Let’s Talk Deities: Hekate
Crossroads
Hekate: Torchbearer and Guardian of the Crossroads
Hekate is one of the most powerful and mysterious figures in witchcraft. Known as the goddess of the crossroads, she is both guide and guardian, light-bringer and shadow-walker. For many witches, she is a teacher who demands respect and honesty, and in return she offers protection, wisdom, and spiritual depth.
Who Is Hekate
In Greek mythology, Hekate holds dominion over liminal spaces. She moves between the heavens, the earth, and the underworld. Unlike most deities, she was never confined to a single realm. This makes her unique as a goddess who can guide practitioners through transitions, choices, and spiritual thresholds.
She was honored in ancient Greece as a protector of households, with offerings left at doorways and crossroads during the dark moon. These offerings were called the Deipnon and often included food such as eggs, garlic, and bread.
The Strophalos of Hekate
The strophalos, also called the “Hekate’s Wheel,” is one of the most powerful symbols associated with her. It is usually shown as a circular labyrinth with three arms spiraling from the center, representing her dominion over the crossroads and the triple aspect of her nature.
In ancient sources, the strophalos was described as a spinning device used in her rituals. Some accounts suggest it was a tool for invocation, divination, and connecting with her mysteries. The movement of the strophalos symbolized the constant turning of fate, the shifting of the cosmos, and the pathways between the realms she governs.
For modern witches, the strophalos is a symbol of initiation and transformation. It reminds practitioners of the cycles of birth, death, and rebirth, and of Hekate’s ability to guide souls through these transitions. Many use it as a protective emblem, a meditation focus, or as a mark of devotion when honoring her.
The strophalos shows Hekate not only as a goddess of boundaries and thresholds, but also as the one who turns the wheel of life and fate, holding the keys to hidden knowledge within its spiral.
Associations of Hekate
Colors: Black, deep purple, silver, dark red
Symbols: Keys, torches, crossroads, daggers, cauldrons
Animals: Dogs, snakes, owls, wolves, horses
Herbs and Plants: Garlic, yew, mugwort, mandrake, hemlock
Crystals: Obsidian, moonstone, smoky quartz, black tourmaline
Sacred Numbers: Three, symbolizing her triple aspect
The Triple Goddess Aspect
Hekate is often viewed as a threefold goddess. This does not always mean maiden, mother, and crone in the Wiccan sense, but rather three interconnected faces of her power.
Hekate Propylaia (Before the Gate): The guardian who protects thresholds and sacred spaces
Hekate Kleidouchos (Keeper of the Keys): The guide who holds the keys to mysteries and hidden knowledge
Hekate Phosphoros (Light Bringer): The torchbearer who illuminates the path through darkness
These aspects reveal her as a goddess of protection, guidance, and transformation.
Hekate and Persephone
One of the most important myths involving Hekate is her role in the abduction of Persephone. When Hades carried Persephone into the underworld, the world above was shaken. Persephone’s mother, Demeter, wandered the earth in grief, searching for her daughter.
It was Hekate who heard Persephone’s cries as she was taken below. Holding her torches high, Hekate guided Demeter through the darkness, helping her search. Together they went to Helios, the sun god, who had witnessed the abduction and revealed what had happened.
When Persephone was allowed to return to the surface for part of the year, Hekate welcomed her and became her companion. From then on, she stood at Persephone’s side as a guide through the underworld, moving freely between realms just as Persephone did.
This story highlights Hekate’s role as a protector of women, a keeper of the torches that light the way, and a trusted guide through life, death, and rebirth. Her bond with Persephone shows her as both compassionate and steadfast, a goddess who walks with those who journey through shadow and transformation.
Working with Hekate
Witches call on Hekate for many reasons. She is invoked in spells for protection, banishment, divination, and spirit communication. She is also a powerful ally for those facing transitions, whether personal, spiritual, or magical.
Ways to honor her include:
Lighting candles at night, especially at crossroads or doorways
Offering garlic, honey, or eggs during the dark moon
Placing a key on your altar to represent her guidance
Calling on her for protection when working with spirits
Devotional Tools for Hekate
For those who walk with Hekate, offerings and ritual tools hold deep meaning. Traditional gifts such as honey, garlic, and incense remain powerful, yet many modern practitioners also incorporate handmade tools crafted in her honor.
In my own work, I’ve created a collection dedicated to her:
Hekate Goddess Oil — a ritual blend for anointing candles, altar items, or keys in her name.
Hekate’s Veil Oil — aligned with shadow work, protection in liminal spaces, and deep connection to her guiding presence.
Hekate Ritual Bath Salt — a sacred blend for ritual bathing, cleansing, and preparing the body before her rites.
Hekate Goddess Globe Spell Ball — a devotional globe filled with offerings, herbs, and a key, designed as an altar centerpiece or room ornament.
Hekate’s Wheel Stickers — her symbol of protection and guidance, perfect for adding to journals, tools, or sacred spaces.
Each of these pieces was created to align with her energy as torchbearer and guardian of the threshold, intended to support practitioners in their devotions.
You can explore the full collection in my shop here.
Why She Draws Witches
Hekate is not a gentle goddess. She does not soften the truth or remove obstacles without reason. Instead, she pushes witches to face their fears and step into their own strength. She is beloved because she is real, raw, and uncompromising. In her presence, one finds both shadow and light, both endings and beginnings.
Hekate stands at the threshold with torches in hand, ready to guide those who are willing to walk beside her.
