I'm not going to go into great detail on this here because I need to sleep soon. But I'm going to get it off my chest before laying down for the night. Maybe I'm the only one ...
I was reading the CNN website last night and found 
How to make this talisman came about in conversation in Comments on another thread. Because I know of several readers here who work with Hecate, I thought I would go ahead and post this bit of spellwork here for anyone interested. Besides, today is the day the Greeks would make offerings to Hecate to ward off the yearly storms that threatened. Seems only right that we should speak of Her.
Hecate’s Key (one of the spells from my own Book of Shadows) is a talisman used for remembering, for drawing forth the wisdom nestled in your subconscious and thus allow answers to surface. As Hecate is the keeper of the crossroads, She knows down which path an answer may be found. She knows how to cut away that which will not serve a purpose. She knows how to unlock the doors that prevent us from moving further down the path.
Once fashioned, Hecate’s Key can be kept on your altar as a reminder that your magick will unlock the doors you need or it can be held in meditation as you journey to find answers. It can be worn while doing dreamwork as it can also be charged as a protective amulet — if you can unlock doors with Hecate’s Key, can you not also lock doors that need securing?
The time to make this talisman is during the hard wane of the moon. The hard wane of the moon is the balsamic phase. Basically, look on your calendar for the black “moon dot” that represents the New Moon (also known as Dark Moon because the Moon is dark in the sky). From the day that you see the New Moon notated, count backwards three days. For example, if New Moon falls on the 20th of the month (as it does in August), you would count backwards three days to the 17th of the month. From the 17th until the day of the New Moon, that would be considered the “hard wane”. It is the time when, if you rise early in the morning, you will see Hecate’s Sickle (the waning crescent moon) in the sky at dawn. From that morning onward, you are in Hecate’s time. This is the best time to work with Her and the best time to delve into the psyche for information in your subconscious. There’s an actual reason for this but it’s difficult to explain without a diagram, so hopefully this will be a good enough explanation for now.
As for the Key, first you need to find one. Antique malls, yard sales, or craft stores all sell vintage or vintage-looking keys. If it’s small, you can string it on a ribbon and actually wear it when you wish (larger keys don’t allow for this). Once you find the Key, take it to a crossroads on that 3rd day before New Moon night.
People will dither about how many roads need to come together to make the crossroads — some say three, others say four. I say it needs to be a true crossroads (two roads crossing perpendicular). The main reason I say this is, if you read the legends of Hecate, the traveler (the departed soul) comes to the crossroads and goes to one of three places based on his life: (1) the Elysian Fields, (2) the Plains of Asphodel, and (3) Tartarus. If the departed soul is already *ON* one of the roads coming from the realm of the living, and if the departed soul can go down three paths *FROM* the crossroads, then there are FOUR incoming roads. Personally, I’ve sought out crossroads both three and four pronged, and I’ve felt Hecate’s presence at each one, but strongest at a true crossroad.
At the Crossroads of choice, as close to true midnight (precisely the hour exactly between sunset and sunrise), take the key and bury it on that third day before New Moon. Say a prayer to Hecate that you ask Her to impart Her powers of choice and unlocking to this talisman that you may set free your own inner wisdom so you may follow your own path more effectively. Leave a gift of garlic where you bury the key, but I suggest marking the exact spot of the burial with a stone because the garlic will likely disappear. Once you bury the key and turn to leave — and THIS IS *VERY* IMPORTANT — DO NOT LOOK BACK UNDER *ANY* CIRCUMSTANCES. Walk away in faith, no matter what you hear behind you.
In the three days from when you bury the key to when you plan to return to retrieve it, set your hands to making something small to leave as a gift of your own energy and power. It can be something baked (but make sure that NO ONE ELSE gets to eat of whatever you cook… else it turns the offering mundane), or something woven, or something written, etc. Whatever you feel is a suitable gift to Hecate.
Return again at true midnight on the day of the Dark Moon (three days later) with your gift in hand. Offer your gift in silence and wait for a signal that the gift is received. Most of the time, the darkness seems to close down upon me for a moment, or the wind will pick up and blow past me rather sudden, or I’ll hear a dog bark or howl or an owl cry. Something will usually occur right as you offer the gift.
Once you know the gift is accepted, retrieve the key. Again, when you leave the crossroads, DO NOT LOOK BACK. You may wash the dirt off the key but ONLY with rainwater or water collected from a stream beneath the Dark Moon (this is known as “black water” as opposed to “silver water”, which is collected at Full Moon). Once the key is washed clean of dirt, string it on a ribbon — I prefer black, or a green or purple so dark it looks black in certain lights.
From there, you may wear it around your neck (preferably at bedtime or in ritual). If you find yourself having too many “Aha!” moments, restrict when you wear the key, otherwise, you’ll get tired out from the constant epiphany process. If the answers you begin to receive feel too overwhelming, then put the key away and work with what you’ve unlocked so far. The key will continue to work for you when you need it, although you might consider charging it again once each year around the same time.
We’re in the waning moon right now, so you have a little time to find a key if you’d like to go ahead with this soon. Another appropriate time to do this would be at the Dark Moon just before Samhaine or you could do it at the Dark Moon near Mabon (as this feeds into the Elusinian mysteries of which Hecate is a part).
Let me know how yours turns out! May Hecate bless you with Her wisdom and deep strength!
Photo by Rachel A.K. (via Flickr).
Knevolyn (cotbm.org) |
Friday, 21st August 2009 at 1:38 PM