TESTIMONY OF THE 3RD DEGREE INITIATION OF FEMI HEQET INTO THE PATH OF THE GODDESS HEKATE
​
My 3rd degree Initiation was not conducted by the High Priestess of my original Coven. After hearing Her Call, I followed Her Path and was birthed by Hekate Herself from Her Sacred Womb in the middle of the Amazon Rain Forest. This is the Testimony of my Initiation...
​
​
FEAR IS FOR THE WEAK
​
I never imagined that the words in the Charge of Hekate, read at the end of my Initiation Rite would have a strictly literal and real meaning:
“You who have been walking my Path until this point must decide, for 3 ways you will find before you but only one you must choose to follow. (...) Choose wisely.”
We were almost at the end of our Initiatory Journey facilitated by the book “A Magia de Hécate – Uma Roda do Ano com a Rainha das Bruxas” – The Magick of Hekate – A Wheel of the Year with the Queen of Witches, by Dylan Siegel and Naelyan Wyvern; when Hekate told us to find Her cave, Her Sacred Womb from which we would be birthed as Her Daughters. ​​Curiously I knew a place like that. I went there once, 32 years ago. An astonishing maze in the middle of the jungle, a labyrinth geologically made with small caves and giant stones from pre-historic times, with this mysterious, enourmous cave at the center, near the Santa Lúcia Waterfall, located in a small town called Presidente Figueiredo, about 104 kilometers distant from Manaus, my home town in the Amazon, Brazil.
As I suggested to my sister Luana, who was walking the same Path together with me, we went to visit that place and asked Hekate to give us a sign when we were there, if that was the place She wanted for our Initiatory Rite.
Walking through the forest and the maze in search of signs, we stopped in front of the mysterious cave. There, we saw a Trivia, exactly above the cave. We paused and meditated for some minutes and asked Hekate to confirm with a clear sign if that was the right place. We stood there in silence, about 10 meters in front of the cave and just waited. After 3 minutes, a huge bat came flying out of the cave towards us. It hovered for a few seconds exactly in front of us and went back to the cave. That was the sign! Why would a bat leave the dark of a cave during day time, especially around noon, and we all know that bats are nocturnal animals, so they would never leave the dark of a cave during day time. And it had left just to look at us and go back to the cave? What are the chances? That cave was Her Sacred Womb and She sent us that bat as a sign. The bat was the Guardian of that Sacred Place.
​
After 13 Moons of an intense developmental process that changed ourselves like we could never before, our Initiatic Journey was coming to its end. On October 24th of 2014, my Sister Luana Ramalho and I crossed the river that separated our camp site from the Cave-Womb of the Great Mother. On the previous night, during the ceremony of preparation for the Initiation, Hekate came to me and warned me that we would be tested and I should be ready for the challenge. I told Luana as soon as we met the next day and we wondered what kind of test it would be.
​
When we arrived in Presidente Figueiredo, around noon, a terrible storm started. I thought “that´s the test!”. To set up our tents and later perform the ritual under this tropical, pouring rain! Of course that was not the test… It was just Her way of welcoming us, for She is also the Goddess of Storms.
​
With extreme difficulty, still under the pouring rain, we set up 3 tents for my Sister and I plus 2 friends at a wild area near the Santa Lúcia waterfall, away from curious eyes and any traces of “civilization”.
​
At 5pm we bathed in the stream close by, cleansing and purifying ourselves with consecrated herbs. We took our cloaks, a torch for each of us (one of Hekate's Instruments), bags with all the items for the Rite and a rope to mark the way between the camp site and the cave, trying to avoid getting lost (it is a maze, remember?).
At 5:30pm we started to cross the river. The water was very agitated after the storm and the stones at the bottom made our crossing very difficult and slippery. At this point I should mention that during my meditations with Hekate, long before we visited the Santa Lucia waterfall to have the confirmation from Her that our Rite should be done there, I had visions of myself crossing a river to get to Her Temple and on the other side only 2 torches illuminated the darkness. At that moment I understood the meaning of the vision.
​
While we were crossing the river, carrying all the items we needed for the Rite, the level of the water came up to our waists and I slipped and almost fell twice. At that time I thought that the challenging crossing of the river was the test. When we reached the other side, a black frog appeared out of nowhere and jumped out in front of us, as it was welcoming us and telling us to proceed.
​
We took 30 meters of rope with us to tie one end close to the camp site and the other end close to the cave. This way we would not get lost, for in the Amazon night starts around 6pm and by the time we would finish the Rite it would be later than that. We thought that the rope would be enough. It was not.
​
Night rapidly approached and it was a Dark Moon, after a stormy day. As our rope was not long enough to mark the entire way between the camp site and the cave, we decided to tie its ends in an intermediary area between a pathway which leads to the river and the forest which leads to the cave.
Where the cave is located, in the middle of the forest, surrounded by a maze, we could no longer hear any noise from the camp site or any other trace of human presence. We thought that it was perfect for our purpose of reviving the ancestry of Initiatory Rites the way they used to be performed in ancient times.
​
When we arrived at the cave, the Guardian came to salute us. That huge and solitary bat came flying from inside the cave and stopped at the entrance before us, interested in knowing why we wished to enter the Goddess´s Womb. With humbleness we explained what it was about and asked for his permission to enter. We also saluted all the Elementals and the spiritual, inter-dimensional dwellers. The Guardian then vanished in the darkness of the Cave.
​
The ground inside the cave was wet and full of ponds. The walls were humid and the only sound we could hear were the small drops of water hitting the wet ground mixed with other nocturnal animals’ noises.
On the cave´s roof there was a hole perfectly similar to the uterine cervix, through which we could see some plants and trees and the dark sky above the cave. Exactly at that point there was a natural Trivia pointing to the sky and formed by a dry branch. We could also see unclear paintings of unknown origins on the cave's walls and roof. Signs of primitive humans who lived in that cave I suppose.
We changed out our wet clothes, put on our black robes and started setting everything up for the Ritual. All invocations, our Oath and the Charge of the Goddess had been written on antique paper. Luana brought her cauldron to burn the herbs we had brought for Hekate and we also had candles, our athames and Hekate´s oil for the consecration of our Cloaks and ourselves as Her Instruments.
We placed the Torches at each side of the entrance of the Cave, cast the Circle and invoked the Elements of the Quarters. Then we lit the candles, burned the herbs in the cauldron and invoked the 13 Aspects of Hekate, revealed by the 13 instruments we received prior to the Rite, on each of the 13 Esbats that formed our Initiatic Journey with Her.
In that moment we could sense Her Energy in the Cave and the Magick started. Her Presence became visible to our 3rd eyes and an intense power filled the Sacred Place. The flickering light of the candles, the water drops falling from the ceiling onto the wet ground and all the nocturnal sounds of the forest amidst an absolute Darkness outside, clearly showed us that we were in the Mother´s Womb.
​
I had never seen my Sister cry until that night. We cried a river together, of pure joy and emotion, in the ecstasy of that moment and with the vivid sensation of being in the Goddess´ Womb.
​
Ours would be a “delivery” of twins. We sang and we cried, hugged and consecrated ourselves and our Cloaks to Hekate, finally putting them on, being embraced with Her almighty energy. Our developmental process, with all the challenges that each Instrument demanded from us and all the deep changes in our psyches and life styles had come to fruition, opening us up to lead a New Life.
​
During the Investiture of the Cloaks, I could feel Hekate at our back. We felt the weight of responsibilities we would have from that moment on and after a long silent meditation we uttered the Oath.
​
After reading the Charge of Hekate, dictated by the Goddess Herself to the authors of the book, we thought we knew what the Trivia of our Mother was about, but we did not. We would soon figure it out.
​
We finished the Perfect Rite, the most powerful and intense of all and were happy, glorious, ecstatic, proud and excited for the celebration! “Now wine and BBQ!” I said to Luana. She remained quiet like anticipating what was about to happen.
​
An eerie hoot of an owl which we had never heard before cut the silence inside the cave. We looked at each other and I said: “She has just announced the end of the ceremony!” Nope. I was wrong. Almost 3 hours later, we realized that the owl was announcing the beginning of our last challenge: The Final Test which our Mother had warned me about on the previous night and that would represent the most complex Trivia of our lives!
​
When we tried to find the rope which would lead us back to the camp site, we could not see it in the darkness and suddenly got lost! The forest was darker and more scary than before and our Torches could illuminate only 1 meter ahead, not the entire area. We did not have flashlights and started to walk in circles until getting completely lost and confused in that maze.
​
It was at that moment that I realized the Trivia Hekate had imposed on us:
​
1. We could try to go back to the cave and from there try to find the same pathway we used before, from the campsite to the cave, as Luana suggested.
​
2. Try to follow the sounds of water to find the end of the rope tied near the cave. The rope would lead us back to the river close to the campsite.
​
3. Create a New Path.
​
“Choose one of the 3 ways before you and face the responsibility and consequences of having free will .”
​
The words from Her Charge were echoing and repeating in my mind and a sudden terror overcame us. We finally got it. We were lost in the middle of a dense, impassable forest, on a dark night, with no water, no food and having to make the most difficult decision of our lives! Strangely we realized that we did not fear nocturnal animals. We are jungle girls, born and raised in the Amazon, so those animals are kind of familiar to us, despite their wildness. No, we did not fear snakes, spiders, scorpions or alligators. What was our biggest fear then? We feared being lost in the Darkness! We had entered so deep into the forest that we could not see any light or any sign of civilization.
​
"From now on, Hekate is our Guide. This is the final Test!", I said out loud.
​
I was still wearing my long black dress and Luana had her swimwear and a top and we were both wearing flip flops. We were both carrying heavy bags, with all our ritual objects and we each had Hekate's Torch. With our vision limited to no more than 1 meter, it would be easy to fall down into a pond and indeed we got stuck in the mud many times. I was leading the way and we decided to extinguish one of the Torches as we did not know for how long we would have fuel to keep them both lit.
​
In my despair, I was praying out loud to find my inner strength and the Goddess in me. She knew what She was doing to us. We did not. For some minutes my Faith was being proved. I could not believe a loving Mother could make Her Daughters get lost in a dark jungle full of threats with no provisions of food or water. But then I realized that She works in ways we cannot understand many times and our Test was to face our biggest fear, guided by Her Torches. She was birthing us and as Her Daughters, we should be able to face any kinds of challenges and overcome all our fears! That was what all the 13 Moons Journey and the 13 Instruments of Hekate was about.
​
Still struggling to overcome my fear, I was repeating to myself and Luana that Hekate could hear us and Her Torches would lead us back to the camp site, but we were only getting more and more lost in the Darkness.
​
“You shall decide and choose the best option. Your Path will lead you to unexpected experiences and a life full of surprises. There will be losses and disappointment but do not fear them for I shall be always present.”
​
At that time I had a vision of who Luana was to me in a past life: My so beloved little sister, whom I had always loved and protected. That was so clear to me when I looked into her eyes at that moment and in terror she asked me if I was sure my decision was the best choice.
“Are you sure this is the right choice?” She asked. The heaviness of that responsibility led me to one more question of the Test:
What will you do when a life is in your hands?
​
With the last flame of Faith in my heart I told her that yes, I was sure and explained why with the patience of an older sister.
​
“We cannot go back to the cave because we probably won't find the way back in this Darkness. We should not try to find the rope because we might be very far from the original path we took to get to the cave. And in both options there is the risk of not finding the way back and get even further lost in the jungle.”
​
At that point we were extremely exhausted because of the very active day we had, hungry because of the fast of meat for 1 week, and very thirsty for the emotional stress and the hours spent in the forest. I was also worried about our friends waiting for us at the campsite, for we told them that the ritual would be no longer than 1 hour and, by that time, almost 3 hours had already passed. What if we could not find a way back? Would they find us on the other day? To what threats would we be exposed to if we had to spend the night in the forest?
​
With our legs cut by plants and whipping branches that we could not see in the dark and our feet itching and aching with so many bites of ants, we just continued our Journey.
​
I said to my Sister: “We go ahead.” And she contested: “There is no way ahead! Only a dense forest never walked by humans!”. “Trust me, please", I replied. "We are going to walk our own Path and build our own Way.” The topic of leadership was being presented right in front of my eyes. I had to motivate her to go ahead and to trust me even when I, myself, was emotional and incredibly scared.
​
There was not a single moment that I stopped repeating “Hekate is our Guide!”, like a mantra and we just went ahead, breaking branches, crossing ponds and getting stuck in the mud, in the middle of all chaos and terror that was shaking our souls. The topic of self-control also came to my mind and it turned out to be one of the most difficult to practice.
​
As we continued, we started hearing distant noises of cars on the road. So I decided that we should go in that direction. Many times we shouted for help, but our voices just echoed in the empty darkness.
Finally, for a short moment we could see light behind a tree. It was the distant light of a car on the road and it was approximately 80 or 100 meters from the point where we were. We were going in the right direction.
​
No human being had ever walked that path before. It was a dense, impassable forest and we were making our own way, step by step, with no tools to help us or a compass to guide us on that dark moon night. Only our faith in Hekate and the Light of Her Torch.
​
There was a moment when Luana fell down and could not continue by herself. So I went back to where she was and held her hand. At the limit of our physical strength and emotional resilience I could see more lights of cars passing fast on the road. To me they symbolized the New Life we were about to be born into. A mother and her child always struggle together during the final expelling moments of delivery. A child suffers to be born. The womb is dark, warm and cozy and the child fears what comes next. Crossing the vagina is exhausting and painful for the child. And the feeling of terror for what is about to come causes resistance and doubts in many spirits before they reincarnate. Besides, this was a very special labour: twins.
​
Suddenly, the Path became steep. Ahead of us there was a slope and the ground was completely taken by a web of intertwined aerial roots that got us stuck like bugs in a spider web! One more car just passed by and we could finally see the road, just a few meters ahead of us. We were about to be born! Magickally, at that very moment the flame of our Torch extinguished as if someone had blown it out. Hekate´s Torch had illuminated our Path until that point. Now it was up to us to proceed. I needed to hold my Sister´s hand again, because her bag was heavier than mine, she got hurt with the fall and was still stuck in the middle of the web of roots. So I had no choice, I had to leave one of the Torches behind. So I offered Her to Hekate as a token of Gratitude for guiding us out of the forest-maze.
The rise to the road was so steep, and the ground so full of intertwined, aerial roots, that we would have to crawl over them to get out. I said to my sister: “We are like babies now! We have to crawl like babies do, cause if we proceed standing up we won´t get out of here! We are going to fall down again and have our feet and legs stuck in this mud and the roots!”
​
And so we did. Crawling like babies in the last meters that separated our Mother´s Body from the road towards our New Life. I held Luana's hand: “Sis, it´s just a few meters now, I can see the road! We are going to make it! We are going to pass our Test!”
​
After loosing our flip flops in the mud, at last we stepped onto our New Road of Life, barefoot and shaking legs, just to realize that we did not know where exactly we were. On a Dark Moon´s night you cannot see your way if you are on a deserted road in the middle of nowhere! So we had to wait until one more car passed by us and its lights showed us the right direction to the campsite. When the car passed, we saw a bridge at our left. At that moment I remembered my beloved mataji Elizabeth Ghimel, the High Priestess of my original Coven, who Initiated me in my second degree. For the 3rd degree Initiation Rites that she conducts, the Initiates have to cross a bridge.
​
Our camp site was on the other side of the bridge. The stream we had crossed to go to the cave, goes under that bridge. My heart was full of the purest joy and contentment I have ever felt when I heard my little Sister say:
​
“Fear is for the weak!”
​
We both burst in a loud laughter! "F. Yeah! We both faced our biggest fear and overcame it!"Then we laughed a lot, we laughed out loud as crazy Witches! Covered in mud and dirt, hurt and messy haired, two renewed women then headed to the Bridge. We held each other´s hands and in a silent prayer of profound Gratitude, we crossed the Bridge that would lead us to our new lives as Daughters of Hekate ( and back to the campsite).
Arriving there, we just let ourselves be cared and fed by our friends, while telling them our amazing story. With tears in our eyes and purified souls we told them of the 3 hours of our Birth, lost in the jungle, trying to find the way out of the labyrinth as our Initiation Test. At that moment, we did not feel like celebrating or taking many pictures. We were still in shock, both emotionally and physically, deeply shaken, yet spiritually satisfied and full of gratitude.
We hugged each other, laughed and cried at the same time, happy with our Achievement and the final approval granted by Her who has always been and will always be the
​
Queen of Witches!
​
​
“Nobody else will walk the Path you walked, because it disappeared behind you.”
The Charge of Hekate.
This is the Testimony of my Initiation with Hekate.
October 24th 2014.
Χαλάζι Εκάτη!
Femi Heqet & Luana Ramalho
Pictures of myself, my hubby Robert and my Sister Luana, in front of the cave, taken in October 2018, 4 years after our Initiation.