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As a Goddess-centric Witch, I am always looking for new ways to connect with the myriad of global goddesses. Even though I know that I can have powerful relationships with different goddesses from the comfort of my home, I’ve also got a bit of a travel bug, so when I am wandering in new places, I try to hold myself open to spiritual experience and divine intervention. Sometimes, though, I only realize how magical the experience was after the fact. I'll be exploring these different experiences and goddesses on this blog.

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Home with Hestia

As winter has firmly wrapped around us here (at least as much as it ever does in the South), I’d been planning to write about the beautiful Mexican Riviera, a crystal coastline dotted with ancient temples and pulsing with power and healing. However, when I sat down to my trusty computer this morning, it wouldn’t turn on…and all the pictures from all my trips are safely locked in the hard drive. I’ve got my fingers crossed that it will be an easy fix, once my hubby or I venture out to a computer store, but right now, with another round of snow covering the roads, technology repair has suddenly fallen to the bottom of my priorities list.


Winter tends to rearrange things for me, and whenever I don’t take the necessary time for rest and healing that the season affords, I’ve discovered that the Goddess has a way of enforcing quiet down time for me, forcing me to slow down and just breathe.


So instead of writing about the energy of a far away place, today I’m paying homage to the cozy, warm, golden glow that fills my home.


We found the house in the depths of another southern winter, after a month and a half of searching, and even on a February afternoon, even sitting empty and waiting, it was easy to see that this place was special. Sunlight was streaming in the windows when we walked through the front door, and I didn’t even get beyond the threshold before I turned to my husband and said, “This is it.”


The real estate agent laughed at me, but I was dead serious. The welcome I felt when we walked into the little house was palpable, and in the years since we’ve lived here, that feeling has only strengthened. Hestia was already in residence here long before my family, and it is my hope that she will remain here long after we’ve moved on. As a goddess of the hearth and home, I find the easiest way to encourage Hestia to lay down her mantle and stay awhile is fire.

Candles dot every free surface in our house, even filling the unusable wood burning fireplace, and whenever I start feeling off, lighting the little Hestia flames all around the house is the quickest way to rekindle the safe, warm feeling that fills the space, instantly calming me down. Hestia is a quiet goddess, and it can be easy for me to get swept into the business of everyday life and forget to offer thanks to her regularly, but luckily, she seems to be patient, too, and whenever I slow down, light a candle, and remember to breathe, I can feel her the warmth of her encircling presence.

I guess it's fitting that I don't have any pictures to go with my post today; after all, Hestia is shy goddess who'd rather be felt than seen.


Is there a goddess in particular you’ve invited into your home, or perhaps one who was already in residence before you arrived?

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Jen McConnel first began writing poetry as a child. Since then, her words have appeared in a variety of magazines and journals, including Sagewoman, PanGaia, and The Storyteller (where she won the people’s choice 3rd place award for her poem, “Luna”). She is a poet, a novelist, and a goddess-centric witch with a love of all things magical. Her first nonfiction book, Goddess Spells for Busy Girls: Get Rich, Get Happy, Get Lucky, is out now from Weiser Books. A Michigander by birth, Jen now lives and writes in the beautiful state of North Carolina. When she isn’t writing, she teaches writing composition at a community college. Once upon a time, she was a middle school teacher, a librarian, and a bookseller, but those are stories for another time.

Comments

  • J'Karrah
    J'Karrah Tuesday, 03 March 2015

    We found the house in the depths of another southern winter, after a month and a half of searching, and even on a February afternoon, even sitting empty and waiting, it was easy to see that this place was special. Sunlight was streaming in the windows when we walked through the front door, and I didn’t even get beyond the threshold before I turned to my husband and said, “This is it.”

    I could have written almost this exact paragraph about the house my husband and I own with the only exception being it was a late March morning instead of a February afternoon. We could feel the spirit of the house greet us as if we already belonged to each other. We made an offer that day and moved in 6 weeks later. And it wasn't long after moving in that we both started calling her "Victoria." We have lived here almost 8 years now, and every change we have made to the house has been "run past" Victoria to make sure she approves.

    Our house is a 165 year old, antique Colonial and while Salem has a very good historical department we haven't been able to confirm whether or not anyone named Victoria ever lived here. But we also don't think it too odd that a house this old would eventually develop a presence/personality of its own. Victoria has welcomed us with open arms, makes it clear which guests she approves of and which ones she tolerates because they ARE guests and she is a lady. While I would not go so far as to call Victoria a goddess, I do believe that she would be a force to be reckoned with if someone or something raised her ire! :)

  • Jen McConnel
    Jen McConnel Wednesday, 04 March 2015

    Victoria sounds absolutely lovely. It's amazing how tangible the sense of self is, isn't it?! :) I think it's especially true of older homes; ours isn't nearly as historic as yours, but it was built in the 1940s, so there's certainly a lot of history in these walls! Thanks so much for commenting.

  • Debra May Macleod
    Debra May Macleod Wednesday, 04 March 2015

    As a follower of Vesta / Hesita, I absolutely loved this beautiful article! Very well-written, and so so true :) Come visit me at https://www.facebook.com/newvestapage

  • Jen McConnel
    Jen McConnel Wednesday, 04 March 2015

    Thanks, Debra! I'm so glad this resonated with you! Have liked your page, too :)

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