Deck Review: Oracle of the Hekatean Path

Oracle of the Heketean Path

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A wee history of the Goddess...

Hecate (or Hekate) is one of the oldest, most badass Goddesses out there. Until last year, I had not done much with with her... partly from ego, the other part was fear I had offended her along the way. But this deck called to me something fierce, so I put on my big witch panties and learned how to work with her.

From the Interwebz - Modern English common pronunciations: • HEH-kuh-tee → most common in Wicca, witchcraft circles, and popular culture • HECK-a-tee → another variant, slightly sharper “e” sound.  Classical Greek-influenced pronunciation: In Ancient Greek, her name was Ἑκάτη (Hekátē), which would have been pronounced roughly: • heh-KAH-tay → with a clear “ay” on the last syllable

The Goddess Hekate has deep roots in pre-Greek worship in Anatolia (now where modern day Turkey is located), watching over fertility, abundance and protecting the household. By the time the 8th century rolled around, she was a very powerful Titan goddess who was not overrun or overruled by Zeus and the rest of the Olympians. At that time, it is said she was given dominion over the holy nature trinity: Earth, Sea & Sky. As time passed, and we fell into the Hellenistic & Roman Era, she evolved from benevolent fertility and household protection goddess to a Patroness with a little darker affiliations.

This triple aspected Goddess now was also seen as the Goddess of Magick, Spirits & the dead, and of liminal space. The Keeper of the Keys, a psychopomp, the Goddess of the Crossroads, the Queen of Witches.

Modern practitioners who are devotees of Hekate connect her with shadow work, transformation, protective & psychic workings, ancestral magick, and spirit communication. She is also the protector of women (think of her role with Persephone). There is much more to this Goddess... the Queen of Witches... than this very brief overview - but if you feel called to investigate, that is your path.

Deck Specs & Such

This oracle deck by Kenn Payne & Chris Butler (released by Italian art publishing company Lo Scarabeo) contains 60 guidance cards as well a 128-page guidebook. Like most oracle decks, the card size is definitely bigger than your traditional industry standard tarot decks. cards measure 3.91 x 5.38 x 1.50 inches. This deck in its entirety weighs 0.85 lbs so it is a good sized deck with great quality cardstock.

All 60 cards and the guidebook sit nestled within a rigid style box with a removable top cover, this case makes it wonderful for protection when traveling. The finish on these cards is one of a higher laminated coating, which gives it a glossy finish and makes it smooth to shuffle - if you can get your hands around them. I do find that the thickness of the cards can make it difficult to riffle shuffle the deck split down the middle, but overhand shuffling and splitting the deck up into quarters and riffle shuffling that way is not a problem.

Artwork & Symbolism

Like the Goddess herself, the artwork and symbolism in this deck is multifaceted. The creators explore Hekate's associations, each card exploring an epithet or symbol tied to Her ~ whether that is a connection to nature, the self, spiritual and emotional transitions, death and rebirth, liminal spaces... it goes on. Each card showcases not only guidance from the Goddess but also can serve as a metaphorical initiation to working with the Goddess in your personal practice.

Personally, I do not like the artwork. It feels as though they really missed the boat with this. Had the creators taken the time to work with an artist, they could have truly captured the magick and depth of this goddess.

As the trend with most decks these days, this is an AI/digital style of imagery, and not original art. The images are composed of clipart and other digital files (the creators give credit for the art at the end of the guidebook if you're interested in learning more). I don't particularly love the choice, and would have preferred that some of the art align more with the message of the card itself, but in the end it does not take away from the message being given.

The messaging on the card themselves is wonderful and because of that, I continue to keep this in my go-to stack of decks... Butler & Payne clearly have a very good understanding of this Goddess and what she represents. It's just a shame that they have not honoured her as well as they could have through the artwork. This is probably the only disappointing thing about this deck. I love the feel, the weight, the themes... so as long as you can overlook at the art, this is definitely worth having in your collection.

Readability & Use

The descriptions of each card's theme are short but to the point, honestly - just how Hekate communicates in my experience. This guidebook comes in 5 languages (English, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese & Russian) with an easy-to-read print size. At the beginning of the book, there are also some sample tarot spreads included to use with the cards. I've used this deck quite often over the last year and it is holding up well. The wear is minimal and the cards and book are still very much in great condition.

Final Thoughts...

Artwork gripes aside, this is an incredible deck. I understand that not everyone is called or will be called to work with Hekate, but this deck, like its namesake, does provide ample insight and alternative perspectives to looking at situations in your life. The words can feel a little heavy or deep, but oftentimes this is what we need. Someone to stop babying us and tell us really how it is. The Queen of Witches and Keeper of Keys does not fail to do just that.

⭐️ 5/5 ⭐️