Iโm trying to reach out to Lady Hecate, in your experience what are some things she likes? Currently doing a lot of research and learning from people who know her :)
Spells like spell jars, spell bags, enchanted charms and talismans (for example if you want Hekate to look after them or to store them on her altar, or even offer it to her)
Feathers
Candles
Incense (lavender, mugwort, rosemary)
Bay leaves
Snake shed
Devotional acts Hekate likes in my experience:
Dedicating jewellery you wear to her
Doing spell work with her
Working with her on protection matters (as she is a household protector goddess)
Learning about topics you're interested in (she definitely resonates with self-taught learning and also "unconventional" paths of learning aka not traditional schooling which you'd find in the domains of other gods)
Shadow work
Working on divination skills
Working on trusting yourself
Researching her and her history
Regarding her in times of transition or when you're at a "crossroads"
Writing and reciting hymns
Also reciting existing hymns (such as Orphic Hymn to Hekate)
Being there for others when they are experiencing a crossroads or transition
Honouring your transitions and changes in your life
Learning about her historical context (both in ancient greek religion and beyond!)
That's what I can think of off the top of my head - though feel free to ask more questions! I love talking about Hekate!
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Hello, do you have any advice on going to the astral realm specifically to speak to deities? I would love to but I don't know where to start
Hey Anon! Thanks for asking :)
I can really only speak from personal experience and I don't know the exact "science" around engaging with the astral because it's been a short part of my practice, but I hope this might help.
I'm unsure if you're asking only about speaking to deities because you already know how to astral travel, or if you want the whole package. For the sake of answering this in the most comprehensive way, I will present the whole package, but you can scroll down to find where I talk about speaking to deities only ("Speaking to Deities in the Astral" heading).
Before I started consciously astral travelling to speak with deities, there were some other things I was working on.
Divination and Clairsenses
In the early days, divination methods of communicating with deities. I've been using tarot with the gods for almost seven years now and while it may seem like a strange starting point because astral travelling isn't the same as using tools to communicate, I do think it helped me build my skills around receiving information and interpreting it.
And by skills I mean what we call clairsenses and intuition. This also comes with another layer that is sometimes forgotten: Trust.
I consider the development of our clairsenses to be important because they are, at their core, another set of senses. Our senses are what we rely on to interact with the world around us whether or not it's physical.
Some people even refer to them as astral senses instead under the theory that the information we receive spiritually comes from the astral or is based there, as it is such a vast plane that very well encompasses any sort of dimension you're engaging with other than the physical 3D world and isn't easily defined.
How does divination help with developing our senses? When you go beyond just recalling the meanings or keywords of cards, you can start to sort of "tune into" your senses and see what else comes through. This may be imagery, strings of words, smells or even sensations (e.g. the sensation of sitting in a car with an open window). Good discernment skills are necessary to avoid personal biases or projecting personal ideas into what you're noticing, but this is what I consider the beginnings of using your clairsenses as part of divination.
Alright let's say you've been working on your clairsenses for a while.
Does meditation help?
I do agree that meditation can help with this, which is the recommendation from many resources I've seen on astral travelling. Additionally, being able to meditate with a deity. What does it mean to do this?
Focusing your meditation process on your connection with a deity or desire to connect with a deity.
Interpreting your experience in the scope of interacting with the deity (an object that appears may be interpreted differently when meditating with Hekate vs Loki)
Receiving information or even messages from a deity in a meditative state.
This already creates a strong foundation for speaking with deities in the astral (some might even say this is already you speaking with deities in astral).
I find it hard to discern sometimes if I'm just receiving visual (or other) information vs if I'm actually in the astral. This is because my astral practice is largely bilocation rather than a complete out of body experience. So if you have trouble as well, you aren't alone. And if you want to explore bilocation rather than trying for an out of body experience, this discovery is what has helped me in spades.
Some notes on the imagination and clairsenses
You may actually find that there are similarities between your imagination and the astral experience, particularly if you are a very visual person like me (I can imagine a 3d coloured apple rotating in my head - so the opposite of someone with aphantasia).
Similarly, it takes a level of discernment for clairsenses themselves because my clairaudience comes through my inner thoughts yet isn't quite the same. My clairvoyance isn't me seeing something in the physical in front of me, it's all in my mind's eye.
It's okay to be nervous about these things. My recommendations are:
Write your experiences down or even just little notes. Sometimes I get random flashes of things happening as if I were purposefully bilocating and write them in my notebook. Then they match up with something I discover a day or two later.
Let yourself experience first and interpret later.
Find a trusted friend or a few who also astral travel so you can share experiences and learn from each other.
Don't be afraid to research more about something you experience. Particularly for UPG with deities, you never know if it's a new rabbit hole to explore or they might even want you to verify something (because receiving information you might not already know can happen and is a thrilling experience and one you can ground in discernment, research, and curiosity)
Speaking to Deities in the Astral
So the way I recommend for pagans/polytheists/spiritworkers to either purposefully experience the astral for the first time or speak to deities in the astral for the first time is the same.
Start with actually asking a deity for assistance!
I would recommend having an established relationship with the deity already (it doesn't have to be formal/oathed/familial/romantic - it can be that you worship this deity and participate in a reciprocal religion where you give offerings and honour them). Even better if this is a deity you feel comfortable doing divination with or communicating with in other ways. I definitely encourage meditating with them leading up to this to use those muscles (senses and skills).
If a deity you're close to doesn't come to mind to help with this but you are still pretty sure about your other skills, I'd recommend giving another deity of choice an appropriate offering to petition their assistance.
From what I've gathered, deities that are associated with travelling between realms or travel in general may be more familiar with helping people astral travel. This could be Hekate or Hermes from the hellenic pantheon for example, as they are both psychopomps and move between realms.
Trust is important here again. You want to trust your capability and you want to trust in what your deity is advising you to do.
When I did this for myself, I asked Bast, because she is the reason why I wanted to start astral travelling. I wanted to be able to interact with her in a meaningful way in the astral.
She guided me even while I didn't exactly know what was going on. When I say trust in your deity, I don't just mean believing in them to help you. I also mean giving them consent to guide you. You are actively stepping into a situation where a deity knows more about what you're doing than you do and you're relying on them. This isn't a thing to be scared of, just aware of. It's not a bad thing for your deity to know more than you. You can maintain a balance between being open and being aware of your boundaries, including the ones that are created while you're experiencing something new.
I followed her guidance. Sometimes it won't be in words. Sometimes it'll be the feeling of doing something just because you feel like it's right.
I believe I successfully astral travelled when we had this experience. The funny thing is, I didn't actually realise in the moment (I thought it was a fail). It was only after some reflection later and talking about my experience with a trusted friend that it clicked into place (I had actually appeared in what I now know as my "astral spawnpoint" (not any sort of official term or language - it's like, my home base from which I travel elsewhere). Then, I just kept practicing from there and I still do now.
Your deity may show you what it means to approach another deity (or even themself) in the astral. What might be important to consider, what the environment around you will be like, the etiquette around this (just because you are experiencing the gods in a closer manner via the astral, doesn't mean your manners are gone!). Because it does depend!
I tend to leave it to the deities I speak with to "establish the scene" in that I go to where they want me to meet them. It's hard to say how to do this because it can be automatic. One day I went to speak with a pair of gods on behalf of a friend because sometimes we need someone other than ourselves to ask our deities a question. When I intentionally tuned in and had my hands at the ready to write things down, I had "appeared" in a location where the two of them already were. I had no idea "where" this was but I knew from my senses and the energy there that this is where I was meant to be for this conversation.
You might find that the gods bring you around to different places for your needs or theirs. I personally don't think it's harmful to me for this to happen or that it's them messing with me in any way either. It tends to be helpful!
Astral can be subjective. I don't think I can really say "you should just focus on talking with one deity at a time" or "yeah it's fine if a bunch of them show up" because I don't know the "rules" for everyone. But that's just the thing, you can take your time to learn the "rules" whether that's about manners like I mentioned, or what circumstances are needed for travel (like your room set up in a certain comfortable way), or how you discern information, or what the gods are actually happy to share with you vs what isn't your business.
On that note as well, though, astral can be a shared experience. You can astral travel with friends and be in the same location! I say this because I've done it before and I've heard about stories where other people have too. I've seen people describe it like a massive multiplayer game where there is a huge server you're connecting to, rather than it being singleplayer haha
Other Considerations
Exploring your conceptualisation of the astral (what is the astral? how does it work? what is my belief? what are other beliefs? - you don't need to know all the answer and your answers are likely to change over time)
What is the relationship between the astral and deities? (e.g. do deities live in the astral? are gods in multiple places at once? are you interacting with one aspect of the god or something else?)
How will you know if you're using the astral in an unsafe way? (I mean this in the more grounded sense rather than the spiritual sense of protections etc. When are you using the astral as a reason to talk down on others? When might you be spiritually bypassing? - aka attributing situations that require certain and perhaps professional attention to a spiritual experience)
How will you look after yourself so you aren't overloading on information and thoughts?
How will you treat your experiences? (what do you want to share? what shouldn't you share? what might effect your path and practice more?)
From what I've gathered, just because you see, for example, a location that belongs to a deity, doesn't mean that is the Highest Truth. Sometimes people will relate to what you see or experience, sometimes people will have a completely different experience. That's okay and just part of the astral mystery
This post is really long but I do hope again that something here is relevant to what you're asking and what you'd like to achieve. I think astral travelling to interact with deities is a beautiful thing that allows us to feel closer with the divine. There doesn't have to be any other reason to do it other than because we desire to be closer with them.
Feel free to let me know if you have any questions or if I can clarify anything!
Hi! Love your angel work posts! Do you have any advice on how to approach and work with Archangel Raguel? Or maybe you have personal experience contacting him? I'm curious to know your thoughts!
Hello! Thank you so much :) I haven't done much with Archangel Raguel but I can speak about him anyway!
For anyone else looking in on this post, Archangel Raguel is an archangel of justice, harmony and redemption.
How to approach Archangel Raguel?
For approaching any archangel, I'd give the same advice. You can just go for it. The angels don't require a lot of preparation or certain prerequisites for you to meet to engage with them.
You approach the angels by inviting them into your life and giving them permission to be part of it! As they are always happy to come in and assist but respect our free will. You can do this by:
Writing them a letter.
Saying a prayer to them.
Making a moodboard for them.
Making a playlist for them.
Giving them an offering (incense, food, drink) - not required though.
You can get creative with how you invite them and you can address any of these methods to Raguel to work with him.
How to work with Archangel Raguel?
There are a variety of activities or devotional acts that can fit into Raguel's domains. Here are some ideas!
Journalling prompts:
What does justice mean to me?
What does it mean on a personal level?
What does it mean on a communal level?
Are there matters that I am unable to control even if I feel a sense of justice?
Are there causes I can contribute to in small ways even if not in big ways?
Am I able to surrender control if things are exactly where they are meant to be?
What does peace mean to me?
Am I a people pleaser?
Is there a way to mend conflicts / find solutions without people pleasing tendencies?
How can you feel more aligned with yourself?
How can you feel more aligned with others you care about?
You can also do activities connected to these prompts. For example, self-care for aligning with yourself more. Listening to your body cues and needs. Listening to what your mind is wanting. Taking a moment to have that justice for yourself and restoring harmony to your mind-body-spirit.
If you need help in terms of your relationships with others, then you can call upon Raguel for assistance! This can be for a variety of situations to your discretion, such as mending relationships, improving them... in conjunction with Gabriel, great for communication and clearing things up between you and another! Haniel and Raguel would make a powerful duo of harmony... you can see where he crosses over with other archangels!
If you need help in the justice system, Raguel can assist as well.
Hopefully this gives you some ideas on where to start and let me know if you have anymore questions!
My favourite cleansing method has got to be smoke cleansing either with incense sticks or loose incense on a charcoal disk (but I find this one takes more work).
I just absolutely love the aesthetic of smoke, I love lighting incense, I love the scents. My favourite are frankincense and lavender (funnily enough with your username)!
Oh and I like seeing the smoke leave the space, as a more visible way of seeing the cleansing happen.
Quinton Li! I've seen you around in the queer indie community for months; I didn't realize you were the same Quinton, ahaha. It's pretty darn cool to meet another queer indie author who is also a devotee of Hekate! ๐ค๐
Ahh yes that's me!! I haven't quite integrated my spiritual and polytheist online presence with my author one though I think it's very cool when I know folks from both spheres!
I'd love to know more about your books so feel free to text me on whatever platform you've seen me on as Quinton Li or via tumblr.
I'm not actively working on any indie author projects at the moment though I need to write the sequel to my fantasy debut novel about a lesbian tarot reader and an aroace enby thief. I also want to publish a Hekate hymn and prayer book one day, and a Hekate oracle deck.
For anyone curious, you can find my author work at www.quintonli.com
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Hi! Your blog is a very cosy place, I really like it! It feels like light and tastes like cotton candy.
I have a question. Do you know any tips for contacting your personal guardian angel? Any information would be helpful. Thank you in advance!
I'm so flattered for you to describe my blog like that, thank you so much. It really made my day
So sorry to keep you waiting, as I've been away from the blog for a while ๐ผ
I don't have exact tips for contacting your personal guardian angel as I don't actually work with my personal one! I acknowledge that they are watching over me and trust their work, though.
I do want to offer something! So here's this:
CONNECTING WITH YOUR PERSONAL GUARDIAN ANGEL
๐ Express your gratitude for their presence (in the same vein as acknowledging their part in your life). Recognising the angels in your life can help them connect with you and show more prominence in your life. They wait for our invitation as we have free will!
๐ If you want to do a little something for them, light a candle and dedicate it to your personal guardian angel. It can be a tealight or something bigger. You could always get a large candle and light it at a frequency that works for you (nightly, weekly, monthly).
๐ Expanding on the previous idea, you could make a bit of a ritual out of it. Light a candle, dedicate some incense, and say a prayer to thank them for watching over you.
๐ Research about guardian angels! It tends to be a great devotional act or a way to connect with the angels. There are different interpretations of what guardian angels are in our lives. For example, some believe each has their own name. I consider this very likely though don't endeavour to try and figure it out
๐ Decorate your space with angelic imagery or objects. This is a general tip for letting angels know your space is safe for them and that you would like them in your space and life
Please feel free to submit another ask if you want me to elaborate or if you have anymore questions!
Hey! Are you planning to do a post about devotional acts to St. Gabriel? Also, I've been reapproaching my beliefs and pratices but am not sure how to actually start working with the angels, and religion (specially Christianity) is a very sensitive topic to me. Do you have any tips on how should i begin?
Thank you so much for this blog anyhow, it was and still is really helpful to me and many others i'm sure!
Hey there anon!
Here's a post I just published for devotional acts to St. Archangel Gabriel :) Thanks for the suggestion!!
Now let's get to your question.
First things first, angels aren't associated with one religion as they are spread across multiple theologies and there are many who work with angels who don't recognise god or a god in their practice. They exist as celestial beings outside of our realms of categorisation!
So if religion is not something you're interested in when it comes to angels, that's all good! And even if you want to look into it in the future, it doesn't have to change anything about your beliefs. I've been here there and everywhere with my beliefs but I've always loved angels and wanted them by my side.
Something I thought to address was prayers. It's a very religious thing typically, though you may find some communication through this practice.
If you want to pray, understand that it doesn't have to associate itself with religion. Praying is a very intimate act of making yourself vulnerable to your thoughts and desires and being able to share them with others who are open to listening. It does not have to be about "give and take", it doesn't have to be a form of proving yourself to anything
If you don't want to pray and find it unsatisfactory based on your experience, you can also try other methods of communication. Journalling is one of the best methods of communicating with spirits, deities, angels etc. Write a letter and let your words flow to the angels. If you'd like to write to Gabriel specifically, I'm sure he'd love it. You can keep a journal and it doesn't have to be dedicated to angel communication. But having a place where you hold your thoughts, desires, wishes, and more can be a great place to build up that connection
There are resources on the internet that can help you learn about angels apart from a religious lens, or not a limited lens. Here are a few if you haven't seen them:
Ars Paulina grimoires
Who are angels? on Learn Religion
Spiritual Experience blog
@saintlyfawn's account
Archangel Secrets blog
Feel free to ask me any and all specific questions you have from now :)
Can you tell us a bit about Jophiel? She fascinates me.
Hello fierysword :) (I'm actually flattered that you've sent me an ask!)
So Jophiel. She's not one of the "seven" in my own practice, but I'd be more than happy to talk about an archangel ๐ซ
Archangel Jophiel
Jophiel (Jofiel, Zophiel, Iophiel, Iofiel, Yofiel, and Yofiel) is the "beauty of God" also seen as the "Angel of Beauty". She is also regarded as a companion to Metatron
You can petition her or pray to her for:
Seeing beauty in things (such as God's creation)
Seeing beauty in God (and his holiness)
Self esteem (seeing yourself as the divine see you)
Creative inspiration
Helping your thought patterns and addictions
Joy in life
Transformation
Considering this, her domains could be conflated with Haniel's (Anael, joy of God. Harmony, poise and grace) and Zadkiel (Sachiel, angel of Mercy. Who can help with stress, anxiety etc.)
But looking to her domains, you can consider her an Archangel of gratitude, perspectives and inner thinking. A great archangel for shadow work in combination with other angels (like Zadkiel, who according to the Zohar, helps her and Michael battle evil), a very strong contender as a transformer of negative to positive thoughts
Additionally you can consider her domains to be:
Wisdom
Spiritual and religious reading
Knowledge
As Jewish tradition notes that she is the angel guarding the Tree of Knowledge with a flaming sword (sword is also attributed to Uriel, and being a wisdom archangel can be conflated with Uriel) and so she is a guardian of knowledge. She is also said to oversee Sabbath day Torah readings
She has also been written to be the angel of the seventh heaven and guardian of the Torah, who also taught 70 languages to souls at creation
As a patron angel you can call her:
Patron of Artists and Intellectuals as the angel who can bring beautiful inspiring thoughts (also attributed to Gabriel and Uriel)
Patron of Recovering People, as she can bring joy and light after darkness (also attributed to Zadkiel)
Patron of Balance (though typically attributed to Anael), as her association with bringing beauty is also associated with Feng Shui
Some systems may replace Jophiel with Raziel though places Jophiel is mentioned, other than what has been mentioned, includes:
Pseudo-Dionysus works
Kabbalah
Calendarium Naturale Magicum Perpetuum
The Veritable Clavicles of Solomon
Sixth and Seventh book of Moses
In terms of planetary correspondences, Agrippa attributes Jophiel to Saturn (Cassiel in ars paulina) and Paracelsus assigns to Jupiter (Zadkiel/Sachiel)
Robert Ambelain says Jophiel is in charge of this cherubim ("Prince of Cherubim"); Haziel, Aladiah, Lauviah, Hahaiah, Iezalel, Mehahel, Hariel, and Hakamiah
It is said that Jophiel's colour is yellow (though typically I have my own associations with colours and angels. This is just a fun fact). Though it can make sense with yellows association with illumination, the mind, the element of air and all associations to follow
Her symbol and element is fire which is for her light, illumination of knowledge and the flame that leads the way
Her day of the week is Sunday (shared with Michael).
Here's her sigil/seal you can use when working with her:
Here's a prayer you can say to her:
Dearest Archangel Jophiel, archangel of beauty and wisdom, please bless my creative endeavors.
Open my eyes that I may notice the beauty in the people around me as well in every part of Creation, including myself.
Empower me to maintain a clear mind even in times of chaos and make my mind orderly and serene. Inspire me to trust in Godโs greater purpose for me and lend me the patience and the wisdom to recognize Godโs beauty in every situation. โ Amen
