Gods Mysticism Priestess: goddess Hekate meteorites shooting stars the perseids
by Sorita d'Este
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Hekate & Shooting Stars!
Each year around the middle of August here in the UK we experience the beautiful stellar experience that is the Perseids. This amazing phenomena is named after the constellation Perseus, from where the shooting stars seem to originate. At its height, which this year – in the UK – is around the 12th or 13th of August, it might be possible to see up to 60 shooting stars with the naked eye per hour – subject of course to clear skies, and being away from light polution will of course also help.
Those who are interested can read more about the Perseids at http://meteorwatch.org/2010/08/09/fun-facts-about-the-perseids/
So why do I link the Goddess Hekate to this meteor shower? Well, firstly there is a modern festival which seems to have taken root in the last few years (based on an interpretation of when a modern festival with some tentative links to Hekate, may have taken place) on the 13th of August each year. This falls in the middle of the Perseids each year, often around the time that it peaks in this part of the world. So that may, or may not be a coincidence.
Whilst Hekate is not specifically referred to as a “Stellar” goddess in the ancient world, she is described as having dominion over the “Earth, Sea and Sky” in the oldest known text which mentions her. Whilst the “sky” may be interpreted as many things, the most likely is that it is a reference to the stars. In this same text, that is the Theogony of Hesiod (circa 8th century CE, though some claim it is a bit later) we also find that Hekate is the daughter of the Goddess Asteria.
“Again, Phoibe came to the desired embrace of Koios. Then the goddess through the love of the god conceived and brought forth dark-gowned Leto. Also she bare Asteria of happy name, whom Perses once led to his great house to be called his dear wife. And she conceived and bare Hekate.” (theoi.com)
Interestingly, the name Asteria can be translated as both stellar or as a falling-star! Asteria was specifically linked to divination by stars (Astrology) and there are clear links between some of the associations given to Hekate in regards to divination in later times, and the attributes ascribed to her mother, Asteria.
John Canard in his essay “From Heaven to Earth” in Hekate Her Sacred Fires gives numerous further reasons for the connection, which he links to the cycles of life, death and rebirth – a thought I share with him, just as much as we share our love for meteorites – stones which have fallen to earth from the stars.
I wonder how many of you who celebrate the mysteries of the Goddess Hekate around this time of the year, for whichever reason, also link it to nature’s own fireworks display?
May you all dance in Her Sacred Fires, if that is your path,
Sorita d’Este
Magick Priestess: articles avalonia free history of wicca temple archives wicca wiccan tradition
by Sorita d'Este
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The Wiccan Temple Archives
For those of you who have expressed an interest in reading some of the many articles which previously appeared on the original Avalonia Community website, as well as some of those which David and I wrote for community magazines here in the UK over the years there is some good news.
Around 70 articles, including extracts from books authored by David and I on subjects related to the Wiccan tradition is now available (free) at the Wiccan Temple Archives. We hope to be adding further content in the coming months and welcome suggestions and comments on what is already available there.
Go and see for yourself – http://wicca.avalonia.co.uk
Magick Priestess: gerald gardner magic naked nudist skyclad wicca Witchcraft
by Sorita d'Este
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Nudity, Magic and Wicca
In a conversation with a dear friend this week the subject of “nudity” and magic raised its head. I have noticed over the years that opinions on the subject seems to be rather divided, there are those who do – and those who don’t. Those who don’t often have strong views about their reasons – just like those who do often cite reasons of tradition and the “flow of power” as the reason for being naked in their rites.
I have my own fixed ideas on the matter too. I love the human body, the way it functions and the way it moves, and I also believe that being naked allows you to feel closer to the elements and that it also help foster a greater appreciation and awareness of our own bodies. However, I also believe that there is something sacred and private about our bodies, which holds a power of its own. A mystery perhaps, which should only be shared in circumstances which are appropriate to the act. I don’t think of nudity and sexuality as being linked in an absolute way, and I believe that both sexuality and nakedness have the ability to awaken strong and powerful magical and spiritual energies – but only when it is applied in an intentionally sacred manner.
Mircea Eliade’s views, in some ways, reflect my own: - “The importance of ceremonial nudity and ritual intercourse must not be interpreted as merely lustful inclinations. The recent sexual revolution has made obsolete such types of pretence and masquerade. Rather, the purpose of ritual nudity and orgiastic practices is to recapture the sacramental value of sexuality.”[1]
In the practices of Wicca, ritual nudity which is often referred to as skyclad plays an important role, especially in the rites of initiation, but also in helping to remove the obstacle of mundane associations of clothes from the minds of the participants. Being naked might be a natural state for us to be in, but it is not one which is part of our ordinary world. It is a practice which is used in almost all the esoteric traditions of the Craft, some using it in combination with the use of robes and other ritual regalia at times. Reference to it can be found in the earliest versions of the Charge of the Goddess and in most of the versions of the BOS.
“And ye shall all be freed from slavery,
And so ye shall be free in everything;
And as the sign that ye are truly free,
Ye shall be naked in your rites, both men
And women also: this shall last until
The last of your oppressors shall be dead…”[2]
This extract from Aradia Gospel of the Witches became incorporated into the Wiccan tradition, at least in part, by its adaptation and amalgamation into the Charge of the Goddess. In it the Goddess Diana addresses her daughter Aradia, giving her instruction on how to teach Witchcraft to humanity. The reasons given by the Goddess is however very different from that which is given by Gerald Gardner in Witchcraft Today when he wrote on the subject saying that the Witches’ (presumably those he claimed to have initiated him) explanation was that it was the only way in which they could obtain power as the power resided within their bodies, and could be released in a variety of ways. He went on to say:
“… this power they believe exudes from their bodies, clothes impeding its release…”[3]
To be fair to Gardner in this respect, he does go on to say that it is difficult to say how much of this belief is real and how much is down to the imagination. The same explanation also appears, sometimes slightly adapted, in various versions of the Book of Shadows. In Witchcraft Today he also writes after speculating about the power which could be released by a group of witches working naked vs. those working wearing bikinis, saying: “At the same time one might heed the witches’ dictum: ‘You must be this way always in the rites, ’tis the command of the Goddess.’ You must be this way so that it becomes second nature; you are no longer naked, you are simply natural and comfortable.”
[The following is directly taken from "Wicca Magickal Beginnings"]
Ceremonies and rituals honouring the Gods have been performed in the nude for thousands of years, and when not naked special costumes, setting those leading and participating apart from the ’mundane’ seem to be the norm, in the manner of robes and cloaks today. Countless examples of rituals and magick being performed naked can be found throughout Africa, for example, but in reality our gaze need not be distracted from our own green British Isles for precedents of ritual nudity. In many instances the examples from the British Isles seem to point to preparation for war, where the clothes were removed, and the bodies painted as part of the preparation for fighting the enemy and ensuring victory. Such examples are recorded in Pliny’s Natural History, where he also recorded the practice of ancient British women performing their rituals naked.
Medieval reproductions of witches often showed them naked. This can be seen in such classic images as The Witch by Albrecht Durer (1500) and Witches Sabbath and Departing for the Sabbath by Hans Baldung Grien (1510, 1514). Durer’s painting of The Four Witches (1497) is significant in that it shows the women still wearing their headgear, which clearly indicates their different social classes from peasant to aristocrat, a distinction that disappears in the naked state. This is a point often made in modern writings centuries later.
Lastly, we suggest that the term ‘skyclad’ is most likely borrowed from the Sanskrit word ‘Digambar’, the name of a sect of Jains. The term translates as ‘sky-clad’ and was certainly well recorded throughout various publications during the late nineteenth century. The use of ritual nudity during Wiccan ceremonies has so many precedents within other religions that we have concentrated our attention on those sources of most direct relevance to the Wiccan tradition, in this instance the classical witch of the medieval period.
ps. For those readers keen to find out more about the origins of the various practices found in Initiatory Esoteric Wicca, the book Wicca Magickal Beginnings is the most complete study on the subject available at the present time. More information can be found at: http://avaloniabooks.co.uk/catalogue/titles/wicca_mb.htm
[3] Witchcraft Today, Gerald Gardner, 1954
[1] “The Occult and the Modern World”, p65, in “Occultism, Witchcraft & Cultural Fashions”, Mircea Eliade
[2] “How Diana Gave Birth to Aradia” Aradia Gospel of the Witches by Charles Leland
If you want to read more, see the book Wicca Magickal Beginnings (ISBN 978-1-905297-15-3) by Sorita d’Este and David Rankine. See http://avaloniabooks.co.uk/catalogue/titles/wicca_mb.htm for more information.
If you would like to add your comments, opinions or additional ideas to this article please do so on my website, where it will be available for others to read in future: http://www.sorita.co.uk/?p=895
(c) 2010 Sorita d’Este. This blog was written by Sorita d’Este for www.sorita.co.uk, allrights reserved.
Order a signed copy of Wicca Magickal Beginnings for £14.99 (with free P&P worldwide)
Books Gods Priestess: hecate Hekate ritual to hekate the rite of her sacred fires
by Sorita d'Este
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Latest Project:
Onwards Flames
Dear all,
I have to say I am absolutely and utterly exhausted! I have been inundated with emails and messages, and even some cards and lovely pressies (thank you!) in the last couple of days since the Rite of Her Sacred Fires. I am absolutely and utterly proud of what we achieved together and I hope that all of you who participated enjoyed the experienced, and gained something from it!
There are numerous messages already in the guestbook of the Hekate Her Sacred Fires project - you will find it at — http://sacredfires.co.uk/?page_id=280. People have been posting links to blogs, youtube films and photographs there, as well as saying more about their experiences in participating in the rite, its a great way of creating a small record of the event.
For those who like facts and figures, though we can’t know for certain exactly how many people participated, there were around 3000 who said they would (via Facebook and other social networking sites, as well as by email). These included individuals working alone, as well as many who participated with friends and partners, covens, lodges and other groups. The rite was downloaded by people in numerous countries around the world, being (highest number of downloads, to the least) : Great Britain, United States, Canada, Australia, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Ireland, South Africa, Republic of Serbia, France, Netherlands, Chile, Croatia, Spain, Finland, Italy, Brazil, Greece, Bulgaria, Argentina, New Zealand, Belgium, Paraguay, Iceland, Norway, Portugal, Israel, Mexico, Bolivia, Poland, Uruguay, Japan, Czech Republic, Peru, Turkey, India, Colombia, South Korea, Russian Federation, Singapore, Philippines, Namibia, Slovenia, Costa Rica, Luxembourg, Venezuela, Indonesia, Malaysia, Belarus, United Arab Emirates, Ecuador, Nigeria, Austria, Denmark, Mauritius, Lithuania, Malta, Guatemala, Trinidad and Tobago, Macedonia, China, Belize, Bahrain, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Morocco, Qatar, Jordan & Panama.
When I have finally recovered a bit, and when I have caught up with emails and other messages, I will write a little bit more about my own experiences on the day of the ritual. I did the ceremony several times through the day, including participating in a Welsh and Esperanto versions later in the day with the multi-talented Paul Harry Barron (author and translator of The Book of Gold, as well as being one of the contributors to Hekate Her Sacred Fires) – even though I don’t actually speak either language!
In the meantime, Hekate Her Sacred Fires is now available for order, you can order copies through the Avalonia website – http://www.avaloniabooks.co.uk/catalogue/titles/hekate_hersacredfires.htm or from the project’s website http://www.sacredfires.co.uk (where you can also find more information on the contributors, as well as a table of contents, with more than 50 contributors, men and women from all over the world, this book is absolutely amazing, and at A4 size with 308 pages its also HUGE, so if you work with Hekate, or indeed with any Goddess, you are likely to love this. With such diversity of experience it has a great deal to teach all of us, I know I learnt a great deal from reading everyone elses work!)
Please check out the Facebook page dedicated to the project for more photographs, http://www.facebook.com/hekatefires or my own facebook “author” profile – http://www.facebook.com/theurgia – in addition to my own, many others are posting links and tagging these two in photographs and films, so there is a wealth of resources related to The Rite of Her Sacred Fires!
May Her Fires continue to burn in your hearts forever,
Many blessings
From under the Full Moon here in Wales
Sorita d’Este
Gods Magick Mysticism Priestess: ceremony hecate Hekate sorita d'este the rite of her sacred fires
by Sorita d'Este
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The Rite of Her Sacred Fires – Ritual Text
What follows is the text of the Rite of Her Sacred Fires, which thousands of people all over the world will be performing in honour of the Goddess Hekate on the 27th of May 2010, as an act of devotion, sacrament and celebration!
I am making it available here in this format for those who are having difficulty reading, or downloading the PDF’s with the entire rite as given below from the official www.sacredfires.co.uk website of the Hekate Her Sacred Fires project. (direct link http://sacredfires.co.uk/?page_id=64 )
For further information on the words which are non-english, search for “ephesian letters” on this website using the search function in the menu.
—————————-
The Rite of the Her Sacred Fires
Written by Sorita d’Este (www.sorita.co.uk) for the celebration of the completion of the anthology
‘Hekate Her Sacred Fires’ (www.sacredfires.co.uk) and as an act of devotion and gratitude to the Goddess Hekate.
This rite is intended for use on the Full Moon, Thursday 27th of May 2010 by all those who wish to honour the Goddess Hekate and dedicate themselves towards a greater understanding of Her Mysteries . It can be performed by itself, or as part of a longer ceremony, with or without a “formal” ritual space – that is up to individual choice. It is preferable (though not obligatory) that the wording and actions of the ceremony as presented below should be kept the same and remain unaltered, though if for spiritual, magical or personal reasons you need or wish to change some of it, you are hereby given permission to do so with the proviso that you do not alter in any way the purpose of the ceremony.
Preparation:
Find a quiet place where you will be able to perform the rite undisturbed. You will need a candle (or another form of devotional fire, such as a lamp or hearth fire) and something with which to light it. You may wish to consecrate the candle, or other materials you will be using in keeping with your usual tradition of working, otherwise please simply ensure that it is clean.
Prelude:
Make yourself comfortable, breathe deeply and find your point of balance, a balance of mind and soul and body, which will present you proud and beautiful to the world. Breathe deeply and find your voice, the voice with which you will speak words of true and pure intent. Breathe deeply and call upon the freedom within your heart so that you will be able to express yourself with purity of intent and with strength of desire.
Place both your hands on your heart (three heartbeats), your forefinger and middle finger of your dominant hand to your lips (three heartbeats), and then to your brow (three heartbeats). Now enclose your thumbs within both your hands (in fists) and raise both your arms to the heavens.
Open your hands and with palm upwards in your left hand, bring your right arm to your side palm facing downwards and invoke the Goddess.
Invocation:
I invoke thee, Great Mistress of the Heaven, Earth and Sea,
By your mysteries of Night and Day,
By the Light of the Moon and the Shadow of the Sun
I invoke thee, Mistress of life, death and rebirth
Emerge now from the shadow realm to feed my soul and enlighten my mind,
Triple-formed Mistress of the three ways
I entreat thee, Key-bearing Mistress of the Nightwandering Souls
To bring forth your wisdom from amongst the stars
To bring down your starfire from the darkness between,
Creatrix of Light!
Goddess of the Shadow Realms! Light-bearing queen!
Whisper now your secrets!
Fire-bringer! Earthly-one! Queen of Heaven!
[Raise both hands with palms facing upwards to the heavens (three heartbeats) and then touch the ground palms downwards]
[Sit before the candle and prepare to light it]
[Take three deep breaths and allow your senses to awaken]
Say:
Hekate, companion and guide to the mysteries
I light this sacred fire in your honour, [light fire]
Its light uniting the stars and stones, the heavens and the earth,
With this fire I express my desire for a greater understanding of your mysteries
Askei Kataskei Er?n Ore?n I?r Mega Samny?r Baui (3 times) Phobantia Semn?,
Great Hekate, who spins the web of the stars and governs the spiral of life
Guide me through towards pathways of understanding,
From Crossroad to Crossroad,
The Torchbearers and the Keybearers of your mysteries,
will always find one another,
[Now sit and watch the flame flicker and dance, allow yourself to focus on the different colours in the flame, the yellows and reds, the blues and whites, and the black. If you wish you may decide to spend some time meditating on the flame, skrying for visions or omens. Likewise, you may wish to extinguish it and keep the candle let your true self radiate brightly its beautiful mysteries from this
day on forth, the flame of the fires of Hekate burns on in your heart!]
I banish now the shadows of doubt from my mind,
Infused by the silence and warmth of our union
I feel your golden radiance within my heart
And the glory of knowledge on my brow,
I am a student of your mysteries.
Extinguish the flame, then place both your hands on your heart (three heartbeats), your forefinger and middle finger of your dominant hand to your lips (three heartbeats), and then to your brow (three heartbeats).
Open your palms reaching towards the heaven, then reach down and touch the Earth.
The Rite of Her Sacred Fires
Written by Sorita d’Este for the Hekate Her Sacred Fires – www.sacredfires.co.uk
This ceremony is provided for FREE non-commercial distribution. You can pass it on, reproduce it, print it, publish it and perform it in public or private without permission from the author, providing that this text is reproduced with it.
Resources
More information about this Rite and the Hekate Her Sacred Fires project can be found at www.sacredfires.co.uk and on our facebook page www.facebook.com/hekatefires and examples of the rite can be found on our youtube channel www.youtube.com/hersacredfires (including a guide to pronunciation together with other useful resources related to the Goddess Hekate).
NB. Those who wish to perform the rite and film themselves doing do not need permission to do so, however, we ask that you please do not do so before the date of the ritual 27th of May 2010 unless you have express permission to do so. The purpose of this ritual is to unite all those who honour the Goddess Hekate on the Full Moon of the 27th of May 2010 in a unique ceremony in which during that day hundreds, maybe thousands of flames will be lit for Her all over the world ! If you wish to put your name on one of the lists for the event, please do so through the events on our facebook page – www.facebook.com/hekatefires , or alternatively on the MySpace page http://events.myspace.com/Event/3979730/THE-RITE-OF-HER-SACRED-FIRES – both can be used to invite and help others become aware of this unique day for Hekate!
DISCLAIMER: The Editor and Publisher will in no way be held accountable for the results obtained by those who decide to participate in this ceremony. Participation in The Rite of Her Sacred Fires, or any other act of spiritual or magical devotion, is one of personal choice and responsibility, therefore you do so entirely at your own risk. Likewise, remember that Fire, beautiful as it is, can also be dangerous – so act with care and responsibility at all times.
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This rite, including version of it in other languages, can be downloaded as a PDF from the Hekate Her Sacred Fires project website http://sacredfires.co.uk/?page_id=64
Gods Mysticism Priestess: apollo artemis delphi greek gods leto prophesy pythia trance
by Sorita d'Este
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Latest Project:
Girls, Gods and Trance
“Shivering, they say, my face did change to something less than mortal, yet more mighty and beautiful than my corporeal form. Taller they say I stood with a voice which was not quite my own. I simply gave myself wholly and gave myself utterly over to the words and inspriation of Leto’s glorious son.”
(Bolina Oceanus, in her essay “For Lo! Apollo is within me” published in Priestesses, Pythonesses & Sibyls)
My previous two blogs looked a little at the Goddess Artemis and how she was venerated by men, something which is often overlooked by those who are reinstating the worship of the old gods today. Likewise, the worship of her twin brother Apollo provides us with some interesting challenges to modern perceptions of gender within a spiritual and magical setting. In modern practices it is more often a female Priestess who will open herself up to an invocation of a Goddess into her for the purposes of trance and oracular work. It is still considered rather avant-garde in some circles for a woman to open herself up for possession by a God (or indeed for a male Priest to have a female Goddess invoked into him). But why should such a thing be considered innovative today when one of the most famous oracles of the ancient world involved the possession of a Priestess by a male God for the purposes of prophesy?
The Oracle of Delphi was home to the cult of Apollo, twin brother to the goddess Artemis. These two deities were born to the goddess Leto, through a union with the king of the gods Zeus. The story of their birth is one an epic one. Leto is impregnated by Zeus, who is of course married to Hera, goddess of marriage, who was not at all pleased with the news that her husband was to father children with another goddess (yet again, as Zeus often got himself into trouble for fathering children with both mortals and gods!). She forbade Leto to give birth on solid land and wherever the pregnant goddess went she was made to move on and denied the right to rest and give birth to her children. In one version of the story Hera instructs the Python of Delphi, a giant serpent, to chase Leto and prevent her from getting rest. In the end she finds refuge on the floating island of Delos, believed to have once been the body of the star goddess Asteria (sister of Leto) when she, in an effort to escape the advances of Zeus, flung herself into the ocean. In alternative version we are told that Asteria was turned into a quail by Zeus, when she flung herself into the ocean, or that Zeus helped Leto by turning her into a quail so that she could reach Delos more easily. Either way, the quail seems to be a key theme in this myth.
When Artemis is born, she then (as she is a god, of course) helps her mother to birth her brother Apollo – and the two would always remain absolutely loyal to each other and to their mother. As soon as they reached adulthood, they started the process of killing many of those who brought dishonour upon their mother when she was looking for a place to rest and give birth to them. The first to suffer at their wrath was the Python of Delphi, who had been guarding the oracle there for many years. The Python, described as a giant serpent or dragon like creature was slayed by the arrows of the twins and Apollo took over the shrine at Delphi, and became the God of the Oracle.
It was said of the Oracle:
“The oracle at Delphi never would have been so much frequented, so famous, and so crowded with offerings from peoples and kings of every land, if all ages had not tested the truth of its prophesies.” (Cicero, On Divination)
In her essay “The Pythia” Caroline Tully wrote that:~
“A regular Greek priestess’ sphere of influence reached only as far as the temenos walls of her sanctuary. The authority of the Pythia, or the Priestess of the Delphic Apollo, on the other hand extended much further into areas such as religion, politics, warfare and overseas colonisation. This was unusual not only for a priestess, but for a woman in what was predominantly patriarchal ancient Greece”.
(Caroline Tully, from The Pythia, published in Priestesses, Pythonesses & Sibyls)
It is clear from these examples that the Oracle of Apollo in Delphi was a very important one, and that it held a lot of power, and that likewise women who held the office of Pythia there, were valued and honoured members of society, whose position gave them a high office in many affairs. What however is interesting and something I personally believe modern Pagans who do trance work with the gods might wish to take notice of is that arguably the most famous of the oracular priestesses of the ancient world gained their prophesy from a Apollo, a male god. This was not considered unusual at all in the ancient world and there are examples which illustrate that the pythia did not just speak ‘for’ Apollo, but was actually speaking ‘as’ Apollo:
“The Pythia not only spoke for Apollo, as other priestesses might presume to do for the deities they served, but spoke as Apollo. Ancient authors believed that she was fully capable for channelling Apollo’s words…”
(Caroline Tully, from The Pythia, published in Priestesses, Pythonesses & Sibyls)
What is described in terms of history and academic research by Caroline Tully, is described in modern experiential terms by modern day Priestess of Apollo, Bolina Oceanus when she wrote in the same anthology:
“Becoming a Priestess for Apollo and allowing him to speak through me has allowed me to be free in ways I never expected I could be, but with it I have also been given a great responsibility. I have to speak his words and I am not allowed to interpret them for others…
I have worked in groups where it was my role to assume the form of a Goddess and enjoyed those rites greatly, though I often found that something was missing or not quite right. It was only when I first experienced Apollo speaking through me that I gave the matter much thought and realised some very obvious things. in the ancient magickal and religious practices there were always specific deities who had associations with prophecy, whilst others had specific associations with for example agriculture, love, war or wealth. This makes for an interesting point to consider, is it all that polite (or for that matter safe!) to invoke deities into ourselves who have no interest in prophesy?)”
(Bolina Oceanus, in her essay “For Lo! Apollo is within me” published in Priestesses, Pythonesses & Sibyls)
So, how do you decide which deities you will allow to possess you for the sake of oracular work? And how do you test your results?
The Temple of Apollo
This blog was originally posted to www.sorita.co.uk and is (c) Sorita d’Este 2010
