Scan barcode
mary_stormageddon's review
informative
5.0
I learned a lot. Really helped me strengthen my knowledge of the practices of antiquity, which everyone should do
gabrielrobartes's review
3.0
Excellent reference text but would have liked a bit more exposition or discussion. Similarly, whilst the examination of (very) deconstructed themes on a chapter by chapter basis is helpful for quickly looking things up, it began to get a little repetitive as the same sources kept being revisited for slightly different reasons and the “chapters” rapidly became about a page or two long. Still, worthwhile and useful.
theesotericcamel's review
3.0
Despite its slimness, there is a lot of information packed into this book regarding Hekate. For those unfamiliar, Hekate is the Goddess of Crossroads and witchcraft... Among other things, as I soon discovered reading this book. In fact, the book presented compelling evidence that perhaps Hekate pre-dates even her popular Greek avatar. Far from being a crone, she was actually quite polymorphous with the myriad animals associated with her. The approach of the writers of this book in presenting the information reminded me of a picture that is constantly being zoomed into, revealing further intricate details. The first couple of chapters dealt with her popular image, and her possible origins, tracing them through history. The subsequent chapters focused on specific symbols, traditions, and even trinkets associated with Hekate, with the chapters getting shorter and shorter. Be warned, despite "Rites" being part of the title, this is a mostly academic, historical and archaeological book about Hekate. Although it does include some English translations of fragments of rituals dedicated to Hekate, there is little in actual practical instructions of working with the Goddess. That being said, anyone interested in working or already working with Hekate will find useful information on which to build and improve their own praxis.