At the top of these pages is a key with a snake coiled around it. This image was a random, unsourced find many years ago. I don’t know where it originates but I do know that it brings together two very important relationships for me: with Hermes and Hekate. The key is one of the abiding symbols of the goddess Hekate and the snake coiled round it brings to mind the caduceus of Hermes.
Hermes and Hekate have been adjacent to each other since ancient times. They often appear together on Greek painted pottery and there are references in classical texts to Hermes being Hekate’s consort in the underworld. In the Greek Magical Papyrii we find a couple of places where Hekate is invoked by a listing aloud of her symbols and, among them, is the herald’s staff, the Kerykeion which is also the caduceus of Hermes. There is, as well, the one mention in the PGM of “Hermekate”. Safe to say there is no sure interpretation of what was intended there. Some have suggested that this was actually a word for a Herm (a square-based religious statue) in the shape of Hekate just as you might have a Hermapollo. For others, there is the suggestion of a syncretism, a single god/dess made from both. I think both these explanations fail to take full account of the prayer in which it is found as a literary artefact. Those finer points are perhaps for another day but suffice to say, it is not unusual to see Hermes and Hekate brought together in ancient magic and religion.
This is by way of introduction to the text below which is a prayer and an invocation. As well as both Hermes and Hekate having underworld credentials, I have here put the figure of The Good Shepherd in between them. An association with herding and shepherding images is another thing they share and so one of the texts I have used here is the 23rd Psalm, “The Lord is my Shepherd”. In Biblical terms the psalm prefigures the idea of Christ the Good Shepherd but many Christians would be surprised to discover that the iconography they are used to reading as Christ, a young man with a ram over his shoulders, significantly predates Christ in the ancient world, It was most often seen as an image of Hermes: Hermes Kriophoros, the Ram-Bearer is how he was named. Hekate for her part is associated with those who herd bulls through the Orphic Hymn to Hekate.
So three short texts: Psalm 23, The Orphic Hymn to Hekate and a paragraph from Pausanius about Hermes the Ram-Bearer are here moulded together to support and amplify one another.
The text is for three voices. But it can also be read by one. With one or three it really does only work when read aloud. The slightly slower pace of reading aloud rather than mental skimming is needed to make it ‘come out right’. The three texts are slowly interwoven and then ‘cut-up’. As the invocation goes on it makes less and less sense. As sense evaporates, so a space is created. It is similar to the erosion of meaning when a magical sigil is created, from firm intent to a pleasing but meaningless shape. Cut-up is a technique which was popularised in the 60s and onwards by William Burroughs and Brion Gysin. They used it for numerous magical purposes including for the creation of oracles. It is a technique I have been using a lot this last year and bit. This is a spell which can bring prophetic dreams. It can be used to create a shroud of protection in the same way a shepherd or bull-herder protects their charges. It can be used to bring Hermes and Hekate close enough to see in visions in a scrying crystal, though often they do not need a crystal.
Invocation.
I.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
II.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
The Lord of my comfort: the cup head table.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
Will thou me dwell for days ever shadow: death, mercy, righteousness mine staff leadeth.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Enemies fear my life: my pastures for evil’s sake restoreth the waters’ goodness.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Yea, the shepherd surely walks my name’s life, I for ever days: thou mercy my house; I rod, I valley.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Anointest down and leadeth beside the pastures mine: I dwell in my days house forever.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
And still thou walk: his soul runneth oil in my cup.
III.
“There are places, temples, sanctuaries where he is Hermes Kriophoros, Ram-Bearer, Shepherd, known as Promachos, First in the Battle, Hermes the champion. There is a story that Hermes averted a plague from the walls of the Boetian city, Tanagra. Walking the walls in a circuit, around and around, a ram on his shoulders, bound at the heels, around the walls he walked the ram, and now in his memory, now to commemorate, the most beautiful boy, touched with the bronze of the sun is chosen each time to circuit the walls. He shines in the sun, up there on the walls with the ram on his shoulders, proud in the face of the virulent plague. They tell him the ram is the one that will die, they tell him a lie. Armoured in beauty, they tell him the lie, that his path is a circuit of walls and only the ram will be walking the paths of the dead but Hermes Kriophoros walks on these paths, the trickster, the thief, the boy with his rod, his ram-rod, his staff will plunge to the valley of the shadow of death.”[1]
IV.
The Lord of my comfort: the cup head table.
Ram-Bearer, there is a story, walking the walls, the walls.
Will thou me dwell for days ever shadow: death, mercy, righteousness mine staff leadeth.
He shines in the virulent beauty, walking the thief, the boy of death.
Enemies fear my life: my pastures for evil’s sake restoreth the waters’ goodness.
There are places known as a plagues: around and around in his memory, the sun with his ram
Yea, the shepherd surely walks my name’s life, I ever for days: thou mercy my house; I rod, I valley.
Hermes averted a circuit, walked the ram, with the bronze on the walls, tell him the ram is his path.
Anointest down and leadeth beside the pastures mine: I dwell in days my house forever.
The walls of the Boetian city, bound at the heels commemorate each time his shoulders: proud, they tell him a lie, the trickster will plunge to the valley
And still thou walk: his soul runneth oil in my cup.
He walked with the ram, with the sun up there on the walls with the plague: they tell him of the dead.
V.
Hekate Einodia, Hekate of the way: Hekate of the three-way, the three-rayed road.
Finest woman, ruler of the earth, the sea, the sky: Wrapped in worship and in saffron robes.
Woman of the tombs; dancing and delighting with the dead: Persian woman of the desert.
Ghost of the mountains, maiden-god; goddess of the night, irresistible, invincible.
Bearer of the world’s keys; Herder of the bulls; darting with the deer and darling of the dogs.
Guide of the young, come to our rite, bless the bull-herd, breathe this sacrifice of incense. [2]
VI.
Preparest and righteousness thou house: Through the still to dwell of soul.
Hekate Einodia, Hekate of the way: Hekate of the three-way, the three-rayed road.
Art thou sake, he the green, I, me the shadow: over all shall restoreth, thou runneth and maketh.
Finest woman, ruler of the earth, the sea, the sky: Wrapped in worship and in saffron robes.
No follow me in, and me surely lie: the names of rod, is thy staff
Woman of the tombs; dancing and delighting with the dead: Persian woman of the desert.
Before leadeth waters, beside not evil me will for paths anointeth: The me will cup presence.
Ghost of the mountains, maiden-god; goddess of the night, irresistible, invincible.
Fear me mercy, all of my, Yea walk want goodness, head in my Lord I oil enemies down: leadeth Lord shepherd.
Bearer of the world’s keys; Herder of the bulls; darting with the deer and darling of the dogs.
Death, my valley of shall I mine: they comfort life, thy table, pastures, days with me.
Guide of the young, come to our rite, bless the bull-herd, breathe this sacrifice of incense.
VII.
Hermes walked with sun plague; they tell him the lie of the dead.
He makest my soul walk through thy rod; though I walk thy staff with oil.
Finest of the tombs, of the mountain’s keys; Hekate ruler of delighting.
Ram-bearer in the virulent beauty around and around the bronze.
Shepherd in green in the shadow comfort me; enemies my life.
Wrapped with the dead night darting; bless the breathe.
There is a story, there are places, Boetian, Tanagra, plunge up there dead.
Paths of evil shall follow me in the house; the Lord is me to lie, surely the Lord.
Three-rayed road of the desert irresistible; ghost-bearer guide our rite.
Bound now to time, the ram on his shoulders; will die of walls, of walks.
Righteousness, restoreth, maketh, runneth; his name’s sake will dwell.
Persian invincible, darling sacrifice; maiden-god of bulls of dogs the bull-herd.
Plague around his memory is chosen; Proud they tell, the ram, the trickster.
I shall not leadeth the valley, of my cup; and mercy forever.
Three-way earth, the sea dancing; mountains bearer of the bull-herd.
VIII. [3]
His staff will plunge to the valley of the shadow of death
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Bless the bull-herd, breathe this sacrifice of incense
[1] A scamper through Pausanias, Description of Greece 9.22.1–2
[2] A ramble through the Oprhic Hymn to Hekate.
[3] These three lines simultaneously.