Night-wandering, Saffron-Cloaked, Nurse of the Young

On this Samhuinn, I kept to traditions I established for myself over the years.  I rededicated to my Great Queen and then drank as much mead as I could and spent the night divining by stone and bone and star and pool.  I visited with my neighbors, shared a smoke and drink and wished them well, hope they felt all the good spirits that walk the land and converge in our home; I like to imagine it's like in the old English fables of the witch's home haunted by the dead... Spirits in boots and teacups, in overturned pots and in the cracks of the floorboards...  I hung up evil eye charms; turquoise hanging from golden moons, all-seeing eye pouches, glass buoy charms, red, black and white thread braided together and strung with obsidian.  Mostly we went on inhaling poisonous vapors, eating sacred red fruits and danced drunkenly along crossroads with the dead.  

Hekates...

"Hekate Einodia, Trioditis [Trivia], lovely dame, of earthly, watery, and celestial frame, sepulchral, in a saffron veil arrayed, pleased with dark ghosts that wander through the shade; Perseis, solitary goddess, hail! The world’s key-bearer, never doomed to fail; in stags rejoicing, huntress, nightly seen, and drawn by bulls, unconquerable queen; Leader, Nymphe, nurse, on mountains wandering, hear the suppliants who with holy rites thy power revere, and to the herdsman with a favouring mind draw near."

- Orphic Hymn 1 to Hecate, Theoi

Nekuya and Vaskania liked my Hekate Kleiduchos altar statue so much that they commissioned their own...  I'm glad to have two satisfied customers and I look forward to the traditional celebrations they've invited me to attend on the 16th and the idol-blessing (some would call an ensouling) and Hekatesion blessing I've been invited to attend.  I need to get to a butcher to procure my offerings ^_^.

Hekate Kourotrophos commission: for my midwife friend who honors the maiden of the crossroads, saffron cloaked nurse of the young.  For her I designed an only begotten maiden who holds in her arms a skull and poppies; as a necromancer and one who works to bring life into the world, the symbolism of the skull and poppy is deep and personal to her and is shared among many witches.  Clay. painted with gold leaf ink and copper leaf acrylic.

Hekate Nyktipolos commission: Vaskania has been dedicated to Hekate for a great many years now and has shared a lot of her oracular/crossroads work experience with me.  V told me a wonderfully witchy story about her encounter with the Night-wandering one; about how she had bathed in a spring and drank honey wine and went out into the darkness one late summer night and on her way dropped a key, retrieved a snake shed and gathered golden oak leaves for an altar at the crossroads down the way.  When she came upon the altar at the crossroads, she slept off her wine and toadstools at its feet and dreamed of herself wandering from the crossroads in the footsteps of a woman with golden oak leaves and snakes.  The imagery of her dream led me in my work and I'm happy V feels an affinity with my simple little idol. Clay, painted with copper ink, copper acrylic and gold ink.