Medieval Paganism

Thus, we are confronted with several interpretations of Lykeios. There were three basic ways of understanding the epithet, as deriving from the Lycians, light, or the wolf; among the derivations from wolf, there were again three options: the totemistic interpretation, Apollo as wolf totem; the agricultural one, Apollo as protector of the herds against wolves; and the sociological one, Apollo as leader of adolescent wolf societies. Some theories were more easily refuted than others: the connection with “light” is linguistically unsound, the one with Lycia crumbled as soon as it became clear that Leto was no Lycian goddess, and totemism preceded shamanism as a widely over-used concept; neither should be generalized outside the cultures in which it was found. In the end, we are left with the sociological interpretation, and the agricultural one. Both Apollo, the young, and the city resonate with the cult of Apollo: he truely is god of cattle and sheep, and he is the leader of young adolescents; the main question was which of these functions was prior or “original,” and which was secondary and derived. This raises an interesting methodological question. There are other instances in Greek religion where these two interpretations oppose each other. The most conspicuous one is the case of Demeter who presides over the crops, and over the fertility of the married women: here too, the priority was at stake, and the answer used to be the same as in Apollo’s case: “originally,” Demeter was a goddess of agriculture (and Apollo a god of cattle), but then this function was metaphorically transferred onto children, the fruit of women, or upon young men, organized in “herds” and living outside the polis, as cattle and herdsmen did. The only reason for this choice was the assumption that agricultural (or pastoral) concerns were at the core of religion because man was first an agriculturalist and pastoralist and only later turned into a city-dweller. This frame of reference was challenged by Émile Durkheim, the founder of French sociology. For Durkheim, religion and ritual was not connected with fertility, but with social cohesion and identity: rituals created social unity and established social order, and religion was the main force that shaped early men into a functioning group. Thus, the interpretation depends solely on the frame of reference for the data that we have from antiquity. For the agricultural/pastoral frame, social concerns develop out of agricultural ones and are metaphors of them; for the sociological frame, agriculture/pastoral life is a metaphor for social concerns. The development of prehistory has made it possible to decide between the two frames of interpretation. Prehistoric research has shown that agriculture and husbandry developed rather late, in about 8000/ 7000 BCE, in what has been called the Neolithic Revolution. Society preceded agriculture and husbandry for many millennia, already when homo sapiens (and even his predecessors) existed in the African savannahs, there were social groups, bands of hunters and gatherers, and they must have developed ritual instruments to hold these groups together. The agricultural interpretation of ritual is secondary, and relatively young.

From Horace’s Epodes, this is a recitation which begs the curse-caster to relent and take it back. This is to be used if you are truly at your wit’s end or if you have been cursed because you had it coming. 

Perhaps someone has placed some kind of hex or curse upon you and now, you wish to break it. If you find physical evidence of this hex or curse–such as a sigil, a charm bag, or some other physical marker–then great! You can burn that alongside an offering as you say the following petition. If not, simply burn a generous offering to the gods while stating the following:

iam iam efficaci do manus scientiae, supplex et oro regna per Proserpinae, per et Dianae non movenda numina, per atque libros carminum valentium refixa caelo devocare sidera, parce vocibus tandem sacris citumque retro solve, solve turbinem. dedi satis superque poenarum tibi: fugit iuventas et verecundus color reliquit ossa pelle amicta lurida, tuis capillus albus est odoribus. nullum a labore me reclinat otium, urget diem nox et dies noctem neque est levare tenta spritu praecordia. ergo negatum vincor ut credam miser, Sabella pectus increpare carmina caputque Marsa dissilire nenia. quid amplius vis? o mare et terra, ardeo, quantum neque atro delibutus Hercules Nessi cruore nec Sicana fervida virens in Aetna flamma: tu, donec cinis iniutiosis aridus ventis ferar, cales venenis officina Colchicis? quae finis aut quod me manet stipendium? effare: iussas cum fide poenas luam, paratus expiare, seu poposceris centum iuvencos, sive mendaci lyra voles sonare: ‘tu pudica, tu proba perambulabis astra sidus aureum.’ infamis Helenae Castor offensus vice fraterque Castoris victi prece adempta vati reddidere lumina: et tu–potes nam–solve me dementia, o nec in sepulcris pauperum prudens anus novendalis dissipare pulveres; tibi hospitale pectus et purae manus.

(Already I surrender to your potent knowledge, and as a suppliant I implore you, by the kingdom of Proserpina, by the immovable powers of Diana and by those books of spells that can call down the starts that are fixed in the sky, please stop those sacral words, turn back that swift spinner, turn it back! I have paid the penalty to you enough and more than enough: my youth has fled, the healthy flush has left the sallow flesh that clings to my bones, and your unguents have turned by hair white. No respite releases me from my labour, night follows day follows night and it is impossble for me to breathe deeply and ease my strained heart. And so in my misery I am compelled to believe in that which I denied: that Samnite charms rattle my chest and Marsian chants split my skull. What more do you want? Earth and sea I burn! Hercules smeared in the black gore of Nessus did not burn this hotly, nor do the Sicilian flames that flourish in boiling Etna! Will you keep scorching me like a factory of Colchian poisons until I am but dry ash, swept away by the harmful winds? What end awaits me and what price? Tell me: I shall gladly pay what penalty you demand! I am ready to atone, whether you require  one hundred cattle, or if you want my deceitful lyre to sound out, ‘you chaste woman, you upright lady, you will walk through the heavens a golden star yourself.’ Castor incensed at the wrath of infamous Helen and Castor’s brother were both won over by prayer and returned to the bard the sight they had stolen from him. You–for you have the ability–free me from this madness, you who are not some old woman who knows how to scatter the ninth-day ashes at paupers’ graves; yours is a kind heart, and pure hands.)

Hieros Gamos diagram (frontispiece from “The Angel and the Abyss” by J. Daniel Gunther).

"All things are concealed in all. One of them all is the concealer of the rest - their corporeal vessel, external, visible, and movable. All liquefactions are manifested in that vessel."

— Coelum philosophorum by Paracelsus

Art: Albertus Magnus, De lapidibus, c. 1522-1566

"From one root, therefore, arise the two principles of the world: Light and Darkness. From darkness, matter; from light, the form of the world was born—without which there is nothing in the world, and the world itself is nothing. Thus, two [principles] constitute all things in the world; and all things are one: for the two are nothing but one, from which, through which, and in which are all things. That, however, is outside and before all things, being the root of all.

From the One, therefore, comes Darkness, from which comes matter, which is the existence of the world, extending from the finite to the divine. From the same One also comes Light, which is the form and essence of the world. Thus, the world is subjected to both darkness and the errors of darkness, as well as to the clear truth and perception of light. It is subject to the passions of death, endowed with both evil and good, sometimes filling with the anguish and miseries of mortality, and at other times bringing joy and happiness to the same.

In this way, it is clear that God, or the Monad as the root, in both its properties—namely, contracting itself within itself and thereby assigning dominion to darkness, or expanding itself and thereby offering its goodness to the world and its creatures."

— Medicina Catholica, Seu Mysticvm Artis Medicandi Sacrarivm, c. 1629 by Roberto Fludd; Alias De Fluctibvs

Hekate Posts

Informational Posts

Recommended Reading List

Common Misconceptions of Hekate

What is Hekatean Witchcraft?

Hekate as the Cosmic World Soul

Crowned with Snakes and Branches of Oak: Hekate Brimo

Hekate as a Witch Goddess

Hekate’s Plants/Herbs

Offerings for Hekate

Signs From Hekate

Crossroads and Hekate

Hekate Oil Recipe

Small Ways to Incorporate Hekate Worship/Devotion into Your Everyday Life

Zeus and Hekate

Hekatean Home Protection

Hekate Prayers

Prayer to the Many Faces of Hekate

Hymn to Hekate Pharmakeia

Prayer of Devotion to Hekate

Prayer to Hekate on the Dark Moon

Prayer to Hekate for Vengeance and Justice

Medea’s Invocation of Hekate

Prayer to Hekate for Guidance

Nightly Prayer to Hekate

Prayer to Hekate Soteira

Prayer to Hekate of the Foxes for Guidance

Prayer to Hekate When Crossing Thresholds

Prayer to Hekate to Avert Evil Spirits

Spells and Rituals

Hekatean Circle Casting

Full Moon Ritual

Hekate’s Deipnon and Dark Moon Ritual

Rite of Dedication to Hekate

Invocation of Hekate for Rites of the Dead

Invocation of Hekate and Helios for Aid in Witchcraft

To Prevent an Enemy’s Progress and Success

Hekate’s Open Pathways Spell

Hekatean Witchcraft Curse

Ritual to Banish a Malignant Spirit

Medeia Posts

Introduction to Worshipping Medeia

Medeia Epithets

Prayer to Medeia for Women’s Empowerment

Prayer to Medeia for Aid in Witchcraft

Prayer to Medeia for Vengeance

Prayer to Medeia for Guidance

Pan Posts

Offerings for Pan

Invocation of Pan for Aid in Witchcraft

To Pan in the Fall

To Pan in the Winter

Prayer to Pan for Easing Depression

Pan’s Love and Sex Charm

General Posts

Shrines: A Moderately In-Depth Look

Witchcraft History Book Recommendations

Deities, Worship, and Magic

Prayer Candle Divination

On Substitutions

A Note on Priesthood

Witchcraft and Hellenic Polytheism

A Cunning Man Who Liked Men: A Bit About James Thomas

Spells and Rituals

Kirke’s True Colors Spell

Rite of Blood

To Curse a Bigot

Halloween Ritual

To Strengthen a Distant Relationship

Stop Gossip Spell

For Protection Against Witchcraft

Gay Love Spell: To Conjure Love from Another Man

March 30th — Venus Enters Taurus

As Venus returns home to Taurus, life begins to slow down—and deepen. Beauty feels more tangible. Love feels more real. There’s a natural pull toward stability, comfort, and connections that truly last.

This is not about fleeting эмоtions or surface-level attraction. This is about choosing what is steady, what is nourishing, what is built to endure.

You may find yourself craving simplicity—quiet moments, meaningful touch, environments that feel safe and abundant. Pay attention to what brings you genuine peace. That’s where your alignment is.

If there are relationships in your life that feel distant or broken—especially the one you have with yourself—this is the moment to soften, to repair, to rebuild with intention.

Not everything needs to be rushed. What is meant for you will grow stronger when it’s given time, care, and presence.