30 Days of Devotion - 15

Day 15 - Mundane Practices Associated With Hekate

Here is another prompt that I am not really sure of, but it has gotten me thinking, stewing, and brewing. Do I really associate Hekate with any mundane practices? I feel as if anything I do related to Her is related to the mystical and therefore is sacred.

Hekate holds the keys to the Underworld, hardly mundane, BUT... those keys also open the doors to the Mysteries, therefore, She could be called upon for assistance with learning and anything related to it such as teaching others, teaching oneself without the assistance of a teacher - Hekate giving the guidance. She gives guidance on all levels here.

She is also a goddess who assists with transition, and in my own experience, transformational work, so perhaps She assists with life changes, new job, moving to a new town, marriage or divorce, grief, new beginnings, new endeavors, and endings. In this capacity, I would include creative endeavors as well. She inspires me in my art and needlework, my writing and music.

I would think that anything to do with family life and children, especially as related to women, such as giving birth, adjusting to the new addition to the family, and healing health issues, physical and mental. Cooking and caring for the home keeps everyone health. Certainly calling on Hekate for issues with animals, pets or wild animals, including healing them is something I have done alone and with other practitioners. In my Reiki practice, I always call upon Her, but is that mundane? She stands at the doorway, guarding and protecting.

I have read that Hekate was originally revered as a great mother goddess. All of this, the mysteries and the mundane, come under Her dominion. So... I guess that teaches me something.

Blessings Nine!

Hallows Everyday 26

Hearth - Happiness in our hearts and homes,

The Halloween Oracle by Stacey DeMarco

The hearth was and still is the heart of the home. This is where the family gathers, where we are drawn to, even if it is the stove in the kitchen. Here is the place that offers us sustenance; we gather around the stove to see what's cooking or baking. Usually it gives a positive feeling. If one is actually lucky enough to have a real hearth, it too is a gathering place. We can't help but sit around or nearby, watching the dancing flames, taking in the aroma of the burning wood, feeling the warmth, listening to the crackle and pop as the fire burns.

For me, my hearth is a place for devotional work, a portal for my Ancestors, a true place of comfort. I live in a condo, Toadstool Condo, and my hearth is a ventless fireplace that uses a natural grain alcohol gel instead of wood which crackles and pops just like a real fire. It is SO soothing. My stove is also an altar, where I take care of my family and friends by preparing meals and goodies. But even if you can't have a real fireplace or a ventless one, a small chiminea, available in many home decor or garden stores, can be used with a candle - voila! Instant hearth. I had one before I purchased my ventless fireplace from Plow & Hearth. It changes the energy in the home, especially when you make it an area for devotions as well as comfort. Don't forget your stove, though, the modern hearth.

When the Hearth card presents itself in divination, we must look to home, family, and Ancestors. Are we remembering those who have passed with regular devotions? Do we need to more fully acknowledge relationships? Is there a conflict within the family that needs work and resolution? This is the time to build up the loving home fire. Even if you live alone, your Ancestors are there, you have relationships and family; take time to care for these. Family, which includes special friends, is a priority, make it so if you have been too busy lately. Nothing is more important than love and being with those we love and live with or spend time with. Remembering those loved ones who have passed is an important part of living, don't forget honoring them.

This card also tells us that our home and family is watched over, by the Goddesses of home, hearth, and family, as well as by our ancestors. Honor them all by making time for them, for saying "I love you" and "I'm grateful you are part of my life." We are protected.

Blessings dark and deep!

Weekly Oracle - Home

4. House

from the Gilded Reverie Lenormand

by Ciro Marchetti

Look closely at this card; it represent that cosy cottage, that embracing, enchanting sanctuary, the home that is a dream deep in our hearts. This is the place we can retreat to and find solace, peace, and contentment. Stability and comfort, family and love; these can be found here... if we allow it.

Not everyone has that sanctuary, for some, home is not comfort and love. But... this card shows us that we can create that place, no matter what size our home, no matter what our income, or where we live. WE create that loving homey place. And this card indicates that this is what we need right now. Something in us, all of us, is calling for a homey sanctuary, where we can retreat from the demanding world, step back and close the door to all that causes stress, to all that drains us. We need that place, we need to relax and restore ourselves.

Perhaps it is just a matter of tidying and rearranging, or surrounding ourselves with the things we love. Animal companions and friends are many times more family than blood family. Perhaps the ritual of afternoon or after-dinner tea or coffee, with a companion or a good book. Watching a favorite sweet movie, working at a our beloved hobby. So be it, make it so. Your imagination is your guide.

Our world, our home, is calling us back, away from that which does not serve us to that which will restore, renew, and let us love ourselves again.

Blessings nine!