Main account for Herme-Kate

Hi everyone, in the mission of trying to share more information with the surrounding community, I decided to make a tumblr community where more people can discuss Hermekate, Hermes, Hekate, occultism, hermeticism, Hellenism, kermeticism, etc.

Please join if you’re interested in these topics and would like to find likeminded individuals :)

It mostly features the main pantheon, and soon I will add chthonic deities as I start to finish this master list so bear with me.

Differences - Witchcraft vs Paganism

Both of these terms are umbrella terms, both are used in spiritual communities, but they are not the same thing. Many practitioners, especially new ones, and many outsiders use these terms interchangeably. They are not necessarily interchangeable.

Witchcraft is an umbrella term that can best be described as using magic to manipulate metaphysical or supernatural forces for a desired outcome. Witchcraft is an act; it's something that you do. There are many kinds of witchcraft, both the types of magic and how they work, and the types of specific witchcraft traditions. I have sections explaining both in this blog.

Paganism is best defined as any religion that is not one of the Abrahamic religions. This can be any religion outside of those, but is most commonly associated with religions that allow room for or encourage witchcraft. Many people forget that pagan religions can also include main religions in other areas that have nothing to do with witchcraft, such as Hindu, Shinto, and other such religions. Pagan religions are usually polytheistic, or having multiple deities, usually revere nature, and usually non dogmatic, encouraging thinking for yourself rather than following a staunch set of rules. Pagan religions also tend to not have a single holy text or doctrine.

You can practice witchcraft while being a pagan, or practice paganism while being a witch. Doing a spell doesn't make you a pagan. Worshipping ancient deities from non Abrahamic religions doesn't make you a witch. You can do witchcraft for your deities or your pagan religion, but you can't necessarily do paganism, rather you are a pagan or practice a pagan religion.

Some practitioners who claim the title of pagan, do so operating under the idea that pagan only means polytheistic non-Abrahamic religions, and that without the deities, you can't be pagan. This is inaccurate, you can very much be a non-theistic pagan, most who are work with the earth and sciences themselves, and for them, it's about the nature aspect. There are even some aspects of pagan that include S.A.S.S. pagans (Skeptical, Agnostic, Science-Seeking), and Atheopagan which completely disregards any deities or entities.

Wicca and Neopaganism is actually a major contributor to why the two terms are conflated so much. Neopaganism as a whole kind of took witchcraft and Wicca in as staples of the neopagan movement when Wicca became quite popular in the 70s and skyrocketed in the 90s and early 2000s. Because of this, a lot of media did what media does best; researched it a little bit, didn't quite hit the nail on the head, conflated the two, and popularized it quite substantially. Because the media was using the terms interchangeably, the people who were drawn to Witchcraft and paganism because of the media started using the terms interchangeably thinking it was accurate. And now with the internet and ease of access to widespread misinformation, it's boomed.

H.P. Blavatsky, from Isis Unveiled (Vol. 1 & 2): A Master-Key to the Mysteries of Ancient and Modern Science and Theology

Your craft is YOUR craft. It doesn't need to be a copy and paste of other people's practices.

You don't need to be in certain religions.

You don't need to cleanse or even own crystals.

You don't need to believe that your divination tools are alive.

You don't need to use incense. Bells, salt, prayers, etc., can cleanse the same way.

You don't need to believe in astrology.

You don't need to celebrate certain holidays.

You don't need to believe in chakras.

You don't need to use candles in every single spell. There are other types of magic you can do.

Found here- hymnals

This hymn was found on a gate in Medinet Madi, in a southwestern region of Egypt. Originally in Greek, this hymn was translated by V.F. Vanderlip in 1972

I have my opinions on some of the books shown, not every single one is perfect.

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO SPEND MONEY

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO SPEND MONEY