shared by Zeus, Hades and Poseidon -- the earth. After taking two large swigs from the wine bottle, Bacchus' message was of the joy of life but not really as a party god. It was more about expressing joy that comes from loving life.Hades message focused on my sacrifice and future sacrifices along the twin paths of magick that I am following right now. I can undergo many smaller sacrifices or one large one but none so great as I have already made. The last one will be borne with laughter.Both Hades and Persephone decried our black robes. She called them too somber. Both told us we should be wearing white.One of the things I'm learning about Hades is the analogy between him and the Hiereus of the Golden Dawn. If you view creation as coming from the "top" downward as qabalists do, Hades is the last stop. Here you must drink from the river Lethe "forgetfulness". This makes one forget one's past life and allows for reincarnation. So too, is the job of the Hiereus but in a different fashion.I am taking Bacchus more seriously now. I thought he was a party god akin to my experience with Dionysus. Bacchus had each of us drink wine in ritual. I drank two healthy swigs right from the bottle. This took away some silent part of me whose idea of myself prevented me from reaching that void. The wine the Witch drank removed one thought from her as well, at least for the length of the ritual.Bacchus joy of life and living is something I would like to feel more often. This isn't the drunkenness of alcohol but on the spirit, animation and manifestation of life. The phrase, "It is great to be alive!" comes to mind as describing the attitude he shared with us.That said the wine I drank in ritual kicked my ass. I am not a huge drinker. My partner says I had four glasses. I suppose that is enough to get me plastered but it was different. The alcohol removed the ideas that prevent connection and I stayed in connection with the void space for some time after ritual. This allowed me to understand both of my partner's needs more clearly. I value that.I don't think I am conveying the intensity of this ritual. The Witch's experience with Persephone was "the most intense I have every experienced." She is very experienced. My contact with Hades and Bacchus was so intense that I could not move any part of my body most of the time. My eyes closed and remained that way for nearly two hours. My personality was nearly utterly gone. I was only aware it existed but no part of it came through in the ritual. Everything I said or did was Bacchus or Hades acting through me.Five years ago, I would have killed to be able to do this intense work. Now, it seems so normal that I have to remind myself that everyone doesn't do this in their daily lives. I am grateful the gods allow me this.The experiences I am having of late with the Greeks is nothing short of incredible. The differ from the qabalistic workings as the former are deeper personalities, fully formed and perfect. The qabalistic god names, angels and choirs and angels are more akin to forces than anything I can interact with on a human level.

Sun Pluto And The Gospel Of St Thomas

"If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you."

That is Saying No 70 from the Gospel of St Thomas.

It sounds to me like Sun in hard aspect to Pluto. With Sun and Pluto, you have 2 very different principles at work. The Sun is reaching upwards towards the light, towards individual unfoldment. It is conscious, 'civilised'. Pluto represents a call from the primordial collective consciousness, from the raw, undifferentiated power of nature. It is the Sun that needs to learn to understand and honour Pluto, and this can take many years" BREAK: I OFFER WEBCAM ASTROLOGY READINGS (lb20 PER 1/2 HOUR, lb60 MAXIMUM, NO TIME LIMIT). CONTACT: DHARMARUCI71(AT)HOTMAIL.COM". "

"The Sun pushes forward into the light, and Pluto keeps pulling it back, saying you are incomplete. You have this nagging feeling of disempowerment that keeps you awake at night that you cannot shake off. In some ways you have the power of Pluto, you have a strong confident presence. But there is this hidden tormented side to you that contains your true power, and you maybe project it onto lovers or parents or bosses or teachers and see them as having power over you, but eventually you have to go within and claim it or it will keep eating at you.

You may even experience it as a curse, an affliction that runs through the family that has also got you, but if you are reading this, you are probably the one with the strength to make it conscious and claim the gifts buried deep within it.

So with Sun-Pluto you can't just jog along and hope to get away with it. You have powers within you that life is pushing you to claim, and Pluto has this horrible way of trampling you down until one day you go no more and at last you stand up.

And in claiming that gift, and your independence with it, self-doubt is your companion. It is a fire you have to go through, and keep going through, because you are putting your deepest self, your soul if you like, into the world.

And others recognise that, they respond to that. People long for that authenticity that Pluto gives. And people who want to live by the rules - well, they might admire you from a distance, they might even dip their toes in your waters now and then, but you are not safe, you can't be predicted, because Pluto rather than Saturn is your master. Your recognition has to come from within.