Crossroads Ritual for Kleidous Agoge

Notes

Practitioners in the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere may approach this ritual differently depending on the season.

Spring -> Season of Renewal
Autumn -> Season of Harvest

Both seasons relate to abundance, opportunity and opening roads.

Feel free to modify this ritual for your practice!

Recommended Items

Key (an antique key, modern unused key, a drawing or depiction of a key)
1 – 3 candles (any colours you associate with Hekate, any size)
Representation of a crossroads. Some ideas:
- Salt or dirt on a plate or tray. Trace in a crossroads with your finger or form a crossroads with these materials.
- Two sticks arranged as a crossroads.
- A drawing (on paper, on surface). You can use chalk, pencil, or a preferred medium (perhaps one with ritual significance).
- An actual crossroads.
Offerings for Hekate (incense, libations, food)
Purification items for self and space (e.g. khernips, separate incense, sound cleansing items)
Optionally, herbs, crystals, and other ingredients associated with opening roads, opportunities, and abundance.

Ritual Script

Purification of Space
- This is where you would purify your space according to your tradition.
- Hellenic polytheists might sprinkle khernips or fresh water upon the space with their fingers or a herb (such as a rosemary sprig or bay leaf) while saying “O Gods turn away evils” (or a similar phase to mark the space as sacred and apart from the profane).
Purification of Self
- This is where you would purify yourself according to your tradition.
- Hellenic polytheists might wash their hands and face, or just their hands. It’s recommended to have showered before the ritual if able. Pouring water onto your hands or running water over your hands is recommended, while saying “O Gods turn away evils” (or a similar phase to consider yourself as ritually pure and apart from the profane during this ritual).
Procession and Invocation
- You may perform a procession with the key you are to use. A procession is a sacred march from one location to another. You may begin at your doorway and walk to your altar, or from somewhere else nearby to your altar while contemplating the purpose of this ritual.
- When you arrive at your altar, you may light incense for Hekate and invoke her through a hymn or prayer.
  - You could use the Orphic Hymn to Hekate, recite part of or all of the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, or recite part of Hekate’s part in Hesiod’s Theogony.
  - You can also write your own invocation.
- You may also perform a libation to Hekate at this point of the ritual. This libation can be perform as either an ouranic offering or chthonic offering depending on how you wish to invoke Hekate in this ritual.
Arrangement of Ritual
- Place your candle(s) at the intersection of your crossroads to represent Hekate’s torches.
- Add your optional additions (oils to anoint candles, herbs, crystals etc).
- Light your candle(s).
Recitation and Key Blessing
- Hold your key and recite the following:
  - Hear me, Hekate, Goddess and Torchbearer of the Crossroads.
    Hear me, Key-bearer of the Sky, Sea and Underworld.
    
    I call to Hekate, Guide and Companion of Persephone, Spring Goddess and Queen of the Underworld, and Demeter, Goddess of the Harvest and Seasons.
    
    Hear me, beloved goddess! May your torches light the way forward, may your hounds avert misfortune, and may this key unlock blessings and pathways.
Presentation of Offerings
- Present your offerings to Hekate and say:
  - With these gifts, Hekate, I come before you in truth and reverence seeking your blessing in this season of renewal / harvest.
    
    On this Kleidous Agoge (or “Procession of the Key”), I honour you, your wisdom, your light, and your guidance.
Additional Activities
- Here is where you may do additional spells, recitations, blessings or whatever you wish to honour this ritual.
Conclusion
- Allow the candle(s) to burn down or extinguish them to relight for the remaining days of the festival. Keep your key with you to carry Hekate’s blessing.