Hekate's Deipnon

Tonight is the night of Hekate's supper. Shortly after sunset, while there was still a little light in the sky, I went back out into the woods, under the bridge. I spent a bit of time cleaning some of the litter from the area. Then I made offerings to Hekate and her wandering dead, and made private prayer to Hekate.

On the way home things felt very right, and I think this is a call to make a permanent shrine in that area, but again, I'll have to think more on that to be sure. There is another area that I was considering, a triple crossroads in the woods, sees much less traffic I think. But... there's something about that bridge I just can't get over.

After the ritual, I also got the feeling that I should be sprinkling barley over the offerings when I leave them, something I usually do not do for the deipnon, but will start doing.

Pomona and Vertumnus

Pomona (Latin "pomum" meaning orchard fruit), was one of the Roman Numina, a group of guardian spirits who watched over homes, special locations, and people. Pomona herself was a goddess/wood nymph who watched over orchards and gardens. She watched over and protected fruit trees and gardens, and assured fruitful abundance, and proper cultivation. She was not, however, strongly linked to the harvest of the fruit itself.

Pomona is often associated specifically with apples, and one of her symbols is a pruning knife. She is also shown holding a cornucopia, or a basket/platter of fruit.

In Rome Pomona was said to be served by priests known as Flamen Pomonalis, and there was a grove sacred to her, the Pomonal.

Pomona was one of the virginal goddesses, she rejected the advances of many, including the woodland gods Silvanus and Picus. Pomona was not interested in love, only in tending to her gardens. She eventually built a wall around her garden to keep suitors out. However, the god Vertumnus often visited her in many different guises, such as a fisherman, a solder, and an ox-herd.

Pomona and Vertumnus

One day he visited her in the guise of an old woman. As the old woman, he told her about the joys of love, of marriage, how even her garden showed the importance of such bonds with the grapes growing on the elm tree. He told her stories of the importance of not having a hard heart. Tells her of how much Vertumnus loves her, and how alike they are. Some say this was enough to win her over, but in most retellings of the story it is not until he drops his disguise and shows his radiant true form that she falls in love with him.

Vertumnus is quite similar in many ways to Pomona. He is a god of the seasons, plant growth, fruit trees, and gardens. A statue of him was erected in Rome, and was said to be decorated with the changing seasons. He is also a god of change, and as noted above, was able to take on many different forms - whatever he wanted to be, whenever he liked.

It is likely that Vertumnus came to the Roman pantheon from the Etruscan pantheon, where he was likely Voltumna, a chthonic deity who was considered supreme god of the pantheon. Neither Vertumnus nor Pomona have a direct corresponding deity in the Greek pantheon (as say, Venus does to Aphrodite). Their myth is one that is truly Roman in origin, where many myths were brought in from other pantheons.

Vertumnus had a festival on the 13th of August, called the Vertumnalia. Pomona was also honored on this feast day along with her husband. It is likely they were offered first fruits of the harvest.

Pomona possibly also has another feast day on November 1st (Pomonalia?), but it is possible this is just a misunderstanding of the date of the Vertumnalia. It would seem she was offered apples and nuts at this time.

Back into the woods...

Today was my first trip back down into the woods near my apartment since winter started, as the paths are inaccessible then.

There is a path that leads under a bridge, and this space always reminds me of Hekate. While not Her traditional triple crossroads, the crossroads of the upper road running one way, and the lower forest path going the other way under it really resonates as a strong liminal space. I keep feeling myself pulled back to this place, and I am considering building a small, discreet shrine in the area. I would like to return tomorrow and do some meditating on the subject there, perhaps leave an offering, and see where things go.

"I'm a beginner witch, what herbs/oils do I need?"

I have seen this question asked so many times this last week. Usually followed with "oh, and I don't have much money, so they need to be cheap."

Look, if you don't have much money? Don't waste it on herbs and oils you may never even need, especially if you don't even know what they're used for. If you don't have an actual need and money is tight, put that money to better use! Witchcraft isn't just owning things just for the sake of having them, after all. Not that I can blame beginners for this, when so many books make it look like you need a whole shopping list and a half of junk.

Besides, sometimes the best place to start is your own kitchen cabinet. Most people have at least a few bottles of herbs and spices in their kitchen, as well as things like salt, pepper, honey, sugar, and other such things. Check out what you own, how it can be used. It's a good place to start, and if you want to branch out from there, you'll have a better idea of what sorts of things you don't have, or where you'd like to go with your herbalism practice.

Another reason I have an issue with this question is, well, need is just so different from person to person. The herbs I find absolutely essential to my practice probably aren't going to mean a lot to someone else. I try to keep a stock of mugwort, barley, sumac, crown vetch, wild carrot, juniper, pokeweed, foxglove, and mint. And, you know, some of those are toxic, I'm not about to recommend those to anyone just starting out! The others, hard to find, things I harvest locally. Things I use in my spirit work, or for my deities. They can be used for other things, sure, mint is an easy one to find, often cheap - but dozens of other things could be used for such purposes. Why specifically recommend mint, when something else could better fit a need, if a need actually existed? Beyond that, someone looking at that list might wonder where the sage is, since everyone else seems to use it, and yeah it's a "must have" for a lot of people... but I use it very rarely, once a year at most.

So, yeah, if you're going to ask this sort of question, first ask yourself what you actually need, what would actually benefit your practice in general terms. Are you looking to do a lot of protective work? Looking to bring in prosperity? Fertility work? Pick a subject, narrow it down a bit, and see what you have that could work, or what would be easy for you to get, what makes sense for you, because it's not going to be the same for everyone. Put in a little work and decide what you want, what you'll use, and go with it.

Prayer Beads for Hekate

I made these prayer beads for Hekate several months ago, and while they've been adorning her shrine, I had not yet ever used them in ritual/prayer.

However, as I was walking my dog tonight, enjoying the light snow coming down, I felt Hekate's presence, and I knew it was well past time to finally sit down and find/write prayers for these beads.

This is what I came up with...





(Medallion prayer.)
Hekate of the roads and of the crossroads, I honor you.
In heaven, on earth, in the sea, saffron-cloaked,
pleased with dark ghosts that wander through the shade,
haunting deserted places, I honor you.
Night-wandering, dog-loving, key-bearer,
unconquerable queen, I honor you.
Hekate, hear my prayers to you, with ever joyous heart.

(Prayer for the lava rock beads.)
Hekate, you who roam the moonless night, who walks
in the dark with certainty, torch-bearing goddess,
keeper of the keys, I follow where you lead.

(Prayer for the labradorite beads.)
Hekate, you who see things hidden, whose torches light the dark;
you who dwells on the threshold,
who receives due offering wherever three roads meet;
To you, Hekate, are the mysteries known.
To you do the lost ever turn for protection.
To you do those who work magic pray for wisdom.
Hekate, ancient one, I praise you.


[First prayer based off the Ophric hymn to Hekate, second and third prayer altered from the prayers found on this website.]

Housework With/For Hestia

Today's act of devotion was a simple and practical one. My kitchen was overdue for a cleaning, so I went about cleaning it, thoughts frequently drifting to Hestia and her role as goddess of the household. Keeping my home clean and hospitable for guests, for my family, for myself, and of course for Her.

Simple Evening Devotional

Sometimes the simplest rituals can be the best. They're easy to do each day, and that can keep you linked to your spirituality. I often see people upset because they feel cut off from their practice, and they just don't know what to do. I'm a firm believer that daily devotion, of some sort, is the answer to a lot of those types of problems.

When creating this daily devotional I knew I'd have to keep it very simple. There are a lot of days where I deal with health/fatigue issues, and it really rules out a lot of things for me. In the past I've written about a daily ritual at my hearth shrine during dinner, but there are now many days where I either might not be the one cooking, or I might be with my grandparents, away from my own kitchen, and it's shrine.

So I came up with a very simple solution. I keep a clay olive oil lamp on the window sill near my computer, right in my view so I remember to use it. It has four wicks, one for each of the deities I primarily honor. The first wick lit is always the one for Hestia, and when lighting it I say something along the lines of "I light this flame in honor of Hestia, heart of my home, who brings peace and stability." It varies a bit, sometimes I use a different title, or have something more specific I am thankful for, or even something I might be requesting from her.

I light the other flames for Artemis, Demeter, and Hekate, all with the same style of short prayer. Then I take a few minutes to simply relax, clear my mind a bit, take a deep breath or two. Then I will leave the lamp burning for a while as I go about my business - be it work, writing, or just playing games. The lamp will go out on it's own when it runs out of oil, and some nights I simply let it go out when it will. However, on most nights, I extinguish the flames with a final thank you to the deity.

Now, what about those nights I'm away from home? I don't bring the lamp with me, I just take a few minutes to myself and, well, basically imagine lighting the lamp, with the same prayers. Since I do it often enough physically, it's easy to picture in my mind. In some ways I enjoy this symbolism even more than the physical ritual, carrying the flames of these deities within me, always.

Creating an Incense Blend for the Equinox

This morning I decided to spend some time messing around with a few different ideas for some Ostara incense. Usually around this time of year it's still quite cold and snowy, but it's been a very mild winter this year, and I wanted something that would reflect that as we move into spring. Something dry and earthy, but still warm and somewhat floral for the coming months.

Right now I'm working with lavender, lemon peel, caraway seed (which, by the way, are a pain to grind), mint, juniper, turmeric, and ginger. Each remind me of Ostara in their own ways, but I am still working on finding a nice balance. With ritual incense it's important to consider the symbolism of the herbs used, but it's also nice not to have something that smells awful, or smokes too much, or whatever else. A good incense should also help to set the mood for a ritual, not take away from it by being unappealing.

A month of daily devotion, and daily blogging...

I took a long, unannounced, hiatus from blogging the last year. A mix of feeling uninspired to write, dealing with some health issues, and just generally needing a bit of "me time." However, I've been missing writing here, and so I've decided to get back into the habit of blogging frequently by setting a little goal for March, to write something, even just a little, every day. I thought it might be interesting, at this point, to focus in on my day to day practice, and the different things done over the month.

Looking forward to getting back into the swing of things here!

Happy Lughnasadh