Khaire Hekate Nykteria!

What does "of the night" mean to me? What do I think of, who am I calling to, when I address You as Hekate Nykteria?

So much more than simply the hours between sunset and sunrise!

The night time has a certain mood all its own. We see that in mythology, folklore, psychology, and so many other ways the human mind is studied through science, art, meditation, etc. We can make long lists of reasons that all seem to eventually come back to "...because our ancestors..." It's all ways of trying to reason our way out of the idea that we react as if the night has its own vibe because the night has its own vibe. 

Ah, but of course You know this. After all, not all of the stories say You are the child of Asteria. Some say You are the daughter of Nyx. Either way, You know the night well.

Night is a time of rest, when everything seems ready to jump. A time of peace and quiet, filled with howling canines, screeching bats and owls, and whistling whispering winds. Time flows oddly at night. Minutes can slow to nearly standing still while hours whiz past. It is a time of illusion and shadows that can often be the best time to process things and find clarity.

Humans are trained to think of day as productive time. It's not as rigid a schedule as it once was for the world, but it is still part of our expectations and even, to some degree, our biology. Maybe that makes night a liminal space for us. We pass through to get from one day to the next. As much as I love the sun and my plant friends in the day, it's always been the night where I felt more at home. That was nearly taken from me through violence, but some of that has been closed with healing.

Healing...oh, but I could write so much about that! Mother, I see myself praising You for as long as my thread may be.

Khaire Hekate Nykteria!