The following is excerpted exactly from The Goddess Oracle by Amy Sophia Marashinsky and the illustrations are by Hrana Janto. For more information on their work, please visit the following websites:
Amy Sophia Marashinsky: http://www.amysophia.com/
You can download the meditations included in the ritual suggestions at http://deepspiritualnourishment.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=2
Hrana Janto: http://www.hranajanto.com/
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I sit in the blackness of the dark moon night
with my hounds
at the crossroads
where three roads converge
at the crossroads
the place of choice
All paths lead to the crossroads
and all are desireable
but only one can you travel
only one can you choose
choice creates endings
and all beginnings come from endings
at the crossroads
Which one will you choose?
which way will you go?
which?
Though the choice is yours
here’s a secret I’ll share
The way to choose is to enter the void
the way to choose is to let die
the way to choose is to fly free
Mythology: Hecate (pronounced he-ka’tay) is considered by some to be a Thracian moon Goddess and by others to be an ancient pre-Greek Goddess of midwives, birth, fertility, the dark of the moon, magic, wealth, education, ceremonies and the Underworld. Worshipped at the places where three roads crossed, she would walk abroad on nights when the moon was dark, attended by a pack of hounds. People honoured her by leaving offerings at the crossroads. As crone, she also formed a triad with Persephone (maiden) and Demeter (mother).
Meaning of the Card:
Hecate meets you at the crossroads when you must make a choice. Times of choice are not easy times. The challenges presented by choice necessitate a leap of faith from the person doing the choosing. Hecate says to let go of the idea that there are wrong or right choices: there is just choice. Have you been putting off making a choice because it seems to be too overwhelming or a “no win” situation? Does the choice bring up fear of the unknown? Does it seem better and/or easier to remain with what you know?
Sometimes a choice must be made, yet you are not ready. In such cases, the way to nurture wholeness is to acknowledge where you are and let it go. Trust that you will be able to make a choice when the time is right. Give yourself time and space. Don’t press, berate, or blame yourself. You need nourishment here. When you let go, suddenly clarity comes to show you what you need. Hecate urges you to embrace the unknown. Know that whatever you choose will bring you something valuable that you can use on your path to wholeness.
Ritual Suggestion: Hecate’s Journey of Perspective
You can download this meditation at the following site for $2.50
http://deepspiritualnourishment.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=45&zenid=c636244961ac59cbabec57082d290766 Find a time and place when and where you will not be disturbed. Sit or lie comfortably with your spine straight. When you feel ready, close your eyes. Take a deep breath and release it slowly. Take another deep breath and, as you release it, let your body fall as if you were removing a suit of silk clothes, letting it lie in a pool at your feet. Take another deep breath and see, sense, or feel Hecate, the ancient one, the crone Goddess, standing in front of you. She holds out her hand and you take it.
A path appears before you and you both step onto it. The path is of black stone, large chunks of obsidian, and it leads you in a spiral descent. You go down, down, down, deeper and deeper and deeper, spiralling on the obsidian path until you reach a crossroads. There the path of black stone is met by a path of pearl (or white stone) and a path of coral (or red stone).
All the paths reach out to you. Which one will you travel? They are all enticing and all promise something you need. Ask Hecate for help in choosing.
At the place where the three paths intersect, Hecate sits down and motions for you to sit next to her. As you sit, you are aware of the power of the intersecting paths vibrating beneath you. You take a deep breath and feel the vibrations in your body. The vibrations increase so that they are like gusts of wind sweeping through you. They wash you clean of everything. They engulf you, surround you, hold you. The vibrating gusts of wind help you to let go of everything, thoughts, feelings, doings. Hecate is with you should you need assistance.
The winds envelope you and you begin to fly with them. They take you swinging from side to side, and then up and down. Hecate flies with you. As the winds take you up, up, up, Hecate suggests you notice the three paths below you. They no longer entice or dazzle. They seem small and insignificant. Just three paths, three possibilities.
The winds die down and you gently float to the ground. It is time to return. You take Hecate’s hand and she leads you up, up, up, the spiral path, the path of obsidian. Up, up, up you spiral feeling energized and deeply relaxed, feeling calm and centered until you reach the end of the path. Hecate embraces you and you thank her for the journey, the gift of perspective and clarity. She asks you for something and you give it to her with gratitude. Hecate vanishes and you take a dep breath. As you exhale you return to your body. Take another deep breath and when ready, open your eyes. Welcome back!
