I’m actually a little nervous about writing this, but I think I am supposed to be sharing my experiences on this new journey. On July 23rd, I dedicated myself to the Goddess Hecate. I have never been committed to a deity before, and it was a pretty big deal for me to take this step.

I’ve been working with the Greek pantheon since I was in 4th grade. I was introduced to the story of Persephone and Demeter when I was in TAG, and I was hooked from there on. When I turned about 19 and dedicated myself as a Wiccan, I called on the Greek deities instead of the more general “Goddess.” Even after I gave up Wicca and became more eclectic, the Greek pantheon was always a part of my beliefs and practices.

What’s odd about all of this is the fact that Hecate rarely came up. To my knowledge she was a goddess of death and the crossroads, and that was about it. I never really messed with the “darker” deities, so I never paid much attention to her. Her name would pop into my head from time to time, but I never really listened.

Well, that was until last month. I don’t know what it was that happened the week before June’s New Moon, but something put Hecate’s name into my head. It was like a thought you can’t quite grasp. It was weird. Why would I be thinking about this dark goddess? Eventually, it got to be almost annoying, and after someone told me to “just go look her up and see what happens” that’s just what I did. And holy hell what I found!

I was mind-blown. For all those years between childhood and that day, I thought Hecate was just a crone godddess, just a dark deity dealing with death. Boy was I wrong! The internet opened up and spilled glorious rivers of new knowledge toward me. Hecate was so much more than I had ever known! She was a goddess of death and crossroads, but also of light, knowledge, protection, women, witches, magic, a protector of the downtrodden and of children, savior, moon goddess… She was everything! She has more epithets than any other deity I’ve ever encountered. She’s older than the Greek pantheon that adopted her, old as time, and has more faces than we can ever imagine. I was enraptured, I could hardly tear myself away from the computer, I just wanted to learn more and more. How did I not know all this? How had it never come up in my studies? How had this been hidden from me for so long?

I was fascinated, driven, and a little pissed, to be honest. I couldn’t understand how I’d never come across any of this information before. All I had known was this flat, single aspect deity that I never liked. Suddenly, I was realizing that this was the deity I’d been searching for my whole life. A million little things from my past spiritual experiences suddenly made sense, the pieces finally fit. It was like realizing that the thing you had gone crazy searching for after you lost it, was right there in front of you.

Honestly, I was so taken, so excited, that I almost did my dedication that very weekend. It was like I couldn’t connect to her fast enough. I wanted to finally be part of this thing that I had been searching so desperately for. After a lot of talking about it, I decided it was best to wait one month, until the July New Moon, to do the dedication. In that time I’d learn more about her, study, get a feel for everything, and if I was still as happy, still as interested after a month, then I’d go through with it. Looking back I think that was a wise choice. Dedicating to a deity is no small thing! You need to be sure it’s the right thing. You need to be sure that you really mean it. As you can tell by the first paragraph, I did go through with it.

My ceremony wasn’t lavish, it was my style, no doubt. It was me, being myself, coming to Her. A black candle, some good incense, a glass of blackberry brandy, and little more. My words weren’t scripted, they were honest and from the heart. I called to her and offered myself to her service. I trembled, and almost cried. I put a sterling silver key around my neck as a reminder that I’m hers, and she’s with me. There was no grand feeling of love bursting through me or anything like that at the end. It was subtle, like Her. She’s been subtle since then too.

This experience isn’t what I thought it might be, but I suppose I was silly to think there would be some grand feeling or visions or whatever. It has been good though. I’m glad I did it, and every day I see little pieces of Her influence coming through. I’m learning to feel and see her little signs. I hope that this relationship works well for both of us. So far I have no regrets, and I feel that things will only get stronger and better as I continue walking at her side.

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Briana Blair

Briana Blair is an author and artisan. She has published more then 30 books and thousands of articles across multiple sites. After practicing Paganism and witchcraft for 25 years, she's now on a journey as an atheist and skeptic. She's eclectic, unpredictable, and always evolving. Facebook - Twitter