I call to you at the
Newness of the Moon.

I wait at the crossroads
And, call out in longing
For you to ask of me what you will.

I stand clothed in the promise
Of guiding you as I light the way.

I wait and there is only the
Sound of my own longing to
Enliven and stir within you
The drive and will that sets
You upon your path.

I am cloaked in the darkness
But those who have the
Courage to call to me
See the truth of my hidden
Light that burns brightly

With the Divine spark of youth.

This post is the first of three about the Triple Goddess Hecate and her gifts expressed through the face of Maiden, Mother and Crone. Hecate is the Greek Goddess of the Underworld; Queen of Magick and daughter of the Titans Perses (God of Destruction) and Asteria (Oracular Goddess), from whom she was gifted with rulership of heaven and earth. She is most noted for her place of guide at the Crossroads carrying the flaming torches that light the way for gods and mortals. My intent is not to provide a full history of the Goddess (there is a plethora of information to be found), but rather to provide my personal experiences with her.

As a Triune Goddess, she has come to me at various points in my life, despite my not knowing or identifying her by name and she has shown me her varied faces as I have needed prodding or push in a specific direction. At this time of the year, I feel her presence more strongly and align with her transformative energies with that of the New, Full and Waning Moons in the month prior to Samhain.

My awareness of Hecate’s energy has been building within me these last few months and I suspect this is in answer to my need to reclaim some of the intensity and vibrancy that is held within her form of the Maiden. Life circumstances have placed me in a position of having to fully step into the roles of Mother and Crone and I am rebelling at the necessary structure that is being placed upon me. I find myself in the place of having to release my attachment to children who have grown into responsible and caring adults and the growing need to assume more responsibility and care for an aging parent. I long for the youthful strength and resilience I once had to support these changes. And, I long for the freedom that time brings when seen from a youthful perspective.

I have always felt vastly responsible for the people in my life and their well-being, often with the neglect of my own. When I took up the mantle of spiritual service, this responsibility widened to include all that I interacted with, feeling that I must model by example and leave a positive footprint. So, I turn to this Goddess of Magick and remaking and call out to her as the Maiden to inform and enliven my way as I sit in quiet meditation.

I hear echoed back to me her response calling me to stand at her crossroads, tell her my story of lost youth and ask of her what I will. Tonight the Moon is New in the astrological sign of Libra. Libra is Cardinal Air, the beginnings of inspired and innovative thought that aspires to achieve a state of balance through refinement. I have spent too long in trying to mentally problem solve and not allowed myself the space to feel too much. If I allow my emotions to weigh in sadness and self-indulgence will make me ineffective and weak. I feel the need for balance and I know that Hecate will not allow me to stay too long in a place of self-pity and complaints. And, so I see myself standing in the darkness of the night and feel the cold chill of wind moving around me and know this is the stirrings of my own anticipation at being in the presence and potency of her energy as Maiden.

I see Hecate’s form rising up in front of me and I make vow to heed her words as I have done so many times before. The outcomes have often been unexpected and quite different from what I had imagined the original plan had been; but this is of no concern, for in the wisdom of the Goddess she has always offered what was needed not what were my imagined wantings. Hecate stands before me and I bow in reverence. She has the appearance of youth, dressed in flowing white gowns and a deceptively gentle energy that hides the great power and trinity of her form. This is no Maiden who is ingénue in experience; rather she is the promise of providing fresh perspective and insight that will stimulate and catalyze. Hers is a raw power, ancient in time and purposeful in whatever it sets its intent upon. Before my words are uttered she knows what is held in my heart and smiles an all-knowing smile.

I stand at her crossroads and the power of her presence swirls about me. I hear the gentle whisper in my ear and a hand of force that say “run”. I feel rejuvenated and filled with this desire to run, to be free, to feel the air moving through my lungs and the joy in movement I felt as a young woman dancing, soaring, expressing. I choose one of the paths and move, breath coming in short bursts and the exhilaration of air and dust, darkness and wildness all about me. I run in release of these stressful past months and for this brief period of time Hecate, the power-filled Maiden weaves her healing magick as she moves in and through me. The binding and weariness of maturity and responsibility falls away as I move faster and faster; blood pulsing, heart pumping in pure delight.

There is no thought of time, or task to be completed or places that I need to be. There is only enlivened air and darkness, magick and Divinity surrounding me. I breathe deeply and my pace slows a bit. I want to savor this environment and the feeling of being suspended in the stillness of eternal time. I breathe deeper still and I am walking briskly upon an unlit path, the faint light of what appears to be a lantern ahead in the distance. I breathe even deeper and each step affirms the strength of my body and the renewed life spark flowing through me. Closer, closer still and I see that the light is that of a flaming and brightly lit torch held at the center of the crossroads by Hecate. I come once again to stand before Her, and I am reminded that she has been with me at the beginning of my earthly journey and it is into her arms I shall seek refuge at my end. I stand illuminated by the brilliance of her torch, flushed from the exertion of my energetic journey and renewed by the blessing of the Maiden’s power. I stand with lighter burden and hear the gentle whisper that “all will be well and as it should be”.

I offer up gratitude to Hecate and offer vow to her that I will seek out her wisdom at the turning of the Full Moon. I will come to her crossroads and call to Hecate, the Mother. Until then, I will remember my promise to her to find the place of balance in attending to my own needs so that I may better care for others. To seek out the newness in the places where I have been stagnant and stressful. I am reminded to call upon my past joys and successes as inspiration, as I go about the repetitive and tedious tasks that are needed and to seek the beauty in discordant as well as harmonious action.

I breathe into the space of my meditation and am no longer at the crossroads. I have come full circle back to the place of my sitting with a renewed sense of purpose. The air is fresher, my vision is clearer and I know I am not alone.

The Next Post: Hecate's Call-The Sorrow of the Mother  
Full Moon- October 18.2013