The Hellenic Path · monthly rite
Deipnon -- Hecate's Dark Moon Supper
Level: beginner
The Deipnon (deipnon, 'supper') is the dark moon rite that closes each lunar month -- a meal left at the crossroads for Hecate and the restless dead. The night before the Noumenia, when the moon is invisible, is Hecate's night. The household is swept clean, old offerings are gathered and removed, and Hecate's supper is prepared and placed where three roads meet. This is not a fearful rite but a practical one: it clears the accumulated spiritual weight of the past month so the new month can begin fresh.
What you need
- Hecate's supper: garlic, eggs, onions, fish, honey cakes, or bread (any combination)
- A plate or bowl to carry the offering
- A black or dark candle
- A broom or cleaning supplies (for the household sweeping)
- Incense: myrrh preferred
- Optional: a representation of Hecate (triple-form, torches, keys)
The rite, step by step
- 1
Sweep the House (Oxythymia)
Before preparing Hecate's supper, sweep your home -- physically and symbolically. The ancient Athenians called this the oxythymia (purification by sweeping). Gather the sweepings, old altar offerings, and any clutter. This represents the accumulated miasma of the month being cleared. As you sweep, say: 'I sweep this house clean of the old month. What has accumulated is released. What is stale departs with the dark moon.'
- 2
Prepare Hecate's Supper
Prepare a plate of food for Hecate. The traditional offerings are: - Eggs (symbol of potential and the crossroads) - Garlic (her sacred plant, apotropaic) - Bread or honey cakes - Fish (she is a liminal goddess associated with the sea) - Onions Any combination is acceptable. Place them on a plate. Light a black candle beside the plate.
- 3
Address Hecate
Stand before the prepared supper. Say: 'Hecate Trioditis, goddess of the crossroads, torch-bearer, key-holder, guardian of the threshold between the living and the dead -- I set this supper for you at the ending of the month. Accept this offering. Guide the restless dead away from this household. Open the way for the new month to enter with your blessing.'
- 4
Take the Supper to the Crossroads
Carry the plate to a crossroads -- where three roads meet is traditional (triodos), but any intersection or the corner of your property will serve. Place the plate on the ground. In an apartment, place it outside your front door or at the nearest corner. Say: 'Hecate, this is yours. I leave it without hesitation, without regret.' Turn and walk away. DO NOT look back. This is the most important instruction -- looking back was considered extremely inauspicious.
- 5
Return and Close
Return home. Light incense (myrrh). Sit quietly for a moment. The old month is closed. The house is swept. Hecate has received her due. Say: 'The Deipnon is done. The dark moon passes. Tomorrow the crescent returns and the new month begins. I am ready.' Let the incense burn. Tomorrow is the Noumenia.
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