Thanks to the spirits of the place.

Well what a glorious day this became, I strolled off, bag full of offerings; Cake Stuart had made, along with Rosehip Vodka made with the energies at the Autumn equinox, to place upon our woodland altar, and then on to the crossroad with an offering for Hekate .

No black dogs anywhere to be seen, but it is still a place that permeates power, and resonates with energy.

The crossroads has always been a place linked with liminal space, a change of direction, or movement; ‘which way now’ I mutter to myself so of course I petition the patroness of such places Hekate. as a chthonic deity she walks between the living and the dead, she looks in all directions at once, and aids the steps of the seeker; and for me and my toad (sounds like a song there) patroness of both realms. In the foreword of the book Hekate Liminal Rites by Sorita d’Este & David Rankine we find;

‘Hekate stands at he crossroads bearing the keys to the mysteries. In the ancient world she inspired poets and philosophers,Witches, magicians and ordinary people, all of whom knew she could bestow blessings to improve their lot and protect them from the harsh denizens of the infernal world.’

‘There are still people today whom Hekate continues to call to her mysteries – encouraging them to reach the innermost parts of their souls to find the power that illuminates the darkness.’

So as a goddess of ‘transition’ for both me and the toad, it seemed correct to make an offering to her, at a place within the bounds of the Clan of the Entangled Thicket.

At the entrance to this sacred place is our altar, half way up an old oak tree, a readymade place of offering. It is here that I clear away the leaves with my little mushroom cleaning brush, and leave an offering to the spirits of the place, the Genii who walk the woodland paths, and have travelled here from time immemorial. All that now remains of ancient woodland, is a very small haven in a sprawling metropolis.