Night Of Hekate… Within A Witch’s Wood

On November 16th there is the pagan celebration of Hekate’s Night. Although it is not ancient in origin, it is indeed deeply rooted in ancient rituals honoring her. Tis said to be a night when the veil between worlds is thin, like at Samhain and Beltane. Making it an ideal time to connect with this dark goddess, travel to the crossroads, work divinations and spells with her, and to make offerings of food and libations to honor this Greek goddess of witchcraft, crossroads, magick, the moon, the underworld… and the dead.

I work almost exclusively with this dark goddess, and will begin to sense a strong pull, a calling from her, hear her hounds late at night, and begin to see visions of keys, black dogs, crows, and the crossroads within my wood. A calling towards continued self-transformation and shadow work for deep healing. Work with Hekate on the crossroads in your life, when you need guidance during a dark or transitional period, or when you are doing spells, glamours, and divinations. I can honestly tell all of you that there was a time when I was diagnosed with breast cancer, was dealing with my mum who was spiraling into dementia, and dealing with a very deep ending, and there is no way in hell I would have survived it all at once without her…

So Hekate’s Supper, or the Night of Hekate is a very important tradition in my woods of leaving a dinner, libations, keys, herbs, and resins at a crossroads for Hekate and her companion spirits… which is also why I leave some homemade dog bones as well. Hekate is also a goddess of transitions and boundaries, associated with keys, (access to mysteries) as well as torches. These torches light the way through the dark night in my woods, which is why I wildcrafted and use my Hag Sticks. I also make offerings of my Hekate Incense, tonight or any time that I work with her. The incense smoke is believed to dissolve boundaries between the earthly and spiritual planes, acting as a “bridge builder” that connects the visible world with the invisible…
Now the folklore is that after leaving the offerings, one should walk away without looking back, for fear of angering the spirits or being driven quite mad by them. Encountering or hearing a dog is often considered a sign that Hekate and her dogs have accepted the offering, but for myself, it is usually the “hooting” of an owl. So here are my lists of food, herbs, and resins you can offer this splendidly dark goddess tonight…
Dark and Wild blessings all! )0(

Foods:
Eggs
Garlic and onions
Fish (especially red mullet or small fish like sprats/sardines)
Cakes and pastries
Almonds
Breads
Cheeses
Honey
Wine or Mead (as a libation)
Pomegranates
Apples
Figs
Dates
Herbs:
Bay
Cypress
Rue
Dandelion
Mullein
Lavender
Nutmeg
Resins:
Frankincense and especially Myrrh, (for it’s association with darker things).
Styrax resin was also traditionally burned as an incense offering to Hekate, to invoke her presence or seek her blessings.