Keeping Her Keys: At The Crossroads of Modern Life and the Deeper World

This Hekate's Garden meditation can be used to enter the New Year with passion, kindness, and integrity. Combining deep breathing aligning the selves with a meditative journey into Hekate's Garden where we claim the keys from the past, release burdens, and then cross over to the road of the New Year.  Aided by the use of candles, incense and botanicals, this meditation begins with a simple ritual that you can follow along with.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.cyndibrannen.com/subscribe

Proclus, an influential Ancient Greek philosopher who lived during the time that Christianity was taking hold in the fourth century, wrote the Hymn to Hekate and Janus, a theurgical invocation that thrums with mystery and power. I find Proclus' hymn to be a soul balm, and he's quite an enchanting character. This is a wonderful prayer for the new year. Hekate is a three-headed goddess of boundaries, the moon, magic, and a soul guide, while Janus is a two-headed Roman god of transitions. Both govern all intersections, from crossing physical thresholds to the spiritual kind. Indeed, Janus was so venerated by the ancient Romans, that the first month of the year is named for him. Through the Hymn, Proclus venerates Hekate and Janus to bring harmony, protection, nourishment, and connection in our life. His theurgy unlocks something on a soul level and encourages us to connect with Hekate as a spiritual guide to embrace self-discovery, healing, and emotional awareness for a better world as we transition to the new calendar year.

View the PDF of the slides for this talk to find the book references, art, quotes, and more HERE.

Watch with CC and read the transcript (a great resource for the spelling of all the ancient names and terms) HERE (click on the magnifying glass to open the searchable transcript). 

https://keepingherkeys.com/ethics

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.cyndibrannen.com/subscribe

Join me and one of my favorite Hekateans, Jessika, for this chat exploring our places within the holiday season from deep within Hekate's Cave. We riff about so many topics, from why Hekate as a Goddess of Boundaries and how she can help us to have firm ones, to The Black Madonna and other Underworld Goddesses, how we found peace with the story of Jesus' nativity story, to those creeptacular holiday monsters like the Krampus that are definitely part of Hekate's Horde. The elusive Covina Librarian even makes a brief appearance. 

Send your ideas and questions to [email protected]

Happy Holidays

Winter Solstice Blessings

Yuletide Greetings

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.cyndibrannen.com/subscribe

Join me on this meditative journey to the heart of Hekate's Cave where we meet The Cailleach for unburdening our "stones," on the Winter Solstice (or anytime we need to let go our heaviness).

I adore The Cailleach. She connects me to my Celtic roots, and always welcomes the weary traveler, offering shelter from the winter's storms.

From Entering Hekate's Cave: The Journey Through Darkness To Wholeness

The Cailleach[i]is an expression of The Crone, a healing spirit that offers respite along the journey through the cave. There are stories regaling The Cailleach as the eternal wise woman healer. Sometimes denigrated as a mean-spirited hag, The Cailleach of various locations, such as the Cailleach Béara (Cally Berra)[ii], were Goddesses of Winter to ancient Celts. The importance of place is central to the tales of The Cailleach, where she typically be based in a specific location, such as Béara. Being linked to places signifies how deeply she is connected to the land and its people. She is of the earth itself. This connection of place also speaks to her message of reconnecting to the land, of treating the earth well so that we can be nourished.

[i] Sorita d'Este and David Rankine. Visions of the Cailleach: Exploring the Myths, Folklore and Legends of the pre-eminent Celtic Hag Goddess (2009).

[ii] Leanne O'Sullivan. Cailleach: The Hag of Beara (2009)

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.cyndibrannen.com/subscribe

I discuss the very difficult period of Hekate's History from Roman Times, through Christianity, to today. Note that this is a heavy discussion, including references to violence, misogyny, and patriarchy. Take good care while watching. It all ends well, with the redemption of Hekate during the 20th century.  Hekate is an ancient goddess who stands for a balance between darkness and light. 

In Part 2, I discuss Hekate's History from the start of the Common Era until today. Hekate was often incorrectly seen as a symbol of evil during the period between the Roman Empire up until recent times. Today she is being reintroduced into popular culture and spirituality as an invitation to claim the key for the journey back to wholeness.  

View the transcript (click on the magnifying glass; great for finding the source materials I mention), and watch with CC HERE.

 View a PDF of the slides from this talk (also great for the sources) HERE. 

Entering Hekate's Cave: The Journey Through Darkness to Wholeness available from major online booksellers. 

Check out my LinkTree for more.  Ethics: https://keepingherkeys.com/ethics

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.cyndibrannen.com/subscribe

In my new book, Entering Hekate's Cave, I discuss developing a close connection with an avian ally as we do the deep work of healing into our unique wholeness. This meditation connects us to winged creatures through imaginal shapeshifting.

"I recommend developing a close alliance with a winged companion for your journey through Hekate’s cave. Avian allies were often associated with Hekate and her companions in art, myths, and religious practices..." learn more in Entering Hekate's Cave.

Find where to purchase Entering Hekate's Cave, and more, on my LinkTree.

Ethics and Code of Conduct are HERE.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.cyndibrannen.com/subscribe

Claiming ALL our emotions is absolutely necessary for becoming so much more. However, we live in a world that often tells us that we are "overly emotional," or (even worse) "too sensitive." What's the deal with that? It is that our culture conditions us to deny the power of emotions, which are deeply rooted in the sacred feminine. In this first part of my talk on emotions, I dive into the stories of "difficult women," and their "troublesome emotions," like anger and anxiety, and then discuss how we can start to see that all our feelings are sacred. Becoming comfortable with all our emotions is part of the healing journey found in the safety of Hekate's Cave:

"To enter Hekate’s cave is to embark on the journey back to the soul. This is a lunar quest, illuminated by the goddess’ torches, following the rattle of her keys, and embracing the shadow within. An adventure equal parts exciting and daunting. In depth psychology, the concept of wholeness implies that we are intentionally integrating the shadow with the soul. The radical acceptance of our light and darkness is the path of truth. This is not the popular hero’s journey where all is bright, with conquest as the goal. Instead, we journey towards healing and understanding. The journey is inherently feminine, which is to say that it is associated with the traditional energies associated with this principle – intuition, introspection, and emotions." - from Entering Hekate's Cave: The Journey Through Darkness to Wholeness.

For a detailed discussion on the differences between the Hero and Heroine journeys, read The Heroine with 1,001 Faces by Maria Tatar

Emotional Agility: Get Unstuck, Embrace Change, and Thrive in Work and Life by Susan David

Atlas of The Heart by Brené Brown

Watch this episode in Searchie with transcript and CC HERE.

Go to the Agape Phoberos Meditation:

https://app.searchie.io/watch/gRqm0nGWN1

Ethics: https://keepingherkeys.com/ethics

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.cyndibrannen.com/subscribe

Borborophorba is an obscure title of Hekate translated as "The Filth Eater." She brings the Spirit of Catharsis with her, calling upon us to release our personal junk to her.

This meditation introduces you to the energy of Borborophorba.

Recorded live during the Borborophorba New Moon Salon in Covina. 

You can learn more about Borborophorba in my book, Entering Hekate's Cave. Find where to purchase in your region in my LinkTree.

Ethics: https://keepingherkeys.com/ethics

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.cyndibrannen.com/subscribe

Gatekeeping is such a loaded word today. Often used to how others work to prevent access to knowledge, especially in spiritual settings. However, the role of The Gatekeeper is central to understanding both the history and mystery of The Goddess Hekate. In this talk, mythologist Angela Natividad and I open the gate to Hekate as Propylaia. The term "propylaia," itself has a fascinating past; referring to spirits who preside over thresholds as well as important gates, especially at the entrances to temples. 

Watch with subtitles and view the transcript HERE.

Download a PDF of the slides for the references and more HERE.

Ethics: https://keepingherkeys.com/ethics

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.cyndibrannen.com/subscribe

Journey to the Moon Altar to retrieve a key from Hekate in this meditation.

Watch with subtitles, read the transcript and more here: https://app.searchie.io/watch/mpqzgze92K

Ethics: https://keepingherkeys.com/ethics 

Study with me: https://members.covinainstitute.com/

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.cyndibrannen.com/subscribe