“Magic takes on the religion of its age – shaped by experiential gnosis at the liminal threshold where myth, magic and devotion becomes the Mysteries.”
Sorita d’Este is an author and independent researcher specialising in ancient religion, mythology and esoteric traditions. Her work combines the study of archaeological and other historical sources with an experiential understanding of contemporary ritual and devotional practice.
Best known for her research and writing on Hekate, she explores the relationship between ancient evidence, later magical traditions and modern spiritual experience. She is the founder of the independent esoteric publisher Avalonia, founder of the Covenant of Hekate, and host of Meeting in the Circle. She is the author / co-author of more than 20 books on goddesses, magic and witchcraft.
“Magic takes on the religion of its age – shaped by experiential gnosis at the liminal threshold where myth, magic and devotion becomes the Mysteries.”
Sorita d’Este is an author and independent researcher specialising in ancient religion, mythology and esoteric traditions. Her work combines the study of archaeological and other historical sources with an experiential understanding of contemporary ritual and devotional practice.
Best known for her research and writing on Hekate, she explores the relationship between ancient evidence, later magical traditions and modern spiritual experience. She is the founder of the independent esoteric publisher Avalonia, founder of the Covenant of Hekate, and host of Meeting in the Circle. She is the author / co-author of more than 20 books on goddesses, magic and witchcraft.
Covenant of Hekate
As founder and Keybearer of the Covenant of Hekate, Sorita d’Este has helped shape an international community devoted to the study, sharing, and lived experience of the Goddess Hekate’s history, mysteries, and modern devotional practice.
Publishing
As founder, publisher and director of Avalonia, Sorita has developed an independent esoteric publishing house known for carefully curated works on Paganism, witchcraft, ceremonial magic, mythology, folklore, goddess traditions, Hekate studies, ancient religions and Western esotericism.
Writing
Sorita d’Este is an author and researcher whose work examines Paganism, witchcraft, mythology, folklore, ancient religion, goddess traditions, Hekate studies, ceremonial magic and Western esotericism, with books that bridge historical scholarship, esoteric practice and contemporary spirituality.
Workshops & Courses
Sorita d’Este is an international teacher, lecturer and workshop facilitator in Paganism, witchcraft, Hekate studies, mythology, magic and Western esotericism, with work including The Torchlit Path, Elemental Magic and Omens & Auguries. She has decades of specialist teaching worldwide and in the UK.
Community
Sorita d’Este’s community work has helped connect Pagan, Wiccan, Hekatean and esoteric practitioners for more than two decades, from London networks including Wiccans and Witches in London and Lapis Companions to her ongoing international work with Meeting in the Circle.
Consultancy
Sorita d’Este consults selectively on specialist film, media, private and organisational projects requiring expertise in occultism, Western esotericism, mythology, ritual magic and esoteric symbolism.
Pilgrimage
Through time spent in travel, pilgrimage and teaching across more than thirty countries, Sorita has studied sacred landscapes, archaeological sites, temples, shrines and contemporary centres of devotion, tracing the ways in which myth, ritual and religious memory are preserved, transformed and reinterpreted across cultures and through time. This understanding flows through her more recent works.
Sacredness
Some sacred sites remain places of living worship, while others have been incorporated into later religions or modern cultural identities; visiting them reveals how sacred memory is preserved, reshaped and disputed.
Landscape
Ancient religion was often enacted through procession, ascent, approach and entry; walking the land can reveal insights on its spiritual meaning. Interacting with springs, rivers, hills and mountains provides a very different understanding.
