Overview: In a culture that often prioritizes and celebrates rugged individualism and separateness, Hestia welcomes us home.

Her magick invites togetherness and shared resources by cultivating spaces of belonging and community.

May Hestia call her back to our homes to celebrate families of all shapes, sizes, and forms, creating sustainable structures for ongoing collaboration and nourishment.

Verdict: For those not completely in the know, Hestia was the virgin goddess of the hearth (both private and municipal) and the home. As the goddess of the family hearth she also presided over the cooking of bread and the preparation of the family meal.

Hestia was also the goddess of the sacrificial flame and received a share of every sacrifice to the gods. The cooking of the communal feast of sacrificial meat was naturally a part of her domain.

In myth Hestia was the first born child of Kronos (Cronus) and Rhea who was swallowed by her father at birth. Zeus later forced the old Titan to disgorge Hestia and her siblings.

As the first to be swallowed she was also the last to be disgorged, and so was named as both the eldest and youngest of the six Kronides. When the gods Apollon and Poseidon sought for her hand in marriage, Hestia refused and asked Zeus to let her remain an eternal virgin. He agreed and she took her place at his royal hearth.

Indeed, Hestia was depicted in Athenian vase painting as a modestly veiled woman sometimes holding a flowered branch (perhaps a chaste-tree). In classical sculpture she was also veiled, with a kettle as her attribute.

Although not as well known as Her Olympian siblings, Hestia played an essential role in ancient Greek religion. But hearth and home remain the sacred spaces around which communities are built - as such, Hestia’s warmth and shelter are just as important and healing in today’s fractured world as they were millennia ago [Thumper Forge, Llewellyn author of Virgo Witch: Unlock the Magic of Your Sun Sign].

Is you’ve ever studied the Greek godds for any time, you will likely notice the drama of being a godd in this pantheon. There are affairs, fights, and controversies galore. From Zeus and his many lovers to Aphrodite and her disdain for Psyche, the Greek godds are often in conflict and disarray, but Hestia isn’t one for drama; or at least it wasn’t captured in writing any case. She is a steady, solid figure in the Greek pantheon, and someone who continues to influence family life.

Thus here in prolific author Irisanya Moon’s latest Pagan Portals book, Pagan Portals: Hestia: Goddess of Hearth, Home & Community, they offer a veritable myriad of of practical ways to develop a relationship with Hestia; which include, but are not limited to, storytelling, cookery and serving the community.

About the Author - Irisanya Moon (she/they) is an author, Witch, priestess, international teacher, and initiate in the Reclaiming tradition. A devotee of Aphrodite, Hecate, the Norns, and Iris, she has been practicing magick for 20+ years.

They are passionate about the idea that life is and humans are love spells, ever experiencing a dance of desire and connection, moving in and out of the heart, always returning to love. Her teaching/facilitation style is immersive, gracious, safe, and welcoming. She currently lives in Santa Rosa, CA.

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