Review of Jason Miller's Sorcery of Hekate Course

The Sorcery of Hekate course has been an experience of positive change for me, although I admit that I had no idea what I was getting into. While considering whether to enroll, I found that information about the course was scarce. People uphold the ‘vow of secrecy’ regarding these lessons. During the course, I found that the unfolding of the teaching is a marvelous journey that follows a particular path that shouldn’t be revealed in advance. In retrospect, I realize that Nathan provides the best summary available in his In Depth Review.

Despite my initial hesitation due to the cost, my intuition prompted me so strongly that I signed up a week late and I’m grateful for that belated decision. The course has brought positive changes to my life, fostering resilience, fearlessness, and self-understanding.

I confess that I had failed to realize that this course delves deeply into the practice of magic. As Jason explained in a Q&A recording, “This class exists to make you better at magic.”

The course’s progression is well structured, introducing additional rituals and beings each week. The unfolding of the course allows us to explore magical practice while building a connection with Hekate.

From the beginning of the course, I found myself taking charge of my life in ways I had not before, leading to a more positive outlook on life. The daily minimum of mantra recitation and the ritual have enriched my connection with other deities I worship and has even improved my focus when reciting prayers from the siddur.

Jason's teachings are artfully imparted. He is a master of effective analogies that are helpful to everyone, even those who, like me, are unfamiliar with either Western Magick or Tibetan Buddhism. He and Hekate have created a valuable system for honing both magical and practical skills, with the Mandala serving as a vital mechanism in that system.

There are thirteen lessons consisting of 15-year-old recordings, 5 year-old PDF study guides, and ritual scripts sent every two weeks. A week after each lesson, Jason records answers to the questions posted to the Facebook group by current students. Occasional discrepancies arise between the MP3 lessons, the PDF study guides, and Jason’s current answers, but these are usually minor and we can flexibly adapt our practices based on the Q&A recordings. (It is a little surprising that he is unaware of the small changes to the system that have developed over time and I found it frustrating hearing him tell my fellow students, “I never said that,” when I, too, recalled him saying just that.)

The course involved a few additional expenses, but Jason advised us (strongly!) not to inquire about the items until they are needed. You will never need an altar or shrine space, although a string of beads or counting app is useful for keeping track of mantras. (As an aside, I recommend that, if you want to copy rituals by hand, you use loose paper as additional scripts are added each week and changes are made to earlier scripts.)

Beyond learning from books, I value the fellowship of other students, which in this 15th cycle of the course has been inspiring and supportive. Although Jason is “investigating platforms to use for this class that would eliminate any kind of student group entirely,” I hope he chooses to maintain the current arrangement, especially since contact with him is limited to the bimonthly Q&As.

Sorcery of Hekate 1 is a complete system of magic that does not exclude prayer or worship, but focuses on what Jason refers to as “enhanced developmental practices.” The Mandala you will create with your mind serves as both an astral temple and a machine, aligning the practitioner with Hekate and other beings.

Jason encourages a dedicated practice, starting with the daily recitation of 100 mantras, which he considers the bare minimum commitment. Additionally, you can perform about 20 minutes of ritual daily or weekly, depending on your preference and schedule. Each Dark Moon is an opportunity for a more extended ritual.

Jason does not provide “a recipe book of spells;” he is giving us the tools to create spells ourselves. For instance, the Hekate Oil recipe includes the ingredients but not their proportions, enabling herbalists to tailor the mixture to suit their needs.

Since I had no prior experience in magic, initially I sometimes had to “fake it to make it,” but I soon found my connection to Hekate’s magic flourishing.

The course is immediately effective, but no one could master it in seven months. I am grateful for that, as I wish to continue this practice for a long time. (For $700, it had better last a lifetime!)

Jason's spelling, punctuation, and occasionally his word choices are less than perfect, which sometimes caused me frustration. However, I recognized that his focus lies in other details of this system. For scholars of ancient Greek or speakers of modern Greek, Jason’s pronunciations may be disappointing, but he does provide recordings of some of the ritual texts read by a person more fluent than he is.

On a few occasions early in the course, I found Jason's expressions of frustration with student questions to be inappropriate. Using prior students' comprehension as a benchmark for comparison is not, to put it mildly, a sound pedagogical approach. Setting aside these details, he's a good teacher.

While the course has been highly beneficial, I nonetheless think it somewhat overpriced, especially considering the outdated recordings and study guides that have not been updated based on student feedback. Furthermore, only seven of the nine triads are introduced in Hekate 1. On the other hand, Jason dutifully answered all but two questions in the Q&As for Hut 15.

So, if your intuition demands you take the course, as mine did, I would recommend you do so. I can't imagine any other way I could have acquired this knowledge.

One student eloquently summed up the experience: “A number of the places where I experienced the most growth weren’t directly related to the sorcery of Hekate, but I had success leveraging my deepening relationship with Her for those ends.”

In conclusion, I must emphasize the usefulness of the system Jason has transmitted. While maintaining confidentiality, I will share a comprehensive list of everything he has provided us during cycle 15 of the Sorcery of Hekate, so you will have some idea of what you'll be getting if you register for the course.

NOTE: During the final Q&A of the course, I began reconsidering my assessment of the course and eventually shared my thoughts on Jason's teaching style in this post. 

 
THE COURSE MATERIALS:

First Month (Lessons 1 and 2)

Lesson 1
MP3 Teaching (1 hr 15 min)
PDF Study Guide
PDF Ritual Script
PDF Ritual Script PDF Visualization Points
MP3 FAQ (1 hr)
PDF FAQ Time Stamps

Q&A 1 (Your class will have its own questions and answers)
MP3 Part 1 (50 min)
MP3 Part 2 (41 min)
MP3 Part 3 (45 min)
MP3 Part 4 (47 min)
MP3 Part 5 (41 min)

Lesson 0
MP3 Origin of the Arcana (13 min)

Lesson 2
MP3 Teaching (49 min)
MP3 Recording of Ritual (3 min)
MP3 Recording of Ritual (1 min)
MP3 Recording of Ritual (3 min)
PDF Study Guide
PDF Ritual Script
Video of Mudra (4 min)
PDF Ritual Script
PDF Condensed Ritual
Video Explaining the Ritual (10 min)
MP3 FAQ
PDF FAQ Time Stamps

Q&A 2 (Your class will have its own questions and answers)
MP3 Part 1 (43 min)
MP3 Part 2 (46 min)
MP3 Part 3 (46 min)
MP3 Part 4 (51 min)
MP3 Part 5 (47 min)
MP3 Part 6 (42 min)
Time Stamps for Q&A in the email

Second Month (Lessons 3 and 4)

Lesson 3
MP3 Teaching (32 min)
PDF Study Guide

Q&A 3 (Your class will have its own questions and answers)
MP3 Part 1 (48 min)
MP3 Part 2 (47 min)
MP3 Part 3 (46 min)
MP3 Part 4 (33 min)
Time Stamps for Q&A in the email

Lesson 4
MP3 Teaching (43 min)
PDF Study Guide
PDF Ritual Script
PDF Condensed Ritual

Q&A 4 (Your class will have its own questions and answers)
MP3 Part 1 (49 min)
MP3 Part 2 (49 min)
MP3 Part 3 (27 min)
Time Stamps for Q&A in the email

Third Month (Lessons 5 and 6)

Lesson 5
MP3 Teaching (56 min)
PDF Study Guide
PDF Ritual Script

Q&A 5 (Your class will have its own questions and answers)
MP3 Part 1 (45 min)
MP3 Part 2 (53 min)
MP3 Part 3 (48 min)
MP3 Part 4 (37 min)
Time Stamps for Q&A in the email

Lesson 6
MP3 Teaching (46 min)
PDF Ritual Script
PDF Ritual Script
PDF Study Guide
Time Stamps for Q&A in the email

Q&A 6 (Your class will have its own questions and answers)
MP3 Part 1 (45 min)
MP3 Part 2 (47 min)
MP3 Part 3 (57 min)
Time Stamps for Q&A in the email

Fourth Month (Lessons 7 and 8)

Lesson 7
MP3 Teaching (52 min)
PDF Study Guide

Q&A 7 (Your class will have its own questions and answers)
Part 1 (45 min)
Part 2 (41 min)
Time Stamps for Q&A in the email

Lesson 8
MP3 Teaching (50 min)
PDF Study Guide
Ritual Script

Q&A 8 (Your class will have its own questions and answers)
MP3 Part 1 (47 min)
MP3 Part 2 (40 min)
Time Stamps for Q&A in the email

Fifth Month (Lesson 9 and 10)

Lesson 9
MP3 Teaching (45 min)
PDF Study Guide
PDF Ritual Script
PDF Visualization Points
PDF Ritual Script

Q&A 9 (Your class will have its own questions and answers)
MP3 Part 1 (47 min)
MP3 Part 2 (37 min)
Time Stamps for Q&A in the email

Lesson 10
MP3 Teaching (35 minutes)
PDF Study Guide
PDF Ritual Script
MP3 Teaching (16 minutes)
PDF Ritual Script

Q&A 10 (Your class will have its own questions and answers)
MP3 Part 1 (46 min)
MP3 Part 2 (37 min)
Time Stamps for Q&A in the email

Sixth Month (Lesson 11 and 12)

Lesson 11
MP3 Teaching (51 min)
MP3 Teaching (45 min)
PDF Study Guide
PDF Ritual Script
Images of Seals
Image of Table of Practice
Examples for Using Seals and Table

Q&A 11 (Your class will have its own questions and answers)
MP3 Part 1 (45 min)
MP3 Part 2 (45 min)
Time Stamps for Q&A in the email

Lesson 12 (Your class will have its own questions and answers)
MP3 Teaching (1 hour)
PDF Study Guide
PDF Visualization Points

Q&A 12
MP3 Part 1 (43 min)
MP3 Part 2 (34 min)
Time Stamps for Q&A in the email

Seventh Month (Lesson 13 and Preview of Hekate 2)

Lesson 13
MP3 Teaching (51 min)
PDF Study Guide
PDF Ritual Script
Diagram of the Mandala

Q&A 13 (Your class will have its own questions and answers)
MP3 recording (55 minutes)

Bonus
Sample of the first lesson of Hekate 2

Q&A 14
MP3 recording

Egipcios Kier * 63 Communion

Card 63, Communion, from the Egipcios Kier Tarot deck, depicts a couple seated on ornate chairs. Their feet are firmly planted on the floor, symbolizing stability. The wife lovingly embraces her husband, her right arm around him like the sheltering wings of Isis, with her hand resting on his shoulder. She is bare-breasted, adorned with a sheer sarong and a beautiful necklace. Her ornate wig features a dangling lotus flower emitting a pleasant fragrance. Her husband, in a shorter wig and elaborate necklace, wears a knee-length green tunic and holds a lotus fan to gently shoo away flies.

The profile style of Egyptian art might make it seem like the woman is seated behind her husband, but her arm is around him signifies their loving and equal partnership. Each holds or wears a lotus, symbolizing luxury and abundance. Their union makes them strong and wealthy, suggesting they might be partners not only in their family life but also in their business endeavors. The contrast between his green clothing and her orange clothing highlights their individuality while indicating the harmony of their mutual reliance.

Above the central image are four intriguing symbols: a sigil resembling the letter Alef or a stalk of grain, an owl hieroglyph, a pentagram with two inward-pointing arrows, and the Hebrew letter Alef (א), the breath that carries sound. The large symbol at the bottom of the cartouche is, according to Stuart Kaplan, an incense burner. This incense burner, releasing fragrant smoke, represents spirituality and physical luxury.

In the title field, we see the astrological symbol for Mars, the Latin letter 'H,' and the number Nine. In Pythagorean mysticism, the number nine signifies the end of one cycle in the beginning of another. Other numerology systems link nine to pain or sadness, but also to happiness, as in “Cloud Nine.” The couple portrayed on the card support each other through individual or collective pains and difficulties; they are never alone.

Kaplan interprets the card as representing joy, pleasure, peace, love, contentment, a harmonious family life, honor, esteem, and virtue. When reversed, it can indicate the loss of friendship, family quarrels, pettiness, rage, and even conflict.

The Communion card invites us to embrace joy, peace, and love, reminding us of the contentment found in harmonious relationships and the virtues we uphold within our families. Whether upright or reversed, this card encourages us to explore the dynamics of connection and seek harmony in those connections.

Brazilian tarot writer, Nelise Carbonare Vieira, associates this card with the traditional Nine of Swords. That card seems to contrast sharply with the image and feeling of the Communion card.

The Nine of Swords signifies torment, being overwhelmed, nightmares, and an inability to make sense of life. It could represent the struggles of facing life's challenges alone. When reversed, the it means methodically addressing one problem at a time and accepting healing.

Card 63, Communion, reflects the later meaning of the traditional Nine of Swords. It emphasizes the strength and support found in harmonious relationships, encouraging us to nurture these connections. This card serves as a reminder of the power and comfort that come from supportive relationships. It encourages us to cherish and cultivate these bonds, finding strength in unity and shared experiences. Through mutual support, we can face life's challenges with greater resilience and joy.