Asteroid Hekate in Your Birth Chart: Your Guide at the Crossroads
The Meaning of Asteroid Hekate in Astrology
Just as Hekate appears at the crossroads in myth, she emerges in the astrology of life’s most pivotal moments offering guidance and illuminating the path ahead. Whether she arrives as a quiet whisper or a blazing torch, her presence in the natal chart and by transit marks the spaces where we stand between who we once were and who we are now becoming.
Silvana Perelli is an astrologer, frequency alchemist, and liminal space holder devoted to guiding others through profound transformation.
Asteroid Hekate in Your Birth Chart:
Your Guide at the Crossroads
You’re walking through the woods. The sun begins to set. Just as you realize you have chosen the wrong path, darkness quickly falls around you.
Your heartbeat quickens. Birdsong is replaced by the sounds of crickets, frogs, and a howl in the distance.
It is dark now. You are lost. A wave of anxiety begins to arise when suddenly, you see a glimmer of light down the path ahead.
As if by magic, a woman appears. Accompanied by two hounds, she is holding a torch. She beckons for you to come closer. She reaches her hand out to you.
You have come face to face with Hekate, the Goddess of the Crossroads. She has come to light your path home.
(Her)story
Hekate is one of the oldest primordial goddesses. But, unlike other primordial deities, she was absorbed into the Greek Pantheon. Besides Zeus, Hekate was the only deity with the power to grant wishes. Her importance is highlighted by Zeus granting her dominion over heaven, earth, and underworld. ¹
Hekate was the Principle Goddess worshipped in Caria (Asia Minor) and was seen as a protector and guide as illustrated by her many epithets including megistē (“greatest”), epiphanestē (“most manifest”) and sōteira (“savior”).
By Medieval Times, she was demonized by the Catholic Church and became attributed as the goddess of witchcraft, death, the underworld, magic, sorcery and curses. She became the patron saint of those who were most dangerous to the Church such as seers, mystics, midwives, herbalists and healers. It is through this iconography that to this day, Hekate is mostly understood as a “Dark Goddess”.
The Crossroads
“At the crossroads one confronts the necessity of choice and immensity of fate. Crossroads is a matrix union, and also of separating, parting, splitting, of meeting and farewell. Ancient travelers offered sacrifices at crossroads in recognition of the invisible agencies that affect life’s transitions… A crossroads represents the possibility of many ways and also commitment to the individual path.” ²
During the Middle Ages, one of the hardest traditions for the Catholic Church to eradicate was the practice of Hekate Suppers. People would visit crossroads and leave offerings and sacrifices to Hekate. Records indicate that these rituals were still taking place in the 11CE and beyond. ³
Despite her demonization, the enduring practice of Hekate Suppers remained, and people found solace and prayed to Hekate for guidance, blessings and protection during crossroads moments.
The Crossroads can feel disorienting when we don’t know which path to take or we’re faced with change or a reorientation. This is where Hekate’s torch helps guide the way.
The Crossroads can be moments of potential and awakening; moments to make difficult choices where the outcome may not be guaranteed. The fear of stepping into the unknown without a safety net or even knowing which door to walk through can be lightened by calling on Hekate for guidance or blessings.
One of Hekate’s epithets is ‘propolos’, meaning ‘guide’ or ‘companion’. In the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, Hekate becomes Persephone’s handmaiden, guiding her to and from the Underworld. Importantly, Hekate walks in front of her on the way into the Underworld and behind her on the way out of the Underworld. In addition to acting as a guide, she is also Persephone’s (and our) protectress when walking through the dark.
The Thresholds
One of Hekate’s oldest and most central roles was as a fertility goddess. People would carry torches over freshly sown fields, invoking Hekate for a good harvest. Hekate’s Night, a festival honoring Hekate, is August 13th where she was petitioned to avert storms that may damage the harvest.
One of her other epithets was Despoina-Hekate, an Arcadian goddess associated with fertility. “Despoina-Hekate’s name was also given to doorways and gateways, a liminal place often associated with fertility and birth. Hekate was on hand at birth, when the soul joins the body, and at death, when it leaves it. Birth and death were hand in hand, soul in soul.” ⁴
With this expanded understanding of Hekate’s mythology and iconography as not simply a “Dark Goddess” but as The Great Mother, she is more than a liminal figure we encounter in the depths of the Underworld. While we may encounter her there, she is not “of” the Underworld. In fact, she is guiding us through the darkness with her torch ablaze.
Asteroid Hekate as Fertility Goddess
To locate asteroid Hekate in your birth chart, you will find her in astro.com (where you can make a free account) or your astrology software as asteroid #100. If you’re not sure how to cast your own birth chart, you can contact an astrologer who works with asteroids (like me!).
There are many ways that we can work with the asteroid Hekate astrologically. Through my astrological consultations and deep research, I discovered that one of the ways she shows up prominently as Fertility Goddess is through transits in the charts of pregnancy, abortion and childbearing.
Hekate & The Initiation into Parenthood
Becoming a parent is one of life’s most profound transformations and transitions. In astrology, the asteroid Hekate appears as a guide through this sacred threshold. She is not just a guardian of crossroads but also the midwife of the soul, holding a torch to illuminate the unknown and leading us into new phases of life for our soul’s evolution.
For Client A, giving birth was more than just a physical experience; it was a moment of profound personal empowerment. At the time of her child’s birth, Hekate was moving through Cancer, the sign most associated with motherhood and nurturing. She described this moment as “where she found her full strength”. Given how asteroid Hekate was interacting with other key planets suggested that this transition was not just about becoming a mother, but about stepping fully into herself in a new way.
For Client B, the journey into motherhood arrived at a major turning point in her life, a transit called the Hekate Opposition when transiting Hekate was directly opposite her natal Hekate. This suggests a moment of deep self-exploration and transformation. There was a mix of supportive and challenging transits which, on one hand, provided a growing sense of alignment with her new identity, and on the other, unexpected emotional complexities of how motherhood fit into her life.
When looking at multiple cases, a pattern emerges: Hekate’s influence often signals a moment of profound internal strength and alignment with one’s maternal path. Whether through ease or challenge, her presence marks the moment of stepping into the unknown and embracing the transformation that comes with bringing life into the world.
If you are on the threshold of parenthood, you can call on Hekate as your guide. A simple yet powerful way to invoke her presence is through candle magic. Light a black candle for protection and a white candle for guidance, and ask Hekate to walk beside you as you step into this new chapter. You can also place keys on your altar as a symbol of the doors she helps unlock and ask her for an easeful transition through this threshold.
Hekate & Abortion: Claiming Power at the Crossroads
Hekate is the goddess of the crossroads, of choice, and of standing in one’s own power – themes that are often reflected in astrology during the experience of abortion. Her presence reminds us that every choice made at a crossroads changes our journey, and in moments of difficult decisions, she offers us strength and clarity.
For Client C, after an unplanned pregnancy, she found herself in a power struggle with her partner and his family. At the time, transiting Hekate was activating the part of her chart connected to sudden change, independence, and personal wisdom. This reflects a moment where was forced to make a difficult but necessary decision, reclaiming her agency in a situation where others were trying to dictate her path.
Client D’s abortion was motivated by financial realities, but she described it as a deeply personal moment of reclaiming her sovereignty. Astrologically, Hekate was active in ways that emphasized emotional and spiritual growth. This wasn’t just a decision about the present, but about the bigger story of her life. There were also echoes of deep transformation and healing, though not without hardship.
If you are at your own crossroads, facing a decision that feels heavy, Hekate can help you find your truth. One way to connect with her is through divination like using tarot, pendulums, or scrying to receive guidance. You can also have your own Hekate Supper by leaving an offering at a crossroads such as garlic, honey, or a handwritten note asking for guidance and insight. Hekate reminds us that our choices are ours alone, but we do not have to face them alone.
In the aftermath of an abortion, Hekate’s energy can also be called upon for healing. Sitting in quiet meditation with a bowl of salt water, speaking your emotions aloud into the bowl, and then pouring the water into the earth is a way to release grief, guilt, or uncertainty. Hekate is the torchbearer, the one who stands beside us even in the hardest of choices, offering illumination instead of judgment.
Hekate & Miscarriage: Walking the Path of Loss & Transformation
Miscarriage is one of the most tender liminal experiences a person can undergo. Astrologically, asteroid Hekate’s presence during these moments signifies deep transformation and grief. As a triple goddess, she stands at the veil between worlds during the cycles of birth, death, and rebirth, offering comfort and wisdom when we find ourselves lost in sorrow.
For Client E, experiencing a miscarriage was an emotionally intense and life-altering event. At the time, asteroid Hekate was moving through a part of her chart connected with themes of death and rebirth, while also deeply affecting the areas tied to nurturing, emotions, and abundance. This suggests that her loss was a pivotal moment in shaping how she understood motherhood, grief, and resilience.
For Client F, asteroid Hekate was closely aligned with the asteroid of motherhood when she miscarried, suggesting that this experience was part of her larger journey. Other patterns in her chart reflected the depth of sorrow, transformation, and eventual acceptance that came with the loss. While the grief was profound, there were also indications that she was being held by unseen forces and that this experience was a part of a larger cycle in her life.
If you are grieving a miscarriage, know that Hekate walks with you through the darkness. One way to honor both your loss and your healing is through a ritual of remembrance. Light a white candle for the spirit that passed and speak their name or simply acknowledge their presence. Carry or wear a key on a necklace can be a personal symbol of the threshold you have crossed and can serve as a reminder that while this loss has changed you, it has not broken you. I love finding old, beautiful keys in antique shops.
Another powerful practice is to stand at a crossroads at night and whisper your sorrow to the wind. Leave a small offering such a stone, crystal, or flower. In doing so, you symbolically place your pain into Hekate’s hands, trusting that she will help you carry it.
Hekate teaches us that loss is not an ending, but a transformation. She does not take our grief away, but she walks beside us as we learn to carry it.
Working with Asteroid Hekate
When analyzing natal or transiting Hekate in reproductive experiences, look at aspects to Ceres, Pluto, the Moon, and the lunar nodes for insight into how maternal and transformative energies are at play.
Hekate Oppositions and conjunctions with outer planets (Pluto, Uranus, Neptune) often signify profound shifts and reckonings in personal power, particularly regarding motherhood or reproductive choices.
Encourage your clients (or yourself) to work with the archetype of Hekate ritually during these liminal times. Using ritual, meditation, creating an altar dedicated to Hekate, or simply invoking her as a guide through uncertainty can be incredible healing.
If Hekate is heavily aspected during a reproductive event, pay close attention to dreamwork, divination, or ancestral connections for deeper insights and support during these transitions.
The sign Hekate occupies provides deeper insight into how an individual can best navigate life’s thresholds, difficult choices, and transformative experiences and also the way the native can best be supported during these difficult moments. Hekate in Aries may bring a pioneering or assertive approach to change, whereas in Libra, she may manifest as a guide through relational crossroads or inviting the native to lean into their close relationships for support.
Conclusion
Just as Hekate appears at the crossroads in myth, she emerges in the astrology of life’s most pivotal moments offering guidance and illuminating the path ahead. Whether she arrives as a quiet whisper or a blazing torch, her presence in the natal chart and by transit marks the spaces where we stand between who we once were and who we are now becoming.
It’s important that we reclaim the divine feminine in astrology by understanding the legacy of the feminine not simply through the patriarchal lens that has been broadly accepted but by their true nature and the wisdom that their ancient stories tell.
Across the various reproductive experiences of birth, abortion, and miscarriage, Hekate emerges as a crucial astrological marker of transition, choice, and deep transformation.
Whether through childbirth as an initiation into strength, abortion as a reclaiming of agency, or miscarriage as a confrontation of fate, Hekate’s influence appears to highlight the necessity of moving through these experiences with wisdom, courage, and self-determination.
The sign she occupies shapes how we navigate these thresholds and provides advice on what would serve us well as we traverse these moments.
Like the guide in the woods, she does not choose our path for us, but she offers light in the darkness, urging us to trust our own steps and reminding us that we are never alone.
When we find ourselves lost in uncertainty, we can look to Hekate in the stars and know that she is always there, waiting at the crossroads, ready to light the way home.
Hekate: Our Guide Through the Dark
In all of these experiences – giving birth, making difficult choices, grieving loss – Hekate is present. She is the one who stands at the threshold, holding the torch offering us her hand. Whether we are stepping into motherhood, reclaiming our sovereignty, or navigating grief, she reminds us that we are not alone.
If you feel called to work more deeply with Heakte’s energy in your own life, astrology offers a map. My Hekate Crossroads Astrology Reading, can help illuminate where she appears in your birth chart and how her wisdom may be guiding your personal journey through your most transformative moments.
Wherever you stand at this moment, know that Hekate is always near, torch in hand, ready to light your way forward.
Silvana Perelli is an astrologer, frequency alchemist, and liminal space holder devoted to guiding others through profound transformation. Rooted in astrology, ritual, and folklore aligned with the Wheel of the Year, her work helps individuals shift their resonance field and embrace a life of deeper meaning and authenticity.
With decades of experience in sacred space holding, transformational coaching, movement and embodiment practices, and astrology, Silvana specializes in self-reclamation: empowering women to remember and integrate lost or hidden aspects of themselves. Through astrology, women’s circles, and retreats, she fosters deep connection and a sense of belonging both within and with the greater mysteries of the animate Universe.
Blending intuition, myth, and a rich toolkit of transformative modalities, Silvana invites others to step into their power and walk the path of true evolution and remembrance.
BOOK A 60 MINUTE ASTROLOGY READING
Guidance at the Crossroads | Asteroids | Ritual & Mythology
Footnotes
George, Mysteries of the Dark Moon, 139
Taschen, The Book of Symbols, 716
Sorita d’Este, Hekate Liminal Rites, 128
Weber, Hekate: Goddess of Witches, 151-152
Bibliography
Branne, Cyndi. 2023 Entering Hekate’s Cave. Weiser Books
D’Este, Sorita & David Rankine. 2009 Hekate Liminal Rites: A Study of the rituals, magic and symbols of the torch-bearing Triple Goddess of the Crossroads. Avalonia
George, Demetra. 1992 Mysteries of the Dark Moon: The Healing Power of the Dark Goddess. HarperCollins
Homeric Hymn to Demeter. Composed 7th century BCE - 5th century CE. Published in English 1624 by George Chapman.
Muller-Ebeling, Claudia, Christian Ratsch and Wolf-Dieter Storl. 2003 Witchcraft Medicine: Healing Arts, Shamanic Practices, and Forbidden Plants. Inner Traditions
Orphic Hymn to Hekate
Taschen. 2010. The Book of Symbols: Reflections on Archetypal Images. Taschen America
Shinoda Bolen, Jean. 2014. Goddesses in Older Women: Archetypes in Women over Fifty. Harper Paperbacks.
Weber, Courtney. 2021. Hekate: Goddess of Witches. Weiser Books