Hecate

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Hades - God of the Underworld

In Greek mythology and legend, Hades is known as the god of the underworld. A brother of Zeus, when the world got split up into portions after the overthrow of their father, the Titan Cronos, Hades didn’t exactly get the best deal. While Zeus became king of Olympus, and their brother Poseidon won domain over the sea, Hades got stuck with the land of the underworld. Because he’s unable to get out much, and doesn’t get to spend a lot of time with those who are still living, Hades focuses on increasing the underworld’s population levels whenever he can. Although he is the ruler of the dead, it’s important to distinguish that Hades is not the god of death  – that title actually belongs to the god Thanatos.
Hades’ best-known legend may well be his role in the tale of Persephone an

d her mother, the grain goddess Demeter. Persephone caught the eye of Hades, who took her back to the underworld, and Demeter's grief caused the crops on earth to die. By the time Persephone got back to her mother, she had eaten six pomegranate seeds, and so was doomed to spend six months of the year in the underworld. In a few modern, more sanitized versions of the story, Persephone is not held against her will but chooses to stay there for six months each year so that she can bring light to the souls doomed to spend eternity with Hades. This rendering of the tale, however, does not seem to have much scholarly or academic evidence supporting it.

Hades also features prominently in the adventures of Hercules, or Herakles, and they battled each other several times. Hades presides over funeral rites, and those who are laid to rest with the proper rituals and ceremonies are welcome in the underworld. After death, the souls of those who have died must meet the ferryman, Charon, at the River Styx. Once they have paid Charon for passage, they cross the Styx, and the Acheron, known as the river of woe, on their way to the underworld. Those who couldn’t or wouldn’t pay Charon – or whose bodies were not properly prepared and buried - were doomed to wander the land of the living, haunting the shores of the river for a hundred years.

Of note, Hades’ name has become a synonym for the realm of the underworld. So we have Hades the god, who rules Hades the place. The name, Hades, actually means invisible – in one legend, Hades was given a helmet of invisibility by the Cyclops, to use in the battle against the Titans. He is typically portrayed as a dark, bearded man holding a pickaxe or staff that he uses to drive shadows ahead of him, as well as the key to the underworld. Hades is often accompanied by the black horses who pull his chariot, and his loyal watchdog, the three-headed Cerberus.

Interestingly, in addition to being a god of the underworld, Hades is also associated with the treasures held within the earth itself – gold, silver, and other mined bounty, as well as the seed-crops that flourish in the soil. Because of this, he is sometimes seen as a god of wealth and riches. Plato refers to Hades as Pluton, the giver of wealth. In Roman mythology and legend, Pluto has similar aspects to Hades.

Aphrodite, Greek Goddess of Love

Aphrodite was the Greek goddess of love and sexuality. According to legend, she was born fully formed from the white sea form that arose when the god Uranus was castrated. She came ashore on the island of Cyprus, and later was married off by Zeus to Hephaistos, the deformed craftsman of Olympus. Despite being married to Hephaistos, Aphrodite took her job as a goddess of sexuality seriously, and had a multitude of lovers, but one of her favorites was the warrior god Ares. At one point, Helios, the sun god, caught Ares and Aphrodite romping around, and told Hephaistos what he had seen. Hephaistos caught the two of them in a net, and invited all the other gods and goddesses to laugh at their shame... but they had none whatsoever. In fact, Aphrodite and Ares had a good laugh about the whole thing, and didn't particularly care what anyone thought. In the end, Ares ended up paying Hephaistos a fine for his inconvenience, and the whole matter was dropped.

At one point, Aphrodite had a fling with Adonis, the young hunter god. He was killed by a wild boar one day, and some tales indicate that the boar might have been a jealous Ares in disguise.

Aphrodite had several sons, including Priapus, Eros, and Hermaphroditus.

In many myths and legends, Aphrodite is portrayed as self-absorbed and cranky. It would seem that like many of the other Greek gods, she spent a lot of time meddling in the affairs of mortals, mostly for her own amusement. She was instrumental in the cause of the Trojan War; Aphrodite offered Helen of Sparta to Paris, the prince of Troy, and then when he saw Helen for the first time, Aphrodite made sure he was inflamed with lust, thus leading to Helen's abduction and a decade of war.

A festival was held regularly to honor Aphrodite, appropriately called the Aphrodisia. At her temple in Corinth, revelers often paid tribute to Aphrodite by having rambunctious sex with her priestesses. The temple was later destroyed by the Romans, and not rebuilt, but fertility rites appear to have continued in the area.

In addition to her association with the sea and shells, Aphrodite is connected with dolphins and swans, apples and pomegranates, and roses.

Hecate - Dark Goddess of Magic & Sorcery

Hecate (sometimes spelled Hekate) was originally a Thracian, and pre-Olympian Greek goddess, and ruled over the realms of earth and fertility rituals. As a goddess of childbirth, she was often invoked for rites of puberty, and in some cases watched over maidens who were beginning to menstruate. Eventually, Hecate evolved to become a goddess of magic and sorcery. She was venerated as a mother goddess, and during the Ptolemaic period in Alexandria was elevated to her position as goddess of ghosts and the spirit world.

Much like the Celtic hearth goddess Brighid, Hecate is a guardian of crossroads, and often symbolized by a spinning wheel. In addition to her connection to Brighid, she is associated with Diana Lucifera, who is the Roman Diana in her aspect as light-bearer. Hecate is often portrayed wearing the keys to the spirit world at her belt, accompanied by a three-headed hound, and surrounded by lit torches.

The epic poet Hesiod tells us Hecate was the only child of Asteria, a star goddess who was the aunt of Apollo and Artemis. The event of Hecate's birth was tied to the reappearance of Phoebe, a lunar goddess, who appeared during the darkest phase of the moon.

Today, many contemporary Pagans and Wiccans honor Hecate in her guise as a Dark Goddess, although it would be incorrect to refer to her as an aspect of the Crone, because of her connection to childbirth and maidenhood. It's more likely that her role as "dark goddess" comes from her connection to the spirit world, ghosts, the dark moon, and magic. She is known as a goddess who is not to be invoked lightly, or by those who are calling upon her frivolously. She is honored on November 30, the night of Hecate Trivia, the night of the crossroads.

Hestia, Greek Goddess of the Hearth

The Greek goddess Hestia watched over domesticity and the family, and was honored with the first offering at any sacrifice made in the home. On a public level, Hestia's flame was never allowed to burn out. The local town hall served as a shrine for her -- and any time a new settlement was formed, settlers would take a flame from their old village to the new one.

As the equivalent of the Roman Vesta, Hestia was known as the virginal daughter of Cronus and Rhea, and sister of Zeus, Poseidon and Hades. She tended the fires of Mount Olympus, and because of her devotion to her duty as hearthkeeper, she managed to stay out of a lot of the shenanigans of the other Greek gods. She doesn't appear in too many of the Greek myths or adventure stories.

Hestia took her role as a virgin seriously as well, and in one legend, the lustful god Priapus tried to take advantage of her.

As Priapus crept to her bed, planning on raping Hestia, a donkey brayed loudly, waking the goddess. Her screams woke the other Olympians, much to Priapus' great embarrassment. In some stories, it is said that Priapus believed Hestia to be a nymph, and that the other gods hid her by turning her into a lotus plant.
As a hearth goddess, Hestia was also known for her hospitality. If a stranger came calling and seeking sanctuary, it was considered an offense against Hestia to turn the person away. Those who followed her were obligated to provide shelter and food to anyone truly in need. It was also emphasized that female guests given sanctuary were not to be violated -- again, a grave offense against Hestia.

Hestia is traditionally represented by an image of a lamp with a perpetual flame. Today, some Greek reconstructionists, or Hellenic Pagans, continue to honor Hestia and all that she stands for.

Athena, Greek Goddess of Wisdom and War

Athena was born a child of Zeus by his first wife, Metis, a goddess of wisdom. Because Zeus was afraid Metis might bear him a son who was mightier than himself, he swallowed her. While trapped inside Zeus, Metis began to make a helmet and robe for her unborn daughter. All that clanging and pounding caused Zeus to suffer terrible headaches, so he called for his son Hephaestus, the smith of the gods. Hephaestus split his father's skull open to relieve the pain, and out popped Athena, fully grown and clad in her new robe and helmet.

The cult of Athena emerged very early, as part of her position as a patroness of the city of Athens. She became Athens' protector after a dispute with her uncle, Poseideon, the god of the sea. Both Athena and Poseidon really liked a certain city on the coast of Greece, and both of them claimed ownership.

Finally, to solve the dispute, it was agreed that whoever could present the city with the best gift would forever be patron. Athena and Poseidon went to the Acropolis, where Poseidon struck the cliffside with his mighty trident. A spring welled up, which amazed and impressed the citizenry. However, the spring was salt water, so it wasn't really of much use to anyone.
Athena then presented the people with a simple olive tree. Although it wasn't as impressive as a spring, it was far more useful, because it presented the people with oil, food, and even wood. In thanks, they named the city Athens. Some people in Greece still worship Athena and pay homage to her at the Acropolis.

Athena is typically portrayed with her companion, Nike, the goddess of victory. She is also depicted carrying a shield bearing the head of the Gorgon. Because of her association with wisdom, Athena is usually shown with an owl nearby.

As a goddess of war, Athena often shows up in Greek legend to assist various heroes -- Heracles, Odysseus and Jason all got a helping hand from Athena. In classical myth, Athena never took any lovers, and was often revered as Athena the Virgin, or Athena Parthenos. This is where the Parthenon temple got its name. In some older stories, Athena is connected as either the mother or adoptive mother of Erichthonius, after an attempted rape by her brother, Hephaestus. In some versions of the story, she is a virgin mother, who raised Erichthonius after he was given to her by Gaia.

In another tradition, she is known as Pallas Athena, with Pallas actually being a separate entity. It's not clear whether Pallas is actually Athena's father, sister, or some other relationship. However, in each story, Athena goes into battle and accidentally kills Pallas, then taking the name for herself.

Although technically, Athena is a warrior goddess, she is not the same sort of war god that Ares is. While Ares goes to war with frenzy and chaos, Athena is the goddess who helps warriors make wise choices that will eventually lead to victory.

Today, many Hellenic Pagans still honor Athena in their rituals.

Hera, Greek Goddess of Marriage

Hera is known as the first of Greek goddesses. As wife of Zeus, she's the leading lady of all the Olympians. Despite her husband's philandering ways -- or perhaps because of them -- she is the guardian of marriage and the sanctity of the home.

Hera fell in love with her brother, Zeus, but it wasn’t until she managed to get hold of some love magic from Aphrodite that he returned the feelings. It is, quite possibly, her deep love for Zeus that allows Hera to put up with all his mistresses - Zeus has gotten involved with numerous nymphs, sea maidens, human ladies, and even the random female farm animal. Although she begrudgingly tolerates his infidelities, Hera has been less then patient with the offspring of these mistresses. She is the one who drove Hercules -- the son of Zeus by Alcmene -- to madness, convincing him to murder his own wife and children in a fit of rage.

Hera's tolerance for Zeus' infidelities should not be interpreted as weakness. She was known to fly into jealous tirades, and wasn’t above using her husband's illegitimate offspring as weapons against their own mothers. Each of these children represented an insult to Hera, and she didn’t mind unleashing her wrath upon them. She also had no qualms about seeking vengeance upon other goddesses who felt themselves superior. At one point Antigone bragged that her hair was more fair than Hera. The queen of Olympus promptly turned Antigone's luscious locks into a nest of serpents.

Hera played a crucial role in the story of the Trojan War. At a banquet, a golden apple was presented by Eris, goddess of discord. It was decreed that whichever goddess -- Hera, Aphrodite, or Athena -- was the fairest should have the apple. Paris, a prince of Troy, was nominated to judge which goddess was most fair. Hera promised him power, Athena promised him wisdom, and Aphrodite offered him the most beautiful woman in the world. Paris chose Aphrodite as the fairest goddess, and she offered up the lovely Helen of Sparta, wife of King Menelaus. Hera was none too happy with the slight, so she decided that to pay Paris back, she would do everything in her power to see Troy destroyed in the war. She even drove her son Ares, god of war, off the battlefield when she saw he was fighting on behalf of the Trojan army.

Despite the fact that Zeus was always straying from the marriage bed, to Hera, the vows of her nuptials were sacred, and so she was never unfaithful to her husband. As such, she became known as a goddess of marriage and sovereignty. She was a protector of women, and is represented by such animals as the cow, the peacock and the lion. Hera is often portrayed holding a pomegranate, and wearing a crown. She is similar in aspect to the Roman Juno.

Gaia, the Embodiment of the Earth

In Greek mythology, Gaia personifies the earth. She was born of Chaos, and brought forth the sky, the mountains, the sea, and the god Uranus. After hooking up with Uranus, Gaia gave birth to the first races of Divine beings. The three Cyclopes were one-eyed giants named Bronte, Arges and Steropes. The three Hekatoncheires each had a hundred hands. Finally, the twelve Titans, led by Cronos, became the elder gods of Greek mythology.

Uranus wasn't thrilled about the offspring that he and Gaia had produced, so he forced them back inside her. As one might expect, she was less than pleased about this, so she persuaded Cronos to castrate his father. Later, she predicted that Cronos would be overthrown by one of his own children. As a precaution, Cronos devoured all of his own offspring, but his wife Rhea hid the infant Zeus from him. Later, Zeus dethroned his father and became the leader of the gods of Olympus.

Gaia herself caused life to spring forth from the earth, and is also the name given to the magical energy that makes certain locations sacred. The Oracle at Delphi was believed to be the most powerful prophetic site on earth, and was considered the center of the world, due to Gaia's energy.

The concept of an earth mother is not exclusive to Greek myth. In Roman legend, she is personified as Terra. The Sumerians honored Tiamet, and the Maori people honored Papatuanuku, the Sky Mother. Today, many Wiccans and NeoPagans honor Gaia as the earth, or as the archetypical embodiment of the Earth's power and energy.

Eros, Greek God of Passion and Lust

Often described as a son of Aphrodite by her lover Ares, the god of war, Eros was a Greek god of lust and primal sexual desire. In fact, the word erotic comes from his name. He is personified in all kinds of love and lust -- heterosexual and homosexual -- and was worshipped at the center of a fertility cult that honored both Eros and Aphrodite together.

There does seem to be some question about Eros' parentage. In later Greek myth he is indicated to be Aphrodite's son, but Hesiod portrays him as merely her servant or attendant. Some stories say Eros is the child of Iris and Zephyrus, and early sources, such as Aristophanes, say he is the offspring of Nix and Erebus, which would make him quite an old god indeed.

During the classical Roman period, Eros evolved into Cupid, and became portrayed as the chubby cherub that still remains as a popular image today. He is typically shown blindfolded -- because, after all, love is blind -- and carrying a bow, with which he shot arrows at his intended targets. As Cupid, he is often invoked as a god of pure love during Valentine's Day, but in his original form, Eros was mostly about lust and passion.

Demeter, Dark Mother of the Harvest

Perhaps the best known of all the harvest mythologies is the story of Demeter and Persephone. Demeter was a goddess of grain and of the harvest in ancient Greece. Her daughter, Persephone, caught the eye of Hades, god of the underworld. When Hades abducted Persephone and took her back to the underworld, Demeter's grief caused the crops on earth to die and go dormant. By the time she finally recovered her daughter, Persephone had eaten six pomegranate seeds, and so was doomed to spend six months of the year in the underworld. These six months are the time when the earth dies, beginning at the time of the autumn equinox. Each year, Demeter mourns the loss of her daughter for six months. At Ostara, the greening of the earth begins once more and life begins anew.

In some interpretations of the story, Persephone is not held in the underworld against her will. Instead, she chooses to stay there for six months each year so that she can bring a little bit of brightness and light to the souls doomed to spend eternity with Hades. 

Channeling a Deity

You will need the following items for this spell:
Your Mind
A quiet place
Confidence

First, start by clearing your mind. We want to make room for the deity. Second, call upon the deity of your choice. If you haven't already, it would be more beneficial to offer your deity something as an invitation or a token to them. It could be a food, a trinket, anything!

You must have confidence to succeed at channeling. Without confidence, you wont know if its the deity talking to you or your yourself talking to yourself.

Feel the deities energy descend upon you. Let yourself be wrapped up. Let the deity into your mind. Remember, keep a clear mind. You will know when the deity talks or does something.