Hestia and the Hearth | Barn Life Recovery

fabiennesmorgana

9 months ago

https://barnliferecovery.com/hestia-and-the-hearth/

The Relationship to the Present

There is a reason Hestia has little symbolism and comes in the aftermath of our purging souls. She herself is the relationship to the present. The hearth is the reason and the experiential factor itself. Without the fire, there was no gathering, no rituals, no sacrifices to other gods, no identifying ritual at hand. Fires gather; fires burn up and carry experiences toward the heavens.

Hestia & Inclusion

Hestia has no hidden edges. Therefore, she is the symbol of the circle. She is the symbol of inclusion. Hestia is the conscious (or often unconscious) present. The nourishment of the Hestia is her remembrance. Why are we in this group? What does the warm fire feel like during this phone call? What circle or ritual am I in on my drive home? During this conflict? Hestia is the sensate remembrance.

We encounter her again when she makes clear to Zeus that all worship of the gods must begin with offerings to her. It is as if to say, “if we are not conscious of the experience – open to connecting with the fire’s warmth and the meaning of the intention – then we have left the experience of the gods behind.

All things must enter the circle of Hestia in order to be cooked, gathered, connected with, and ultimately offered to the heavens.

This idea of Hestia as the circle, the symbol of inclusion, as explored by the Barn Life Recovery blog, made me think of something else, and it just clicked into alignment.

I think another of Her symbols is the International Banner of Peace.

The banner of peace is a symbol of the Roerich Pact. This pact is the first international treaty dedicated to the protection of artistic and scientific institutions and historical monuments.It was signed on April 15, 1935. The banner of peace was proposed by Nicholas Roerich for an international pact for the protection of cultural values.

Roerich described the sign thus:

“[the] proposed banner is the symbol of whole world, not a country, but the whole civilized world. The Banner proposed has on the white background three united amaranth spheres as a symbol of Eternity and Unity. Although we don’t know when this Banner will fly over all cultural monuments but undoubtedly, the seed has been sprouted. Already, it attracts the attention of great intellects and is directed from one heart to another, awaking the idea of Peace and Benevolence among peoples.”

“We are asked to collect where the signs of our Banner of Peace are. The sign of trinity is found scattered around the whole world. Now, anybody can explain it in various ways. One says that it is the past, present, and future united by the circle of eternity. Others explain it as a religion, knowledge and art in the circle of culture.”
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banner_of_Peace

The circle, the three red dots – so easily could be a stylised hearth fire.

Remember, in the post Hestia, Jayd mentioned in her blog that part of the reason she was drawn to Hestia was because Hestia was never involved in human wars.

How like Hestia to wish to preserve buildings (architecture) that are about community, cultural, and civic duties?

Religion, knowledge, and art: marking museums, schools, and similar cultural landmarks to prevent destruction by aerial bombs. The idea was similar to the large red cross that marks hospitals and hospital tents in war zones … similarly to “prevent” bombing and strafing of helpless patients and medical personnel. The concept has been lost in today’s world.
William Dunning, 17 March 1998

A town or city is only an extended family, and therefore, it has likewise its sacred hearth, the symbol of a harmonious community of citizens and of a common worship.

This public hearth usually existed in the prytaneium of a town, where the goddess had her special sanctuary (thalamos),under the name of Prutanitis, with a statue and the sacred hearth. There, the prytanes offered sacrifices to her, on entering upon their office, and there, as at a private hearth, Hestia protected the suppliants.

As this public hearth was the sacred asylum in every town, the state usually received its guests and foreign ambassadors there, and the prytanes had to act the part of hosts.

Hestia – the Fire Burning in the Hearth

Records of worship of Hestia make it clear that she was worshipped in private in people’s homes, but also that her worship was involved significantly with political matters in ancient Greece.

A writing attributed to Dionysus of Halicarnassus states that the cult of Hestia was supervised by “those who have the supreme power in the polis” (Kajava, Hestia, 2004).

This more formal worship of Hestia was centered around a common hearth known as the prytaneum.

Each state had a prytaneum, and fire would be taken from it to kindle the hearth of any now residences built within the state (Zekavat, Myths About the Origin of Fire, 2014).

Due to the unconventional nature of Hestia’s half-political, half-religious significance, priests and priestesses in the traditional sense were essentially non-existent within cults of Hestia.

In writings from antiquity, the only mention of a priest of Hestia that is actually referred to as a priest is thought to possibly be the result of improperly restored writings.

Despite what fragmented information is known about Hestia (as compared to other Olympians at least), it is clear that she influenced a number of different areas of ancient Greek society.

She was a religious symbol both at home and at certain community gatherings.

She was worshipped by everyone regardless of social standing; whether it was an average person dedicating food at the hearth or those in charge of the prytaneum organizing the transferral of a flame from the prytaneum to a new house.

She was depicted as being above the constant infighting typical of the other Olympians, and overall gives the impression that there is so much more to learn about her.

Hestia – the Forgotten Olympian?