One of Hekate’s most well-know epithets is “Propolos”, which means “companion” or “guide”. I began actively honoring Hekate about 15 years ago, though She made an entrance in my life many years before that, however I was not fully aware of it at that time. Fast forward to the Spring of 2010, when I sought out Sorita d’Este on social media after reading her book on Artemis and discovered a project she was working on that was dedicated to Hekate – “Her Sacred Fires” anthology due to be published, with a global “Rite of Her Sacred Fires” being planned for the May Full Moon to coincide with the book’s release. I took an interest in that, and I can say that my life has never been the same since.
I learned a lot about myself while I explored a relationship with Hekate, and incorporated daily devotionals to Her in my day to day life. To say it was transformative is an understatement. I read everything I could get my hands on about Hekate – modern books by modern authors, ancient texts, the PGM, scholarly papers and books written by some of those scholars, poetry, classical texts by Hesiod and others from that time, and connecting with other devotees of Hekate from all sorts of backgrounds through my (past) involvement with the Covenant of Hekate, which I applied to be a member after the first RoHSF in 2010. Learning about the “historical” Hekate, and ancient practices and researching known sites of cults/worship was an integral part of this process for me. I was like a sponge, soaking up every bit of information I could and learning as much as possible about historical and modern practices.
Aside from that, She was ever-present in my life and She always will be. There were times when She “went dark”, and was largely silent and there were gaps in devotionals. But I know Her presence and guiding force is always with me, and I carry that knowledge every day. Hekate’s torches burn bright no matter what, just waiting for that moment where Her devotee borrows it to rekindle that spark and illuminate their path. Everything I do, everything I say – has intent, and She is there.
In classical literature, Hekate was Persephone’s companion and guide as she traveled between the realms of the living and dead to be with Demeter part of the year, and with Hades in the Underworld for the other part of the year. The Homeric Hymn to Demeter tells this story, and the presence of Hekate at major sanctuaries to Demeter and Persephone is documented with archaeological evidence.
Today, as I write this, I am undertaking some transformative projects for myself. I am returning to college after many (many) years of putting that on the back-burner to care for my family. I am going to finish my degree; I am determined to see this through. What will come of that once I finish – I don’t know. But I will do it. The other project is in the very, very early stages of planning, and it involves the eventual building of community. Strangely, there are no goddess-centered devotional temples in my area despite the widespread Pagan community in New York. I want to change that. I want to create a space where the sacred, divine feminine is honored in all of Her forms and names, with Hekate as Propolos. I expect the beginnings of this will involve meeting in a dedicated public space that will have to be reserved as needed. My ultimate dream is to have a permanent space of our own for this, and hopefully this will be manifest one day. The seeds have been planted, and I will make this a reality one day in the near future, however long it takes.
© Melissa McNair / The Torch and Key
The Torch and Key 