I posted about this on my instagram, but upon reflection I feel called to elaborate on this message as I think it applies to many more than just myself.
Not only is our world as a collective going through deep transformation, but talking with others in my life has made me realize that many of us individually are on the precipice of huge change. Astrology shows us this as well. We are moving out of a 200 year Jupiter-Saturn Earth cycle and moving into the time of Air.
Additionally, at the time of this post, the roughly 1.5 year nodal cycle is shifting. Over the weekend, on July 4, 2020, we had our very last eclipse on the Cancer/Capricorn axis for the next decade. See Austin Coppock’s article to learn about this and the truly epic astrology of 2020 in greater detail. I’m no professional astrologer, but the Cancer and Capricorn period we have been in has been heavy, confusing, emotional, and overall challenging. In my personal opinion, it has been an essential energy to help us prepare for transition and transformation.
The tarot card XX Judgment is a card I’ve been drawing a lot over the past year. It very frequently comes when I ask for a message from the goddess Hekate. Traditionally the Judgment card speaks of epiphanies, spiritual revelations, and rebirth. The cross religious reference to Judgment Day is unavoidable. However, as the tarot tends to do, this card does not indicate that final judgment is upon you or us as a society. It does mean that a profound realization has occurred, transformation is significantly under way, and we must look at our past actions to understand how to shape our futures. We can see this in the incredible Black Lives Matter movement as a white society is waking up, reflecting on our historical past, and making the decision to move forward and fight racism. By the way, BLACK LIVES MATTER.
My particular Judgment card from the Spolia Tarot depicts entangled snakes shedding their skins. The serpent is one of the most widely known of Hekate’s symbols. Although the card that specifically depicts Hekate in the deck is XIII The Moon, when I ask for a message from Her and the Judgment card shows up, it’s not hard to see the connection.
A couple of Hekate’s common epithets: Enodia, “Of the Crossroads”, Phosphoros, “Light-Bringer”, Dadophoros, “Torch-Bearer”, Propylaia, “One before the Gate”, Kleidoukhos, “Keeper of the Keys”. She is the torch bearer who lights the path, the key holder who meets you at the gates of the Otherworlds, and greets you at the crossroads. She is a goddess of liminal thresholds and a psychopomp who can guide you across the hedge. In addition to being a purely liminal space, a decision must inevitably be made at the crossroads to determine which direction to head. Our entire society is dismantled at a crossroads right now, and I think this is part of why Hekate has very much increased in popularity as a goddess in this time. She’s making herself known to many people and providing the light to show your way.
So when I ask Hekate for a message through the tarot, and She provides the wisdom of Judgment, it becomes clear that She is helping us as individuals and a collective recognize our pasts and shed our skins to transform into truer, wiser, and deeper versions of our conscious and unconscious. She opens doors and gives us keys when we are ready for them. And like the snake shedding its skin, this is an uncomfortable process to say the least.
You don’t need to specifically worship Hekate to understand the energies she’s currently bringing to the world. But if you’re finding yourself at a crossroads in quarantine, understanding black history and protesting for black lives, or on your spiritual path, it wouldn’t hurt to call upon Her for guidance through this time of painful transformation.