Keeping Her Keys: An Introduction To Hekate's Modern Witchcraft Kindle Edition

There aren’t that many books available on Hekate, so as someone interested in her and her history, I have to snatch up whatever scraps I can find. Unfortunately, this book is VERY HEAVILY influenced by Wicca, which is a modern day tradition that has nothing to do with the ancient Greek Goddess Hekate. Many of the rituals and invocations feel extremely New Age, especially with its emphasis on modern meditation practices and candle color correspondences. The author even has us casting circles and cutting magical doorways, straight out of Scott Cunningham. Then the author shoehorns in some ridiculous claims that Hekate is a “Progressive” goddess, as though anyone living in the second or third century Greece could in any way relate to or even begin to understand the modern (American) political structure. Oh, please.And more of it just feels completely made up, or at least a huge stretch. The author claims that Hekate’s month (November) kicks off on Samhain. Excuse me? Please explain how an ancient GREEK goddess somehow has a feast night on a CELTIC holiday? This is what Christians did when trying to get people to convert to their new religion, take holy days of other people’s faiths and slap their own holiday onto it. The author also steals Imbolc and Brigid worship and tries to shoehorn in Hekate. The author also says Hekate is associated with angels. Um, no. The ancient Greeks did not believe in angels. Hekate is one goddess, with her own traditions. Please do not steal the holy days associated with other gods/goddesses/faiths and try to push Hekate into those spaces. It’s rude, it’s disrespectful to other people’s gods, and it’s just plain incorrect.The book is somewhat useful as a history of Hekatean myths and stories, but it’s not really about that, especially since none of the ancient myths are retold in full here. It's a good jumping off point to take notes and then seek out the real sources. This book is not useful at all for rituals or magical practices unless you’re already a practicing Wiccan and have no problem just getting rid of all your statues of the Morrigan, for example, and switching over to Hekate worship.Overall this book was WAY too Wiccan for me, and frankly, you could slot in any goddess or god from any other tradition and use the book in the exact same way. It’s just not Greek enough, not pagan enough, and not magical enough to be of much use.

This book is a self realization workbook that uses the very real magic of the Goddess Hekate. Cyndi Brannen’s insights are linked to both her degrees in psychology and her progressive approach to witchcraft. But you do real work on yourself throughout. You must account for everything within your own self observation ritual journal. The keepers of her keys make up anybody who accepts Hekate’s help and devotes the hour a day: a time she demands to get you on your path of self growth. Cyndi’s esteemed psychology fieldwork is evident in her methodical approach to this growth. You must accept the year’s commitment and follow lessons running month to month from (ideally from a New Moon). To become solid representatives of Hekate’s virtuous epithets, you have to do real work. Your spells are done in ways familiar but the power behind them is as individualized as you are. To invoke Hekate is to bring her form that makes the most sense to your life experience and your understanding of personal pain. But it truly offers a path to complete a deep transformation in your search for powerful and real magic. If you take Brannen’s guidelines and merge those to your own intentions, you have a Hekate in your corner. You will develop and posses very real and powerful magic.

I have come across very few individuals as devoted to the goddess Hekate as Cyndi Brannen. Her first book, Keeping Her Keys: An Introduction To Hekate’s Modern Witchcraft is aptly named and presents two of the book’s strengths. The first is that the book is a great introduction and starting point in learning who Hekate is and building a relationship with Her. The second strength of the book is that it is indeed modern. That isn’t to say that it throws out or ignores the past – not at all. The book is rooted in the rich and complex history of this goddess and guides the reader in understanding that legacy. However, the book is modernized in the sense that the relationship that you build with Hekate is through modern witchcraft practices as opposed to reconstructing or reviving ancient practices. Through keeping one foot firmly planted in historical pagan context and one foot in modern witchcraft, Brannen presents something very special with this work – a relationship to Hekate that is alive, evolving, and approachable.Whether you’re new to Hekate or to witchcraft, this book is a great starting point. Cyndi expands on many of ancient fragments of knowledge of Hekate that we have available, Her epithets and Her symbolism and provides her own interpretations of what those mean and how to work them into your craft, based on her own work with Hekate. Most books that deal with Hekate and witchcraft tend to dive into the deep ends of things, often incorporating other religions or practices into the mix with Hekatean names as substitutes, such as Hinduism or demonolatry in an attempt to bring something new to the table. Keeping Her Keys is neither, purely mixing a historically rooted understanding of Hekate with our modern innovations of witchcraft as a practice – which is very much in the spirit of Hekate Herself.The magickal theory and practices she provides in Keeping Her Keys is sound and reliable from a witchcraft point of view and as such this book is approachable whether you’re a non-magickal pagan devotee of the torch-bearing goddess looking to learn witchcraft, or whether you’re a witch looking to incorporate Hekate as a central point of focus. My only complaint is that I wish the book was much larger, but because of its size it allows the reader to get to the point and read the book in a day or two at most. The book is full of exercises, practices, spell-crafts, and prayers – concluding with a self-dedication / initiation ritual to Hekate to become one of her Keybearers. This is definitely a must have for any witch who works with Hekate.

I loved this book, but there were several small mistakes - misspellings, references to things not yet covered, missing lines or instructions, and confusing turns of phrase. I love this book and it's purpose but it would really, really benefit from an editor with a fine tooth comb.

A great book from Cyndi - this is the book I would have loved to have 10 years ago but it is just as valuable today as we never stop learning. It has some great information in it as well as tips for getting to know Hekate on a personal basis which is invaluable to newer witches. Honestly if you are being called by Hekate or are curious about her this book is a good starting point.Enjoying it immensely & I like the ideas put forth for daily work.

I would not recommend this book as it is a typical wiccan book and its instructions can be applied to any Goddess or God. If I remember correctly, the author perceives Hekate as an energy and how to manipulate it, and therefore not as a deity. It is clearly a Wiccan book, the concept of Hekate is secondary and most importantly this book is not about historical Hekate. Therefore, I don't see why I should read this book. I really don't understand how this book has received so many 5-star reviews, I guess strong public relations....

Basic knowledge for newbies not for advanced practitioners, often very ripetitive using same words all over filling pages with basic knowledge, nothing special....A Wicca based boules of rituals and simple meditations... well As I said good for new curious people interested in starting practice witchcraft and rituals

A wealth of fascinating information on Hekate, structured into a practical one year lesson plan.I found the book engaging, useful and enjoyable to work through. I originally downloaded it on kindle, but then bought the paperback as I wanted a permanent copy.