Offerings – A thing offered, a gift or contribution

Since my dedication to Hecate, I've spent most of my dark moons creating an altar indoors and weather permitting, outdoors to leave my offerings to her.  I take leeks, onion, eggs, honey, garlic and at times regional flowers to place in my sacred spaces. 

After my ritual inside the house, I take her gifts out to the crossroads and leave them there.  On special occasions I also do a blood offering.  Historically, some followers of Hecate sacrificed black dogs and black bulls to her.  Though not across the board, many did indeed practice this.  In the clip below Sorita D’Este talks about the relationship of sacrifice of dogs and the Goddess.

My blood offering to the Goddess is not from any animal.  I use my own blood as an offering.  Using a lancet from checking blood sugar levels I simply add a few drops of my own blood to the offering bowl before I carry it outside.  Blood offerings are completely personal and I wouldn't recommend trying this unless you've had some training in how to correctly check blood sugars.  You do not want to create a permanent injury.  Blood offerings are not required in the service of the Goddess Hecate, this is a personal choice that I have made.

I also take part in Hecate’s Deipnon or Supper.  I've changed it up a bit to meet with our modern times. 

"Ask Hekate whether it is better to be rich or starving; she will tell you that the rich send her a meal every month [food placed inside her door-front shrines] and that the poor make it disappear before it is even served." - Aristophanes, Plutus 410

Instead of leaving my offerings at my “shrine”; or my altar where no one would find them.  I take non-perishable food to Food banks and make offerings to charitable organizations in her honor.  Though historically, this was not the intention of the Deipnon, I feel that this is a great way to honor the Goddess as well as give something back to my community.

Offerings can be as simple as a flower; as serious as an offering of one’s own blood or as complex as creating an entire meal and leaving it at a cross roads for the Goddess Hecate.  My offerings range across each of these.

Though the items offered to any of the Gods and Goddess of the world vary in their type the main thing to take from this is that you are giving back to your deity something considered precious.  Something that would be considered a gift to them, or a sacrifice for you to be without.

As with each of us, offerings are individual.  Learning about what others offer can be inspiring and enlightening.  Just remember, it is not necessary to do exactly what someone else does.  Your offerings are special because they come from you.

Namaste & Blessed Be

Sosanna

)O(

*Note - This blog post in no way encourages readers to do blood offerings or make any sacrifice they are uncomfortable with.  It merely lists the way the author conducts her own rituals.

C is for Correspondence

cor·re·spond·ence  [kawr-uh-spon-duhns, kor-] 

noun

1. communication by exchange of letters.

2. a letter or letters that pass between correspondents: It will take me all day to answer this business correspondence.

3. Also, correspondency. an instance of corresponding.

4. similarity or analogy.

5. agreement; conformity.

In Magic, correspondences are items used to correspond or relate to an item.  For example, the stone (actually a resin) Amber corresponds to the element of fire, the Sun and it thought to be related to clarity, confidence and strength.  Amethyst is a form of quartz crystal.  It corresponds to the element of water and the astrological signs of Aquarius and Pisces.  It is said to be a healing stone and helps relieve stress, anxiety and depression.

There are correspondences for everything from Gods and Goddesses to plants and seeds.  A quick search on Amazon.com will give you a full list of assorted books that will assist with some of the comparisons.  One of the more popular is Llewellyn’s Complete Book of Correspondences.

I've not done a great deal of across the board research on all correspondences.  I have worked mainly with crystal and candle magic.  I use blue candles for healing, green for prosperity and red as my Goddess candle.  Red is thought to represent Hecate/Hekate.

Other correspondences for Hecate are:

Animals – Dogs, red mullet, frogs, serpent and sheep. Hecate has been depicted with the heads of a cow, dog, boar, serpent and horse.

Plants – Garlic, belladonna, willow, leek and mandrake.  The Greeks would hang yew around the necks of black bulls which were sacrificed in Hecate’s honor.

Other Associations – keys, as she holds the Keys to the underworld to assist in the travel from life to death.  Torches – as she is a light bringer. 

These are not the only correspondences to Hecate and some of these may cross over to other deities as well.   As I read more and more I learn that there many have a lot of ideas around what is and is not related to a particular Goddess. 

The most common discrepancy I see today is that Hecate represents the crone aspect of the Triple Goddess.  In all the images showing Hecate she does not appear to be of any “older” age.  In her Triple form statues all the faces appear to be the same age.  The concept of Maiden Mother and Crone is a relatively new idea and usually is found in Wicca. 

In her video “Is Hekate the “Crone” of the 20^th Century Maiden Mother Crone Triple Goddess”, Sorita D’Este discusses the way Hecate may have been added in this ideology.

When setting up my altar for Hecate, I’ll add eggs, leeks and honey.  This I take out and leave at my offering spot at the physical crossroads. 

In looking at all the information out there keep in mind that everyone has their own ideas about correspondences.  There are times when many of these will cross over to other deities.

For more information on The Covenant of Hekate check out this webpage or this Facebook Page.

Namaste & Blessed Be

Sosanna

)O(

For returning visitors to my blog you all know that I am extremely interested in divination in one form or another.  I've studied all types of scrying.   I've researched the tarot and dream interpretation.   I really believe that I do have some connection to “seeing the future”.  There are times I’ll dream what hubby is dreaming or I’ll know someone is going to call before they call.

Sort of an intuition if you will.  I have a tendency to experience insomnia when my kid does.  I do believe that in some way, I know when things are happening.  Earlier this month for example hubby and I were in Wilson at the Harris Teeter and I looked at him and said, someone is talking about me.  A few minutes later we get a message from my uncle about a stove he wants to give us.

Those little things help me know that I am indeed connected to a spiritual energy.  With my connection to animals I was really surprised that I hadn't heard about Zoomancy until I was researching a “Z” word for the Pagan Blog Project 2012.

Checking out the website Occultopedia, I found some really awesome info on Zoomancy.  For instance many cultures around the world practiced one form of Zoomancy or another.  Babylonians studied sleeping oxen’s reaction to having water tossed on them.  Hittites watched eels and Etruscans watched the movements of hens and roosters.

As I was reading this article as soon as I read that in medieval times howling of dogs was said to mean death was coming I immediately thought of Hecate.  Howling of dogs is said to signal her presence and as we all know she is the Goddess of the Magic and Necromancy.  We know that she stands at the crossroads with the keys to guide newly departed souls to the next realm.

This came full circle for me because last night I went to the hospital to visit my grandma of 97 years.  She’s frail and tired looking.  Her eyes, though filled with youth are shown with the weight of a long long life.  She talked to me going back and forth from present to past about farming and her beloved husband. 

She said it was foretold that if your husband builds you a house, he will only live six years following.  That’s what happened to her.  Her husband passed away at 57.  I never met him.  He died well before I was born.  She told me last night that it was a long time ago.  I could see the sadness come over her face.  She is ready I believe.  I made peace with myself as I left the hospital.  She’s looking now, standing at the crossroads waiting for Hecate to arrive.  She wants to move on and be with her beloved Joe.  I know he’s there.  In her mind her peace will come when they are together again.  She has lived a long full life.  She’s raised ten children alone and even managed to end up raising two grandchildren as well.  She is our matriarch and when she is gone I believe our family will finally part ways.

 

She taught me about wives tales and animals.  My first salt was tossed over my shoulder at her direction.  She told me about Joe coming to visit her at the end of her bed the night he passed and I've always believed that on her last night, she will come to let me know as well.  I believe my since of responsibility, understanding, fairness and my gift of sight comes from her.  I will miss her dearly.

I still continue to find my divination source.  I will certainly look more into the art of Zoomancy.  With all the animals I have around me, perhaps this is my calling.

Namaste & Blessed Be

Sosanna

)O(