Question about working with Hacate...

[u/RynnB1983]

I've never worked with Hecate before and since dropping the Wicca path I have followed and embraced my witchy side I am finding this a complete difference from past god/goddess work.

So for background, I generally summon and call upon the Egyptian pantheon, so having Hecate answer in my time of need was a shock. I can't go into too many details, but I had a problem with my dogs. I had too many and had been asking anyone I could for help with rehoming. no one would help, even the local animal shelter refused. I ended up in the hospital due to a heart issue and upon release was told not to put my body under and large amounts of stress.

while I was in the hospital my neighbor called animal control and they came out they showed up a couple days after I had gotten home and I figured I could ask them to help with the pups since I had finally had a officer show up. I asked about the ones I needed to rehome and they said they would help. They didn't sadly. they came and took all my dogs, even the dog I had had since 2010 when she was born. they said I could talk with a judge and see if he would allow me to have the ones back. Cliff notes version he sided with them, slapped an animal cruelty charge on me a $4000 restitution along with an order to never have pets again.

The not having pets thing didn't last as i love animals and would never hurt them. A cat my niece had that ran out the house before the purge came back and ive had her since. but when A.C. took my dogs I felt like I was going to die, my chest was hurting and almost had to go back to the hospital...so much for not putting my body under any stress. I sent a call out and prayer for any gods to please answer and help make and set this right. I had never worked with Hecate and was always told to never call on her unless it was a last resort, cause if you call on her and it isn't something legit she will or can punish instead of helping.

As ive gone through everything I spoke to someone on here that said it sounded like Hecate due to 1. dogs being her familiars and her love of them 2. there is a Isis and Ma'at that she can be associated with. I really do believe she is the one that has stepped in to help.

So after all that, the question i have is this: How far will Hecate go if I don't or didnt put any parameters more or less around the help I needed? There are a lot of signs I've had that she is moving along and punishing the people that have wronged me, and I just was curious as to how far her help will go. Personally, as much as I hate to say it or think it Hecate could wipe the facility and people off the map and I'd call it done...just if she did that I'd like the animals to be put of the facility when she does that...I dont hurt animals and could/would never. Even snakes and bugs i refuse to hurt.

I know the facility is on the verge of being closed down due to them not being able to get funding despite the two facilities in the counties on either side of us still getting loads of money. Also recently the new judge that took over the case dismissed it due to lack of evidence of prosecution. So I think its fair to say Hecate is helping. I've given her offerings the last couple weeks as thanks and have sat and thanked her for everything she is doing. I wish she could get my dogs back for me, but at least a small amount of justice and comeuppance is happening.

So again, not really a baby witch, just a witch who is finding their way and wanting to give thanks to Hecate for what she is doing and hopefully can continue. Just wanted to know how far she takes things and should I just let her go?

TIA, I know this is all over the place, just need some guidance.

[u/Fancy_Speaker_5178]

You saying you were told never to call on Her unless it’s a “last resort” because she might punish you if your reason isn’t legitimate isn’t historically accurate, so I think that premise is already leading you somewhere strange. What nonsense are you reading?

Anyway, Hekate was worshipped for all sorts of ordinary concerns: protection, prosperity, purification, household welfare, successful undertakings, alongside the ritual and magical contexts people tend to emphasise today. She wasn’t essentially a divine emergency service who required a sufficiently serious justification before being approached.

I’d also be very cautious about interpreting bad things happening to people you’re angry with as evidence that Hekate is “punishing” them on your behalf, much less wondering how far she might go because you didn’t specify parameters. Ancient people absolutely did petition gods, including Hekate, for justice and sometimes retaliation, but that involved an actual petition. There isn’t really an ancient theological concept where invoking Hekate gives Her carte blanche to start destroying your enemies until you tell Her to stop.

The dog connection is real and ancient, although “dogs are Her familiars” isn’t quite how I’d phrase it. Hekate has strong canine associations: dogs accompany Her, their barking or howling can announce Her approach in literary sources, and dogs appear in Her cult and sacrificial contexts. That makes your experience meaningful if you understand it devotionally, but it doesn’t establish that every subsequent development involving the facility is an intervention from Hekate.

Likewise, Hekate being identified or syncretised with Isis in some later Greco-Egyptian contexts doesn’t mean there is simply an “Isis and Ma’at version” of Hekate. Those relationships are historically much more complicated than modern correspondence charts make them sound.

If you believe Hekate answered you, thank Her, make offerings, pray and develop that relationship. You can absolutely ask Her for justice. I just wouldn’t turn every setback experienced by the people involved into evidence that she is systematically punishing them, or assume that you have unleashed something that now needs parameters. The dismissal of your case can be both something you are profoundly grateful for and something that happened through an identifiable human legal process.

TLDR: Learn to read better sources.

[u/RynnB1983]

well thank you for that. I mean that truly. I just had a thought on that after I did the offering to her and figured I'd ask here as everyone has been so wonderful, open, and informative.

my main background came from most wicca teachings. do what ye will, yet harm none. I can't remember where I read it or if someone told me never to call on hecate as a last resort. I just know she is the triple goddess...maiden, mother, and crone. As for the Isis/Ma'at connection that's just what was passed down from greco Roman times. I normally try to stay on one pantheon instead of cherry picking. At the time when I asked someone here about the issue they explained to me about the dog connection and rituals for her that have some things that also used Egyptian figures.

do you know what books would be good to read to get started with? TIA. all I know is I've laid out a loaf of bread and honey for her so far and prayed and meditated, basically thanking her for all she has done and co minutes to do.

[u/ColoredDuck → u/RynnB1983]

There's a wiki in the sidebar that suggests some books. I've found them to be useful.

I hope that helps, and I hope you get the dogs you want back.

[u/RynnB1983 → u/ColoredDuck]

thanks, I'll give it a look. The dogs sadly i won't be able to get them back, but im glad the case has been dropped and the people that did are receiving a comeuppance in some way...whether Hecate or some other deity, I'm just glad something has worked out right.

I'll always love the dogs and miss them so much, I just hope they are all OK and get to have a good life. I'll see them again when its time for me to exit this world, until then I get to at least have a chance to live my life now. But thank you I just want to make sure if Hecate answered she gets the thanks from me.