Medea and Healing Our Personal Shadow from 2023-08-03T16:03:23

Medea is a challenging companion, who teaches us both what to do, and what not to do. She is central to the practice of Hekatean Witchcraft, representing the healing and destructive power of Th...

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Lughnasa/Lammas: Demeter, Connecting to Meaning, and A Meditation For The First Harvest from 2023-07-27T14:54:09

In this solo episode, I talk about the importance of recognizing the seasonal transition from summer solstice to autumn equinox, and connecting with nature during this time. This includ...

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Hekate's Supper: The Meaning In The Meal from 2023-07-20T16:07:43

Christen and I are joined for the first time by Amanda, an amazing witch who keeps the Key of Psychologika (The Mind) in Covina, for this discussion about the meaning we find in Honoring Hekate ...

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The Nowness of Hekate: Crossroads, Openings, and Honoring Her from 2023-07-13T15:40:50

A minisode this week, witches. Just me musing about the meaning of Hekate's Suppers, transitions, and her roles as Enodia and Propylaia.

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Gifts of the Sibyls Meditation from 2023-07-06T17:25:51

Let's take a break from all the deep explorations with this meditative journey into Hekate's Garden. Based on the opening verse in Chapter 10: Sibylika in Listen

Self Healing At The Crossroads Part 2: Magick And Mental Health from 2023-06-30T16:14:10

Christen, Coyote Mae and I find our practice of witchcraft to be incredibly healing, something that is real and true to us. That's a real key for mental wellness: doing what is authentically...

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Finding Connection, Healing, and Joy By Creating Altars from 2023-06-22T14:14:31

I'm joined by Liz and Christen for this conversation about altars, which are truly the center of my witchcraft. Like Liz says, "there's no wrong way to altar." Connecting us to...

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Summer Solstice: The Sovereign Goddesses Ritual Meditation from 2023-06-15T13:44:16

The Sovereign Goddesses Ritual is a glorious solar celebration of many faces of The Sacred Feminine, especially Hekate and her companions (Artemis, Circe, Demeter, Medea, Persephone and Selene)....

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Self Healing At The Crossroads Part 1: The Intersection of Psychology and Witchcraft from 2023-06-08T16:44:11

The four of us invite you into the circle to discuss the intersection of psychology and witchcraft, which form the foundation of my teaching and writing. I'm joined by Christen, Coyote Mae, ...

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Deathwalking, Underworld Goddesses, and Being A Psychopomp from 2023-06-01T14:46:40

In this episode, Coyote Mae and I interview pagan author Laura Perry about deathwalking, underworld goddesses, and guiding souls (aka psychopompery). We begin with a simple ritual, including The...

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Hekate Triformis: The Triple Goddess and Her Companions (With Meditation) from 2023-05-18T15:16:49

Hekate as a Triple Goddess is one of her most iconic images. Usually including either three heads or three bodies, there are many ancient and contemporary depictions of her like this...

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Unlocking The Keeping Her Keys Book: Hekate's Modern Witchcraft from 2023-05-11T17:30:43

Let's circle around my original audio guide to the Keeping Her Keys Book in this episode. Since this perfectly imperfect book was published for years ago this month, it's unlocked Hekate...

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The Magick, Medicine, and Mystery of Hekate's Garden from 2023-05-04T16:37:48

This episode guides you through Listen

Beltane Meditation: Shapeshifting Flight To The Witches' Realm from 2023-04-27T14:33:14

Especially splendid for the Witches' May Eve Sabbat, often referred to as Beltane today. Beltane was a traditional Celtic fertility festival, while the May Eve Sabbat comes from folklore abo...

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Cracking A Mystery: Hekate's Suppers and The Ritual Use of Eggs from 2023-04-19T20:41:46

As part of our ongoing project researching ancient Hekate's Suppers, we are cracking the mystery surrounding raw eggs as part of an otherwise fully prepared meal. Hekate's Suppers, also ...

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Being The Witch In The Room: Self Healing, Navigating Unsafe Spaces, and The Broom Closet from 2023-04-12T22:00

Witch, heal yourself. If there is one key that has unlocked my own soul more than just about any other (besides mother and teacher), it is embracing that I am a witch. With all it's...

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Entering Hekate's Garden With Luxa Strata: The Poison Path, Circe, Medea + Meditation from 2023-04-06T19:36:38

In this episode, Luxa Strata and Dr. Cyndi explore the practice of Pharmakeia - Witchcraft Medicine - and its ancient roots connected Hekate, Circe, and Medea. We get into a deep discussion of t...

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Stones and The Goddess With Nicholas Pearson from 2023-03-29T18:33:16

I was delighted to speak with Nicholas Pearson, author of so many wonderful books and fabulous teacher. Nicholas is my go-to source for information on stones, as well as his books on energy heal...

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Hekate and The Great Goddesses of Magic and Mystery: Artemis, Persephone, Circe And More Amazing Connections from 2023-03-23T18:34:39

Hekate's connections to other goddesses and mythic witches, including Artemis, Selene, Persephone, Demeter, Circe and Medea, are explored in this episode from the archives.

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Spiritual Spring Cleaning Meditation (From The Archives) from 2023-03-20T14:00:32

A meditative journey to connect with the energy of early spring, for some spiritual cleaning.

Blessings for the Spring Equinox.

--- Send in a voice message:...

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The Liberating Power of Witchcraft: Recovering From Spiritual Programming from 2023-03-16T18:59:14

Coyote Mae and Dr. Cyndi explored the intersection of spiritual programming and liberation through witchcraft. Focusing on their personal journeys and observations, they discussed the insidious ...

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Witches Working It IN and OUT: Connecting to Body/Spirit Through Movement from 2023-03-08T14:55:17

I wanted to do something special for International Women's Day, and I can think of nothing better than starting our conversation about being embodied witches, my lovelies. However you move, from...

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Meditation: Agape Phoberos - Open to Love/Release Fear from 2023-03-02T18:36:10

This meditation restores equanimity to beings through releasing fear (Phoberos) and embracing the energy of pure love (Agape). This meditation works with breath and the body-spirit essence, form...

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Hekate and Healing Our Mother Wound: From Pain To Empathy from 2023-02-16T16:49:46

This episode explores the powerful archetypal Great Mother Goddess, a figure that spans many cultures, times, and traditions. Focusing on Hekate as one face of this primordial goddess, and other...

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Recovering Missing Pieces: Soul Retrieval Explained + Guided Meditation from 2023-02-09T14:31:17

This is talk and meditation that introduces the listener to Soul Retrieval, as described in Entering Hekate's Cave: The Journey Through D...

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Culinary Psychopomp: Hekate's Suppers, Soul Retrieval, and Kitchen Witchery from 2023-02-02T16:24:12

Gather round the kitchen table with me and Christen for our conversation blending soul retrieval, kitchen witchery, and the ancient practice of Hekate's Supper.

This chat is rooted in the...

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Talking About Hekate's Cave With Carmen Spagnola from 2023-01-26T16:01:44

In this special edition recording, the amazing Carmen Spagnola, host of The Numinous Podcast,  interviews me about my new book, Entering Hekate's Cave, which provides the reader with  ...

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Being A Well Witch With Amy Blackthorn: Authenticity, Chronic Illness, and Standing In Your Power from 2023-01-19T01:48:37

I love chatting with the fabulous Amy Blackthorn. She's one of my favorite authors, bringing a wealth of knowledge and personal experience to her writing. 

We cover some hard topics,...

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Hail Hekate: Abiding In The Crossroads of Gender and Queerness from 2023-01-12T16:13:51

I've been wanting to do an episode on gender and queerness for ages. Hekate provides a safe space for exploring gender and queerness, providing comfort and security for this amazing conversation...

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New Year's Meditation: Travelling To Meet Your Future Self from 2023-01-05T18:55:54

This meditative exercise is an excerpt from a class I taught earlier this week. It's absolutely one of my favorite practices. In Entering Hekate's Cave, I discuss kairos, the eternal nonlinear t...

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Hekate and The Moon: Illuminating The Mysteries of The Night from 2023-01-05T17:35

I can't think of a better first episode for the new year than by illuminating Hekate's connection with the moon. The healing essence of the moon evokes the intuition, deep inquiry into the self,...

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New Year's Meditation in Hekate's Garden from 2022-12-29T17:58:08

This Hekate's Garden meditation can be used to enter the New Year with passion, kindness, and integrity. Combining deep breathing aligning the selves with a meditative journey into Hekate's Gard...

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Hekate and The New Year: Unlocking A Mysterious Ancient Hymn from 2022-12-29T17:41:48

Proclus, an influential Ancient Greek philosopher who lived during the time that Christianity was taking hold in the fourth century, wrote the Hymn to Hekate and Janus, a theurgical invocation t...

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Hekate and The Holidays: Being A Cave Dweller, The Black Madonna, and Solstice Practices from 2022-12-19T15:31:34

Join me and one of my favorite Hekateans, Jessika, for this chat exploring our places within the holiday season from deep within Hekate's Cave. We riff about so many topics, from why Hekate as a...

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Cailleach's Cave Winter Solstice Meditation from 2022-12-19T15:22:49

Join me on this meditative journey to the heart of Hekate's Cave where we meet The Cailleach for unburdening our "stones," on the Winter Solstice (or anytime we need to let go our heaviness). Listen

Hekate's History Part 2: Roman Era Through Christianity To Today from 2022-12-15T17:19:14

I discuss the very difficult period of Hekate's History from Roman Times, through Christianity, to today. Note that this is a heavy discussion, including references to violence, misogyny, and pa...

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Avian Shapeshifting Meditation from 2022-12-12T18:10:14

In my new book, Entering Hekate's Cave, I discuss developing a close connection with an avian ally as we do the deep work of healing into our unique wholeness. This meditation connects us to win...

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Artemis Was Right: Exploring How Wild Women and Their Strong Emotions Became Off Limits from 2022-12-08T14:35:41

Claiming ALL our emotions is absolutely necessary for becoming so much more. However, we live in a world that often tells us that we are "overly emotional," or (even worse) "too sensitive." What...

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Borborophorba Meditation: The Spirit of Catharsis from 2022-12-05T14:36:41

Borborophorba is an obscure title of Hekate translated as "The Filth Eater." She brings the Spirit of Catharsis with her, calling upon us to release our personal junk to her.

This meditat...

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Hekate Propylaia: The Goddess and The Gate from 2022-12-01T19:08:47

Gatekeeping is such a loaded word today. Often used to how others work to prevent access to knowledge, especially in spiritual settings. However, the role of The Gatekeeper is central to underst...

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Meditation: Key Retrieval Moon Altar Journey from 2022-11-28T21:59:43

Journey to the Moon Altar to retrieve a key from Hekate in this meditation.

Watch with subtitles, read the transcript and more here: Listen

Honoring Hekate on the Dark Moon: History, How To, and A Meditation from 2022-11-21T19:12:25

In this combo episode, I walk us through the historical origins on Honoring Hekate on the Dark Moon, to modern practice, and then through a meditative journey.  

The historical pract...

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Hekate's History: Part 1 (Pre-Greek to Roman Era) from 2022-11-17T15:46:41

Hekate's history is as complex as our personal experiences of her. From the Neolithic cave of The Great Mother through to the Roman depiction of her as the nefarious Queen of Witches, Hekate has...

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Meditation: Connecting to Land, Sea, Sky from 2022-11-14T15:17:27

Attune to the flow of land, sea, and sky to unify emotions, actions, and thoughts.

Find out more: https://members.covina...

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Hekate, Hard Times, and Catharsis: Leaning Into The Dark and Light + Ritual from 2022-11-10T15:57:07

I think we're all struggling right now. The world seems to be tilting sideways, from extremist politics that seek to strip our rights to the economic woes. And yet, there is the light in the dar...

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Dark Goddesses + Hekate's Garden Meditation from 2022-11-07T14:33:28

In this combo episode, I talk about some of the so-called dark goddesses  that I write and teach about, the nature of the shadow and soul, within the framework of Hekate's triple nature. Th...

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Hekate Enodia: Goddesses of Roads, Crossroads, and Journeys from 2022-11-03T14:15:59

From Thessalian Enodia through the Greek version of Hekate to Diana Trivia, The Road Goddess is a compelling spirit who governs roads, children, women, the cast out, and guides us to the deeper ...

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Meditation: Journey To The Witches Realm from 2022-10-31T13:22:15

Join me for this guided meditation to The Witches Realm, the spiritual home of witches just beyond the moon.

Samhain Blessings, Best Wishes for The Witches New Year, and Happy Halloween.<...

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Hekate and The Archetype of The Witch from 2022-10-27T16:00:48

Hekate (Hecate to some), is an ancient goddess who evokes magic and mystery. Often known as the Queen of Witches, the Regina Maleficarum, throughout history and before, she is entwined ...

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Shielding Meditation: The Equanimity of Protection and Openness from 2022-10-24T15:39:24

Shielding from harmful energies, such as other's thoughts or emanations of toxic culture, is vital to healing. Yet we find equanimity through protection and openness. This meditation guides the ...

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Seeing The Sibyl: Ancient Mystics To Modern Predictions from 2022-10-20T13:33:27

Enter the mysteries of the deeper world by allowing the Sibyl within to awaken. 

Angela Natividad and I explore The Sibyl, from the classical antiquity to contemporary oracles.  ...

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Key Values: Passion, Kindness, and Integrity from 2022-10-13T14:16:34

In the Keeping Her Keys book, I discussed what I believe to be three Key Principles for soulful living: the values of passion, kindness, and integrity.

In the book, I wrote about...

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Seeing From Soul Meditation from 2022-10-06T15:38:56

This is a brief meditative practice that shifts our attention from embedded in the physical towards seeing from the wider vision of the soul. 

It's the switch from our thoughts havin...

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Medea: Shadows and Longing from 2022-09-29T15:15:20

Medea, that mythical sorceress whose magic built a king and then destroyed him. 

For over 2,000 years she has captivated our attention. Reviled by some for her unspeakable actions, u...

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Autumn Equinox Hekate Meditation from 2022-09-20T14:32:41

A meditation to claim the keys of autumn, by connecting root, heart, and crown, with an invocation of the goddess Hekate.

Text of Hymn To Hekate on The Autumn Equinox:

Hail Hekate ...

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Keeping Her Keys Returns: Launching The New Season from 2022-09-20T14:30:06

Welcome back, or if you're new to the podcast, nice to meet you. After a summer away from podcasting, I'm back with this episode discussing owning my own journey, what it means to be bitten by a...

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More Than This Season Wrap from 2022-06-18T13:32:52

Thanks everyone for listening to the first season of More Than This: At The Crossroads of Modern Life and The Deeper World.
We'll be back in the fall with more explorations of archetypes, my...

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Being Called, Spiritual Bypassing, and Astrological Magic from 2022-06-18T13:28:48

AMA where I answer questions about feeling called by Hekate (or any healing spirit) to be of service to others, avoiding spiritual bypassing, how all emotions are sacred, and how I practice astr...

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Women, Snakes and God(dess) from 2022-06-10T15:06:41

Dr. Cyndi Brannen and Angela Natividad discuss the history and mythology of Drakaina, which translates as She-Dragon and/or Serpent Queen. We discovered this as a title of Hekate (Hecate) in a f...

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Putting Medusa's Head Back On from 2022-06-09T14:52:47

Medusa's story, like many myths, contains sexual violence, murder, and great suffering. If you are not in a space to feel safe while we explore these topics, you may want to skip this one.

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Hekate's Help Desk: Keeping Her Keys (MoonCon 2021) from 2022-06-02T15:00:04

Recorded talk from MoonCon 2021.

Dr. Cyndi Brannen discusses Hekate and her bestselling book, Keeping Her Keys: An Introduction to Hekate's Modern Witchcraft.

Hekate (Hecate to som...

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Circe: Witch Divine from 2022-05-20T15:39:50

Dr. Cyndi is joined by Angela Natividad, mythologist and marketing consultant, for this exploration of the Greek goddess Circe. Focusing on her powers of transformation, they weave through the t...

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The Goddess and The Mother Wound from 2022-05-07T14:28:41

We can heal our deep wounds from our mother by leaning into the embrace of The Goddess. The cultural mother wound we all bear is at least partially due to the denial of the sacred feminine. In t...

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Beltane, Witches' Sabbats and a Mystical Journey from 2022-04-24T18:28:02

My reflections on Beltane, along with a guided meditation.

--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/keepingherkeys/message

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Persephone: Above Ground from 2022-04-07T13:41:11

A deep exploration of Persephone's above ground aspects, from her maidenhood to her emergence from the underworld, including an analysis of The Homeric Hymn to Demeter, iconography of Kore, and ...

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Agape Phoberos Meditation: Choose Love, Release Fear from 2022-03-30T14:21:43

Agape refers to the ancient Greek word for close affiliation, deep affection and secure attachment. In the 21st century, our definition of love has been so narrowly restricted by society that, u...

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Semele: From Shame To Ecstasy from 2022-03-28T18:41:52

Angela and I explore the myth of Semele, Mother of Dionysus, and also called "The Mother of Frenzy." 

Semele was the youngest daughter of Cadmus, an ambitious king with connections t...

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Spiritual Spring Cleaning + Meditation from 2022-03-20T13:59:16

From the archives, this is a meditative journey to awaken your interior spring cleaning. Time to cleanse, refresh, and reset.

Go deeper into your spiritual spring cleaning by joining Covi...

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Boundaries: Your Personal Magic Circle from 2022-03-10T14:21:43

Boundaries refer to personal policies that we use as our interior compass for navigating modern life and our excursions in the deeper world. The fundamental question to ask ourselves is, "what d...

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Moon Aura Meditation from 2022-02-28T20:07:17

This is a lunar aura meditation. You don't need anything or any special training to this meditation. Simply sit comfortably and rest, expanding and allowing the experience to unfold.

...

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When Someone Tries to Violate Your Truth from 2022-02-21T14:31:48

The more authentic you are, the more safe you become. There's always going to be this weird minority out there who feel threatened. So they feel unsafe. You're feeling ...

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Keys: Authenticity, Safety, and Kindness from 2022-02-21T14:12:47

“Being kind is so important in this world that we live in. By choosing to be kind to ourselves and others, we honor ourselves and Hekate. Moreover, we collectively create an energy current o...

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