In this episode of Goddess Talks, part of The Goddess Project Podcast, I sit down with author and researcher Sorita d’Este for a thoughtful and engaging conversation on the goddess Hekate. Together, we explore some of the most common misconceptions surrounding Hekate, the current trends shaping how she is understood today, and what it means to approach her through both historical research and modern spiritual practice. We also touch on the sacred site of Lagina in Turkey, one of the most important ancient centres of Hekate worship.

This is a conversation that moves between scholarship, lived experience, and the evolving presence of the goddess in the modern world. About Sorita d’Este: Sorita d’Este is an author, researcher, and international lecturer specializing in magic, mythology, and the study of ancient deities, with a particular focus on Hekate. With over 30 years of experience, her work brings together historical sources, esoteric traditions, and contemporary devotional practice.

She is the founder of the Covenant of Hekate, an international community devoted to the goddess, and the creator of the Rite of Her Sacred Fires, a global ritual held annually in Hekate’s honor. Sorita is also the director of Avalonia Books, an independent publishing house dedicated to esoteric and magical studies. Her publications include Circle for Hekate, Hekate: Liminal Rites, and several influential edited volumes that have shaped modern engagement with goddess traditions.

Find Sorita here:

Website: https://www.soritadeste.com

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/MeetingInTheCircle

Avalonia Books: https://www.avaloniabooks.com

Hekate Workshop: Lagina, Turkey

If you felt inspired by our discussion, I am hosting a live workshop on Hekate at Lagina on Saturday, March 21st. This session will explore the archaeology, ritual practices, and historical significance of one of the most important sanctuary sites dedicated to Hekate in the ancient world.

We will go deeper into the material, context, and lived experience of the goddess in this sacred space.

Register here: https://www.artemisresearchcentre.com/event-details/hecate-at-lagina-cult-temple-and-sacred-authority

#Hekate #Hecate #GoddessTalks #GoddessProject #AncientReligion #GoddessStudies #SacredFeminine #WomenInHistory #Mythology #EsotericStudies #PaganStudies #GreekReligion #HekateLagina #SpiritualHistory #PodcastInterview #WomenScholars #ModernPaganism #GoddessWork #HekateDevotion

The Mistress of Animals is one of the oldest and most powerful divine images in the ancient world. Long before classical Artemis, a goddess stood between lions, deer, and wild creatures, commanding them without weapon or apology.

In this episode, we trace the Mistress of Animals across Mesopotamia, Anatolia, Crete, Greece, and the wider Mediterranean. From Inanna and Cybele to early Archaic Greek reliefs, this is the deeper story behind the goddess of the wild. This is not the softened “nature goddess” version. This is the original framework of female sovereignty over wilderness, danger, and survival.

If Artemis has ever felt older or more powerful than the version you were taught, this episode will change how you see her.

Topics Covered

• What “Mistress of Animals” really means

• The Bronze Age origins of the motif

• Inanna and lion imagery

• Anatolian rock relief goddesses

• Artemis Agrotera and wild land

• Why modern museums mislabel her

• How this ancient grammar of power survives into Greek religion

🌿 Join the Mistress of Animals Course

If this episode sparks something in you, we begin a full six week deep dive inside the Mistress of Animals course at the Artemis Research Center.

🗓 February 21 – March 22 🕰 12–2 pm EST / 5–7 pm UK / 9–11 am PST 📍

Live on Zoom

This is a six week live seminar exploring:

• Primary texts and inscriptions

• Bronze Age seal stones and reliefs

• Near Eastern parallels

• Greek cult and epithets

• Sanctuary geography and ritual

• The transition into Artemis

Two options are available:

✔ Live participation with discussion and Q&A

✔ Recording access only

This is not a survey course. It is a structured, evidence based investigation of one of the most enduring and misunderstood goddess traditions in the ancient Mediterranean.

Course link:https://www.artemisresearchcentre.com/challenge-page/f54cd7ab-6c2a-4a0e-85e3-de2cd7f1b68b?programId=f54cd7ab-6c2a-4a0e-85e3-de2cd7f1b68b

About Dr. Carla Ionescu

Dr. Carla Ionescu is a historian of ancient Mediterranean religions and the founder of the Artemis Research Center. She is the author of She Who Hunts and the newly released She Who Endures: The Cult and Iconography of Artemis of Ephesus. Her work focuses on goddess traditions, material culture, and the long continuity of female divine power across the Mediterranean world.

📚 New book: She Who Endures available now

🌿 Artemis Research Center https://www.artemisresearchcentre.com/

📝 Substack: In Search of Artemis https://artemisexpert.substack.com/

📷 Instagram / TikTok / YouTube: @artemisexpert

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe and leave a comment. I would love to hear your thoughts.

🎙️ The Goddess Project Podcast is back

After more than a year away, The Goddess Project returns with a powerful first episode, diving into the life, writings, and legacy of Enheduanna, the high priestess of Inanna and the earliest named author in world history.

In this episode, I explore Enheduanna’s historical world in ancient Mesopotamia, her role as en priestess, and her groundbreaking hymn The Exaltation of Inanna, one of the earliest autobiographical texts ever written. We look closely at themes of sacred authority, gendered violence, exile from power, divine justice, and why a woman’s voice was preserved in the literary tradition over four thousand years ago.

This episode takes a feminist, historical, and archaeological approach, grounding Enheduanna’s story in primary sources while asking why her words still matter today. If you’re interested in ancient goddesses, women’s history, mythology, archaeology, or the deep roots of women’s voices in religious tradition, this episode is for you.

✨ This is the first new episode of The Goddess Project in over a year, and I am so excited to be back.

📚 New book by Dr. Carla Ionescu She Who Endures: The Cult and Iconography of Artemis of Ephesus Available now. This book explores Artemis of Ephesus through archaeology, iconography, and ancient religious practice. https://a.co/d/g1Tve5s

🔗 Learn more and explore my research Artemis Research Centre: https://artemisresearchcentre.com

📸 Follow along on social media Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artemisexpert YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@goddessproject Substack: https://artemisexpert.substack.com

🎧 Topics covered in this episode • Enheduanna and the first literary “I” • Inanna, female divine power, and sovereignty • Sacred authority and women in ancient temples • Gendered violence in ancient texts • Why Enheduanna’s voice survived

👍 If you enjoyed this episode, like, subscribe, and share. 💬 I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

#Enheduanna #Inanna #TheGoddessProject #WomenInHistory #AncientGoddesses #FeministHistory #AncientReligion #MythologyPodcast #Artemis #SheWhoEndures