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

In the Keeping Her Keys book, I discussed what I believe to be three Key Principles for soulful living: the values of passion, kindness, and integrity.

In the book, I wrote about the importance of principles for guiding our lives. These are sometimes referred to as “virtues,” but this word has such a loaded meaning to some witches that I’ve switched to “principles.” These are our personal keys. It was quite a process to develop three that reflected the ancient virtues ascribed to our soul's ascension and as flowing from Hekate in The Chaldean Oracles. In the end, I selected kindness, integrity and passion. I encourage you to journal about what each of these mean to you.

I try to live the principles as best I can. They are a metric by which I evaluate myself on my monthly mini-pilgrimage during the New Moon.

I encourage you to work through the lesson in KHK on the principles, and to develop your own.

Learn more about the KHK book and my teaching at keepingherkeys.com

You can purchase KHK from most major online booksellers.

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This is a brief meditative practice that shifts our attention from embedded in the physical towards seeing from the wider vision of the soul. 

It's the switch from our thoughts having us to us having our thoughts, so we may explore how we are so much more than regular experience. 

Philosophy and psychology offer endless theories of the self, yet it's essence remains elusive. William James brought the distinction between the self as both actor and perceiver into psychology in the late 19th century. C.G. Jung called this the Self (capital "S"). In contemporary psychology, Internal Family Systems views the selves as multiple, yet acknowledges the presence of an overarching one. 

In spiritual traditions, the interplay between regular consciousness and the transcendent often adopt a similar view that we are both the physical being and the etheric self, or the part of us that abides beyond the corporeal. Merging the psychological with the spirit yields a pathway for practice that guides us to seeing from soul, and unifying the mundane with the mystical.

Perhaps the only way to understand what's been called the soul, the spirit, the higher self, or even the third eye, is through experiencing this shift in gaze. 

The exercise guides you through the process to aid in activating this deeper "watcher." 

Learn more: keepingherkeys.com

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Medea, that mythical sorceress whose magic built a king and then destroyed him. 

For over 2,000 years she has captivated our attention. Reviled by some for her unspeakable actions, understood by others as a woman robbed of any personal agency. Medea operated in the shadows, often crafting her spells in secret, and she can also be seen as being in the grips of the shadow self. Her longing for her prince, and perhaps power, possessed her above all. 

In this episode, Angela Natividad and I explore the themes of Medea, then find examples of her in contemporary society (Amber Heard, for example).  We draw from both art and literature to discuss how Medea, as a symbol of the dangerous woman, is entwined with both the systemic disempowerment of women and capitalism. The central question we used was borrowed from Margaret Atwood's introduction to Christina Wolf's contemporary retelling of Medea's story: "Like a tunnel full of mirrors, it both reflects and echoes. The question it asks the reader, through many voices and in many different ways, is: What would you be willing to believe, to accept, to conceal, to do, to save your own skin, or simply to stay close to power? Who would you be willing to sacrifice?" 

You can watch this with closed captioning and view the transcript here. 

In "Entering Hekate's Garden," Medea plays a central role as the Queen of Poisons. You can find this book, along with my others, in different formats from major online booksellers. 

Access the PDF of the slides in the video here.

Go deeper by joining The Covina Institute.

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A meditation to claim the keys of autumn, by connecting root, heart, and crown, with an invocation of the goddess Hekate.

Text of Hymn To Hekate on The Autumn Equinox:

Hail Hekate Pasikratea, Queen of the Universe.

Hail Hekate Aglaos, Creator of the Sun.

Hail Hekate Erigeneia, Ruler of the Moon.

On this day

When the moon and sun are equal,

I am once again awestruck by

Your Power

As Creatrix of the World.

You who control all the universe

In your Hand.

Hekate Megiste,

Your majesty overwhelms me

And I am humbled.

On this Autumn Equinox,

I express my sincere affection for you, Blessed Hekate.

I offer my gratitude, Blessed Hekate.

I renew my devotion, Blessed Hekate.

Hail Hekate Pasikratea, Queen of the Universe.

Hail Hekate Aglaos, Creator of the Sun.

Hail Hekate Erigeneia, Ruler of the Moon.

keepingherkeys.com

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Welcome back, or if you're new to the podcast, nice to meet you. After a summer away from podcasting, I'm back with this episode discussing owning my own journey, what it means to be bitten by a brown recluse spider, desire vs. capacity, and what it means to claim (and keep) my keys.

Mentions: 

Tarana Burke: Unbound: My Story of Liberation and the Birth of the Me Too Movement

Brené Brown: Clear Is Kind. Unclear Is Unkind.

keepingherkeys.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

Thanks everyone for listening to the first season of More Than This: At The Crossroads of Modern Life and The Deeper World.

We'll be back in the fall with more explorations of archetypes, myths, magic, mystery, and psychology. Until then head on over to keepingherkeys.com to learn more about Dr. Cyndi Brannen's teaching and writing. 

Join COVINA for the Season of Renewal.

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AMA where I answer questions about feeling called by Hekate (or any healing spirit) to be of service to others, avoiding spiritual bypassing, how all emotions are sacred, and how I practice astrological magic. 

keepingherkeys.com to learn more.

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

Dr. Cyndi Brannen and Angela Natividad discuss the history and mythology of Drakaina, which translates as She-Dragon and/or Serpent Queen. We discovered this as a title of Hekate (Hecate) in a few ancient texts, and then found art that supports this ancient goddesses' association with dragons and serpents. Interesting, just like everything to do with women, snakes and god(dess). From Medusa to Game of Thrones, and all looping around those fateful events in the Garden of Eden, women's power has been connected with serpents, be they flying or slithering.

Some of the books mentioned:

The Dragon in The West

The Greek Magical Papyri

The Chaldean Oracles

Ovid's Metamorphoses

The Goddess Versus The Alphabet

NOTE: We're giving Medusa a full episode that will air later in June 2022.

Learn more at keepingherkeys.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

Medusa's story, like many myths, contains sexual violence, murder, and great suffering. If you are not in a space to feel safe while we explore these topics, you may want to skip this one.

Angela Natividad and I go deep into the story of Medusa, from her ancient origins to the Me, Too movement. Medusa's story is one of victim-blaming, betrayal, isolation, and hidden potential. She lives on whenever we are not believed, blamed, or invalidated when we speak truth to power.

Violated by Poseidon, she was transformed into a monster by Athena. Forced into isolation, she bore the brunt of the powerful. When Perseus murdered her, she birthed two spirits: Pegasus, the free-flying winged horse and the much lesser known Chrysaor, a noble warrior-giant.

Through her myth and art, we explore how the image of the woman with snakes in her hair has been viewed over time, and then contextualize what this means today. We link this back to our personal experiences and to social psychological theories to expand the meaning of Medusa. Perhaps there is no more important contemporary story than the way Chanel Miller was "medusaed" by some, both in the courtoom and in the public. We end by discussing ways we can reattach Medusa's head as individuals and in the broader sense.

MeToo has amazing resources. Find them HERE.

Connect with Chanel Miller.

Books mentioned:

Red Moon by Miranda Gray

Maria Tatar's Heroine With 1001 Faces

Cassandra Speaks by Elizabeth Lesser

Medusa by Jessie Burton

Known My Name by Chanel Miller

Lost Goddesses of Ancient Greece by Charlene Spretnak

Revisioning Medusa from Girl God Books

Pindar's Pythian Odes

Ovid's Metamorphoses

Hesiod's Theogony

Essays and Articles mentioned:

NY Times: "The Medusa Statue That Become a Symbol of Feminist Rage."



Medusa in Ancient Greek Art by Madeleine Glennon, Department of Greek and Roman Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

A. L. Frothingham, Medusa, Apollo, and the Great Mother. American Journal of Archaeology , Jul. - Sep., 1911, Vol. 15, No. 3

Go deeper into Medusa's story, including viewing the art we discuss HERE.

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Recorded talk from MoonCon 2021.

Dr. Cyndi Brannen discusses Hekate and her bestselling book, Keeping Her Keys: An Introduction to Hekate's Modern Witchcraft.

Hekate (Hecate to some) is an ancient goddess typically associated with magic, the moon, and witchcraft. Yet, historical records equally show that she was understood by some as a Great Mother Goddess and even the World Soul.

Answers to your questions about Hekate, from who is she to how to connect with her.

Learn more about Dr. Cyndi's JULY 3, 2022 free talk at MoonCon 2022, HERE.

More about all things Keeping Her Keys 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