In Turkey, the Land of Hecate and Her Black Dog
In Turkey, the Land of Hecate and Her Black Dog
By Karen Tate
During a sacred Goddess tour of Turkey, one of the ancient cities on our itinerary was Lagina, known to have within one of the only standing temples dedicated to Hecate ever found.
In each city we visited during our journey it was inevitable we would find hungry feral cats living within the ancient stones so the women on the tour began to fill their backpacks and purses with food from the breakfast table to share with the kitties they'd find at each site we visited. The morning we were headed to Lagina was no different. We were all prepared to fatten up the skinny kitties we'd meet along our way.
As the bus drove through the gates to enter the precinct of Lagina it stopped at the entrance and we heard the usual sound of the bus doors opening signaling us to unload and start the day's exploration and ritual. As we all gathered up our ritual accoutrement and cameras and kitty food we were not looking at the front of the bus until we heard a loud bark at the door of the bus. We all looked up to see a big friendly black dog welcoming us to Lagina, home of Hecate. It was interesting we saw none of the usual feral kitties in Lagina, only this big black dog, Hecate's sacred animal, guarding the gates and ready to accompany us on the day ahead.
Yes, we think Hecate saw her women, priestesses of Goddess, on pilgrimage to this her only known standing temple from the ancient world. We quickly sought out her temple and stood in the holy of holies and did ritual in Her honor at this very special sacred site - under the watchful eye of her big black dog.
Learn more about sacred places of Goddess, including in Turkey in Sacred Places of Goddess: 108 Destinations.
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