Lyko, Nykhia and my Familiar
Alright well, it’s been not even a solid year that I have honestly identified as a witch. From the very beginning I got tight with my goddess Hekate. We were talking daily. Really I did all the talking and like a patient mother she just listened to me.
Even before I knew Epithets I asked the queen of the witches for three very specific things. To learn all I could about her, for my husband to grow to accept me as a witch, and for a familiar to server as a connection between us.
On the husband front it is slow but sure. He grows to accept my magickal orientation everyday. As for learning, well that’s a never ending journey. As it should be. Thanks to The Witches Realm, The Tarot Guild, and Geology of the Soul Tarot Mentorship the learning just flows right in.
As for my familiar… well let’s just say she came through in a big way.
Lyko: She-Wolf
Lyko is an epithet for Hekate the meaning is She-Wolf. When I learned about epithets I came across this one and knew I should pray to Hekate Lyko in regard to my familiar. I knew then the form my familiar should present itself in and I knew that the goddess would provide the connection I was asking for.
For me I’m not really into cats. Sure they are cute and all but I am a dog kinda guy. So when it comes to a familiar to aid in my magickal working it just makes sense that a dog would work best for me.
I began everyday as I had with my talks to Hekate but I asked Hekate Lyko specifically to deliver a black female wolffish hound as a familiar.
A few months went by and one of our dogs got pregnant. As soon as we realized she was pregnant I started having this sense of a new epithet I had not yet worked with.
Nykhia: Nocturnal Goddess; Night Wanderer
I started adding Nykhia to my daily prayer. I thank her for imparting herself into my black female wolfish hound. I thanked her for the connection my familiar would share and I thanked her for hearing me and answering my request.
Here’s the thing. I go to work pretty early in the morning the sun has almost never risen while I am driving. It’s kinda a liminal time of day when Hekate and I have our talks. So praying to Nykhia at this time made a lot of sense to me.
My Familiar
On December 16th I went to the store and my husband calls me as I’m leaving. He says our dog is having her babies. I rushed home basically disobeying all traffic rules (which isn’t a big deal ‘cause I live in the country). When I got to our land I went to the mother pup and she had just one puppy. He was a big red boy the next pup to come out was a black and white fella. Then the third one was a small black girl. There were six in total born that night and only one was a black girl. The only other girl born was white.
I knew the third puppy was the one I had prayed for. Hekate is often portrayed as a triple goddess so the idea that Nykhia was the third born seemed appropriate. The fact that she was the only black female was a clear answer to my prayer for her.
Identifty the Epithets that Fit Your Needs
In my last post I linked to a pretty good list of epithets for Hekate. Afterward I became aware of a much better source thanks to Lisa Jade of Living The Liminal which is another excellent source for learning on the path of the wise.
Lisa led me to a tumblr page by a woman named Sara Neheti Croft. On Sara’s page you can find all sorts of information about Hekate. There are three full lists of epithets and they all come with a source of where the original reference to Hekate with the epithets can be found, such as in the PGM.
If you are interested in having a comprehensive and thorough source for all epithets pertaining to Hekate, Singing For Her is an excellent resource. This has become my new go to web page for epithet learning.
I know working with Hekate isn’t for everyone but it has greatly enriched my life. Maybe you have something you have been working on but can’t seem to get the magick to work. I suggest exploring the epithets of Hekate and maybe petitioning her for some help. There are epithets for all sorts of stuff and when you find the right one it really feels like you lock in on the right energy. You don’t have to be devoted like I am in order to work with Hekate. At the end of the day she is said to be the queen of the goddess of witchcraft by some so really what would it hurt to explore the option.
Until next time,
Peace Witches
