The Many Gods Anthologies Volume I: Hekate
By Vikki Bramshaw
 
The Many Gods Anthologies is a new series of publications bringing together scholarly papers and accounts of personal gnosis about the deities who hold a special place in our hearts. This is Volume 1 – Hekate.
 
From the Foreword by Vikki Bramshaw:
 
"It is probably true that several gods and goddesses have become particularly popular as part of the modern witchcraft movement and pagan reconstructionism. Several of these gods were brought into the forefront of the modern mind by the Romanticism of the 19th and early 20th century, by the likes of Keats and Wordsworth, Shelley and Kipling (who were all enraptured by the Satyr God Pan), not to mention those early amateur anthropologists such as James Frazer, Robert Graves and Charles Leyland who idealised the religious practices of our ancestors (despite in some cases, dubious or insubstantial evidence).
 
"Naturally, the presence of these divine names and concepts in the collective consciousness would influence the occult movement that would follow, with the likes of Aleister Crowley and the Golden Dawn utilising some of these deities within their own rites (in this case, often more as ‘desirable qualities’ or, influencing factors rather than gods to appease or supplicate. Not a new concept, we see this approach in ancient magic too). It is so interesting how some of these gods have evolved; by the mid to late 20th century, writers such as Doreen Valiente and other contemporary authors had published works or promoted traditions which embraced these gods as central beings. The likes of Pan and Aradia, and even demi-gods and phantoms (such as Herne, the ghostly antlered figure of Windsor Forest) were being conflated with other more significant divinities and elevated to a more divine status. Whilst not all of today’s devotees will identify with these written works and traditions, it cannot be denied that they had some hand in the resurgence, evolution, and elevation of these divine beings.
 
"But aside from published works and occult traditions, the resurgence of certain old gods is part of what I understand as a much more fascinating global event. Whilst the names of those gods and spirits are indeed recognised and their stories embraced (by both ancient and modern culture), we see a more subtle reemergence of other facets of their nature and worship - and even other conflated deities that have made themselves known by way of association but also by way of the ‘current’. This is the phenomenon of a ‘wave’ of interest in one specific topic or subject for no reason other than perhaps the planets were aligned so that a focus of interest begins to snowball. This is undoubtedly the case for such deities as the Goddess Hekate, who has seen a significant rise in popularity since the early 2000’s, and also the God Dionysos – both deities enjoying a huge wave of interest and publications and by association, the same can often be said for other deities who are associated or conflated with them.
 
"So perhaps their elevation is partly driven by written works, but the reality of the soteric current reaches beyond marketing or media. It is a current of energy, of occult knowledge and awareness, which lends itself to those who are open to its influence. It is something that moves apart from us, towards us, through us. Perhaps it is an unconscious response to the state of the world as a wider whole. Perhaps there are certain forces that we need right now in the present climate. Perhaps it is due to the power of repetition, a technique taught in the practice of magic. The repetition of a name, phrase or action reinforces that concept, idea, spirit or deity, or brings that requirement into being (and this is why it is argued that evoking a more ‘popular’ deity or spirit to aid our magic will be more successful than using a lesser-known one). Perhaps the energy itself is separate from the deity, yet driven by them, and influencing things on a wider scale; the microcosm influencing the macrocosm, akin to other forces and correspondences of the universe. Or perhaps it’s a little of all of the above.
 
"What follows in these pages is a selection of papers written from different perspectives about the Goddess Hekate. It seemed appropriate to start the Many Gods Anthologies with the Goddess Hekate, who has already undergone this wave of interest and whose worship has been firmly rekindled during the past few decades. What has been very clear is the amount of academic material supporting Hekate's history and worship and, by association, her rituals and magic. It is also appropriate to say that nothing is in isolation; like so many ancient Gods, the worship of Hekate and the use of her magic extends beyond the mortal boundaries of her native shores, with a wealth of academic research and archaeological evidence to support this".

2024, 180 pages. Paperback & Kindle editions are available.
ISBN TBA
Pre-orders open now, delivery from Spring Equinox 2024
B&W 6.14 x 9.21 in or 234 x 156 mm (Royal 8vo) Perfect Bound on Creme w/Gloss Lam