Hekate? (Hecate?) Sleep/dream contact

[Orleuge]

I experienced something that could be considered paranormal approximately 3 years ago. As I was sleeping at night, I half opened my eyes to see a woman in a robe and a hood sitting by my bed. I could not see her entire face, but I could see she was smiling. It was very dark, so I was unable to obtain anything else, or what color robes she wore. As I looked at her I murmured, "I give my soul to Hekate" and went back to sleep.
The following morning I googled what Hekate was, and was a bit surprised to learn it was an actual deity with a name. Not being into the occult or being religious at all, I just brushed it off.
Today I thought of that event again. I dont know what to think of it. I'm in the navy, stationed on a US submarine, I enlisted not long after that experience, unrelated. On the boat there isnt much to do, so I learned about and started playing Dungeons and dragons with a group. While looking for books on amazon, I spiraled down into occult books that had some fairly terrifying reviews, particularly one called the book of smokeless fire. A comment stated not to purchase it if a follower of hekate, which brought up that memory for me.

Long story aside, does hekate take souls? what would she want? Is there any significance to a visit like that?
I'm not sure what to think of it. I grew up in a Christian household, so I've never been exposed to other religions or mentions of them.

 

[Nakosis]

I experienced something that could be considered paranormal approximately 3 years ago. As I was sleeping at night, I half opened my eyes to see a woman in a robe and a hood sitting by my bed. I could not see her entire face, but I could see she was smiling. It was very dark, so I was unable to obtain anything else, or what color robes she wore. As I looked at her I murmured, "I give my soul to Hekate" and went back to sleep.
The following morning I googled what Hekate was, and was a bit surprised to learn it was an actual deity with a name. Not being into the occult or being religious at all, I just brushed it off.
Today I thought of that event again. I dont know what to think of it. I'm in the navy, stationed on a US submarine, I enlisted not long after that experience, unrelated. On the boat there isnt much to do, so I learned about and started playing Dungeons and dragons with a group. While looking for books on amazon, I spiraled down into occult books that had some fairly terrifying reviews, particularly one called the book of smokeless fire. A comment stated not to purchase it if a follower of hekate, which brought up that memory for me.

Long story aside, does hekate take souls? what would she want? Is there any significance to a visit like that?
I'm not sure what to think of it. I grew up in a Christian household, so I've never been exposed to other religions or mentions of them.

A lot of information gets pass to the unconscious mind that we just aren't aware of. The conscious mind has poor access to memories. It's possible you heard or saw something about this Hekate God.

Possible sources where you might have heard the name before.

30 Days of Hekate: 26 - Hekate in Popular Culture

 

[BSM1]

I experienced something that could be considered paranormal approximately 3 years ago. As I was sleeping at night, I half opened my eyes to see a woman in a robe and a hood sitting by my bed. I could not see her entire face, but I could see she was smiling. It was very dark, so I was unable to obtain anything else, or what color robes she wore. As I looked at her I murmured, "I give my soul to Hekate" and went back to sleep.
The following morning I googled what Hekate was, and was a bit surprised to learn it was an actual deity with a name. Not being into the occult or being religious at all, I just brushed it off.
Today I thought of that event again. I dont know what to think of it. I'm in the navy, stationed on a US submarine, I enlisted not long after that experience, unrelated. On the boat there isnt much to do, so I learned about and started playing Dungeons and dragons with a group. While looking for books on amazon, I spiraled down into occult books that had some fairly terrifying reviews, particularly one called the book of smokeless fire. A comment stated not to purchase it if a follower of hekate, which brought up that memory for me.

Long story aside, does hekate take souls? what would she want? Is there any significance to a visit like that?
I'm not sure what to think of it. I grew up in a Christian household, so I've never been exposed to other religions or mentions of them.

I wouldn't worry too much. No evil spirit would even think about foolin' with a "Bubblehead", lol (you know I'm kidding, of course. Use to chase subs around for about four years back in the day).

 

[Srivijaya]

She gets a mention here. Are you being summoned?

 

[Mindmaster]

I experienced something that could be considered paranormal approximately 3 years ago. As I was sleeping at night, I half opened my eyes to see a woman in a robe and a hood sitting by my bed. I could not see her entire face, but I could see she was smiling. It was very dark, so I was unable to obtain anything else, or what color robes she wore. As I looked at her I murmured, "I give my soul to Hekate" and went back to sleep.
The following morning I googled what Hekate was, and was a bit surprised to learn it was an actual deity with a name. Not being into the occult or being religious at all, I just brushed it off.
Today I thought of that event again. I dont know what to think of it. I'm in the navy, stationed on a US submarine, I enlisted not long after that experience, unrelated. On the boat there isnt much to do, so I learned about and started playing Dungeons and dragons with a group. While looking for books on amazon, I spiraled down into occult books that had some fairly terrifying reviews, particularly one called the book of smokeless fire. A comment stated not to purchase it if a follower of hekate, which brought up that memory for me.

Long story aside, does hekate take souls? what would she want? Is there any significance to a visit like that?
I'm not sure what to think of it. I grew up in a Christian household, so I've never been exposed to other religions or mentions of them.

Hekate is a psychopomp -- that's to say she guides souls to the dead place and allows communication with them. You can only break that veil with her permission, so to speak. Of course, there are many other deities that have similar function. Sometimes you choose the Goddesses and sometimes they choose you.

Anyway, I've spoke with her in deep meditation and seen the "dead place" (don't know what else to call it... it doesn't really line up with a concept of heaven or hell). Regardless, she's not evil or anything the only vibe I ever got off her was sort of like a mother minding over everyone. You certainly have nothing to worry about.

 

[crossfire]

Hekate is a psychopomp (spirit that guides between underworld and our world) like Hermes and Anubis. Which is interesting, because the period transitioning between sleep and awakening is called the hypnopompic state, where one my experience dream type visions such as this. (The period between waking and sleeping is called the hypnogagic state, where you are more apt to have sensory hallucinations rather than dream visions.)

Hekate would represent your Jungian Anima--as a guide through your inner unconscious mind. She's the one in Greek mythology who helped Demeter search for her daughter Persephone in Hades, and would accompany Persephone to Hades.

Personally, I would use Hekate as your psychopomp guide through your unconscious mind rather than following the route of the book you found. It's a more psychologically sound way to do it.

 

[Workman]

I experienced something that could be considered paranormal approximately 3 years ago. As I was sleeping at night, I half opened my eyes to see a woman in a robe and a hood sitting by my bed. I could not see her entire face, but I could see she was smiling. It was very dark, so I was unable to obtain anything else, or what color robes she wore. As I looked at her I murmured, "I give my soul to Hekate" and went back to sleep.
The following morning I googled what Hekate was, and was a bit surprised to learn it was an actual deity with a name. Not being into the occult or being religious at all, I just brushed it off.
Today I thought of that event again. I dont know what to think of it. I'm in the navy, stationed on a US submarine, I enlisted not long after that experience, unrelated. On the boat there isnt much to do, so I learned about and started playing Dungeons and dragons with a group. While looking for books on amazon, I spiraled down into occult books that had some fairly terrifying reviews, particularly one called the book of smokeless fire. A comment stated not to purchase it if a follower of hekate, which brought up that memory for me.

Long story aside, does hekate take souls? what would she want? Is there any significance to a visit like that?
I'm not sure what to think of it. I grew up in a Christian household, so I've never been exposed to other religions or mentions of them.

It depends on YOU..and who YOU ARE..
Apparently for which you chose..YOU are to complete of WHOM your Being..that is the Name that will speak of your Soul...that is nothing wrong with that..as long as YOU know Yourself as you are to be...Perfected!

God bless!..

 

[Ponder This]

I experienced something that could be considered paranormal approximately 3 years ago. As I was sleeping at night, I half opened my eyes to see a woman in a robe and a hood sitting by my bed. I could not see her entire face, but I could see she was smiling. It was very dark, so I was unable to obtain anything else, or what color robes she wore. As I looked at her I murmured, "I give my soul to Hekate" and went back to sleep.
The following morning I googled what Hekate was, and was a bit surprised to learn it was an actual deity with a name. Not being into the occult or being religious at all, I just brushed it off.
Today I thought of that event again. I dont know what to think of it. I'm in the navy, stationed on a US submarine, I enlisted not long after that experience, unrelated. On the boat there isnt much to do, so I learned about and started playing Dungeons and dragons with a group. While looking for books on amazon, I spiraled down into occult books that had some fairly terrifying reviews, particularly one called the book of smokeless fire. A comment stated not to purchase it if a follower of hekate, which brought up that memory for me.

Long story aside, does hekate take souls? what would she want? Is there any significance to a visit like that?
I'm not sure what to think of it. I grew up in a Christian household, so I've never been exposed to other religions or mentions of them.

I think you should regard your intuition on the meaning of your experience.
But she was a deity concerned with crossroads and also with souls. She had a somewhat mysterious cult and an association with magic. She commonly was depicted with two torches or with keys. She is a liminal deity associated with between life and death and a chthonic deity associated with the Earth or with the Underworld.

What would she want with your soul? I suppose you must consult your feeling as to the meaning. Are you giving your soul as a commitment on your part to her service or the service of what she represents? Or are you giving your soul as a means of protection from harm? Or are you giving your soul in exchange for some sort of magical power? Also who or what she represents to you or to your subconscious is really very important and you can't get that exactly from books.
Also consider the particular time of your life in which you had the experience. Although you do say that your enlistment was 'unrelated'. The subconscious manifests things outside the usual purview of the conscious.

 

[Callisto]

Hekate is a protector of souls, guides unresting ghosts of the dead and accompanies Persephone to and from Hades each year. In Hellenic religion, she is one of our household protector gods and one of the gods key within the Eleusinian Mysteries and in Orphism. Ancient homes kept a shrine to her near the entrance, modern adherents maintain a shrine where feasible or as part of their household altar. She is regularly honored along with other household and patron gods plus the end of each lunar month is dedicated to her, the dark of the moon (i.e., the night before the night when the first sliver of the new moon appears). Known as the Hekate's deipnon ( "supper"), apotropiac offerings were then and are now made to maintain her favor in averting evil (and, in ancient view, protect from vengeful ghosts). She chooses/can be asked to protect a just person from baneful influences during times at which their soul might be more susceptible to danger (or she might choose not to intervene if the person is corrupt, "you're on your own" ).

E.g., one ancient hymn (Hymn VI: To Hekate and Janus by Proclus Diadochus) states in part:

"... Shape the course of my life with luminous light
And make it laden with good things,
Drive sickness and evil from my limbs.
And when my soul rages about worldly things,
Deliver me purified by your soul-stirring rituals.
Yes, give me your hand I pray
And reveal to me the pathways of divine guidance that I long for,
Then shall I gaze upon that precious light
Whence I can flee the evil of our dark origin.
Yes, give me your hand I pray,
And when I am weary bring me to the haven of piety with your winds... "

I would recommend using resources that pertain to actual Hellenic religion rather than books of fiction or occult books as both often take liberties or seriously differ from the nature of a deity as known in traditional religion. Neopagan books on gods can be loaded with inaccuracies as well (e.g., a common distortion is depicting/referring to Hekate as a crone to fit a modern "triple goddess" construct; she is a maiden goddess but that doesn't fit that construct which assigns that slot to another). Primary (ancient) texts and secondary (academic) resources on ancient Hellenic religion and mystery cults are your better options for information.

 

[sooda]

I experienced something that could be considered paranormal approximately 3 years ago. As I was sleeping at night, I half opened my eyes to see a woman in a robe and a hood sitting by my bed. I could not see her entire face, but I could see she was smiling. It was very dark, so I was unable to obtain anything else, or what color robes she wore. As I looked at her I murmured, "I give my soul to Hekate" and went back to sleep.
The following morning I googled what Hekate was, and was a bit surprised to learn it was an actual deity with a name. Not being into the occult or being religious at all, I just brushed it off.
Today I thought of that event again. I dont know what to think of it. I'm in the navy, stationed on a US submarine, I enlisted not long after that experience, unrelated. On the boat there isnt much to do, so I learned about and started playing Dungeons and dragons with a group. While looking for books on amazon, I spiraled down into occult books that had some fairly terrifying reviews, particularly one called the book of smokeless fire. A comment stated not to purchase it if a follower of hekate, which brought up that memory for me.

Long story aside, does hekate take souls? what would she want? Is there any significance to a visit like that?
I'm not sure what to think of it. I grew up in a Christian household, so I've never been exposed to other religions or mentions of them.

You probably did know Hecate ...
Did you read Macbeth in school?

“Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.”

Hecate enters with, “O well done! I commend your pains;
And every one shall share i’ the gains;
And now about the cauldron sing,
Live elves and fairies in a ring,
Enchanting all that you put in.”

She also appears later on the play, to tell off the witches and to speak of Macbeths downfall.