Last week was a long but good holiday for me, and I confess
I didn’t get half of the work I intended to do this week. Further, I had
intended today’s post to be all about Dadophoros, but, as deities tend to do,
Hekate had a different idea.
She pushed me towards Her role as Chthonia.
The Theoi Khthonioi are those Gods of the Earth, and also of
the Underworld. They include Hades, Persephone, Hekate, Hermes, and even
deities like Demeter. The House of Hades is described generally as a darker
landscape but one that resembles this life in that it has trees, rivers, and
mountains. The average dead wonder aimlessly, for without lifeblood, they lack
will and motivation. The Heroes reside in a separate, grander, area. Wealth
comes from here, and many different blessings arise from these Gods.
The people of Hermione celebrated a festival for Demeter
called the Chthonia, in which a grand procession included children dressed in
white with flower crowns. A series of sacrifices were done at the door to the
temple, before people entered the sanctuary, after which point, a series of
rich offerings and sacrifices were led inside.
But today I’m more interested in talking about Hekate
Chthonia.
Hesiod makes mention of Her Chthonian nature, and that has
never really changed, unlike her Ouranian aspect. Hekate Chthonia connects with
the Dead, with Witchcraft, and with a lot of the symbolism that most people
think of when they are first learning about Her.
I had never really reached out to work with Her before this
year. Except for in a superficial way. I was too busy working with other
Epithets. And, I suspect, avoiding Her role with the dead, as I watched my
mother’s slow decline.
And now, my mother is gone, and death has surrounded me this
year, it seems.
I was meditating on Dadophoros when I felt the pull toward
Chthonia. So I followed.
I’m glad I did. I cannot share what those meditations gave me
publically, but suffice to say that I had an intense and gratifying moment with
my Dead, followed by a moment with Hekate Herself. The meditation was one of
those that felt like it took only moments, but upon opening my eyes, my candles
were burning much lower and the incense was long gone.
Chthonia is a Powerhouse, intense and certain. Undeniable.
Listen well to Her, and one may gain great treasures of the
spirit.
——-
Next week’s epithet post will be put up on Tuesday, as I’ll
be afk on Monday.
Sources:
Theoi.com
Burkert, Walter. Greek Religion,
Wiley-Blackwell, 2013.
Kerenyi, Karl. Gods of the Greeks,
Thames and Hudson, 1980.
Schmitz, Leonhard. “Chthonia,” A
Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, edited by John Murray, London,
1875.
Images:
Jose de Ribera, Hecate:
Procession to a Witches’ Sabbath, oil on copper, 17th century.
Singing For Her 