{"id":10631,"date":"2015-01-01T01:10:03","date_gmt":"2015-01-01T06:10:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paganpages.org\/content\/?p=11019"},"modified":"2014-12-31T14:27:06","modified_gmt":"2014-12-31T19:27:06","slug":"the-enchanted-cottage-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2015\/01\/01\/the-enchanted-cottage-2\/","title":{"rendered":"The Enchanted Cottage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Spirits of the Household<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the next several installments I will be writing about the different goddesses, gods, and spirits of the witches\u2019 home. These entities are known to bless and protect both the home and those who live within. By honoring them we grow closer to the Spirit of the home, infusing it with love, laughter and warmth. In this first installment I welcome Hestia, Goddess of the Hearth Fire.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hestia<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Homeric Hymn to Hestia XXIX<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Hestia, in the high dwellings of all, both deathless<\/em><\/p>\n

gods and men who walk the earth, you have gained<\/em><\/p>\n

an everlasting abode and highest honour: glorious<\/em><\/p>\n

is your portion and your right. For without you<\/em><\/p>\n

mortals hold no banquet,–where one does not<\/em><\/p>\n

duly pour sweet wine in offering to Hestia both<\/em><\/p>\n

first and last.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Hestia, Goddess of Hearth and Home, is envisioned as the living flame<\/em> of the hearth fire. It was to Her that the ancient Greeks gave a portion of every sacrifice to and was the first to be invoked in ritual. The first born of Rhea and Kronos, She was held in high esteem by all. Embodied at the heart of the city by a public altar, Her eternal flame protected the city from harm. Hestia is an obscure goddess, not much is known about Her from myth but that does not negate the fact that She was highly honored, as can be seen in the hymn above. Ellen Dugan<\/strong>, in her book Cottage Witchery<\/strong>, says this about the worship of Hestia\u2014\u201cHestia represented the unity of family and state, hospitality, and the spiritual center of the home.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Today, Hestia is venerated in many homes as the heart of the home. Hearth fires and sacred candles are lit in Her honor and the food we cook is blessed in Her name. The very Flame of hearth fires, candles, and oil lamps are seen as being Hestia Herself. She is the Light and Warmth of the home, the Eternal Flame of Creation. \u201c Hestia is an example of how holy the hearth and the hearthfire were considered, and how sacred the home as temple was for a family.\u201d <\/em>\u2013 Arin Murphy-Hisock~ The Way of the Hedge Witch. <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

My home is my temple. It is where I pray and converse with the Divine and the Household Spirits that share a living space with my family. Hestia, the living Flame of my home, encourages all those who enter to do so with love and laughter in their heart. Her presence in my home ignites the Spirit of Hospitality, welcoming all with open arms. When I come home from a long, hard day at work, the warmth and love that Hestia fills my home with comforts me as I step through my door. While cooking dinner it is to Hestia that I pray to bless my food, filling it with health and infusing it with Her light and love.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Though Hestia is a hearth goddess, you don\u2019t need an actual fire place to honor Her. Setting up a simple shrine of candles is a wonderful way to bring Hestia\u2019s warmth into your home. Decorate Her shrine or hearth in warm colors such as red and gold. Offer Her red wine, bread (preferably homemade) and fiery herbs. I have found common kitchen herbs to be appropriate offerings to Hestia. Allspice, cinnamon, clove, chili pepper, ginger, and nutmeg are but a few. Simply asking Hestia what She would prefer as an offering and listening to your intuition is a wonderful way to make a connection with this very loving goddess. Whenever I light a candle, I do so in Hestia\u2019s name, asking Her to bless my home.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Prayer of Thanks to Hestia <\/strong>(Said while lighting Her sacred candle)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"cottage\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hestia, Heart of my Home,<\/em><\/p>\n

It is to You that I turn to for warmth and comfort.<\/em><\/p>\n

You are the Eternal Flame of Creation,<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0I give You my love and devotion<\/em><\/p>\n

And I thank You for the joy and laughter You fill my home with,<\/em><\/p>\n

And the health and fortune You bestow upon my family.<\/em><\/p>\n

Hestia, Heart of my Home,<\/em><\/p>\n

May You continue to bless us\u2026.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Spirits of the Household \u00a0 In the next several installments I will be writing about the different goddesses, gods, and spirits of the witches\u2019 home. These entities are known to bless and protect both the home and those who live within. By honoring them we grow closer to the Spirit of the home, infusing it with love, laughter and warmth. In this first installment I welcome Hestia, Goddess of the Hearth Fire. \u00a0 \u00a0 Hestia \u00a0 \u00a0 Homeric Hymn to Hestia XXIX \u00a0 Hestia, in the high dwellings of all, both deathless gods and men who walk the earth, you have gained an everlasting abode and highest honour: glorious is your portion and your right. For without you mortals hold no banquet,–where one does not duly pour sweet wine in offering to Hestia both first and last. \u00a0 \u00a0 Hestia, Goddess of Hearth and Home, is envisioned as the living flame of the hearth fire. It was to Her that the ancient Greeks gave a portion of every sacrifice to and was the first to be invoked in ritual. The first born of Rhea and Kronos, She was held in high esteem by all. Embodied at the heart of the city by a public altar, Her eternal flame protected the city from harm. Hestia is an obscure goddess, not much is known about Her from myth but that does not negate the fact that She was highly honored, as can be seen in the hymn above. Ellen Dugan, in her book Cottage Witchery, says this about the worship of Hestia\u2014\u201cHestia represented the unity of family and state, hospitality, and the spiritual center of the home.\u201d   Today, Hestia is venerated in many homes as the heart of the home. Hearth fires and sacred candles are lit in Her honor and the food we cook is blessed in Her name. The very Flame of hearth fires, candles, and oil lamps are seen as being Hestia Herself. She is the Light and Warmth of the home, the Eternal Flame of Creation. \u201c Hestia is an example of how holy the hearth and the hearthfire were considered, and how sacred the home as temple was for a family.\u201d \u2013 Arin Murphy-Hisock~ The Way of the Hedge Witch. \u00a0 My home is my temple. It is where I pray and converse with the Divine and the Household Spirits that share a living space with my family. Hestia, the living Flame of my home, encourages all those who enter to do so with love and laughter in their heart. Her presence in my home ignites the Spirit of Hospitality, welcoming all with open arms. When I come home from a long, hard day at work, the warmth and love that Hestia fills my home with comforts me as I step through my door. While cooking dinner it is to Hestia that I pray to bless my food, filling it with health and infusing it with Her light and love.   Though Hestia is a hearth goddess, you don\u2019t need an actual fire place to honor Her. Setting up a simple shrine of candles is a wonderful way to bring Hestia\u2019s warmth into your home. Decorate Her shrine or hearth in warm colors such as red and gold. Offer Her red wine, bread (preferably homemade) and fiery herbs. I have found common kitchen herbs to be appropriate offerings to Hestia. Allspice, cinnamon, clove, chili pepper, ginger, and nutmeg are but a few. Simply asking Hestia what She would prefer as an offering and listening to your intuition is a wonderful way to make a connection with this very loving goddess. Whenever I light a candle, I do so in Hestia\u2019s name, asking Her to bless my home.   Prayer of Thanks to Hestia (Said while lighting Her sacred candle)       Hestia, Heart of my Home, It is to You that I turn to for warmth and comfort. You are the Eternal Flame of Creation, \u00a0I give You my love and devotion And I thank You for the joy and laughter You fill my home with, And the health and fortune You bestow upon my family. Hestia, Heart of my Home, May You continue to bless us\u2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":1,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10631","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10631","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10631"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10631\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10085,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10631\/revisions\/10085"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10631"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10631"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10631"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}