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Eclipses are such a powerful time to explore darkness, so very Hekatean in their essence for they not only either dim the world or occur at night when they are visible, but are also liminal times.
As Hekateans, the MOON will always be highly influential since we are naturally attuned to it's powers: emotions, intuition, magic(k), mystery. They are sacred events when we can behold the majesty of the universe, and Hekate Anima Mundi, with awe and wonder.
Generally, I recommend connecting to the eclipse in a more intuitive manner during the precise times, such as contemplative work of devotion (see prayer below), and reserving spells and rituals for hours before/after. Viewing eclipses in person is deeply spiritual experience, which I have been fortunate enough to have many times.
REGISTER for the Beltane Retreat.
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Welcome to the season of Spring. Through a meditative journey, we will explore the myth of Persephone's emergence from the underworld. I recommend reading the chapter "Kore Reborn," in Entering Hekate's Cave to fully immerse yourself in the meaning of emergence. Get your candle ready for the opening ritual. In the meditation, we start by attuning the Three Selves, and then venture into the deeper world. In Hekate's Garden, we gather at the altar and offer something symbolic of what needs to be released or born. As we celebrate the equinox, a time of balance and transition, we honor goddesses and spirits such as Demeter, Medea, Artemis, and Circe. Absorb any gifts or messages received from them and conclude the meditation by returning to regular consciousness. Don't forget to make notes or sketches of your experience. Enjoy the journey.
Hail Hekate Pasikratea, Queen of the Universe.
Hail Hekate Aglaos, Creator of the Sun.
Hail Hekate Erigeneia, Ruler of the Moon.
As Creator of the Sun,
You shine down upon us,
Bringing life to all things,
As Ruler of the Moon,
You light up the darkest nights.
On this day when the day equals the night,
And the sun and moon are balanced,
I honor you as Divine Keeper of Balance.
On this day when the day equals the night,
May I understand the balance of my own life,
That the darkness and the storms
Yield to the winds of change,
Ushering in a new season.
Hekate Enodia, my road
May be a difficult one,
But my faith that all will be born anew is strong.
I offer my gratitude, Blessed Hekate.
Hail Hekate Pasikratea, Queen of the Universe.
Hail Hekate Aglaos, Creator of the Sun.
Hail Hekate Erigeneia, Ruler of the Moon.- Cyndi Brannen
keepingherkeys.com for more info on courses and my books.
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Saknas det avsnitt?
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Join me and Christen Bennett (she/they) - Coven Key Bearer as we review how Goddess Witchcraft has evolved over the past five decades and how we are creating our own religion, both as a movement and personally. I'm calling this The Goddess Liberation Movement, as the Spirit of Rixipyle has certainly liberated us spiritually.
The Goddess Liberation Movement celebrates the freedom to practice spirituality without fear of punishment. It focuses on creating one's own religion and embracing personal spirituality. With a history spanning five decades, the movement has seen significant changes and progress. From the rise of feminist theology and goddess worship in the 1970s to the recognition of Wicca as an official religion in the 1980s, and the mainstream popularity of witchcraft in the 1990s, the movement has evolved. In the 2000s, online communities and resources for witches emerged, and in the 2010s, organizations like the Temple of Witchcraft and increased political and social activism by witches became prominent. While witchcraft has become more mainstream, there are concerns about consumerization and a focus on material objects. The movement encourages individuals to create their own spirituality and embrace their sacredness.
Watch with CC and transcript HERE.
Join the COVEN.
Learn more about Hekate as Rixipyle in Entering Hekate's Cave by me, Cyndi Brannen.
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Shake it up, Witches! Hail Rixipyle!
Join Cyndi and Christen for this discussion on Hekate's aspect known as Rixipyle, the chain-breaking, gate crashing liberator. Cyndi starts us off with a meditative being check-in exercise to assess physical and emotional states. We breakthrough seeing all emotions as sacred, and how liberating expressing emotions is, particularly anger. We unlock concepts like over-functioning and getting stuck in a rut as common chains, emphasizing healthy boundaries and not trying to fix or control others. Tips for connecting with Rixipyle: readiness for radical change, assessing capacity for change, writing letters, and creating altars. Power of music and movement in connecting with Rixipyle energy is so fabulous.
This episodes draws from the Rixipyle Chapter in Entering Hekate's Cave: The Journey Through Darkness to Wholeness, available wherever books are sold.
Join Cyndi, Christen and the rest of the coven for The Journey of Rebirth. Learn more at keepingherkeys.com
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It is nights like tonight,
She finds me.
Slipping in through a crack in the curtains.
Riding on pale moonlight.
It is nights like tonight
That I long to be her.
To have no familiarity
With words like,
“diagnosis,”
“mortgage,”
and “grief”.
It is nights like tonight
She reminds me
Of who I was before,
And who I could be.
Shooting her arrows into my heart,
Putting the wild back in me.Artemis awakens much within us, shooting arrows that illuminate the wildness within that may have been pushed into darkness as we navigate all the complexities of "adulting," not to mention healing from difficult experiences.
Join me, Christen Bennett (She/Her) - Coven Key Bearer
and Coyote Mae (they/them) apGovannon for our brand new conversation about the mysteries of our beloved Artemis.
My first Goddess and namesake, I will always adore her.
There's a lot of references to epithets, goddesses, and so on in this episode, so check in the transcript for spelling.
Watch with CC and searchable transcript HERE.
Learn more about Covina.
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Entering Hekate's Cave: The Journey Through Darkness To Wholeness by Cyndi Brannen, PhD, can be purchased wherever books are sold.
This is a guided class and meditation that introduces the listener to Soul Retrieval.
Join my soul school, The Covina Institute, for the in-depth eight week journey that takes place between the first and third new moons of the calendar year.
If you missed this course, consider joining for The Rebirth Journey that runs from the third to fifth new moons.
Learn more at keepingherkeys.com
Psychopomp, which translates from Greek as “Soul Guide,” is one of Hekate’s most ancient roles. Certainly, she guided Persephone through rebirth out of the cave, yet we can envision Hekate helping her call back the missing soul shards that shattered during her great trauma at the hands of those powerful men who brought about the end of her innocence. As Persephone learned to sing her soul once more, so do we. Our chorus becomes a beacon to the missing pieces of the soul in this lesson as we experience Soul Retrieval.
The Soul Guide is much more than the one who helps the earthly dead cross over the river to the other side, she is the midwife who assists new souls as they are born into flesh, and she reunites us with the fragments we lose along the way. Hekate calls us to take care of our own souls, and to see the soul in all things. Caring for our own souls and seeking to understand the soul in all things, draws us closer to Anima Mundi.
It is to Hekate as Psychopomp, and to our own ability as the guide of our own souls, that we turn to in this lesson as we experience soul retrieval. A shamanic practice as well as a psychological one, soul retrieval is the process of calling back pieces of our soul that were lost due to trauma.
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Perhaps to me the most enduring way that Hekate presents to me is as Psychopomp, The Soul Guide. So much so that this entire moon month is dedicated to exploring the mysteries of Psychopomp, from connecting with a past life to experiencing the transformative Animarum Recupero (Soul Retrieval Ritual).Hail Hekate, Psychopomp.
Guide us, light our journey.Check out my windy day musings video and more HERE:
https://keepingherkeys.com/read/f/exploring-hekate-and-soul-retrieval
For an in-depth examination of Hekate Psychopomp, read the eponymous chapter in Entering Hekate's Cave. Here's an excerpt:
One of Hekate’s most ancient roles is as Psychopomp, which translates as “soul guide.”[i] According to the Greeks, the psychopomp guided the departed into the afterlife, whether it was the nightmarish Tartarus or the heavenly Elysium.[ii] Certain deities like Hekate and Hermes, her frequent companion, had the special ability to travel at will between the Underworld, the world of everyday life, and the heights of Olympus, so they could easily cross into the territory of the afterlife.[iii]
Hekate, in particular, was responsible for overseeing the restless dead and for guiding souls to the other side. There is a special relationship between Hekate and those who have suffered great soul loss at the hands of others. She held close to her the dead who were marginalized by society, especially women and girls who had died due to sexual violence or during childbirth. In modern terms, Hekate is a trauma specialist whose darkness welcomes our fleeting soul fragments that find refuge in her cave. She tends to them until we are ready to be reunited.
Hekate Psychopomp is much more than the one who helps the earthly dead cross over the river to the other side, however. She is the midwife who assists new souls as they are born into flesh, and she reunites us with the fragments of our selves that we lose along the way. She calls us to take care of our own souls, and to see the soul in all things. When we care for our own souls and seek to understand the soul in all things, it draws us closer to the archetypal web, to the very soul of the world. The shamanic and psychological practice of soul retrieval is the process of calling back pieces of our soul that were lost due to individual and cultural trauma.[iv] In my own work, I function as a psychopomp, lighting the way to the wholeness known only through the return to soul.
You can watch my recorded class on Hekate and The Soul, with CC and transcript, HERE.
LEARN MORE ABOUT COVINA
[i] Dark Nights of the Soul: A Guide to Finding Your Way Through Life's Ordeals
by Thomas Moore contains an excellent discussion on Hekate and the soul.
[ii] A short summary of the Greek ideas about the afterlife: https://greekreporter.com/2021/06/12/the-ancient-greece-concepts-for-heaven-and-hell/.
[iii] Restless Dead: Encounters between the Living and the Dead in Ancient Greece by Sarah Iles Johnston (1999).
[iv] For more on soul retrieval, read Sharon Ingerman’s Soul Retrieval: Mending the Fragmented Self.
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Step into the mystery of Hekate's Wheel, also known as the strophalos, in this guided meditation.
You can augment the meditation with Casting Hekate's Wheel in Lesson 12 of the Keeping Her Keys book.
Learn more about The Gate of Rebirth.
Watch this meditation with CC and transcript HERE.
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Hekate's Wheel, also known as the strophalos, is a symbol evoking the mysteries, and a powerful way to connect to her. Cyndi shows some of her favorite Hekate's Wheel talismans that she's created over the years, from a botanical stained wooden one, to a spinning version, and more. Hekate's Wheel makes an ideal foundation for exploring The Wheel of The Year, as discussed in the book "Keeping Her Keys," which also includes a ritual to tap into the force of the Hekate Wheel. In Covina, you'll find tons of resources for connecting to Hekate's Wheel.
Watch with CC and transcript HERE.
Go to our live events this week:The Hekate's Wheel Ritual on January 10. NOTE: This event is cross-posted in the KHK Read Along, since this is an all-members event.
Hekate's Wheel of The Year New Moon Salon on January 11, when we'll be invoking the Covina Wheel of The Year and crafting talismans with the padded altar board.
Learn more:The Hekate's Wheel of The Year Section in Hekate's Crossroads, where you'll find the templates and more.
Lesson's 7 and 12 in the Keeping Her Keys Read Along.
Share:Honoring Hekate on The Dark Moon - Capricorn New Moon Sharing Circle
Go to keepingherkeys.com/freeresources for the Catalogue of Epithets and Hekate's Garden Companion.
Purchase the Keeping Her Keys altar cloth featured in the video HERE.
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Join me in a powerful meditation exercise to align with your purpose, and a conversation exploring creating magic(k) life. A daily spiritual practice is essential for manifesting a magic(k)al life, but it doesn't need to be complicated. Balancing the grand vision with small, achievable intentions unlocks the way towards your magic(k)al life and being authentically you. Get inspired by quotes about living a life others may not understand and embracing your truth. Take the leap towards your magical life, even if it means taking risks and embracing change.
You can purchase True Magic: Unleashing Your Inner Witch from major booksellers.
https://keepingherkeys.com/ for more info on my books and courses.
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Happy New Year.
Welcome to a new beginning.How fortunate we all are to be here at the start of a new calendar year. I'm sending out the sacred smoke, deep healing, cleansing and connection to the divine, to our beloved Hekate, to all the spirits and her deeper world as the new year commences.
May you find meaning and value in wholeness in this new year.
Hail Hekate,
And Welcome to 2024.My NYD personal ritual for invoking 2024 included exchanging letters with the me of today with the me of January 1, 2025.
If you're called to a deeper practice of Hekate's Modern Witchcraft, explore the options available at keepingherkeys.com
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Join me on this meditative journey to the heart of Hekate's Cave where we meet The Cailleach for unburdening our "stones," on the Winter Solstice (or anytime we need to let go our heaviness).I adore The Cailleach. She connects me to my Celtic roots, and always welcomes the weary traveler, offering shelter from the winter's storms.
Become a Coven Member with the Kindness subscription: MORE INFO HERE.
Join the Keeping Her Keys Video Library HERE.
This episode expands on the Skotia Chapter in Entering Hekate's Cave by Cyndi Brannen.
From Entering Hekate's Cave: The Journey Through Darkness To WholenessThe Cailleach[i]is an expression of The Crone, a healing spirit that offers respite along the journey through the cave. There are stories regaling The Cailleach as the eternal wise woman healer. Sometimes denigrated as a mean-spirited hag, The Cailleach of various locations, such as the Cailleach Béara (Cally Berra)[ii], were Goddesses of Winter to ancient Celts. The importance of place is central to the tales of The Cailleach, where she typically be based in a specific location, such as Béara. Being linked to places signifies how deeply she is connected to the land and its people. She is of the earth itself. This connection of place also speaks to her message of reconnecting to the land, of treating the earth well so that we can be nourished.[i] Sorita d'Este and David Rankine. Visions of the Cailleach: Exploring the Myths, Folklore and Legends of the pre-eminent Celtic Hag Goddess (2009).[ii] Leanne O'Sullivan. Cailleach: The Hag of Beara (2009)
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There is a light so deep inside of meThat nothing can extinguish.It has burned through a thousand lifetimes, Always leading me back to Hekate's Cave.
Christen Bennett (She/Her) - Coven Key Bearer, Coyote Mae (they/them) apGovannon Guide-Key of Lampadia and I sat down for an illuminating conversation about Hekate Lampadios, The Torch Bearer.
Perhaps there is no more iconic contemporary symbol of Hekate than her torches. There are several references to Her torches in various ancient texts. In ancient rituals, spells and tales Hekate is seen as lighting the way with her blazing torches. Perhaps the most commonly known is The Homeric Hymn to Demeter where Hekate’s torches light Persephone’s way to and from the underworld. We light up the history, and how we connect to her sacred fire in this spirited discussion.
Become a Coven Member with the Kindness subscription: MORE INFO HERE.
Join the Keeping Her Keys Video Library HERE.
This episode expands on the Lampadios Chapter in Entering Hekate's Cave by Cyndi Brannen.
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Join Christen, Coyote Mae, and me for this enlightening discussion about the connections between Hekate, Persephone, and Demeter, with a special focus on their role as Torch Bearers.
This episode companions the chapter on Lampadios in Entering Hekate's Cave.
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Align with the energy of the waxing moon in this restorative meditation that reconnects and recharges.
If you enjoyed this meditation, consider joining Covina: The Coven of Hekate.
Discover more of Cyndi Brannen's work at keepingherkeys.com
Cyndi Brannen, PhD, is a psychologist, author and teacher. She teaches and writes from the crossroads of psychology, spirituality and traditional wisdom, merging ancient knowledge with modern practices.
Her work explores the journey through darkness to wholeness using the archetypes of the witch and Hekate.
Her teaching focuses on personal healing through herbalism, rituals, meditations, and exploration of the deeper self.
She founded The Covina Institute, a soul school dedicated to the pursuit of wholeness through structured programs of study and transcendent experiences.
After years of a successful career in academia and healthcare, she transitioned to teaching and writing about reclaiming the sacred feminine through spiritual practices after she became convinced that mainstream psychology was not sufficient to lead to personal wholeness.
The Archetype of The Witch Merged With Modern Psychology
Her writing explores the archetype of the witch as a mechanism for healing from trauma, and as a font of personal sovereignty. She examines the many faces of the goddess, through mythology and personal experiences, as a reflection of the feminine principle, the anima, within. Added to her work is her years of professional experience in developing and evaluating self-directed programs based on modern psychological evidence. Notably, the roles of attachment, coping skills, and stress management. She draws heavily from certain modalities, such as Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Motivational Interviewing.
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Descend into the mysteries of these enduring goddesses of the deeper world.
"None of the immortal gods or mortal folk heard her cry, nor the Olives shining with fruit— except the daughter of Perses,tender-hearted Hekate, veiled in light, heard from her cave…"- From The Homeric Hymn to Demeter The Homeric Hymns: A Translation, with Introduction and Notes (Joan Palevsky Imprint in Classical Literature) by Diane J. Rayor
"Chthonia (usually pronounced "ka-thon-ee-ah," but also as "thon-ee-ah") is one of Hekate’s most ancient titles. A deity is considered chthonic if they abide in the Underworld, as opposed to ouranic deities, who reside on high. Hekate and Persephone are chthonic queens, while Demeter has strong ouranic characteristics, too. It is Hekate’s chthonic energy that often presents to us when we are at our lowest. This is a symbolic representation of our own "earthiness," an indication that we feel deeply when our internal Underworld calls us to deep healing. Chthonia comes at these moments and especially during autumn, when all is returning to the earth." - from Entering Hekate's Cave by Cyndi Brannen, PhD
You can watch this on The Keeping Her Keys YouTube.
keepingherkeys.com
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My take on Imposter Syndrome.
Go gently into this work.
"We experience shame not only through personal invalidation, but also from a culture that devalues our identity. Underneath all of this is always a history of trauma. We have so many wounded among us who carry a great deal of shame. While the initial escape from abusive organizations and individuals often brings respite, unless we acknowledge our shame, we often remain controlled by it. What happens on the individual level is therefore expressed in our communities as a whole. We need to confront shame at both these levels. Shame keeps us silent. We fear that everyone will think we’re idiots or crazy if we speak up. No one will believe us. That's shame talking. Shame is a specific type of fear that's related to having our sense of self violated by others. But this fear is also spread through societal views of what's acceptable. Think of shame as a disease-infected tree that is weighed down with a variety of rotting fruit. In the garden of your life, this tree draws out all your energy and keeps you from nourishing anything beautiful." - from Entering Hekate's Cave (Chapter 10 - Borborophorba).
Get the complete list of the symptoms HERE.
Caliban and The Witch by Silvia Federici
Brené Brown's TED Talk on shame.I highly recommend reading this article from the Harvard Business Review by Ruchika Tulshyan and Jodi-Ann Burey
If you found this helpful, consider joining The Covina Institute.'
https://keepingherkeys.com/
WATCH this on The KHK YouTube
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It is traditional to honor ancestors during Samhain. These can be loving remembrances leading to conversations with them, or more intense healing of our familial line. However you are working with ancestors, may you find connection and comfort."We are the embodiment of a thousand dreams, and we stand on top of an eternal bone pile. In a way, we function as Anassa Eneroi over our own lineage. What is shockingly absent from mainstream culture is veneration of the departed. Even Halloween, once a time for connecting with ancestors, has been thoroughly commercialized. Yet still, there is the presence of death in many of our Halloween festivities—from children in cute ghost get-ups to decorations of skeletons. We have a need to connect with death. Intentionally honoring the departed can be a beautiful experience. We can connect with “ancestors of spirit,” those with whom we feel a kindred bond, in spite of a lack of blood ties. This can include writers, celebrities, and other figures. Whatever memories we have of those of our flesh who have departed this world—whether troubling or beautiful, or more likely both—we are a result of their lives." - from Entering Hekate's Cave.
Prayer and Ritual to Hekate For The Dead HERE.
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Step into your Head Mistresses' Parlor as we celebrate my favorite time of the year. The Moon takes precedence over the sun, the veil thins, spirits wander through dreams and the streets, and Hekate is ever-near. The most wonderful time of the year.
Let's invoke The Spirit of Samhain with this reading of a story that the moon once told me.
WATCH this reading.
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Submerge in the potion found in Hekate's Cauldron, releasing the past wounds and swimming in her mysteries. Perfect for the Samhain Season, when we are often called into her deep mysteries, or anytime we need to connect and heal.
From Entering Hekate's Cave:
This force leads us down a River Road that pours from her cauldron in the heart of her cave. It calls us to the crossroads, where we stand on the bank of this river—a river that is a road, a road that is a river. We see this River Road through the eyes of the soul. And this looping road always leads us back to where we are meant to be. Our souls long to dive deep into this river, but ourshadows may tell us that the water is too deep. It is not. We are strong swimmers.
WATCH this meditation in Covina: The Coven of Hekate.
The next course in the Hekate's Keys Program is now available. Get started with the lessons in The Covina Tradition immediately, start the daily ritual, attend our live gatherings, and more. Start by becoming a Coven Member HERE.
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