Skilled in the arts of prophecy and fortune telling, She epitomizes feminine energy and independence from the masculine. As the Triple Moon Goddess, She is the protector of women and children, in Her role as the Mother Goddess. As the Crone, She characterizes all wisdom, understanding and defending Her tribe (society) and as the Maiden, She represents fertility, freedom, femininity and the cycle of life, death and rebirth.

Hecate, the ancient Goddess from early, pre-Greek mythology, is believed to be a Titan Goddess, so powerful and respected by Her disciples that She maintained control even after the fall of the Titans to the Olympian Gods. Possessing dominion over the sky, the Earth and the underworld, She is the bestower of wealth and the blessings of life.

As the Goddess of Crossroads, She illustrates our past, present and future. As the Queen of Witches, She protects and guides both solitary witches and covens, bequeathing prodigious gifts and powers upon them. As the Goddess of the night, She is able to spontaneously move between the worlds and guide us in or out of the darkness of intuition and Self-knowledge.

It is believed that Hecate’s name is derived from the Egyptian midwife-Goddess Heqit, Heket, or Hekat – the hag was the ethnic matriarch of per-dynastic Egypt and was known as the wise woman of her time.

The Dark Mother, in both the positive and the negative sense, Hecate summons demons to bane mens’ dreams, shredding them to insanity, if they are not well integrated enough to cope with Her, but for those who dare to welcome Her, She brings creative stimulus.

The mirror reflection of the great Goddess Kali, Hecate is the ultimate Guide, as She sees discernibly back into the past through the present and on into the future. She is also the Keeper of the Akashic Records – where the final anonymities of life and the Universe are Hers. She is the Guardian of the Dead, who meets us at the end of our lives and chaperons us into the spirit world – She is the creator and the creation and the alpha and the omega of all of existence. The highest of Teachers and Initiators, She leads us by our hand, downward into the entrance of the labyrinth’s web and delivers us to the gateways of our Souls, demanding that we take charge of what is within, granting us the strength we require to dare to transform, sending us out again, to reinvent ourselves over and over again. In the process, we are shown our past lives, the mistakes, the challenges, the hurt that scared us, the victories, and the talents we have gained, as we spiral into the center of Her labyrinth. Only when we can accept, understand and integrate Her wisdom in part or in whole, does Hecate show us the most sacred of Her mysteries: that the labyrinth does not end but perseveres and continues back into life as a never-ending cycle of life, death and rebirth.

Considered to be the abyss of the Goddess, labyrinths have been found all over the world in ancient sacred places, where people enter to redeem their sick, their dying or to reclaim themselves lifetime after lifetime in one lifetime. Labyrinths combine the symbolism of the circle and/or the spiral, symbolising completeness, journeys, wholeness, discovery, determination and the path of wisdom and transformation. They are distinct from mazes, which are puzzles with choices. A labyrinth has one intentional path – to take us to the center and out again on that same path. This has a profound effect on our psyche and our brain, as it requires that we instinctively follow the path of our hearts to get to the center of the labyrinth, which is also, the center of our Souls, and to journey inwards, just so that, we are able to visually internalise our attempt to taking our body, mind and Soul to the abyss of the Goddess to be cleansed, purified and made whole again.

As such, labyrinths are a place for contemplation and prayer. You can ask a question, set an intention, or apply mindful practice, as you enter it and become consistent with your prayers and your intentions, that you are able to surrender all that no longer serves you and to bring onto yourself all that is truly required of you.

There are many traditions/methods of walking the labyrinth and they are:

1. With an open mind, allowing the process to integrate and to take you where you need to go and be; or
2. With a rosary in hand, chanting a specific mantra of your choice, so that you walk your path with deep honour and reverence; or
3. In a surrendered state of whatever it may be, walking or crawling your way into the center in deep penance of your Self; or
4. By ringing a bell/Tibetan bowl, to ward off any negativity that you might be bringing along with you, as you enter into your sacred space; or
5. By carrying a stone/flower/candle as a token of your intention to be delivered to the altar of the Goddess in the center.

However you may wish to enter the labyrinth, always trust that this is the walk of your highest truth – about you seeking your authentic path here and now.

As we enter Hecate’s labyrinth, we must always remind ourselves to come to terms with the dark unconscious side of our “inner nature,” for, if we elude this realm, we create a divergence of sorts within ourselves and ultimately, develop a dualistic world view. We must muster the strength to face our inner Hecate and conjure a relationship with Her as Guardian of our unconsciousness, our dark side, and, trust Her stewardship, gifting ourselves the permission of becoming aware of the abundant kingdom of our personal underworld, so that we can become authentically integrated beings in this lifetime.

Join Jojo Struys and me for Entering the Labyrinth of Hecate workshop this Saturday 20th July 2019, at 3pm – 7pm at Ohanajo Studio in Sunway SPK near Desa Park City, Kuala Lumpur. Call 0176968895 to book your journey inwards.

– Sujata Nandy