Hecate, Deities, the Triad and Psychic Transformation ......................

2
So is Hecate simply the concoction of our minds? ............................... 8
The Goddess Hecate and Her Relationship to Magick, Darkness,
Crossroads .......................................................................................................... 9
Magick and Darkness .................................................................................. 9
Magick and the Crossroads ..................................................................... 10
The triad, the moon and the hound.......................................................... 12
The triad ........................................................................................................ 12
The moon ...................................................................................................... 13
Hounds ........................................................................................................... 14
Invoking the goddess Hecate and working with her ......................... 15
Altar and devotion ...................................................................................... 15
Offerings ........................................................................................................ 17
Ambience and setting ............................................................................... 17
Conclusion ........................................................................................................ 18
Goddess Hecate is the personification of Magick, darkness, the
crossroads and anything that is mysterious. She is both the mystery
itself, and holds the key to the mysteries. Anyone involved in the
exploration of the esoteric pays homage to her, knowingly or
unknowingly.

In this book, we shall explore the magickal wisdom of the goddess

and how to effectively work with her.

Here, we shall not go deep into the origins and myth of the goddess
Hecate because it will simply be a regurgitation — there are several
sources all over the internet that one can refer to.

Instead, what we shall focus here shall be on the underlying idea of

the archetype of the dark sorcerer goddess and how one can most
effectively get in tune with her.
Firstly, it shall be useful to consider what “Gods" or “Goddesses" are.
This is especially true, because the functions of various gods and
goddesses often intersect.

While Hecate is the goddess of Magick and witchcraft, she is not the
sole goddess that has the functions she has.

This is not only true if you consider deities and mythologies from
other cultures, but also within the Greek universe itself.

Circe for example, is also revered as a goddess of Sorcery, and in

some accounts, considered as the daughter of Hecate and Helios (as
opposed to Helios and Perse the nymph in other accounts). Hecate
isn't the only goddess that is associated with the moon, the
underworld and darkness either.

I have already covered a useful way of thinking about deities and

idols in the article on idol worship and deity veneration, and it
may be of particular help for those who are facing a dissonance
whilst working with different gods and goddesses that often share
intersecting functions.

To describe it briefly here, it may be helpful to think of deities as

anthropomorphic representations of abstract, universal concepts.

Just as mathematical symbols (such as plus, minus, “2“, "3" etc) are
used to represent abstract mathematical concepts that can then be
used to perform operations that give "results", deities can be thought
of as symbols that represent abstract psycho—physical concepts
that can be then used as an interface for our limited human minds
to interact with, producing "results".

In the case of deities, they often encapsulate multiple different

abstractions into a human-like form. The goddess Hecate
encapsulates the abstract concepts of Magick, Sorcery, Crossroads,
and the “coming of the night“.
The combinations of these abstract concepts are given a human or
humanoid form, because such forms are what our psyche can relate
to personally.

In such a manner then, we are able to perform psychic

"transformations" of those abstract concepts within our own minds
affecting it in a deep way, which would then affect the world
around us as a consequence of "selection" of experience.

The power of our subconscious to put ourselves into situations

through selection filters shouldn't be overlooked, but one needn't
stop there.

If you consider pansychism — that consciousness is the

fundamental base of reality (not to be mistaken with animism) —
then the mind itself can be thought of as one of the "triad" of
creation, along with the objective world and the platonic, abstract
world where abstract concepts, and therefore deities live.
 Penrose Triad, defining reality

The basic triad of existence can be thought of as the perceiver (the

mind) , the perceived (the objective world) and the perception
(which is the abstract concept).

In the Western Qabalistic traditions, this triad is the top three

spheres (Kether, Binah and Chokmah) of the Sephiroth. They are
represented by Aleph, Mem and Shin that the "one reality" splits
into. In the Tantric traditions, this is referred to as the Pramatr
(experiencer or the mind) , Prameya (experience or the objective
world) and Pramana (process of experiencing, which is the
abstract).

The mind here doesn't refer to the individual instance of mind but
rather, the abstract concept of a "mind" itself — the ingredient
without which experience of the objective world and the process of
experiencing is impossible. All of this can be thought of as
"happening" within the underlying canvas of consciousness or "one
reality".

The individual instances of minds can be thought of as responsible

for "generating" the instances of the experience (objective existence)
for that particular mind depending on it's contents, interfacing with
it with the process of experience.

The abstract Perceiver, Perception and Perceived (Supreme soul), which itself lives in
the platonic, mathematical realm (code of the matrix), generates individual instances
of the triad (Jiva-atma)

In this way, there are countless universes in a multiverse that

corresponds to each instance of the mind that it "selects" into.

Working with deities, which is fundamental to Magick, can be

thought of as a way to interface with the mind part of the triad
affecting and altering it, thereby affecting the experience, through
the process of experiencing.

Perhaps the three heads (triad) of Hecate itself also represent this
fact, among other things!

The triad or "three" is perhaps the key to understanding the secret

mysteries of the universe.
Absolutely not, although our minds can be said to be involved in her
manifestation in the physical world.

It is just as mathematical objects of the numbers such as "4" or the

operation of "plus" — they exists independently of our minds in the
platonic space and seem to have a life on their own. For example,
we can define what "4", "5" and "+" represents, but the result of 4+5
will always yield a result independently of our minds. Our minds
are then simply "channels" and physical world, the interface.

If the deities are representations of abstract concepts that live in the

platonic space, and the myths represent interactions between them,
then they are actually more "real" than you or I, and manifest
themselves throughout the ages in the collective lives of humanity,
and even in our individual lives.

It is perhaps most useful to think of them as ineffable intelligences

in the abstract "spaces" that use our minds as vehicles to manifest
themselves in the objective world through the process of
experience.

This knowledge of the triad — not just the theoretical knowledge,

but also the experiential knowledge that alters one's perception of
reality — is perhaps the fundamental key to the doorway of Magick
that the goddess Hecate holds.
Magick and Darkness

If we think of Magick as the alteration of the mind and the deep

psyche, thereby changing the objective world by the process of
experiencing, then journeying and accessing the deep, sub
conscious recesses of our minds become fundamental.

This part of our mind that is unexplored can be thought of as the

darkness and "coming of the night" that Hecate represents.

If the physical world is analogous to the type or structure of the

individual instance of the mind that produces it and therefore
experiences, then the subconscious is analogous to darkness and
night in the physical, and the “underworld“ — all of which can be
said to be represented by the Goddess Hecate.
It now becomes clear as to why Magick and Sorcery is associated
with darkness. Magick is not for the faint of heart or for the
"layman", precisely because it involves the opening up of the
pandoras box of the underworld of our deep psyche.

Madness is not uncommon for those that dabble in the occult,

because of how stuff from within the repressed subconscious often
vomits out into mundane, "stable" reality. Even Carl Jung, one of the
most eminent psychoanalysts and the founder of analytical
psychology describes his personal journey into the subconscious,
and the razor's edge path of near madness. The Red Book is a
recommended read, which documents his journey through the deep
psyche.

Hecate is often represented as the light bringer to the darkness by

her wielding of torches. Interfacing through her, it becomes possible
to have a devotional and personal interaction with this space of
darkness, thereby dodging the pitfalls that one may have
otherwise.

Magick and the Crossroads

A crossroad usually symbolizes a situation where a choice has to be
made between multiple options.

If Magick is also the doorway through which the mind is altered

and then the appropriate reality is "selected", then it can be well
represented by the “Crossroad“.

This crossroad IS then the doorway and the intersection between

the different multiverses. It is the central axis point where the
controls of all the different possible configurations of the deep mind,
and therefore different universes, exists. Therefore it is no surprise
that it also the place where "spirits" from other "places" are said to
be encountered. Hecate also encapsulates within her this abstract
"doorway".
The triad
The triad of Hecate has multiple layers of meaning, one of the
primary ones which we already discussed. For example, Hecate is
said to hold power over three worlds within mythological accounts.
The triad can also be observed in different stages of consciousness
— waking, sleep and dreamless sleep. It manifests itself in almost
all aspects of creation, possibly because of how it is indeed what
makes up the ingredient of life itself possible (experience,
experiencer and the experienced). Hence, it can be said to be the key
to secrets of the universe, an idea that even Nikola Tesla shared:

Even if some may refer to some of Tesla's ideas as being far out
there, the importance of the triad is undeniable.

In the Sri Vidya Tantras, the Trikona at the center of the Sri Chakra
is the Symbol of Shakti or the universal mother. It refers to the
Ichha Shakti, Jnana Shakti and Kriya Shakti, which fundamental
powers of the supreme mother -- the power of will, the power of
knowledge and the power of action.
The moon

Hecate is also the moon goddess. The moon can be thought of as

indicative of the cyclical nature of existence (one analog can be
observed in a woman's menstruation cycle), but it also represents
the mind. The mind is exactly that — cyclical. One need only
observe one's own mind throughout the course of the day to find out
how it operates not too differently. The machinery of all three
ingredients of life can be said to operate like the moon, in a cyclical
fashion.
Hounds

Hecate is portrayed as being accompanied by hounds. The hound

has a particular relationship with the moon, which is perhaps
indicative of our base desires that are often both triggered and
controlled by the power of the mind. Desires are also cyclical, for
what we desire today may be something that we loathe tomorrow
and vice versa.

Hecate's hounds are said to be the guardians to the underworld —

our desires often have it's source from within the deep recesses of
our subconscious. They drive us forward in life, but can also be the
cause of great pain and misery, which may be what hell represents.

Interfacing with Hecate, it can be said that the hounds become our
"pets" instead.
As we discussed earlier, it may be helpful to think of deities as
anthropomorphic representations of abstract, universal concepts.

Therefore, while working with Hecate, it is important to consider

every aspect of her symbolic representation — the moon, the triad,
the torch, the crossroads etc. and deeply contemplate the different
layers of meaning that they convey every time before a ritual. This
applies to every deity that you may work with, and the particular
variations of a deity that one chooses to work with will help
channelize the particular "side" of the deity. Myths, in addition,
serve to understand the interactions between the abstract universal
concepts that the deities represent.

It is also of importance to observe the deity's actions in your daily

life, for it is primarily how they communicate. For example, when
you manage to observe a desire pop up in your mind, you see
Hecate's hounds being shed light on, by her torch. One starts seeing
Hecate in all three aspects of existence — the mind and self, the
experience and in the process of experiencing.

Altar and devotion

If Hecate is the primary deity that you are working with, it may be
very useful to build an altar space dedicated to her in your
residence.

Even if you don't particularly believe in spaces getting physically

"charged" with energies that everyone else can also experience,
creating an altar space will most of all, help your mind get in the
"Hecate zone" whenever you are close to the area.

To begin with, one needn't even have a fancy idol — a simple picture
of Hecate that includes all her "components", and perhaps sigils that
are anchored to her, setup in a clean corner of a room where you can
meditate unperturbed, should be enough.

Perhaps the most important aspect of working with any deity is

devotion and the type of relationship. Especially working with a
deity like Hecate who encapsulates darkness, the underworld and
magick, this becomes even more paramount. One shouldn't simply
mess with darkness to stroke one's ego if sanity and health is to be
maintained.

Deities seem to respond how you relate with them. If you form a
romantic relationship with them for instance, they often tend to
reciprocate with both the pros and cons of such a relationship.
Similarly, the degree to which one develops emotional affection and
love is also reciprocated.

If you treat Hecate as a business transaction partner with no

affection involved, then expect admonishment when you fail to
hold up your end of the bargain. Perhaps this is the reason why
many people experience such phenomena while working with a
particularly dark goddess of Magick. Remember, you are turning
abstract universal energies and concepts into a humanoid form in
order for your mind to relate to them and interface with them. Why
not fully utilize the opportunity to fully channel the gift of your
emotions?

Your own preferences may vary, but my own personal approach

with Hecate is that of a helpless toddler seeking guidance from its
mother, placing full trust in her. In this fashion, my ego is kept in
check (because I can be fairly confident it will be taken care of by
her), and the affection is reciprocated manifold. My voyage towards
the darkness and magickal is confident not because I bet on my
egoic self-identity, but because of my trust in the mother herself. My
will is hers. More often than not, there is also no need to strike a
deal and ask her for anything, because the limited mind cannot
conceive of the best things to ask. Eventually, it will not be
surprising to you when you get something more and better than
what you initially thought of.

Offerings
While working with Hecate, one must consider offering articles that
"please" her. This can be made mentally, if it's not possible
physically in your altar space. Still, it is highly recommended to
start with physical offerings because it will help in making things
easier to visualise further down the line, should you choose to
graduate to a wholly mental endeavor of Invoking.

It is important to consider what the Goddess Hecate likes, but just

like how you'd consider each component of her symbolism, and
what universal concepts they signify before meditating on her each
time, consider also what each offering signify. For example, while
offering wine to her, consider the multiple layers of meaning of
what wine signifies. Contemplate on the abstract meaning behind
each article before proceeding with the ritual.

Ambience and setting

The right ambience and setting can make a huge difference to
produce the right mood. Having the right mood is very important to
help the mind to connect with the apropos energies involved. In the
case of Hecate, the right setting would be a dark, dimly lit room.
Music can assist tremendously to attune to goddess, particularly a
dark ambient one or something that evokes a sense of mystery. Of
course, it is also important to strike a balance with personal
preference.
Hecate is mother nature herself in her dark, occult and sorcery
aspect. Inviting her into your life and worshipping her is analogous
to opening up the doorway to the magickal. On the other hand,
whenever you are exploring darkness — whether it be a physical
place or the recesses of your subconscious, and whenever you are
"magicking", you are calling upon Hecate.

Ave Hecate!