Hekate as Anima Mundi is the very fuel of creation and destruction, to me and them. It makes perfect sense that she has always been associated with witchcraft since we who identify as such associate with and utilize the primal source from which all types of energy flow.

As a witch, I choose to believe that I have natural abilities that help me connect to the deeper world. I use myths, art and literature, which are others attempts to understand this unknowable world to help me understand my experiences of it.

Working With the Deeper World

I get asked a lot of questions about “working” with Hekate. I used “working” because I’ve never cared much for this expression. I work with correspondences like colors and numbers. They are typically lacking in free thought or personality. Not always, though. I have relationships with spirits such as plants, animals and even a few very special stones. We each bring a great deal to our alliance, from will to hang-ups. With more complex spirits, it has to be more balanced, meaning that it’s less about me commanding their energies and more about collaborating. Is this a “working” relationship?Aren’t all relationships? Regarding deities, including Hekate, we also have relationships. Depending on perspective, we may petition, pray or even beg for favors. This is all human methodologies for accessing primal source and the embedded spirits within it.

If you’re more of an agnostic type like me, perhaps you see deity as a human perception of the deeper world. The unseen and unknowable spirit that flows through all life. For me, that’s Hekate. As Anima Mundi, she is primal source, the very fire that fuels creation. I use the epithets and her roles to access specific parts of the primal source; death, life, fierceness, resilience are a few. I sort of “work” with these currents the same way I work with all correspondences, but it’s more complicated than calling it thus implies.

The Necessity of Mystery

Think of it like this: even in our closest relationships, with full disclosure among equals and excellent reciprocity, we never truly know the entire contents of the other’s heart and mind. In other words, understanding other humans is always challenging, and often elusive. Why should anyone think that knowing the heart and mind of a deity would be otherwise? We work to establish meaningful relationships where there exists mutual trust, respect and affection. This is of value to us. I would argue that applying this approach to our association with the forces we know as deities and spirits deepens our understanding of them and the unseen world. We can say that we are “working” with these forces and we certainly do, as a metaphor for how we collaborate with other humans. It’s not adequate to explain the process, though.

The struggle I have to appropriately label my experience of the deeper world, whether it’s when I’m summoning forces for assistance with my spells or through consciousness-changing mind work like meditation, is, for me, a necessity. The lack of being able to precisely label what I do is how it should be when “working with” forces far beyond my human understanding.

Regarding how Hekate often shows up when we are at our weakest, my theory is that our personal energy signature in those moments emits a signal that attracts the Anima Mundi consciousness, especially if we cry out to however we interpret it. This is why Hekate has historically been associated with the unwanted, whether living, dead or purely etheric. The consciousness of the Anima Mundi that I connect with is Dark Mother, not a light/fluffy/warm God. There’s something about me that resonates with the darkness. It is simply where my truth abides. This isn’t a criticism of those who don’t identify in a similar manner. I will say that witchcraft has always been associated with the wisdom of the shadows rather than the burning, refined energy of the sun. This isn’t a rejection of the refined energy of ascended beings, such as angels or a denial of the importance of the Higher Self. For me, my natural spiritual home is a damp and dark cave, followed by a dense, lush garden. The mystical heights of The Starry Road are third place, for me.

In my recent interview over at Witches & Wine on YouTube, I talk much more about Hekatean Witchcraft from my perspective as an agnostic animist, as well as many other topics.

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Deep Blessings,

Cyndi