monsnoleedra wrote:For me it just tied in to her holding dominion over the seas. In that capacity I'd not expect her to be dressed in the garments of the land but of the sea's and oceans. Being on the rocks was sort of like how Sailor's envision Mermaid's I suppose but she didn't have the mermaid tail. Which when I saw it made me think she was more than just a sea person but something greater and encompassing of all the things of the waters.
Like I said that persona as a Goddess of the Sea is not one that I hear many practitioners engage her as. I've only ever ran across one other practitioner who actually has seen Hekate in a similar appearance. Even using the same character description of Clypso to describe her.
I think I get what you're driving at, in this context, and it makes some sense. If she is indeed clothed in the sea without actually being of the sea or responsible for the sea, then it would (or could) suggest that she was "adopted" by a power of the sea. That, or she was granted that power, or claimed that power, but at this point I'm theorizing, and there's a good chance that doing so isn't as productive as simply accepting "ok, you show up there too". Such is sometimes the way of things where deities are concerned, though I would feel a little better about it if I could find more to suggest that this is actually historically appropriate.
Granted, were she to tell me that herself, historical curiousity would likely become an afterthought. My feeling her presence at the coast was a close second, and it was certainly most indicative where her tendencies and my understanding of her domain is concerned.
I don't think it's a matter of her powers being tied specifically to the land as much as she just didn't have an interest in causing storms at sea. In part, and this is speculation on my part, but weather at sea is far different than weather on shore. Storms at sea tend to start far off and equally so it's the same with tidal motions and movements. So to create a crashing storm at one place it tends to start hundreds of miles away from that spot and moves to it, small swells that build as the wind blows them and the sync of the waves gets bigger and deeper the closer they get to you. Things that are happening out in the deep waters over great distances usually and across vast distances. That is usually Poseidon's domain in general.
Yet Hekate could play havoc where tides turn bad real quick in liminal spots where say rivers rush out and cross currents meet. Yet they are great fishing grounds due to the stuff coming out of the rivers. Area's around island where the winds churn up the waters and make them rough in nothing flat and make navigation difficult. She doesn't have to cause storms though she can add weather as another danger to an already dangerous situation.
It's closer to the shore line where you'll find the liminal type situations between land and ocean / sea. It's like if you place a statue of Hekate at the entrance of you home because it's not inside and its not outside it's liminal. Then what is the shoreline? That spot where the water is constantly pushing up and running back as you stand in it. It's not land as it is almost always covered with water yet its not sea as it's always on land yet has the floatsum and residue of rock, shell, other items caught in the balance pushed back and forth.
Now this, I follow, as it makes a good bit of sense and fits in with the experiences I've had with her over the years. Especially with respect to the effects of the joining of things, since she seems to preside over those "liminal states" as a result. Where things meet is often where opposites attract, where opposites clash, and where sometimes catastrophic scenarios unfold. This applies itself to where the water reaches the shore, to be sure, but it also applies to all manners of other affairs too..The idea that Poseidon reigns over the places that are harder to get to, harder to reach, with deeper waters fits with what we know of his lore, too.
However, to focus on Hekate in this context, you've raised some very interesting points to meditate upon, especially with regard to liminal spaces and the like. This idea of placating that which could cause havoc at the close is entirely logical, as she's long had a vibe of this kind for me. She's a dangerous being, at her core, but seems to take a liking to some. Especially, it seems, those who are interested in fishing such waters, as the act of taking the risk seems to be of substantial interest to her. That, too, might have an impact on how she interacts with the world.
Following this line of thought, consider the spiritual weather of liminal places. I, for one, have experienced far more activity in the in-between spaces than I have in structured, established locales. Train stations, hospitals, funeral homes (kind of obvious, but pertinently so), post offices (to a lesser extent), crossroads (duh), graveyards, temples, and other such locales tend to be teeming with spiritual life, some of it intelligent and quite manifest. When working with these beings at length, it becomes possible to garner attention from potential allies, but its also possible to experience spiritual power in a more direct sense, which can then speed up the process at which learning about spiritual matters in the process. Its quite fascinating, in its way, and if we apply this idea to Hekate, then she too would be in charge of, or at least partially responsible for the changes that occur there.
By extension, it stands that invoking her and providing offerings whilst requesting assistance navigating those liminal waters would be useful. This could essentially be yet another confirmation that the liminal spaces are indeed HER spaces, bound to her will, her domain, and her potencies. Furthermore, this would be similarly indicative of the nature of what follows her, both with regard to the people who worship or work with her and those entities that are found within her cadre.
Such has been my experiences of Hekate, too, so this seems to be an instance in which history, UPG, and practice all line up in a meaningful, directive kind of way. To those who are reading this without much of an understanding of the Goddess Hekate, this should be instructive and illustrative for you as well. If you seek to work with her in a constructive fashion, seek her out. It has been my experience that she will be there listening, regardless of whether or not you have guidelines to follow.
Think about this. Funeral rites to ensure proper passage into the after life. Part of those rites involve proper burial and preparation of the body. Yet if the body is lost, destroyed then such rites can not be performed. So trading ships, fishing fleets or War ships that are lost during battle such bodies could not be given proper funeral rites. it seems, to me anyway, that some sort of altar and funeral rite would have to be performed on the ship. Granted this may or may not have been given to slaves, haven't truly found any indicators regarding that aspect one way or the other.
Now THAT is a concept I'd not considered before. Thank you for bringing that to the table, as it adds a new dimension to the discussion, and a fairly important one at that. This ties in some to visions I've been granted and experiences I've had with Hekate (and other death-related spirits too).
More than once, I've had conversations with otherworldly beings about the nature of the soul and how it is fit into the body so as to allow the process of life to occur, continue, and evolve. Those interactions have long since directed me to look at the the connection between body and soul in a different light, as there's a kind of locality to them both and the "pairing" that occurs with them is necessary both for life and a good, proper death/burial. Anything that interrupts the interrment of those two things together seems to cause distress and trouble, leading to negative, malefic or otherwise disturbed ghosts.
What you're saying here is yet another facepalm-worthy moments where I can't believe I didn't make the connection before, so go Monsnoleedra & Hekate.

Following this point to its root, death is essentially seen as the separation between the body and that which animates it. If the body expires while the soul is away, this seems traumatic in nature. Since great violence tends to uproot and offend the soul (speaking somewhat poetically, here), traumatic events may essentially cast the soul in entirety or in part out to the liminal spaces, invoking both Hekate's dominion and the need to placate whatever's left. This has its roots in both Buddhist and Buddhist-peripheral religious and spiritual practices too, as those belief systems tend to have in-built means of placating spirits who died of tragedy.
We see parallels in Shamanism, too, but that'll lead me to a tangent that'll take us off track here.
What I was getting at here is if you look at the Hekate's wheel emblem with it's three loops or hoop's around a central ring you have the idea of running waves. Each waves with a leading and trailing edge to them. Spin the wheel something like a top, especially if you put a pole or pin through the center hole so the wheel is unbalanced. Make it like a children'd top and spin it, the three loops if spun give the impression of three waves chasing each other, or three waves moving about the center mast of a ship at sea. Usually the movement of a ship will cause a V shaped movement through the water but if the water is rough or the waves are breaking all over I've seen it look like they are moving in circles about you as they come from all sides during rough weather.
Ah-ha! Now I've got where you're going with this - thank you for explaining further. Makes a fair bit more sense now with this additional context. It could be, in relation, that the spinning of a top could be useful insofar as evoking that kind of tumultuous, unsteady energy. This is an interesting point to meditate upon.
I've used what we call Reindeer Moss before which works pretty well. Used lichen's when selecting directions to set where to do stuff, same with moss on the bark of tree's. Once was having issue's deciding where something needed to go and asked where she wanted it put. Then all of a sudden the moss on a tree just seemed to start glowing against the backdrop of the area.
Oh, that's pretty cool, and I know just what you mean, though it hasn't happened with moss for me. There are times where particular items or activities have a kind of glow and allure to them that draws me in and gets my attention. When that occurs, its kind of like a landing beacon or lighthouse drawing me in, not unlike what you've described. Sometimes this is a visual artifact, and other times its just felt deeply...sometimes both.
Yep Iron blades was the issue. That or Iron Spikes, that absolutely hated that one. Had some old style railroad spikes and they wanted nothing to do with those.
Chain can be iffy as well. For me I found it depended on if one link was open or closed. If all links were closed then it was a threat, yet if the final link was open then it wasn't seen as a threat. Was sort of strange in that regard. I got the sense that the open link was seen as not trying to bind or trap where all links closed was seen as a threat to trap or bind.
I heartily agree, as anything that could be used as an overt weapon against these entities seems to be a major concern. I haven't noticed any difference between closed or open links, but chains themselves tend to create a lot of interest and, in some cases, fear. The pattern of the chain, too, seems to make an impact, as a standard box chain isn't seen to be the same thing as the links used in industrial chains, for instance.
Spikes have a long history of being downright terrifying to spirits, however, so the fact that blades are, by extension, disconcerting to them makes sense. Tent pegs and fire were two of the things most often used to claim spaces in the earliest of human developments, so naturally they're essentially a kind of indicator that a spirit might not be welcome in that space. In addition to this, in Buddhism there's a series of Phurba (or Kila) practices that revolve around the deity Vajrakilaya and the use of a three-faced dagger as a means of destroying or purifying spirits and things by force. Even spirits who are unfamiliar with the practice itself are quite afraid of it, and rightly so.
A Phurba used correctly can be used to disable, maim, or kill a spirit. That's generally not how its used these days, as it can be a wonderful tool for self-reflection, but it has proven to be uniquely effective when dealing with hauntings and malicious entities. By extension, the same thing can be done with a blade of any kind, though iron takes on a different kind of energy than other materials. Unsurprising, however, given the tie between iron and Mars.
I had a dream about the cairn in fact. Saw the cairn to be built had to be built so that it had a base in the ground but also had a water basin about half way up. Then a half ring of block had to form a semi-circle wall behind it. So it was a cairn to both life and death but had to be built in a different place. Still along the back of the property but more to the right of where that rock formation is.
That's a brilliant idea, to be sure. From your description, I expect that it will be a comforting inclusion on the land, and it should be ritually potent.
That idea of colored ribbons in the tree is actually a Celtic things. They are called Clootie wells (also Cloutie or Cloughtie wells). They were used as part of a healing ritual / cleansing ritual. You dip the cloth in the sacred water and say a prayer or chant for the spirit of the spring / well. I know some druid types still do that and saw it when I was stationed in Scotland back in the early 80's.
Hmm, nifty. This concept shows up in Asiatic cultures as well, but can basically be boiled down to "beautify the space to make it happy", and there's a certain obviousness to it. Had no idea about Clootie Wells though.
It's funny about the young girl. Day before yesterday I was awoken at 3 a.m. in the morning by the young girl whispering "Poppy" in my ear. All my grandkids call me "Poppy" as we have custody of them. At first I though it was my granddaughter but she was sound asleep in her bed, though it might be my wife as she occasionally says it but she to was asleep. Got up and as I walked into the other room saw a faint shadow slip around the corner.
That was the first time she's really connected to me. The next day I think she said it again but that time I didn't wake up fully though I heard dogs barking to. We figure she's about 8 or 9 maybe a bit older though do not know how she is actually connected to the house.
Well, clearly she views you with some level of care and interest, then, and even if she's not tied to the house, she's still visiting and checking up/interacting with you, which is pretty cool.
I usually don't get the violent or unpleasant visitors. Though admit I tend to set boundaries around my yard to prevent those type from coming in as well. Got into that habit a long time ago.
I use incense and burn it fairly often, don't do herbs to often anymore as it messes with my COPD now. Will burn various types of oils though, though most of those are by heating now vice the old method of burning them. Occasionally use candles that are scented but mostly used unscented candles now, and that is to heat the oils. I do use tobacco but that is more as an offering but I admit I have more of a NA influence there regarding that.
As do I, with respect to barriers and boundaries. Though I do have specifically different wards in my office that make it an intermediary space on account of how much magical work I do here. This space is something of a train station in this way, as there's constantly a revolving door on account of the Work. That makes some sense given just how much magic I suffuse my space with on account of my profession, however.
I can't blame you for staying away from burning herbs, given your health.
One thing I can say for certain is I don't think Hekate, or Artemis for that matter, knows what a straight road is. Sometimes it's like doing the Bugs Bunny cartoon where you get the "I Knew I Shoulda Taken That Left Turn At Albuquerque!"
I laughed out loud when I read this, as its bloody well true! Old Horny is the same damned way, and the road is always something of a labyrinth. Put another way, these paths we walk along remind me heavily of the freeways of Seattle....best way I can think to describe them is that someone provided a small child with caffiene and markers, then told 'em to doodle where the freeways go et viola!
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Be curious to hear it.
I did, in advance of this response, receive permission from the client this situation involves. I am still awaiting proof in the form of a death certificate. I cannot share certain details, given the sacrosanct nature of confidentiality, but here goes.
The two involved are [Tina] and [Rose] (these are not their real names). Rose is the client, Tina was her mother. Tina was something of a terrible person in her life, and inflicted all manners of horror upon her daughter and others in her years, to the point Rose developed eating disorders, serious issues connecting with others, and a slew of other troubles. Tina was a nasty piece of work, and as the saying goes, the mean ones live the longest.
Well, Tina was also schizophrenic and suffering from a stage four cancer. She stubbornly persisted and continued to live as a burden to her family despite suffering terminal agitation and loads of medical emergencies from which she should have expired naturally sometime well into the past. Somehow, hoever, she would continue to exist, causing nothing but pain and suffering to all around her. On and on it went, and it rather seemed like Death lost any kind of oversight with respect to this woman's life, making it into this kind of terrible song that never ends.
Two weeks ago, now, Rose and I were discussing the particulars around her mother, her status, and what all was going on with those circumstances, trying to figure out other logistics in her life, as the financial burden placed upon this family was staggering....to the point where they were really struggling as a unit. Three people were essentially burdened by this piece of work, so it occurred to me that an offering should be made to Hekate to see if this lady was meant to continue to exist.
I wrote a prayer and explanation to Hekate detailing the case, Tina's longevity and how wrong that all seemed to me, given the circumstances. I asked Hekate to review Tina's life and current existence to determine if death was appropriate, requesting that Tina either depart quickly or be made well enough so as to not act as a burden to her family. Tina expired last Tuesday, six days from the petition I placed upon my altar. The date of A's death was Tuesday, February 19th 2019. The petition was placed upon my altar on Wednesday, February 13th, 2019.
Clearly, the petition was granted, given the circumstances, and I performed Last Rites for Tina on the 19th, as that is one of my functions. This situation needed to come to an end, clearly, as Hekate took this woman from this moral coil very quickly. Its left me with questions and considerations around the nature of Her function within the world, as death-giving and soul-taking is clearly well within her role. If she was quickly able and willing to look upon this woman and then make the call, Hekate has the ability to ascertain worth and determine whether or not a person is essentially allowed to stay here.
I don't share this story to minimize the sacrality of life or anything of the kind. Hekate is a powerful goddess, however, and she is more than deserving of accolades and our attempts to better understand her, her mysteries, and her teachings. Rose is now recovering and working to straighten her life out now that her mother's not around to damn her family any longer, and while there's a lot of feelings and emotions for her to process, she's doing better.
The road to healing has now been started upon, on account of this, furthering my understanding that Hekate deeply cares about the balance in and health of our world. Hail Hekate!