When I created the Covenant of Hekate in November 2010 I also created the first website we had and registered the domain hekatecovenant.com. That was a long time ago and over the years many different people contributed, all contributing aspects of their passion for the Goddess of the Crossroads, the Torchbearing Hekate. It worked, but with all the changes in technology and also the way we use the internet it was time for change - and this new website is the result of a lot of consultation with members, online work sessions and lots of late nights figuring out how to best present material representing the core goals and aims of the Covenant of Hekate. So here we are, a new site, a new look - and some new material too.
The above photo, taken by myself in 2006 was perhaps the first time I actively photographed a Hekate shrine. Back then doing things like that wasn't the thing you did - but we wanted to include some shrine photos in the devotional anthology Hekate: Keys to the Crossroads, and so I had a go. It was also one of the first photos I added to the original Covenant of Hekate website in 2010 and so to continue that thread, the first I am sharing in this my very first blog on this brand new site!
The Covenant of Hekate journey has been an interesting one, and one which has given me tremendous opportunities to learn more about Hekate, the Goddess I honour above all others, and also for friendships, collaborations and personal growth along the way. It would be a lie to say it was always easy, but the hardships have all been a chance to learn and grow as a community and to do things better. Which we have. At the time of writing this the Covenant of Hekate has around 1000 members spread between six continents and we continue to grow and evolve.
The Covenant of Hekate is a network - not a tradition.
The Covenant of Hekate is a network of devotees. We do have set membership rituals and processes, and we do expect all members to agree to the aims and goals, as well as the 5 Virtues when joining. This allows us to have some common ground and also guidelines, but our members come from a wide range of traditions and backgrounds. We are an inclusive and progressive network and we are guided in the diversity of our beliefs and practices by the principles inherent in that which we hold in common. Membership is and has always been free. A "Covenant" is not the same as a "Coven" (this is sometimes confusing when it is translated!), instead we use the word "Covenant" to designate a relationship between and individual and a deity, here the deity of course being the Goddess Hekate. Our dedication as devotees is to our Goddess, and it remains as such.
Why did we create the Covenant of Hekate?
The Covenant of Hekate was created as a direct result of the community created by the Rite of Her Sacred Fires in 2010, which in turn was created because of the devotional anthology Hekate: Her Sacred Fires. The idea was to create a space for devotees from all over the world to come together and share their ideas, knowledge and experiences for the benefit of others. The Covenant is a crossroads, a meeting space for devotees. We learn from each other. The Torchbearers are devotees who have furthered their dedication to include "shining torches" for other members. I carefully chose to use the terms "devotee" and "torchbearer" for members to avoid terms that were popular in other traditions, at the time these were not terms used by other followers of Hekate at the time, and devotee was only really in use amongst some groups of polytheists. The term Keybearer was given to me originally by other members, and because I believe that individual groups should be autonomous and decisions decentralised, there is a Circle of Keybearers today who share the work of making decisions for the Covenant of Hekate's future - carrying its keys into the future. I am very proud and humbled by what we have achieved over the last nearly 13 years.
If you are interested in joining the Covenant of Hekate and becoming a member see "membership" for more information.
Existing members - if you are reading this and have not yet checked into the Facebook group, do so now for information on how to access the members only section of this site and other resources that we hope to make available in the second half of 2023.
With many blessings
Sorita d'Este
"From Crossroad to Crossroad, the Keybearers and Torchbearers of your Mysteries will always find one another. " - Sorita d'Este, 2010
