Life According To Me

Badflower | Ghost

send me your favourite song and i’ll make a gif/edit of my favourite line and add it to my spotify playlist!

A lot of you may know me and my bedridden posts from my main blog, @heatherwitch. For those of you who don’t: I’m both mentally and chronically ill and do a majority of my worship to Hestia from my bed! 

Burn a candle on your nightstand, or use an electronic one!

Open your curtains and let the sunlight warm the room. 

Make a potful of tea and keep it in a large thermos.

Watch movies that make you feel nostalgic and cozy.

Make a spray that smells yummy and use it when things feel a bit stale.

Set aside time to read a good book.

Knit or crochet. Craft something with your hands.

Say goodnight and good morning to her. 

Get an electric blanket and feel the warmth connect you to her.

Cuddle with pets if you have them (or a stuffed animal).

Make a blog/journal filled with cozy, homely things.

Keep a few locally baked goodies nearby for when you need them. 

String up fairy lights and use them as your only light source.

Whisper prayers and devotional pieces before you go to sleep.

Use a Himalayan salt lamp to connect to feeling of a fire.

Invest in little things (pillowcases, photos, curtains, etc.) that make your room feel welcoming and peaceful.

Make a little bottle filled with herbs, crystals, and other things that remind you of her, and keep it near - like a portable altar!

Listen to music that makes your soul happy and your heart content.

Take care of yourself. Brush your hair, use a wet cloth on your face. Be gentle and kind to yourself.

Hestia, virgin goddess of the hearth, home, and sacrificial fire. Formal Pronunciation: EH-stee-uh [source]

The only traditional epithets: 

(1) Boulaia = “of the council”. 

(2) Prytaneia = “of the Prytanis.” 

Modern/UPG epithets

Resources:

Theoi.com

On what she presides over and sacred symbols

On first and last born

On Hestia abdicating to Dionysus

Hestia followers on tumblr

Helpful links:

On introducing yourself

Bedridden devotion to Hestia

Altar ideas: here / here / here

Devotional acts/honoring her: here / here / here / here

Morning ritual

Offering ideas: here / here / here

Crystals associated with her (UPG)

Ways to honor Hestia this holiday season

Flameless hearths and devotions

Prayers:

Historical prayer to Hestia

Guide the lost and those who have nothing

For mental strength

Strength in mental illness

For comfort and self love

For generosity and love

Guidance through hardship

May you always find a home

Helper of the homeless

Morning and evening prayer

Morning and night prayer

Hymn/prayer for prayer beads

Tea prayer/blessing

House blessing

Kitchen prayer

Devotionals and Hymns:

Patron of hometowns

Seeking guidance on paths

Helper of the homeless

Patron goddess

Hail Hestia

Hestia

To Hestia

Hestia’s home

Hymn to Hestia

Orphic hymn 84

Holy hearth flame

Hymn to Hestia-of-the-Cabled-Cardigan

Sigils and Emoji Spells:

My relationship with Hestia is strong (sigil)

My connection to Hestia is strong (sigil)

Sospidonum (sigil)

Hestia (sigil)

Emoji prayer to Hestia

To make your house a home (emoji spell)

Heal your heart and spirit (emoji spell)

Warm your heart and soul (emoji spell)

To feel connected to Hestia (emoji spell)

First of all, I firmly believe that Hestia wants you to put your health and happiness first. If any of these don’t fit with your life/are things that will make you unhappy, simply don’t do them! For example, not all of us were born into loving families, or have time/money to donate. I just hope this will inspire you to find your own ways to feel more connected to Hestia if you so chose this holiday season <3

Friends/Family (the loved ones in your life):

Bake together. 

Have a potluck/feast where everyone brings what they have and you create a meal together.

Have a harvest feast filled with local goods and produce. Support local businesses and your loved ones at the same time!

Spend a day crafting together.

Gift homemade/handcrafted items instead of store bought. 

Do a gift exchange - add limitations/themes that feel good and genuine!

Give gifts to the people you love not because of social obligations but because you were thinking of them!

Day-to-day life when you’re out and about:

Pay for someone else’s coffee.

Find someplace cozy and sit there, enjoying the moment. 

Leave bigger tips than usual - especially during the holiday rush.

Hold the door open for somebody.

Buy some flowers and give them to people who look like they could use a smile (yourself included!)

Help people with their groceries/bags (but be safe about it and use common sense).

Practice kindness and patience while driving. 

Compliment others.

Day-to-day life at home + what to do on your own:

Go to bed earlier than usual.

Make yourself a cuppa and take the time to savor it.

Make a hearth fire or light a candle.

Bake yourself something yummy.

Take advantage of the seasonal decor and use it to decorate your altar.

Cuddle up under some blankets and enjoy some cheesy, heart-warming movies.

Take up knitting or crocheting. 

Tidy up your home/living space.

Turn of all the lights before bed and spend some time in candle light. 

Ways to help others (not already listed):

Donate toys or other gift-able items.

Participate in a food drive. 

Offer to sponsor a kid for their holiday (small gifts and maybe a bigger one).

Send cards/post cards to seniors or sick children.

Write thank you notes and leave baked goods/sweets for trash collectors, mail carriers, and other people who’s work you often take for granted.

Ask homeless people if they need any food or layers as the weather gets colder.

Volunteer at a soup kitchen or somewhere similar.

I’ve found that the spirit of this season (thankfulness and caring) makes me feel closer to Her and I enjoy devoting acts to Her, creating Her altar and praying to Her during the cold winter months.

But, most importantly, do whatever makes you feel content, kind, happy, and closer to Her <3 I’d love to hear your ideas!

Similar posts:

Small devotional acts to Hestia

Bedridden devotion to Hestia

secondly, I’ve said it before, but 

this is exactly what the Old World was. Off shore there was Ocean, and inland there was Forrest

Here’s an Old World tree still surviving in a modern forrest of “large” trees

That’s just what trees used to be like.

And wandering among those trees, one might have encountered, yes, deer larger than a modern moose, but also, depending on what year, pigs bigger than grizzly bears, beavers the size of modern wolves, ground sloths the size of modern elephants, and bears nearly that big. Not to mention the insects and snakes and shit.

I could keep going, like, you might have crossed paths with a whole herd of these

or a family of these.

Like, 29,000 years ago, the last of the Neanderthal had just died out. Humans and this thing definitely lived at the same time.

And they didn’t live in the Forest, but there is one ice age creature that’s still alive, if you want to see what life was like back in the day. We used to think the Musk Ox was a type of bovine, or cow, which is how it got it’s name. BUT. See this?

that, my friends, is an ice age GOAT. That’s right, that’s a 900 pound GOAT. Here, take another look

DID

RACHEL

MAKE

HADES

SO

HANDSOME?!

But y'all, she fucked up. She had kittens in my garage last May. She was at my mercy.

I fed her meat and water while she recovered and nursed. I gently held her babies. She didn’t like it, but as I said, she fucked up, because she was too weak from the birth to protest. The weeks passed. Her kittens were fully socialized and grew to be healthy and fluffy little things. Felicia was now comfortable with my presence, probably because I had not yet eaten her babies or anything like that, but touches were a big NO! That was okay by me though. I figured I would just have her spayed and we could remain civil neighbors.

But then she let me pet her.

A few weeks later she started purring and demanding rubs.

And today she let me hold her.

Me:

HAPPY HALLOWEEN~!!!