May 233 min read

Rite of Her Sacred Fires - Year 15!

Greetings Hekateans!

I am preparing for the live Zoom "relay" I am leading this evening for the 15th Rite of Her Sacred Fires and reflecting on how my life has changed in these years since I wrote a short rite, originally intended just for the contributors to the Hekate: Her Sacred Fires project.

I was living in a small Welsh border town in the Brecon Beacons, not far from the bookshop town of Hay-on-Wye, when I penned the Rite of Her Sacred Fires. It was in Wales that the ritual was first done and filmed when it became apparent that more than the contributors would participate in it that year.

It was there that two friends, Harry Barron and Robert Podmore, came to join me on the full moon of May 2010 to mark the occasion. I had originally intended to do it by myself! Instead Harry and Robert held space with me, as we did the rite in multiple languages, in the wooded area next to the house I was living in then, in my temple sanctuary, and also at Pwll-y-wrach in Talgarth, the so called "Pool of the Witches" where according to local legends suspected witches were dunked and prosecuted. At Pwll-y-wrach we called on the spirits of place at a crossroads, and then proceeded to the river bank where Harry offered the Rite in Welsh and lit a flame for Hekate at this beautiful and haunting place.

All around the world, others also participated that day. One example that is still on YouTube, is that of my friend Emily Carding who participated from Cornwall. Emily is of course also one of the founding members of the CoH:

The feeling on the day was incredible. The idea that we were not alone in doing this ceremony for Hekate, but that there were hundreds, maybe more than 2000 people who were participating around the world. Were were all speaking the same words, a shared experience bridging language and distance, and we were all lighting a flame to the Goddess of the Crossroads.

In the weeks following that first Rite of Her Sacred Fires many people asked me if we could create a space for those who connected over the course of the first year to continue being together. A space where projects and friendships could continue to be birthed from. With the support of other Hekate devotees and friends, the Covenant of Hekate was born. Some of those original members are still part of the CoH today, others have moved onto other things, and a couple have joined the retinue of the Goddess. The Covenant of Hekate was born in November that year, and since then we have grown and evolved as a community, with new leaders taking on roles, and with each generation new ideas and ways of approaching the Goddess continues to evolve. There are always ways in which things can be better, but I am delighted to see the diversity that has evolved and I hope will continue to evolve.

It was a surprise when in 2011 I was asked if we were "doing it again" - and when we did to see that the Rite continued to inspire a unity in the diversity of the Hekatean community.

Here is an example a Greek Devotee shared, in Greek:

I could wax lyrical about all the adventures, but what I will do instead is point you all to the Rite in Translation:

Ritual Text in Translation | Covenant Of Hekate (hekatecovenant.com ) <<

You can still participate this year. Simply do the ritual, and if you want to also share a photo or many, for the volunteer team to include in the yearly photo montage.

For more information see Rohsf | Covenant of Hekate (hekatecovenant.com )

For FAQ's Rohsf|Covenant of Hekate|FAQ (hekatecovenant.com )

Here are some photo montages from previous years: