HEKATE LIMINAL RITES. 1 H e k a t e L i m i n a l R i t e s

HEKATE LIMINAL RITES 1 H e k a t e L i m i n a l R i t e s

"Then, earth began to bellow, trees to dance And howling dogs in glimmering light advance Ere Hecate came." THE AENEID, VIRGIL, LATE C1ST BCE, TRANS. J. DRYDEN. 2 H e k a t e L i m i n a l R i t e s

OTHER BOOKS BY THESE AUTHORS By Sorita d Este & David Rankine THE ISLES OF THE MANY GODS VISIONS OF THE CAILLEACH THE GUISES OF THE MORRIGAN PRACTICAL ELEMENTAL MAGICK PRACTICAL PLANETARY MAGICK CIRCLE OF FIRE WICCA MAGICKAL BEGINNINGS By Sorita d Este ARTEMIS VIRGIN GODDESS OF THE SUN & MOON TOWARDS THE WICCAN CIRCLE HEKATE KEYS TO THE CROSSROADS (EDITOR) PRIESTESSES PYTHONESSES & SIBYLS (EDITOR) HORNS OF POWER (EDITOR) BOTH SIDES OF HEAVEN (EDITOR) By David Rankine BECOMING MAGICK CLIMBING THE TREE OF LIFE CRYSTALS HEALING & FOLKLORE HEKA ANCIENT EGYPTIAN MAGIC & RITUAL By David Rankine, with Stephen Skinner A COLLECTION OF MAGICAL SECRETS PRACTICAL ANGEL MAGIC OF DR JOHN DEE S ENOCHIAN TABLES KEYS TO THE GATEWAY OF MAGIC THE GOETIA OF DR RUDD THE VERITABLE KEY OF SOLOMON 3 H e k a t e L i m i n a l R i t e s

Published by Avalonia BM Avalonia London WC1N 3XX England, UK www.avaloniabooks.co.uk HEKATE LIMINAL RITES Copyright Sorita and David Rankine 2009 ISBN-10: 1905297238 ISBN-13: 978-1905297238 First Edition, May 2009 Design by Satori Cover art Hecate by Joanna Barnum All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, microfilm, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, or used in another book, without written permission from the authors. 4 H e k a t e L i m i n a l R i t e s

COVER IMAGE HECATE BY JOANNA BARNUM FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS ARTIST, VISIT HER WEBSITE: WWW.JOANNABARNUM.COM 5 H e k a t e L i m i n a l R i t e s

DEDICATED TO ANDREW COLLINS WHO KNOWS ALL ABOUT LIMINAL RITES! 6 H e k a t e L i m i n a l R i t e s

HEKATE LIMINAL RITES A STUDY OF THE RITUALS, MAGIC AND SYMBOLS OF THE TORCH-BEARING TRIPLE GODDESS OF THE CROSSROADS SORITA D ESTE AND DAVID RANKINE PUBLISHED BY AVALONIA 2009 7 H e k a t e L i m i n a l R i t e s

Acknowledgements We would like to extend a special thank you to: Stephen Ronan, for his kind permission to use his translations of Proclus Hymn to Hekate and Janus and the Prayer to Selene for Any Operation as previously published in his own excellent work The Goddess Hekate. Zachary Yardley for the use of his previously unpublished renditions of a number of the ancient texts reproduced in this volume. Joanna Barnum, for permission to use the awesome image of the Goddess Hekate which graces the cover of this book, available from www.joannabarnum.com Vitoria Laurel, for her encouragement and support in our work. Alan O Flynn for permission to use his photograph of Hekate from the temple at Lagina. Dave Surber from wildwinds.com for permission to reproduce the images in the chapter Coins. To everyone who enjoyed Hekate Keys to the Crossroads and told us so, May you all prosper in all that you desire and may the flame of kinship burn as a beacon forever more. The Keybearers will always find each other. 8 H e k a t e L i m i n a l R i t e s

CONTENTS Acknowledgements... 8 A Note on Terminology... 12 A Note on Her Name... 13 Foreword... 14 From the Three-Ways... 19 Literary Sources... 31 In Her Service... 37 Hesiod... 37 Empedocles... 38 Porphyry... 39 Circe... 41 Medea... 42 The Witches of Thessaly... 44 Lampads... 45 Hekate s Vegetarian Followers... 46 Sacred Eleusis... 48 Images of Hekate... 58 Voces Magicae... 65 Charms from the PGM... 70 List of Charms in the Greek Magical Papyri... 71 Symbols from the PGM... 74 Bear Charm... 75 Charm of Hekate Ereschigal... 76 Charms for Love... 78 Defixiones... 84 The Armour of Hekate... 89 Glimpses of Initiation... 91 9 H e k a t e L i m i n a l R i t e s

Herbs & Poisons... 94 Aconite... 95 Ebony... 95 Garlic... 96 Mandrake... 96 Oak... 97 Saffron... 98 Yew... 98 Unspecified Herbs... 99 Herb Gathering... 100 Sacred Bronze... 102 Iron Nails & Rings... 105 Hekate & The Angels... 107 Coins... 110 From Sleep... 114 Oracles of Hekate... 117 Offerings... 120 Hekate Suppers... 126 Invocation... 129 Hymns... 132 Proclus Hymn to Hekate and Janus... 132 Prayer to Selene for any operation... 133 Animal Formed... 137 Cow-Headed/Bull-Headed... 137 Dog-Headed... 139 Dragon-Headed... 139 Goat-Headed... 140 Horse-Headed... 140 Serpent-Headed... 141 10 H e k a t e L i m i n a l R i t e s