This episode combines meditation and discussion to ignite our connections with Hekate's Torches.

Explore a transformative meditation centered on Hekate's torches, symbolizing creation, nourishment, and destruction. Participants engage in breathwork to ignite their inner fire, while acknowledging local spirits and ancestors. The session emphasizes grounding through visualization, activating the heart for emotional balance, and connecting with higher wisdom. By integrating root, heart, and crown energies, participants foster inner harmony and receive guidance from Hekate's sacred fire, concluding with an invitation to reflect and meditate further.

The Pyriboulos Council project in Covina blends witchcraft, spirit rituals, and personal healing, drawing inspiration from Hecate, the symbol of trusted guidance. Participants engage with wise advisors, including deities, spirit guides, and influential figures, to aid personal growth and shift perspectives on relationships. This dynamic practice encourages the inclusion of nature elements and tools like tarot and oracle cards, allowing individuals to create their own councils that evolve with their needs and experiences.

keepingherkeys.com

We delve into catharsis through Hekate, emphasizing personal empowerment and release via witchcraft. Join us in a candlelit ritual symbolizing letting go, while a protective circle welcomes spirits of release. Key contributors share insights on creative processes, magical crafting, and the integration of psychology with witchcraft. The focus is on shadow work, personal growth, and practical tips for starting a catharsis journey, including a unique ritual with garlic cloves.

Learn more: keepingherkeys.com

Join Dr. Cyndi and all the Key Bearers from Covina: The Coven of Hekate for this fascinating discussion about Hekate's ancient titles referring to her as a maiden to what this means for us as modern witches.

We explore the different meanings of the terms 'maiden' and 'virgin' when applied to Hekate in ancient Greek and Roman texts. Then we flesh this out by examining the historical meanings of "Parthenos" and "Kore," and delve into the complexities and cultural baggage associated with these terms, highlighting the societal expectations placed on women. The discussion also touches on the concepts of sovereignty and independence, as well as the multifaceted nature of Hekate as a goddess. The conversation emphasizes the need to understand the historical context and the diverse interpretations of these terms.

Keywords: Hekate, maiden, virgin, ancient Greece, ancient Rome, cultural baggage, societal expectations, sovereignty, independence, goddess.

Key Takeaways

• The terms 'maiden' and 'virgin' had different meanings in ancient Greek and Roman texts when applied to Hekate.
• The societal expectations placed on women and the cultural baggage associated with the concept of maidenhood are explored.
• Hekate is seen as a multifaceted goddess, embodying qualities of sovereignty, independence, and connection to nature.
• Understanding the historical context and diverse interpretations of these terms is crucial to fully grasp their meaning.

For more info and to register for courses, go to keepingherkeys.com

Agape refers to the ancient Greek word for close affiliation, deep affection and secure attachment. In the 21st century, our definition of love has been so narrowly restricted by society that, until we begin to explore the meaning of agape, we are often oblivious to this universal love flow. Agape is the love for a child, a friend, a parent, and our Goddess. Boundless, eternal and without condition. That is agape.

Phoberos means "fearful." Phoberos represents our shadow self, the parts of our psyche that we are afraid of. The thing with fear is what we often fear the most is our own ability to be fearsome. While our shadow turns our fear towards our true selves, it is also the power-seat of our ability to be toxic to others.

This meditation guides you through embracing agape and releasing phoberos to help heal into your unique self.

Based on an exercise in Keeping Her Keys, that explores the Love/Fear titles of Hekate.

Learn more: https://keepingherkeys.com/home

Angela and I explore the myth of Semele, Mother of Dionysus, and also called "The Mother of Frenzy." 

Semele was the youngest daughter of Cadmus, an ambitious king with connections to Aphrodite, Aries and more. Semele dared to fall in love with Zeus, and was shamed for it by her sisters. Ultimately, she was duped into requiring Zeus to reveal his true divinity, thereby rendering her to dust. However, Dionysus, being the good son, ensured that she was transformed into a goddess.   

At times called, "Thyone," meaning something like "Mother of Frenzy," we delve into the different types of frenzy, from panic to spiritual ecstasy.  Semele's key themes: desire, shame, love, death, rebirth, frenzy, and ecstasy.  Known as The Mother of Dionysus, Semele was venerated as an expression of The Great Mother in areas of the ancient Mediterranean where the cult of Dionysus was prevalent. In ancient Athens, she was honored during a minor festival. Generally, her origins are thought to be in Thebes. She is an expression of The Death Mother that is particularly potent, as she began as a mortal woman and then became a Goddess.   

keepingherkeys.com

From the archives, this is a meditative journey to awaken your interior spring cleaning. Time to cleanse, refresh, and reset.

Go deeper into your spiritual spring cleaning by joining Covina for the Gate of Renewal Journey from April 13 - June 30, 2022. Learn more.

Boundaries refer to personal policies that we use as our interior compass for navigating modern life and our excursions in the deeper world. The fundamental question to ask ourselves is, "what do I want inside my personal magic circle?" Once we've established who, and what, is in, then we move onto the work of protecting this sacred space. Being intentional of where we situate this personal sacred space of ours is the next step. We may need to avoid situations with a high probability of having our boundaries violated. Of course, there are times when this isn't possible. Even then we don't have to let toxic vibes into our magic circle. Envision them bumping off your protective sphere. When someone does make it through, and gets under our skin, then imagine removing them from your sacred circle.

The Praesidium Shielding Meditation is right here in the podcast.

True Magic: Unleashing Your Inner Witch is my book that I reference. Find it from most major online retailers.

Prentiss Hemphill, ‘Boundaries are the distance at which I can love you and me simultaneously,’

Set Boundaries, Find Peace: A Guide to Reclaiming Yourself by Nedra Glover Tawwab

Learn more: keepingherkeys.com

This is a lunar aura meditation. You don't need anything or any special training to this meditation. Simply sit comfortably and rest, expanding and allowing the experience to unfold.

Recorded during the live Full Moon Lodge of September 2020. 

Learn more at keepingherkeys.com

The more authentic you are, the more safe you become. There's always going to be this weird minority out there who feel threatened. So they feel unsafe. You're feeling safe, authentic, being kind and clear. And here come the ones freaked out by your truth. When we're living from our truth, we can handle these attacks so much better. Because we know we are so much more than whatever they say.

I tackle how to respond when people try to tell us that our authentic truth is wrong. AKA unsolicited advice. It's annoying, boundary violating and ever so unkind.

The Four Agreements can be purchased just about anywhere books are sold.

Go deeper: keepingherkeys.com

“Being kind is so important in this world that we live in. By choosing to be kind to ourselves and others, we honor ourselves and Hekate. Moreover, we collectively create an energy current of kindness that is vital to overthrow the forces that seek to disempower the vulnerable in society. This is what is known as compassionate anger. Being kind is not a state of weakness, but of immense strength. We rely upon our integrity to fortify our kindness into a force of change in this world.” - Keeping Her Keys: An Introduction to Hekate’s Modern Witchcraft

“Turn away from the world this year and begin to listen. Listen to the whispers of your heart. Look within. Your silent companion has lit lanterns of love to illuminate the path to Wholeness. At long last, the journey you were destined to take has begun.” Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort of Joy (1995) by Sarah Ban Breathnach

The War for Kindness: Building Empathy in a Fractured World by Jamil Zaki (PhD, heads the Stanford Social Neuroscience Laboratory)

“Empathy’s most important role, though, is to inspire kindness: our tendency to help each other, even at a cost to ourselves. Kindness can often feel like a luxury—the ultimate soft skill in a hard world.”

“I always say that creating positive change in the world starts with just one person: you. That’s why it is so important to learn to be the right kind of selfish. It’s essential to learn the art of taking care of ourselves so that we can have the energy and the willpower to take care of each other and the world that we live in.” Dare to Be Kind: How Extraordinary Compassion Can Transform Our World by Lizzie Velasquez

Good article on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html

When Someone Tells You Your Truth Is Wrong: You’re Not Wrong, They Are (Part 2) - in a separate recording.

The power of entering into a period of exploring personal rebirth is one of the most challenging, and rewarding, journeys we can undertake. Through engaging with the spirit of rebirth, we reveal the pieces within us, be they difficult memories or personality aspects, that long to die. Myths such as Persephone and Inanna show us the universal power of the spiritual dismemberment and death, which ultimately lead to a new wholeness, where the soul is amplified and the shadow quieted. 

I'm joined by Angela Natividad, whose insights into mythology and personal experience elevate any discussion. We cover so many components of the rebirth journey, from the inspirational ancient rituals of Eleusis to the practical applied concepts that really help us transform, and what solar/lunar energies mean.

I read a passage from "Lost Goddesses of Ancient Greece," by Charlene Spretnak.

To go deeper into the rebirth journey, join my soul school, The Covina Institute. You can access the self-serve class/meditation on rebirth by subscribing to the Keeping Her Keys hub on Searchie.

You can learn more about both at keepingherkeys.com

C.G. Jung pioneered the exploration of archetypes as a means of connecting to the deeper world on the journey towards wholeness. Exploring ourselves, the deeper world, and the external one through an archetypal lens allows us to develop wisdom about the nature of existence. They are forms that cannot be reduced any further, whose force is purely of them. They combine in myriad ways to create all things.

Archetypes are the foundational spirits of the universe, with consciousness and will of their own. Archetypes are at the very core of everything here in Covina.

They are living, breathing and conscious forces that are enlivened in Hekate's many epithets, dreams, the cards, astrology, plant medicine, magickal correspondences, and so much more.

To understand the archetypal nature of the deeper world is to become empowered with it's magick, medicine and mystery.

Archetypes work on the everyday world as well, reminding us that there is truly no separation.

We enter into the world of spirits each day with our Quotidia, the sacred daily practice that includes igniting the Sacred Fire of Hekate, meditation, and oracular work, that I teach in my school.

You can find a brief version of Quotidia here.

My class on The Archetype of The Witch can be viewed here.

Both are also available on the Keeping Her Keys YouTube and as podcast episodes on most major platforms.

Go deeper into your journey by subscribing to the KHK self-serve hub for more audios, videos, and downloads. LEARN MORE.

Become a student in my school by subscribing to The Covina Institute on Mighty Networks. LEARN MORE.

Further Reading:

The Archetypes and The Collective Unconscious (Collected Works of C.G. Jung Vol.9 Part 1) (Collected Works of C.G. Jung (48))

Man and His Symbols by Carl G. Jung

Excellent book on symbols and archetypes:

The Book of Symbols. Reflections on Archetypal Images Hardcover by Archive for Research in Archetypal Symbolism (ARAS)

Remember whose you are.
Hekate's Chosen.
Never broken.
Rising stronger.
Keepers of keys.
Seekers of mystery.
Practitioners of the craft.
Firewalkers.
Torch-bearers.
Flame-throwers.
Shadow-walkers.
Victorious.
Dragon-tamers.
Banishers of the profane,
Binders of the evil,
Blessers of the true.
Speak unto the spirits of my Garden,
Allowing them to fulfill their purpose as your true medicine.

From “Entering Hekate’s Garden: The Magick, Medicine and Mystery of Plant Spirit Witchcraft.”

To enter Hekate’s Garden is to embark on a journey exploring the archetype of the witch and the goddess. It is the awakening of Anima, the sacred wild feminine force that has been constrained for centuries.

The archetype of the witch is as old as humanity. Typically, female, although not always, the witch is the one who brings healing through her use of powers connected to the deeper world. This, across cultures and times, has always been done in the spirit of rebellion against the so-called civilized world. Thus, the witch is the outsider, the one who resists conformity. Perhaps it is these two characteristics, that of connection to the unseen world and resistance to authority that are at the heart of the archetype of the witch. Discussing the archetype of the witch inevitably evokes Hekate, the ancient goddess viewed across history as a Queen of the Night, ruling over witchcraft, prophecy, and spirits. These are the gifts she bestows upon witches.

Go deeper into your journey by subscribing to the KHK self-serve hub for more audios, videos, and downloads. LEARN MORE.

Become a student in my school by subscribing to The Covina Institute on Mighty Networks. LEARN MORE.

Eclipses are such a powerful time to explore darkness, so very Hekatean in their essence for they not only either dim the world or occur at night when they are visible, but are also liminal times.

As Hekateans, the MOON will always be highly influential since we are naturally attuned to it's powers: emotions, intuition, magic(k), mystery. They are sacred events when we can behold the majesty of the universe, and Hekate Anima Mundi, with awe and wonder.

Generally, I recommend connecting to the eclipse in a more intuitive manner during the precise times, such as contemplative work of devotion (see prayer below), and reserving spells and rituals for hours before/after. Viewing eclipses in person is deeply spiritual experience, which I have been fortunate enough to have many times. 

REGISTER for the Beltane Retreat.

Going deep into the meaning and mysteries of the High Priestess.

The archetype of the high priestess can be beautiful. It can be empowering. It can help us develop our own identity, our own wholeness, and that desiring to be a high priestess is a transformative journey.  It's one of exploring the magic, medicine, and mysteries of Hekate and her deeper world. She truly teaches us that we are so much more than the mundane, that we are so much more than belonging to an ideology where God is male and on high, and that women and the feminine are fundamentally flawed and always to be seen as the lesser compared to the superior maleness. There's so much that the high priestess can teach us. So let's explore these mysteries.

Part 2 of this episode and the infographic for the High Priestess Oracle Reading available in the KHK Hub on Searchie, and in my soul school, The Covina Institute.

Go to keepingherkeys.com to learn more.

There's so much programming to unravel when we begin our journey with The Goddess.

Join Covina to awaken The Goddess Within.

Learn more HERE.

My poems read in this episode:

She crouches in the corner,
Shivering from eons of damp neglect.
Then Titaness, with eyes shooting fire-arrows.
Next, ancient stone mother with snakes for hair.
Daughter.
Crone.
Mistress of life,
Bringer of death.
The transforming
Wild goddess.
Trembling, dancing.
Relentless thrumming.
Whispers, shouts.
Cave and mountain.
River and desert.
Pulse of the universe.
Go ahead, she says,
Remain.
With your doom scrolling, panic-inducing nonsense.
Plucking eyebrows, yet
Avoiding the mirror.
I’ll still be here.
Getting water all over the bathroom floor.
Sitting at your desk.
In the corner of your bedroom,
Black eyes shining watching you slumber.
Legs stretched out from a kitchen chair,
Watch out, don’t trip.
Until. You. See.
That it is a reflection.

My Goddesses Are Wild And Free

My goddesses are wild and free.

Inconvenient, independent.

Rebellious.

Resisters.

Revengers.

My goddesses are wild and free.

Hunting the wicked.

Conquering monsters.

Turning fools into swine.

Driving dragon chariots across the sun.

Shining pale moon beams,

Burning torches.
All the stars above,
And the deepest depths.

My goddesses are wild and free.

Many faces, many moods.
They scare the life into me.
Shakers. Movers. Chain Breakers.

Dream haunters.
Screaming whispers,
Dead silence.

Enduring, changing.

Fleeing, remaining.
My darkest desires,
My brightest dreams.

My goddesses are wild and free.

Death walkers.

Truth talkers.

Trouble makers.

Impatient with fakers.

Claiming those they desire,

Casting others into the fire.

My goddesses are wild and free.

Answering my call,

Showing up uninvited.

Forever travelling their road,

Leaving behind a trail

That I must follow.

My goddesses are wild and free.

Eponymous chant for the episode title is by Jan Runnalls.

Imagine a little girl, alone in the woods with nothing but nature to comfort her. She speaks to the stones and understands their language. The green world opens her imagination to all that lies in the unseen realms. She knows what is in the heart of every animal she meets. When not in the woods or on the shore, she was immersed in the world of fantasy, mythology and folklore. The moon was her soul mother, and her dreams were of a life where she felt safe all the time. That girl was me.   

To this day, nothing fuels my soul like being in communion with the plants, stones and animals. Witchcraft has always been my refuge from a world that never accepted me. It has inspired me to craft a life where I am safe to be who I truly am, healed into my own unique wholeness. Practicing a very personal form of spirituality.   I was unwanted, And witchcraft was my medicine. I was left broken, And witchcraft was my medicine. I fell into the abyss, And witchcraft was my medicine. I walked through the fire, And witchcraft was my medicine. I healed, And witchcraft was my medicine. I was reborn, And witchcraft was my medicine. I stand in my power, And witchcraft is my medicine. - from "Entering Hekate's Garden: The Magick, Medicine and Mystery of Plant Spirit Witchcraft."  

In a world that doesn't understand us, for if you are here watching this unedited version of an episode from my podcast you are kindred, it can be frightening to stand apart from the crowd. Yet, for me at least, all the ridicule, judgment and raised eyebrows doesn't come close to negating the way witchcraft feels to me. There is so much joy. Simply stated, I love it.  

You can watch unedited episodes of The More Than This Podcast by going to keepingherkeys.com and choosing "podcast." Go there to join the KHK Searchie Hub, where you can watch with captions, download the transcript and search in the collection of videos. You'll find all the unedited episodes right in there, too.  

Stay Witchy and Hail Hekate.

Being "The Witch In The Room," can be incredibly beautiful, yet when we are in hostile settings, it is also incredibly challenging. In this inaugural episode of The More Than This Podcast, I talk about what being the witch in the room means to me.

The Keeping Her Keys Podcast has been retired to make space for my new show, "More Than This: At The Crossroads of Modern Life And The Deeper World."

Listen on Spotify

https://open.spotify.com/show/3WY8LBDcgcCLyfU8SRkvnj?si=7170df23d3874f19

MINISODE: Bit of an update on my next book and the new podcast.

Go to keepingherkeys.com for more

And Hail Hekate.

The Goddess Hekate and her "daughters," Circe and Medea, mythic figures that evoke the mysteries of the deeper world. Associated with magic, witchcraft, and the natural world, they offer keys to exploring our interior life, and ways to understand our journey. In this episode, learn about their symbolic energies, and experience a guided meditation to Hekate's Well.

Join me and Tania Ciolek, along with our special guests, for Part 2 of Crossroads and Keys, exploring the keys of magick, medicine and mystery.

There's a key inside of you that unlocks the gate to wholeness. The journey inward to living from the soul invites us to explore the deeper world. This is the heroic quest for a life that is empowered and enchanted. In this episode, we explore how to banish what prevents us from opening that gate. 

Thanks so much for listening to the Keeping Her Keys Podcast 1.0. I'll be back in the fall with an expanded focus, exploring the crossroads of modern life and the deeper world.

Request to join my soul school, The Covina Institute, to access the entire Crossroads and Keys Retreat for free.

Are you being called to become more? Does a mysterious woman haunt your dreams? Do you experience synchronicities? In the Keeping Her Keys book, I wrote about how the Goddess Hekate comes to awaken us to return to our soul. In this first part of my recent Crossroads and Keys Retreat, we explore the secrets for manifesting our own unique keys.

When I melt down those keys into one, the emergent form is full of magick, medicine and mystery. The way to manifest our "keys" - healing, abundance, and living from the center of our lives - is by turning to the deeper world inside of us.

This is the second to last episode of the Keeping Her Keys Podcast 1.0. I'll be back in the fall with a fresh start. I wanted to finish up the "accidental" KHK 1.0 podcast with this episode, and the following one, as an expression of appreciation for all my listeners.

To access the entire FREE Crossroads and Keys Course, you can request to join my soul school, The Covina Institute.

This is an exploration of Hekate and four of her closest companions: Artemis, Circe, Medea and Persephone, including a guided ritual. 

Come Goddesses and Witches,  
Ancient but new,
To this place,
I beckon you.  
Artemis,
Medea,
Persephone,
Circe,
Hekate,
I welcome you!

Sovereignty goes beyond independence, it’s about standing in the full power of your true self. What better time to claim yours than on the day that the sun shine’s the longest? Calling upon Five Sovereign Rebel Goddesses: Artemis, Medea, Persephone, Circe and Hekate in the brightest light brings them, and you, out of the moon’s shadow, allowing you to stand fully in your witches' power. Summon their sovereign power on the Summer Solstice.

This ritual focuses on specific aspects of the Fab Five mentioned above. The ritual evokes these interconnected goddesses to activate within you the five archetypes of the sacred feminine: wild, witch, warrior, wise and wounded.

Read the article that explores these goddesses in depth here.

Within The Covina Institute, we celebrate this ritual live on the Summer Solstice, and explore these goddesses in depth. Learn more here.

Welcome to the season of Spring. Through a meditative journey, we will explore the myth of Persephone's emergence from the underworld. I recommend reading the chapter "Kore Reborn," in Entering Hekate's Cave to fully immerse yourself in the meaning of emergence. Get your candle ready for the opening ritual. In the meditation, we start by attuning the Three Selves, and then venture into the deeper world. In Hekate's Garden, we gather at the altar and offer something symbolic of what needs to be released or born. As we celebrate the equinox, a time of balance and transition, we honor goddesses and spirits such as Demeter, Medea, Artemis, and Circe. Absorb any gifts or messages received from them and conclude the meditation by returning to regular consciousness. Don't forget to make notes or sketches of your experience. Enjoy the journey.

Hail Hekate Pasikratea, Queen of the Universe.
Hail Hekate Aglaos, Creator of the Sun.
Hail Hekate Erigeneia, Ruler of the Moon.
As Creator of the Sun,
You shine down upon us,
Bringing life to all things,
As Ruler of the Moon,
You light up the darkest nights.
On this day when the day equals the night,
And the sun and moon are balanced,
I honor you as Divine Keeper of Balance.
On this day when the day equals the night,
May I understand the balance of my own life,
That the darkness and the storms
Yield to the winds of change,
Ushering in a new season.
Hekate Enodia, my road
May be a difficult one,
But my faith that all will be born anew is strong.
I offer my gratitude, Blessed Hekate.
Hail Hekate Pasikratea, Queen of the Universe.
Hail Hekate Aglaos, Creator of the Sun.
Hail Hekate Erigeneia, Ruler of the Moon.

- Cyndi Brannen

keepingherkeys.com for more info on courses and my books.

This is a journey into Hekate's Garden to experience the splendor of her magick, medicine and mystery.

Recorded live during the Beltane Botanical Salon (May 1, 2021).

The Garden of the Goddess beckons.

Hekate is Mother of the Eternal Garden,
With her first breath she created the Green World and her witches.
Her daughters are our sisters.
Eternal Circe and Medea,

And the others.
They are the witches’ great teachers and companions.
High Priestesses of the Garden

They offer the keys to their magick, medicine and mystery.

Will you claim them?

The Garden of Hekate, the Great Mother Goddess from which all the world flows, is the spiritual home for the practice of pharmakeia, the ancient art, craft, and science of plant spirit witchcraft. Pharmakeia is an art, a craft, and a science. It is the use of botanicals for corporeal purposes, the crafting of magical formulations, and the art of transcending. It is holistic plant spirit witchcraft, transmitted by Hekate and her witches for our use today. Enter her mysteries with the heart of the Nyssa, the spirit of beginning. The Nyssa is the spiritual crossroads that we enter when we answer the call of Hekate to return to the practice of holistic plant spirit witchcraft. 

- from Entering Hekate's Garden: The Magick, Medicine and Mystery of Plant Spirit Witchcraft

Go deeper into Hekate's Garden by applying to join The Covina Institute. Learn more at keepingherkeys.com

This is a recording of the live Beltane Botanical Salon held on May 1, 2021 with Cyndi Brannen and Amy Blackthorn. 

Hail Hekate, Hieros Pyr.
She who is the sacred witch-fire.
Hail to Circe and Medea, Original, eternal Daughters of Fire.
Hail to the Hieros Pyr, The sacred witch-fire.
Hail to the ash, smoke and flame,
And to the plants which render same.
Through your sacred smoke, I am cleansed.
Through your bright flame, I banish all that harms.
Through your alchemical ash, I am transformed.
Hail to Hekate, Hieros Pyr.
Hail to the plant spirits who render your fire.
Hail to smoke, ash and flame, Whose powers I now claim.
- from Entering Hekate's Garden: The Magick, Medicine and Mystery of Plant Spirit Witchcraft  

The wonders of Hekate's Garden offer us a pathway back to the soul. Embarking on the journey of plant spirit magick, medicine and mystery is an incredibly healing journey. In this podcast, we cover a range of topics, from the fundamental archetypes of plants to how to connect with these amazing allies.   

You can experience the meditation that was part of the salon which was a mystical journey into Hekate's Garden in the Keeping Her Keys SoundCloud: https://bit.ly/hekatesgardenmeditation

You can watch the previous botanical salons featuring Cyndi and Amy:

Coping With Chronic Illness and Witchcraft - https://youtu.be/D6nivLnrSJk
Practicing Botanical Witchcraft - https://youtu.be/cwC2uFWGnf0

Learn more about Cyndi's work at keepingherkeys.com
More about Amy at https://amyblackthorn.com/

The essential daily practice described in the Keeping Her Keys book.

The previous episode described the foundations of the meditation.

Purchase the Keeping Her Keys book from major online booksellers.

Go deeper into your awakening: Apply to join The Covina Institute:

https://members.covinainstitute.com

The core meditation described in the Keeping Her Keys book. The next episode contains the guided audio meditation.

In this episode, learn how the meditation was developed, and how it awakens the soul while drawing us into Hekate as Anima Mundi (World Soul).

Purchase the Keeping Her Keys book from all major online booksellers.

Go deeper into your awakening by applying to join The Covina Institute:

https://members.covinainstitute.com

To see the Mother as she is, in her darkness and light. That is the image of Hekate as Pammetor, The Great Mother Goddess. To know her warm embrace and her firm corrections when we veer from the path. To give us, as John Bowlby, wrote “a secure base from which to explore the world. ”

For those of us who were denied this foundational sense of security, the journey can be untethered, as we wonder from one dysfunctional situation to another. The inherent problem, which Bowlby also describes, was that “what one cannot tell to the (m)other, one cannot tell to oneself.”

Stretching back across the centuries, we see that others venerated Hekate as The Great Mother. In the earliest reports, such as Hesiod’s Theogony, Hekate is portrayed as all powerful. This distinguishes The Great Mother from earth goddesses, which can be called “Elemental Mothers”, and The Great Mother who is source, soul, and cosmic. She is not Gaia, for example. The Great Mother, to the ancients, was life and death, blessing and bane. Nor is she merely a Goddess of Motherhood, although Hekate has always had a special interest in mothers and children. She was often described as Midwife in ancient texts.

In historical sources, Hekate is often interwoven with goddesses, as we learned in the last lesson. These triplicities formulate a Great Mother Goddess by weaving together all aspects of The Mother Archetype. With Artemis and Selene, she becomes the Wise Crone, the experienced Mother, while they represent the earlier phases of The Mother’s Journey. Hekate is also linked to other forms of the Great Mother Goddess, for example her association with Cybele, whom the Romans venerated as Magna Mater (The Great Mother).

Go deeper: Learn more about studying with me at keepingherkeys.com

She is the darkness.
She is the cry of "enough."
She is the sigil written in stone.
She is the silent walking away of the betrayed.
She is the lonely raising arms to the moon.
She is the lie told to live the truth.
She is the secret circle drawing down her moon.
She is the poison that heals.
She is the bold stare into the future.
She is the blood shed to bring rebirth.
She is all those who dare to become.
She is the power that is our right.
She is The Dark Mother.
She has returned.

Lesson 4: Ancient Hekate's Many Roles - Keeping Her Keys: An Introduction to Hekate's Modern Witchcraft

From the ancient sources, we know that Hekate was a liminal goddess, standing between worlds, particularly at the threshold of life and death. She was described in many diverse ways including Mother of All, Queen, Savior and World Soul. She was viewed as the torch-bearing guide for those on nightmarish Under World journeys. Not only was she viewed as the guide along the road, but also as the way itself. The variety of the titles bestowed upon her by the ancients often appears contradictory. We need to consider two things. One is that the ancient writers held vastly divergent views of Hekate. The other is that Hekate has always been a complex goddess with multiple roles and abilities.

Many-named Goddess who brings glory to men,
Whose children are fair,
Bull-eyed One, Horned One, Nature.
All-Mother, who brings forth both Gods and men
You roam around Olympus,
And traverse the wide and fathomless abyss.
You are the Beginning and the End.
And you alone are Mistress of All. - The Greek Magical Papyri IV 2785-2890.

“We’re witnessing the end of a 5,000 year reign of patriarchy, and are coming into a society created by our technology that will be more balanced and more feminine. It’s already happening. And I think that the good news is that it’s coming just in time.”

— Leonard Shlain

Psychopomp, which translates from Greek as “Soul Guide,” is one of Hekate’s most ancient roles.   

The Soul Guide is much more than the one who helps the earthly dead cross over the river to the other side, she is the midwife who assists new souls as they are born into flesh, and she reunites us with the fragments we lose along the way. Hekate calls us to take care of our own souls, and to see the soul in all things. Caring for our own souls and seeking to understand the soul in all things, draws us closer to Anima Mundi.   

 "By soul I mean, first of all, a perspective rather than a substance, a viewpoint toward things rather than a thing itself. This perspective is reflective; it mediates events and makes differences between ourselves and everything that happens. Between us and events, between the doer and the deed, there is a reflective moment -- and soul-making means differentiating this middle ground.” From Re-Visioning Psychology by James Hillman.    

Perhaps the best way to be our own psychopomp is to nourish the soul through the imagination, from which we explore our dreams, express our sacred creativity, and lean into the energy of the World Soul.  

From the Keeping Her Keys book: (starting on p. 65, Lesson 4):  The Hekate within Us  To explain how we make magic, we need to talk about how Hekate as the World Soul is represented in each of us within our individual souls. In my thinking, each one of us has a soul that is a unique transcendent spirit. This soul is never born into human form but is attached to each incarnation. The soul is connected to our current existence, but we can be disconnected from it for a variety of reasons. I believe that our life's work is to become unified with our soul. By listening to the soul, we can achieve our true life's purpose. When we quiet ourselves through things like meditation, prayer and ritual, we can become better attuned to our soul-voice within.   

“Kill the imagination and you kill the soul. Kill the soul and you're left with a listless, apathetic creature who can become hopeless or brutal or both.” ― Marion Woodman, Bone: Dying into Life  

Cyndi Brannen, PhD,  is a psychologist, author and teacher. She teaches and writes from the crossroads of psychology, spirituality and traditional wisdom, merging ancient knowledge with modern practices. Her work explores the journey through darkness to wholeness using the archetypes of the witch and Hekate. Her teaching focuses on personal healing through herbalism, rituals, meditations, and exploration of the deeper self.  She founded The Covina Institute, a soul school dedicated to the pursuit of wholeness through structured programs of study and transcendent experiences.   After years of a successful career in academia and healthcare, she transitioned to teaching and writing about reclaiming the sacred feminine through spiritual practices after she became convinced that mainstream psychology was not sufficient to lead to personal wholeness.  

keepingherkeys.com 

Keeping Her Keys SoundCloud Animara Playlist: https://soundcloud.com/user-188959581/sets/animara-meditations-journeys

I don't have to tell you that this past week has been stressful, nor do I need to convince you that we're all exhausted. We feel it in our bones. Instead, I'm here to stand with you in solidarity as a fellow traveller through difficult days. 

I focus on the teachings of fear, and how we can choose love.   

Dive deeper into the Keeping Her Keys book, and your understanding of Hekate. 

Get the love flow going by commenting where you find love these days.  

Listen to the Agape Phoberos Meditation:  https://soundcloud.com/user-188959581/agape-phoberos-ritual-meditation 

More on Agape Phoberos:  https://keepingherkeys.com/home/f/the-agape-phoberos-ritual 

Healing from Shame:  https://keepingherkeys.com/home/f/banishing-shame-from-our-witchcraft-and-our-lives 

Join The Covina Institute: https://members.covinainstitute.com/

An overview of the Hekate and the Wheel of the Year Research Project, with a discussion on the historical origins of Hekate's Wheel, Hekate as Soul, the history of Hekate as Gatekeeper (Propylaia), and a summary of the astrology of 2021 in general, and how to use it to deepen your understanding of yourself and Hekate. Includes a month-by-month guide.

Whether you're deep into your studies with Hekate or simply curious, you'll learn about her history through my exploration of her different roles and epithets as they relate to the lunar months, sabbats, seasons and the astrology of the new year. An excellent way to go deeper with Lesson 7 from the Keeping Her Keys book.

Mythological consciousness, the mysteries, the call of the rebel soul, and the courage to climb higher are the major themes of 2021. However, we haven’t spontaneously ascended. It’s more like we’ve been given the keys to the Temple Gate. The choice to enter is ours. We can become the High Priestess (or other sacred title of our choosing).

Watch the video version: www.youtube.com/watch?v=mG-Ug14JBIA&t=6s

Apply to become a student in my school, The Covina Institute: members.covinainstitute.com

The pull of the Cave of the Goddess is strong. We are drawn to stones and crystals without connecting them to the deep underworld from whence they came, for example. When we shift our understanding of these treasures of the cave, we see that they are the gifts of The Great Mother. The primordial power of the cave as a dwelling place of the sacred feminine is one of the oldest locations associated with The Great Mother.

The road to healing is found by turning inward to her cave, where the mysteries of life and death await. The return to the cave is a reunification with the sacred feminine. This is to say the Goddess, not modern day gender roles and stereotypes. The archetypal characteristics of the feminine, including instinct, intuition, emotion, and governance over the life cycle. In the ancient world, the cave was both feared and revered as symbolic of The Great Mother as a projection of the great womb that birthed all of life. Hekate, and other faces of The Great Mother, are all connected to the depths of the earth. We know within our depths that entering the cave is a requirement.

We embark on the journey with the release of our burdens through giving symbolic death to the heaviness we carry. The next stage is to call back our missing pieces through soul retrieval. The final stage of this lengthy trek is rebirth into our wholeness.

Guidance for the Journey: Rituals of the Sacred Cave

The three stations of the journey through darkness to wholeness in Hekate’s Cave can be experienced through The Rituals of the Sacred Cave.

These are audio classes with guided meditations to assist your journey.

https://soundcloud.com/user-188959581/sets/rituals-of-the-sacred-cave-3

Go deeper into the healing of The Dark Mother by joining the Keeping Her Keys Coven of Hekate, a soul school of courses, events and support in a safe and private network.

Keepingherkeys.mn.co or download the Mighty Networks app and search for “Keeping Her Keys.”

References:

Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, "The Return of the Feminine and the World Soul”

Erich Neumann, "The Great Mother"

Marion Woodman and Elinor Dickson, “Dancing in the Flames: The Dark Goddess in the Transformation of Consciousness”

The archetype of the witch is as old as humanity. Typically, female, although not always, the witch is the one who brings healing through her use of powers connected to the deeper world. This, across cultures and times, has always been done in the spirit of rebellion against the so-called civilized world. Thus, the witch is the outsider, the one who resists conformity. Perhaps it is these two characteristics, that of connection to the unseen world and resistance to authority that are at the heart of the archetype of the witch. Discussing the archetype of the witch inevitably evokes Hekate, the ancient goddess viewed across history as a Queen of the Night, ruling over witchcraft, prophecy, and spirits. These are the gifts she bestows upon witches.

Archetypes are foundational forces that flow throughout the universe. They are numinous, nonrational, and primal. It is difficult to find, and express in words, the center of an archetype. Archetypes are different than constructs, which can be easily defined and understood. To know an archetype requires experience. Much like the witch, an archetype is many things that are difficult to describe with words. The witch is mysterious, and the witch pursues the mysteries. She goes deeper into the dark to find healing.

As with all archetypes, the witch has a shadow aspect which is entirely different than the healing found in darkness. It is the shadowy characteristics that have been extolled throughout history. Aspects such as baneful witchcraft, poisoning, seducing, deception, and trickery have been reinforced in western culture as a means of robbing the witch of her power. At times portrayed as a hideous crone, at others a beguiling temptress, the witch has been vilified. Those labelled as witches have been persecuted, tortured, and murdered. The witch is frightening because she insists on the truth that resides in the dark.

“Entering Hekate’s Garden: The Magick, Medicine and Mystery of Plant Spirit Witchcraft” can be purchased from major booksellers.

“Keeping Her Keys: An Introduction to Hekate’s Modern Witchcraft” takes the reader on a journey through 13 lessons that awaken the soul through connection to the Witch Mother.

Join the Keeping Her Keys Coven of Hekate school and network for lessons, community and live events: https://bit.ly/KHKfreetrial

Learn more about Lampadia: The Journey Through Darkness To Wholeness in Hekate’s Cave, a seven month training program in the healing keys of magick, medicine and mystery. BEGINS November 4. Get all the details at https://keepingherkeys.com/

Lost Goddesses of Early Greece: A Collection of Pre-Hellenic Mythology by Charlene Spretnak

The Book of Symbols. Reflections on Archetypal Images Hardcover by Archive for Research in Archetypal Symbolism (ARAS) 

Mysteries of the Dark Moon: The Healing Power of the Dark Goddess Kindle Edition by Demetra George

Witchcraft Medicine: Healing Arts, Shamanic Practices, and Forbidden Plants by Claudia Müller-Ebeling, Christian Rätsch, Wolf-Dieter Storl

Join me and Christen Bennett (she/they) - Coven Key Bearer as we review how Goddess Witchcraft has evolved over the past five decades and how we are creating our own religion, both as a movement and personally.  I'm calling this The Goddess Liberation Movement, as the Spirit of Rixipyle has certainly liberated us spiritually.

The Goddess Liberation Movement celebrates the freedom to practice spirituality without fear of punishment. It focuses on creating one's own religion and embracing personal spirituality. With a history spanning five decades, the movement has seen significant changes and progress. From the rise of feminist theology and goddess worship in the 1970s to the recognition of Wicca as an official religion in the 1980s, and the mainstream popularity of witchcraft in the 1990s, the movement has evolved. In the 2000s, online communities and resources for witches emerged, and in the 2010s, organizations like the Temple of Witchcraft and increased political and social activism by witches became prominent. While witchcraft has become more mainstream, there are concerns about consumerization and a focus on material objects. The movement encourages individuals to create their own spirituality and embrace their sacredness.

Watch with CC and transcript HERE.

Join the COVEN.

Learn more about Hekate as Rixipyle in Entering Hekate's Cave by me, Cyndi Brannen.

Hekate is often depicted as a Triple Goddess, representing the many faces of the sacred feminine. We can experience the Triple Goddess, known as Triformis, Trimorphis and Trivia (Trivium) as different aspects of Hekate herself, such as the Underworld Night Queen, the Goddess of the earthly garden, and the Keeper of the Keys of the Universe of The Starry Road. Historically, Hekate has been shown as having three animal heads, such as boar, wolf, and bull. In this discussion, I talk about Hekate’s triplicities in conjunction with the goddesses she is most often companioned with. There are three distinct trios, each one representing one key of her three keys of magick, medicine and mystery. The triplicity of magick is symbolized by Hekate with her daughters, Circe and Medea. Hekate, Persephone and Demeter comprise the trinity of medicine. The Three Formed Goddesses of Mystery are revealed through Hekate, Artemis and Selene.

The meditation included takes the listener on a journey deep into Hekate’s Garden to drink from Trivium’s well.

Lampadios: The Journey Through Darkness To Wholeness takes the student through Hekate's Cave on a deep healing journey.

https://keepingherkeys.mn.co/posts/welcome-to-lampadios-the-healing-journey-through-darkness-to-wholeness

Learn more about the goddesses featured:

In “Entering Hekate’s Garden: The Magick, Medicine and Mystery of Plant Spirit Witchcraft,”explore Hekate, Circe and Medea.

Keeping Her Keys: An Introduction to Hekate’s Modern Witchcraft includes a discussion on Hekate’s triplicities.

Hekate as The Triple Goddess:

https://keepingherkeys.com/f/hekate-as-the-triple-goddess

The Power of Persephone: https://keepingherkeys.com/f/the-power-of-persephone

Persephone: Goddess of Adaptation: https://keepingherkeys.com/f/persephone-goddess-of-adaptation

Hekate, Circe and Persephone: Wisdom of the Resilient Goddesses

https://keepingherkeys.com/blog/f/hekate-circe-and-persephone-wisdom-of-the-resilient-goddesses

Demeter: Fury, Fertility, and the Fall

https://keepingherkeys.com/blog/f/demeter-fury-fertility-and-the-fall

Artemis: Huntress, Guardian, Fierce Maiden

https://keepingherkeys.com/blog/f/artemis-huntress-guardian-fierce-maiden

Great Goddesses of Magick, Medicine and Mystery Ritual:

https://keepingherkeys.com/blog/f/great-goddesses-of-magic-and-mystery-ritual

Join the Keeping Her Keys Coven of Hekate school and network for lessons, community and live events:

https://bit.ly/KHKfreetrial

Triple Goddess illustration created by Mary Martinez exclusively for Keeping Her Keys. Purchase official merchandise in the KHK RedBubble store:

https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/52023305

Music in the meditation: 852 Hz Awakening Intuition by Source Vibrations, Solfeggio Harmonics, Vol. 1.

The High Priestess governs their own life with intuition, and explores the mysteries of the deeper world with an open heart. Becoming the High Priestess involves an initiation into a journey that moves us from the illusion of separation to the alchemical union within. The High Priestess in tarot offers us guidances as we cross the threshold from novice to mystic.

Join the Keeping Her Keys Coven at keepingherkeys.mn.co to access the High Priestess Tarot Reading.

Episode 16, Season 1

In this episode, Cyndi discusses the components of sacred rituals, from the spark of truth that ignites our soul to the initiation into the mysteries.

Learn more at keepingherkeys.com

Episode 15, Season 1

Creating an altar is a powerful way to awaken your own sacredness and connect with the deeper world. In this episode, Cyndi talks about how to create altars for various purposes and then delves into creating the perfect altar of Hekate.

Learn more: https://keepingherkeys.com/read/f/how-to-an-altar-of-hekate

Episode 12, Season 1

Exploring the magic, medicine and mysteries of the five sovereign goddesses of the tarot. 

Cyndi dives into the meaning of each of these cards and ways to connect with their wisdom, from choosing them as your power card to what they mean when they turn up in a reading.

This episode is the final part of the Sovereign Goddesses Ritual series. The previous episodes include the ritual guide and walkthrough and the astrology of the sovereign goddesses.

Learn more at keepingherkeys.com

Episode 11, Season 1

In preparation for the Sovereign Goddess Ritual on the Summer Solstice, this episode dives into the power of each of the goddesses within the sun signs. The wildness of Artemis, the witch power of Circe, the woundedness of Medea, the (emotional earthy) warrior queen of Persephone, and the wisdom of Hekate. I also talk about the astrology of this Summer Solstice. For the week of June 15-21, 2020.

Hekate. Her very name often evokes a rumble deep inside. This is the sound of the chains that bind the soul being shaken by a goddess so ancient and strong that she is revered as the Anima Mundi, the very soul of the world. She is the awakening to the chains, and the breaking of them.

In this episode, I talk about the spiritual power of the crossroads within the context of ancient practices of both Hekate's horde of flesh and spirit, and the ways that those who feared her sought her favor. Unpacking the meaning of leaving offerings at the crossroads is entwined within Hekate's ancient powers as a guardian of the outcasts, particularly wild women, a topic that's incredibly fascinating.

keepingherkeys.com to read more about Hekate as Breaker of Chains and Keeper of Keys, and to learn more about the modern online coven network, courses, books and to read the blog.

Episode 6, Season 1

For her witches, Hekate's darkness is her nourishing womb. We return home to her for healing. Witchcraft is the medicine she offers. The annual descent of Her Wheel of the Year into long nights is when she opens the gates to her sacred Cave, wherein her cauldron of birth resides. Deep healing, release of spiritual filth, soul retrieval and rebirth are all found in her darkness.

Episode 3, Season 1

Learn more at keepingherkeys.com

Dr. Cyndi Brannen walks you through her transformative book on Hekatean Witchcraft. 

Episode 2, Season 1

Learn more at keepingherkeys.com

In the first episode of the Keeping Her Keys Podcast, Cyndi Brannen talks about the meaning of the Sacred Fires so symbolic of Hekate, Goddess of Witchcraft.. Her Hieros Pyr burns as her twin-torches, lighting the night under her pale moon. 

Episode 1, Season 1

Shake it up, Witches! Hail Rixipyle!

Join Cyndi and Christen for this discussion on Hekate's aspect known as Rixipyle, the chain-breaking, gate crashing liberator. Cyndi starts us off with a meditative being check-in exercise to assess physical and emotional states. We breakthrough seeing all emotions as sacred, and how liberating expressing emotions is, particularly anger. We unlock concepts like over-functioning and getting stuck in a rut as common chains, emphasizing healthy boundaries and not trying to fix or control others. Tips for connecting with Rixipyle: readiness for radical change, assessing capacity for change, writing letters, and creating altars. Power of music and movement in connecting with Rixipyle energy is so fabulous.

This episodes draws from the Rixipyle Chapter in Entering Hekate's Cave: The Journey Through Darkness to Wholeness, available wherever books are sold.

Join Cyndi, Christen and the rest of the coven for The Journey of Rebirth. Learn more at keepingherkeys.com

It is nights like tonight,
She finds me.
Slipping in through a crack in the curtains.
Riding on pale moonlight.
It is nights like tonight
That I long to be her.
To have no familiarity
With words like,
“diagnosis,”
“mortgage,”
and “grief”.
It is nights like tonight
She reminds me
Of who I was before,
And who I could be.
Shooting her arrows into my heart,
Putting the wild back in me.

Artemis awakens much within us, shooting arrows that illuminate the wildness within that may have been pushed into darkness as we navigate all the complexities of "adulting," not to mention healing from difficult experiences.

Join me, Christen Bennett (She/Her) - Coven Key Bearer 

and Coyote Mae (they/them) apGovannon for our brand new conversation about the mysteries of our beloved Artemis.

My first Goddess and namesake, I will always adore her.

There's a lot of references to epithets, goddesses, and so on in this episode, so check in the transcript for spelling.

Watch with CC and searchable transcript HERE.

Learn more about Covina.

Entering Hekate's Cave: The Journey Through Darkness To Wholeness by Cyndi Brannen, PhD, can be purchased wherever books are sold.

This is a guided class and meditation that introduces the listener to Soul Retrieval.

Join my soul school, The Covina Institute, for the in-depth eight week journey that takes place between the first and third new moons of the calendar year.

If you missed this course, consider joining for The Rebirth Journey that runs from the third to fifth new moons.

Learn more at keepingherkeys.com

Psychopomp, which translates from Greek as “Soul Guide,” is one of Hekate’s most ancient roles. Certainly, she guided Persephone through rebirth out of the cave, yet we can envision Hekate helping her call back the missing soul shards that shattered during her great trauma at the hands of those powerful men who brought about the end of her innocence. As Persephone learned to sing her soul once more, so do we. Our chorus becomes a beacon to the missing pieces of the soul in this lesson as we experience Soul Retrieval.

The Soul Guide is much more than the one who helps the earthly dead cross over the river to the other side, she is the midwife who assists new souls as they are born into flesh, and she reunites us with the fragments we lose along the way. Hekate calls us to take care of our own souls, and to see the soul in all things. Caring for our own souls and seeking to understand the soul in all things, draws us closer to Anima Mundi.

It is to Hekate as Psychopomp, and to our own ability as the guide of our own souls, that we turn to in this lesson as we experience soul retrieval. A shamanic practice as well as a psychological one, soul retrieval is the process of calling back pieces of our soul that were lost due to trauma.

Perhaps to me the most enduring way that Hekate presents to me is as Psychopomp, The Soul Guide. So much so that this entire moon month is dedicated to exploring the mysteries of Psychopomp, from connecting with a past life to experiencing the transformative Animarum Recupero (Soul Retrieval Ritual). Hail Hekate, Psychopomp.
Guide us, light our journey.

Check out my windy day musings video and more HERE:

https://keepingherkeys.com/read/f/exploring-hekate-and-soul-retrieval

For an in-depth examination of Hekate Psychopomp, read the eponymous chapter in Entering Hekate's Cave. Here's an excerpt:

One of Hekate’s most ancient roles is as Psychopomp, which translates as “soul guide.”[i]  According to the Greeks, the psychopomp guided the departed into the afterlife, whether it was the nightmarish Tartarus or the heavenly Elysium.[ii] Certain deities like Hekate and Hermes, her frequent companion, had the special ability to travel at will between the Underworld, the world of everyday life, and the heights of Olympus, so they could easily cross into the territory of the afterlife.[iii] 

Hekate, in particular, was responsible for overseeing the restless dead and for guiding souls to the other side. There is a special relationship between Hekate and those who have suffered great soul loss at the hands of others. She held close to her the dead who were marginalized by society, especially women and girls who had died due to sexual violence or during childbirth. In modern terms, Hekate is a trauma specialist whose darkness welcomes our fleeting soul fragments that find refuge in her cave. She tends to them until we are ready to be reunited.

Hekate Psychopomp is much more than the one who helps the earthly dead cross over the river to the other side, however. She is the midwife who assists new souls as they are born into flesh, and she reunites us with the fragments of our selves that we lose along the way. She calls us to take care of our own souls, and to see the soul in all things. When we care for our own souls and seek to understand the soul in all things, it draws us closer to the archetypal web, to the very soul of the world. The shamanic and psychological practice of soul retrieval is the process of calling back pieces of our soul that were lost due to individual and cultural trauma.[iv] In my own work, I function as a psychopomp, lighting the way to the wholeness known only through the return to soul. 

You can watch my recorded class on Hekate and The Soul, with CC and transcript, HERE.

LEARN MORE ABOUT COVINA

[i] Dark Nights of the Soul: A Guide to Finding Your Way Through Life's Ordeals

by Thomas Moore contains an excellent discussion on Hekate and the soul.

[ii] A short summary of the Greek ideas about the afterlife: https://greekreporter.com/2021/06/12/the-ancient-greece-concepts-for-heaven-and-hell/.

[iii] Restless Dead: Encounters between the Living and the Dead in Ancient Greece by Sarah Iles Johnston (1999).

[iv] For more on soul retrieval, read Sharon Ingerman’s Soul Retrieval: Mending the Fragmented Self.