Our Lady of Charity, Patroness of Cuba ❤️ pray for us

this photo is of a Marian statue that was part of a Jose Parla exhibition currently on display at the Pérez Art Museum Miami

Patroness of Eyes Disorders ~

Everyone has/will have their own beliefs and opinions about patronage and that's okay and valid and it's also an example of how individualistic this community can be once they get over their dogmatic mindset (where only one way, belief etc. is the right way and anyone doing it differently is wrong and so on). Just don't try and bash me or disrespect me because I believe differently than you.

Just to be clear these are my own person beliefs and opinions (i.e. my own UPG) you can integrate these beliefs and opinions into your practice if you want or you can ignore them because again they're my own personal opinions and beliefs surrounding patronage. If you believe differently or have different opinions than that's totally okay and valid too.

Consent is a major and important part of my practice so obviously it would also affect my beliefs and opinions around patronage. First of all, patronage to me is dedicating an aspect of yourself, your life, your practice etc. to a specific spirit or entity (or even a specific group, sect etc. of spirits or entities like the khthonic spirits and entities from the Greek pantheon) and living your life in a way that best honours that specific spirit or entity (or that specific group of spirits or entities).

Whether by adopting the morals, ethics and values of that specific spirit or entity or sharing the teachings of said spirit or entity in a way that's both respectful of not only the spirit or entity themselves but also those that you're sharing their teachings too. That obviously means not trying to force your beliefs and such down the person's throat or shaming the person if they don't resonate with whatever you're sharing.

It's the spirit or entity (especially when the patronage was proposed by the spirit or entity themselves) taking control and you trusting and allowing the spirit or entity to take control of your life or an aspect of your life. For example say the spirit or entity is in control of your finances and career.

They're essentially in control of directing your flow of income (among other things) and that means they're in charge of directing opportunities to make money to you and pushing you in directions where you can make more money.

They can also block said flow of income when they think its absolutely necessary, like maybe when you've been making yourself sick because you're constantly overworking or you've been spending your money irresponsibly and of course you being responsible with your money, but also giving yourself leeway to spend the money that you've worked so hard on on yourself and those you care for is a a way you can honour your patron/patroness. Money is fluid, it's not meant to be hoarded away, especially not if you're manifesting a flow of abundance into your life. How can there be a flow when the door is blocked by everything your hoarding away.

For the patronage to work properly you actually have to LISTEN to the spirit or entity you've chosen as your patron/patroness. You can't just decide to form a patronage relationship and not listen to the advice or warnings or whatever else the spirit or entity gives you, especially if it relates to an aspect of your life they're essentially "in charge of".

Setting boundaries is also a must for both you and the spirit or entity. Make sure that you're both clear on the dos and don'ts of your relationship, what you want out of the relationship and what you'd like to see from the relationship. Before you even consider proposing the idea/taking them on or rejecting the idea (if the spirit or entity was the one that proposed the idea), both you and the spirit have to lay everything out on the table and come to a compromise that you're both be okay and comfortable with.

A spirit or entity doesn't/can't automatically become your patron/patroness (at least not in my belief) especially if you don't know the spirit or entity that well yet, even if you knew the spirit or entity in a past life. That past life is over and done with this is a brand new life and you're a different person with different needs, wants, beliefs etc.

This kind of relationship requires A LOT of trust and before going into this relationship (or any relationship in general) make sure you absolutely trust the spirit or entity with your life, trust them to make the decisions that needs to be made and trust them to make sure that you aren't getting in your own way (because we definitely tend to get into our own way a lot of the times).

As long as both parties are receptive and interested in the idea than it doesn't really matter who proposes the idea (unless you have a thing about spirit/entity being the only one to propose things in general or the spirit/entity wants you to propose the idea/things). Just like the spirit or entity has to respect whatever response they get whether negative or positive, you also have to respect whatever response you get and try not to force the issue or let the issue sour whatever relationship you had with the spirit/entity before the topic was brought up.

Even with a "designated" patron/patroness (as long as you and your patron/patroness is okay with it), the rest of your spiritual support team can also have/still has some influence on an aspect of your life or your life in general. They just won't/don't have as big of an influence as your patron/patroness. That doesn't mean they're any less important than your patron/patroness and that their advice shouldn't be taken into consideration. Your patron/patroness just has a bit more say than they do and remember at the end of the day you have the final say because it IS your life.

You don't blindly have to follow along with whatever your patron/patroness (and SST) has decided and you shouldn't. Like I said, this is your life and at the end of the day your say in the matter is important and should be considered. If you don't like something speak up. This doesn't mean try and argue about everything, especially not when it comes from a place of feeling like you know better than this ancient being. It means if something genuinely doesn't sit right with you, go to your patron/patroness (and SST) and bring it up with them in a mature and respectful manner. Tell them why you don't like whatever has been decided and aren't comfortable with how things played out.

Now this doesn't mean that we'll always know what's best for us and there are and will be moments where the patron/patroness (and SST in some cases) will lower our volume buttons a bit and decide what's best for us in the moment. The same way we won't always know what's best for us, the spirit/entity might not either (it might not happen all the time but there will be moments) just tell them and remind them that how they handle another practitioner is not how you can be handled or, if you worked with the spirit/entity for a long while, how you needed to be handled five years ago is not how you can be handled now.

Now this isn't saying that you HAVE to have a patron/patroness. Patronage is not a mandatory thing and is definitely not needed to be a good or valid spirit/entity worker. It's definitely not something that should be rushed and neither do you have to have a patron/patroness at this time (or ever) if it's not something you want.

Personally, at the time that I'm posting this. I don't "officially" have a patron/patroness. Taking charge of my life is a group effort between me and my spiritual support team. They have influence over my finances and careers, my personal and social life, my relationships with myself and others, my healing work, my hobbies, my practice, my craft, my beliefs, my opinions etc. and I'm okay and happy with that.

🪦 Who is Hekate?

Hekate, also can be known as Hecate, the Goddess of the Underworld, Goddess of necromancy, the moon, the Queen of all witches and witchcraft. She is known for her torches, her triple faces, death hounds, slithering snakes, and moon above her head. There is so much, to this goddess. Too - much that most who work with her will never know truly the half of it. I would like to share my personal experiences while working with her on this profile. I may go into depth on some posts, I may not. I may simply short answer with 1-3 words. Either way, I hope to come across a follower/practitioner or potential follower/practitioner of this earth shaking Goddess.

For this first post, I’d like to share how I came across her in my life. How she came to me, how I brought up the courage to work with her, how I have become completely devoured in her energy in the time we’ve had.

🪦 How I began working with Hekate.

My biological Mom was having surgery on a Tuesday morning, around 6 am. My sister and I had stayed up to speak with her and reassure her for her big day. I eventually needed to go to sleep. I am not a fairly big night person, and I enjoy the morning anyways. (We all can maybe take a huge guess at if I am a night person now - or not.) I was super drowsy and headed to bed asap after meditating and praying with my Goddess, Lilith, and my Patron God, Lucifer. I prayed for my Mom’s safety and so on. Put their candles out, welcomed them to stay, and snoozed.

I woke up at 5 am, to help my Mom pack her things. I knew I had dreamed a little bit, but didn’t remember much as I got up. My Mom left with my sister to go to her appointment. I sat on the couch with the TV, just gazing at the walls. It was still dark outside, as it was still in the winter when this happened - March to be exact. I got this sudden deja vu type of remembrance. I had a very intense dream. I was sitting at an altar, purple candles in my hand. To the left of me was a statue, purple candles, purple gems, purple and black. I could feel thick feminine energy, hear a deep but coaxing feminine voice. I knew it was Hekate. I don’t remember if I had said her name in the dream, but in the dream - I KNEW it was Hekate, if that makes sense. I took that as a major sign, but I waited a bit more to be sure.

I eventually over the next couple days, brought it up to Lucifer and Lilith. Lucifer’s reaction was quite - shocked haha. His words were somewhere along the lines of, “She - what? She’s early. Damn she’s early. She’s REALLY early.” I sat in confusion with my eyes closed holding crystals. He explained that she was meant to come in about 3-4 years, which is super long in our realm and planet life. I then remembered, I had a protection ward that stated you are not allowed to enter unless invited (spirit wise). I asked Lilith and Lucifer, “How did she get into here? I didn’t invite her into my space..” They kind of chuckled perhaps. “You realize, we can invite others as well?” Lucifer had said. Lilith wasn’t really phased at all, she was really chill and honest. “She’s early, but for a reason. She’s been around for a very very long time. She’s just decided to open her doors for you years before expected.” Lucifer spoke about her and him having a talk, about why this time, why now, why can’t she wait. She explained, I was told, I was needing it now. I was ready, let me take a step into her way of practice.

I wasn’t opposed to the opening of Hekate in ANY way. I was honored, grateful. Having two deities and a guide though - I began to feel a bit of pressure as I was fearing how I would create a schedule or sense of routine for all of them. It was a bit stressful, not going to lie. I felt overwhelmed. But, Lucifer explained that she won’t truly go away. Whether I take the time to accept, or decline.. She’ll still kind of be here, she had to. I got the hint, that perhaps she was my Patroness. I asked Lucifer, he said “That’s for you to discuss with her.” I asked Lilith, “It is not our place to discuss personal relationships with other Deities.” I said okay, shrugged it off, and contemplated accepting her open arms. I am so glad I went under her wing.

I would see eagles every now and then, crows still yelling at me - as Lucifer likes to send them. Spiders crawling on my walls, seeing snake posts online, dandelions overcrowding my entire back and front land, seeing black dogs everywhere I went. I was almost crowded with her. She truly wasn’t going to settle down any less. I took the time to want to accept - I was honored to be called by her. I was ready. I created a smaller beginning altar for her, black candles, a necromancy book I already had, a purple glass, small keys, etc. I waited until the night came around, called upon Lucifer, Lilith, and I believe my guide, Joelynn. I made and offering, small but enough for beginning. I could feel her energy almost immediately. Her energy is thick, coarse to a sense, but so comforting and empowering. We had conversations, she hung around with me, got my energy, and ended the night with a “You’re welcome to stay, if you would like.”

Overtime, with my workings with her - it wasn’t even necessarily “work”, such as spells, personal rituals, etc. I gave her offerings, spent time with her energy, researcher her, read books on her magick, the moon, etc. and I would do a small ritual every new and full moon. That’s how I built my relationship with her. Most deities won’t go right away to helping you in spellwork, making you face major fears, showing up at random times, etc. They’ll most likely enjoy just seeing you do your daily things with their candles lit, meditating with you, and reading with you or another form of learning. That’s how we truly built our relationship, to where she now can aid me and encourage me in so many things that I need. I learned she IS my Patroness, and has been around my entire life, and will continue to be around until my body rests. She’s been my Patroness in many lives - this life - is just one of the very few that I’ve fully accepted it. I am so glad to have her in this current life.

I personally make an offering to her every single day, even if it is as small as a glass of moon water. I speak with her every day. But, that may not be for everyone, all practitioners are different. I’m very glad and honored to have her as my Patroness. I want to create more posts about her, who she is, and tips for anyone who is or going to be working with her.