The Temple of Hekate - by Tara Sanchez (Paperback)

About the Book

The Temple of Hekate is a vibrant and exciting collection of modern rituals and practices exploring the mysteries of the Goddess Hekate. Tara Sanchez combines her knowledge of ancient practices and literature with her personal work.

Book Synopsis

The Temple of Hekate is a vibrant and exciting collection of modern rituals and practices exploring the mysteries of the Goddess Hekate. In this book Tara Sanchez draws together her knowledge of ancient practices and literature merging it with her personal experiences and ideas.

Thoroughly modern, but steeped in history, this is a book of rituals, meditations, divinations and other techniques through which the reader is invited to explore the magick of this ancient goddess of the crossroads, sorcery and witchcraft. The reader is introduced to essential practices such as keeping a magickal journal, setting up the altar, ritual purification, sacred space, preparing incenses and making a ritual robe; as well as more advanced practices such as ritual gestures, sacred vowels and dream incubation.

Other techniques covered include knot magick and phylacteries, psychic development and the use of banishing rituals. The exercises in this book present the beginner with everything they need, and the experienced practitioner with a new and fresh perspective. Divination is a very popular area of study amongst those interested in modern witchcraft and magic, and this book presents a unique Hekatean approach to using and interpreting the Major Arcana of the Tarot.

Through drawing together ideas from ancient literature and applying it to modern works, the author has created the Oracle of Her Sacred Fires. This oracle is a system of divination by dice and draws on the writings of dozens of modern priests, priestesses and mystics who contributed to the anthology Hekate Her Sacred Fires (d'Este, 2010) - a wonderful blend of old and new!

The comprehensive appendixes provide additional reference material which can be used to enhance workings with the Goddess Hekate. They include material on Hekate and the other Gods, herbs, plant and animal correspondences, other spiritual beings such as daemons, the winds and the four elements - as well as techniques for reduction sigils and planetary hours. Filled with a blend of ancient and modern wisdom, ritual, technique and theory - this book is essential reading for complete beginners, intermediate students and experienced hands who are looking for relevant 21st century insights and ideas, which also honour the past - and in the process it opens up entirely new ways through which to explore the magick of the Goddess Hekate today.

Review Quotes

This book was recommended to me by the author of Her Sacred Fires, Sorita De Estes who also has a Youtube channel by that name. I am extremely pleased by the content of this book. Even though a few of the chapters review various forms of exercises relating to the basics of ritual preparation predominantly of Greek antiquity origin (setting up altars, various info on the elements, winds, Hecate incense formulas, the bulk of the book is written in an almost scholarly format including footnotes concerning who the Goddess is, various origins possibilities, many great devotional exercises and even ancient hand gestures relating to Hecate. It is one of the few credible books on Hecate in my opinion. mainly because most of the book is NOIT the authors opinions and assumptions. Sanchez pretty much sticks to actual historical/cultural/ mythical information which is well documented by her research. I especially value the exercises and authentic devotional practices meant to enhance and further develop your own relationship and interaction with the Goddess Hecate. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is sincerely interested in this Goddess. - michele braun, Amazon reviewer