184: Traveling Between the Spokes with Hecate and Lilith - The Rise of the Dark Goddess

Chelle (0:01)

Welcome to Back on the Broomstick, a modern witch's spoken word grimoire, where two witchy friends from way back are reconnecting to their pagan roots after a long period of mundanity.

Laylla (0:12)

We're re-walking the path of the wise and trying out all the latest spells, rituals, and magical theory in today's witchcraft and pagan practices.

Chelle (0:20)

So grab your wand and your incense, your cauldron and your crystals, and join us as we get Back on the Broomstick.

Laylla (0:29)

Hi, and welcome to Back on the Broomstick. I'm Layla. Happy October.

And we're heading into the season of the witch. This is the season of endings, ancestors, and dark and powerful deities. As we move towards Samhain, we're thinking about the goddesses who stand at thresholds, walk through the darkness, and remind us that we have power of our own.

Chelle (0:50)

And I'm Chelle, and I just love this time of year overall.

This kind of Between the Spokes period is very lovely. You get days that are warm, nights that are cold, the veil, you just feel it getting thinner and thinner every minute. It reminds you that things are getting dark, things are going within, and that includes us.

Laylla (1:13)

This is one of the Between the Spokes times that is very much consumed by the upcoming holiday. I'm pretty sure that very few people are thinking fall and harvest home and cabin in the autumn equinox right now, even though that's what the weather is very much giving us.

Chelle (1:29)

No, not at all.

Laylla (1:30)

Yeah, no. Everyone is all consumed with Samhain, with the upcoming Samhain holiday, all of our decorations. Halloween is a big thing here in the States. It's a huge holiday. I mean, it's very commercial, but it's also a time for those of us that are witchy and witchy adjacent to really be out there and open with our witchy pagan selves because all the decor and everything is so normalized that we can just embrace it this time of year.

Chelle (1:58)

I laugh at that because that is so true. Even where I'm currently living, there are Halloween lights outside. The Amish folk drive by and stare at them and giggle and it's amazing. It's normal right now.

If we were to do that in like, I don't know, March, people would be like, huh, they're kind of weird. We can kind of get away with a little of the weirdness right now.

Laylla (2:21)

That's true. In March, they do kind of say that about me, that's okay. I'm all right with that. It's all right.

Chelle (2:30)

This time of year also kind of brings about not only the thinning veil and that darker half of the year, but it also brings dark goddesses to mind.

Laylla (2:40)

I think because we are so sowing focused and everyone notices now that we're in the dark half of the year. Once you hit that harvest home, autumn equinox point, we're really seeing the dark. We're really feeling it. It's definitely all around. So I think people really turn towards dark goddesses, dark deities this time of year. It's easier to see them, I think. It feels easier to connect with them. And we get a lot of questions pretty regularly about goddesses, in particular, that you and I work with, who do seem to be coming into popularity along with some other dark deities. And everyone knows that you and Hecate are besties.

It has also been mentioned a few times that I have worked very closely with Lilith in the past. So these are the two that we're going to focus on.

Chelle (3:28)

Now, we get questions all the time that we try diligently to answer to the best of our ability. But we got some related questions we want to address.

So this one's from Annie asking, when should she act on a strong pull towards Hecate? Is it okay to reach out while I still feel unsure of my practice? How can I avoid being disrespectful?

I think that's really a good place for us to start this conversation, is what happens if you feel that strong pull? What do you do? What if you're new to witchcraft and you're like, is this a strong pull or am I crazy? It's something that's really hard to discern in those early days of being a witch. So what I would say to Annie or anyone else that no matter where you are in your practice, brand new, middle of the road or a seasoned witch, if you are feeling a strong pull to somebody, whether it be Hecate or Lilith or anyone, act on that. Do research, read books, study everything you can, and that's how you be respectful. So that kind of answers the, what do I do and avoid being disrespectful? Learn all you can about that deity. That's how you be respectful.