I have found that few posts actually talk about how to do solitary, daily rituals (as opposed to festival group rituals), so I thought for a change of pace, I’d offer people what I do. As someone with mental illnesses, I find I often find myself lacking energy. I find that this bare-bones approach is […]
Hellenic Daily Worship
Hestia
Sharing this today, as I have had a number of sychronistic events about Hestia in the last 4 – 5 weeks.
Firstly, my petite statue of Hestia arrived from Greece.
I selected it specifically as She is represented with Her hair covered, and it was a celebration for me of reaching a personal milestone in building the capacity of my life after cancer.
The second thing was rereading a blog post about the first anniversary of wrapping (covering my hair) and finding mention of the fact that I had never felt any particular calling from Hestia.
The third thing was happening across the blog in the top link that shares a personal solitary ritual that starts and finishes with Hestia.
I have come to honour Hestia as the Deity of Self (Hearth and Home) and of State.
There is this excellent blog from Kallisti (another blog well worth following) on a constellation that represents an altar that really caught my attention, and I have been linking it with Hestia and including it my practice of honouring the Spirits of Space: the sky above where I live.
I also have this lovely hymn that I have found as part of my devotional reading (I try to read something Polytheist related everyday as part of my daily offerings to the Mysterious Ones).
Hymn to Hestia
Aristonoos from Corinth (fourth century BCE), translated by B. Nolan
The navel of the world is the symbolic centre: the Greeks tended to think of it as being located at the Oracle of Apollo in Delphi. The Pythoness was the high priestess of the Oracle.
Sing to Holy Hestia,
Queen of Sanctity!
You rule externally over Olympus and the navel of the world and the laurel at Delphi, you dance in the high temple of Apollo, delighting in the prophetic voice of the Pythoness, and the music of the seven strings of Apollo’s golden lyre, when, with you, he sings the praises of the revelling gods.
Hail, child of Rhea and Cronos,
You who bring fire to the holy altars of the gods!
Hestia, in return for our prayers, grant us wealth without wickedness.
Allow us to dance forever around your glittering throne.
Source: Year of Pagan Prayer by Barbara Nolan
This is the blog post (from Kallisti again) that inspired me to buy that book: