Product Description

Hekate - Liminal Rites A Study of the Rituals, Magic and Symbols of the torch-bearing Triple Goddess of the Crossroads by Sorita d'Este and David Rankine At the crossroads of life, death and rebirth stands the Goddess Hekate. Honoured by men, women and gods alike, traces of her ancient provenance reach back through the millennia providing clues about her nature and origins along the way. Depictions of her as three formed facing in three ways, sometimes with the heads of animals such as the horse, dog and snake hint at her liminal nature, as well as the powers she holds over the triple realms of earth, sea and sky. The sorcery of Medea and Circe, the witchcraft of the women of Thessaly, the writings of philosophers such as Hesiod and Porphyry all provide glimpses into the world of those who honoured her. Her magical powers were considered so great that even King Solomon became associated with her, she was incorporated into Jewish magic, and merged with other goddesses including Artemis, Selene, Bendis and the Egyptian Isis. Whilst for some she was the Witch Goddess, for others she was the ruler of angels and daimons, who made predictions about Jesus and Christianity. Wherever you look, be it in the texts of Ancient Greece and Rome, Byzantium or the Renaissance, the Greek Magical Papyri or the Chaldean Oracles, you will find Hekate. The magical whir of the strophalos and the barbarous words of the voces magicae carry her message; the defixiones, love spells and charms all provides us with examples of the magic done in her name. She was also associated with the magic of death, including necromancy and reanimation; as well as prophetic dreams, nightmares, healing herbs and poisons. The temples dedicated to her and the important role she played in the mysteries of Eleusis, Samothrace and Aigina all provide us with clues to her majesty. The popular shrines at the doorways of ordinary people, offerings left at the crossroads and guardian statues of her at the entrance ways to cities and temples all attest to her status in the hearts and minds of those who knew her mysteries. In this book the authors draw from a wide range of sources, bringing together historical research which provides insights into the magical and religious practices associated with this remarkable Goddess. In doing so they provide an indispensable guide for those wishing to explore the mysteries of Hekate today. About the Authors Sorita d'Este and David Rankine are esoteric researchers, mythologists and modern day magicians who have between them authored more than twenty published books on magic, mythology, folklore and the occult. Sorita is the editor of the anthology "HEKATE KEYS TO THE CROSSROADS" and the author of Artemis Virgin Goddess of the Sun & Moon. Together they have produced titles such as Visions of the Cailleach, The Isles of the Many Gods and The Guises of the Morrigan.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #86548 in Books
• Published on: 2009-05-24
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 194 pages

Customer Reviews

Does not compare to her first book on Hekate!
I found Sorita's first book on Hekate to be amazing. I like this book but it does not compare to HEKATE: Keys to the Crossroads, that book really opened me up to Hekate. I did not really understand the purpose of this book. Yes, this book has alot of great information, but it was nothing new. This could be do to the fact that I helped put up the web-site about Hekate in Lagina, so nothing new to me here. This is a good book but I highly recommend HEKATE: Keys to the Crossroads!

UNIQUE and INSPIRATIONAL!
It is clear that Hekate is a Goddess which evokes a strong reaction. People either love her or hate her. I was introduced to Hekate through the personal accounts in Hekate Keys to the Crossroads and sought out Sorita d'Este after that, attending workshops with her, as well as joining Lapis Companions in London. This was a beautiful journey for me into the world not only of this Goddess, but also of many more things.

Hekate is a wonderful Goddess and this book uncovers areas of study related to Hekate which has not been touch on before, it also goes into more depth than I have seen elsewhere when it comes to the roles of Hekate which are discussed elsewhere. As such this is a book you will enjoy if you loved the books Hekate Soteira or The Goddess Hekate. It is a book I have been waiting for very eagerly and I have not been dissapointed at all.

What struck me is how many attempts there are in modern paganism to disempower Hekate, even by people who call upon her. You can't put her in a box and expect her to be happy with it, this Goddess is awesome and powerful and as such she wants to be her own boss. This book, though a historical study, I suspect has been inspired by that raw desire she instills in those who work with her for knowledge, more knowledge and understanding.

I have read nearly every book on Hekate available in the current market,each has its own special something to offer. This book is unique in that it is focussed on practices and as such is the only book available which will fulfill the needs of a practising magician, mystic or witch. It provides the source material and you can do with it what you want. The authors stayed clear of modern sources and interpretations, instead you have a good sized book packed with the meaty stuff. No doubt you should buy this if you work with Hekate, or have an interest in Greek magic.

This book is unique and highly inspiring! It is also an academically sound piece of research which for the practitioner of witchcraft and magic is in a class of its own.

Excellent Resource Book
I have read a number of books on Hekate and each had something to offer. Of course there is going to be a great deal of overlap between the various books about Hekate but where I feel that this book differs is that a lot of the information in it has been meticulously researched and is fresh and I would say original - much of the information just cannot be found in many of the other books - and I have to question some of comments in some of the reviews as to the information presented in this book being found on the internet. I have done a few searches and yes, there were one or two snippets of information there, but NOT to the extent that is presented in this book. And I'm sorry, but some of the information in the book just CANNOT be found online(one example is the link between vegetarianism and the priesthood of Hekate and I have done a lot of research into Greeks and Vegetarianism and this was the first place I read about the link between Hekate and this aspect and it is all referenced for you to go and check the sources for yourself!). In fact, most of the links online regarding this aspect pointed to this book so that makes me wonder where those reviewers got their information from! I would challenge them and urge you the reader not to be prejudiced by those comments and find out for yourself why this book is so special!(I am a bit suspicious that the negative reviews maybe from the same person, since they are fond of using the same word "roster"!)

As for the content, I won't comment, as other reviewers have already done so and I would not want to repeat them but I would agree with them wholeheartledly!

If Hekate is your thing and you need more information about this Amazing and Great Goddess, her rites, he associates, her spells, her charms,her hymns, her incantations, then this book will fill in a lot of the gaps you have been looking for!