So I got into this whole Hecate thing kinda by accident. Was cleaning out my grandma's attic last month when I found this weird old box full of witchcraft books covered in dust. One had a chapter on Greek goddesses that caught my eye, especially this Hecate lady they call the "Queen of Witches". Got curious so I started digging deeper.
How I Started Digging Into Hecate Stuff
First I hit up the public library downtown – place smells like old paper but they've got these massive mythology encyclopedias. Flipped through like three huge books till I found a whole section on Hecate symbols. Photocopied those pages using the busted machine that always jams, cost me like 50 cents in dimes.
Then I went down this rabbit hole online. Read tons of forums where pagan folks argue about what counts as legit symbolism. Some said she's got five symbols, others said seven – total mess. But nearly everyone agreed on three core items showing up everywhere in old statues and texts:
- Torches
- Keys
- A dagger
Making My Own Symbol Set
Decided to recreate these three items myself. Hit the thrift stores first looking for old keys – found this rusty skeleton key at Goodwill for 25 cents that looked ancient. Torch was trickier – ended up using two wooden dowels from my garage, wrapped the tops in cheesecloth dipped in melted candle wax. Looked janky but had that flickery vibe.
The dagger took forever. Couldn't afford real silver so I bought a cheap kitchen knife from Dollar General and painted the handle black with acrylics. Stuck it point-down in a block of wood from my failed birdhouse project. Laid all three items on my altar thing – really just a TV tray covered in purple cloth.
What I Figured Out About Each Symbol
After staring at my weird creations for days while reading up, here's what clicked:
- Torches: These aren't for lighting dark alleys. They're about spiritual light – like when you're totally lost in life but find that tiny spark guiding you. Hecate uses 'em to light crossroads where big decisions happen.
- Keys: Thought these were for literal doors at first. Nope – they're magic keys to the underworld, spirit realms, all that invisible stuff we can't normally access. Also found out she uses 'em to unlock hidden knowledge inside yourself.
- Dagger: Freaked me out until I learned it's not a weapon. It's for cutting through bullshit – lies you tell yourself, toxic energy from others. Also represents slicing through illusions to see truths behind stuff.
What Went Down After My Little Experiment
Kinda got spooked when full moon hit last week. Had the three items sitting on my windowsill when winds started howling – made those cheesecloth torch heads flutter like crazy shadows. Weirdly comforting though? Now I see why witches vibe with Hecate. Those symbols feel like tools for navigating life's messes.
Gonna keep the setup on my dresser. Not like it fixed my credit score or anything, but when work stress hits, staring at that rusty key reminds me I've got access to more options than I think. Whole project cost less than a Starbucks run but gave me way more juice.
