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Were the ancients then aware of the connection? When they spoke of Hestia, did they do so aware of the (at least) dual meaning of the name? When they would say things like, “Make sure you leave an offering by the hearth,” would they know that to mean that the hearth is a physical manifestation of Hestia in the home? Or at the very least a between the hearth and Hestia, like a portal-type situation?

Or would there have been a different way of saying the name to signify whether you meant the Goddess Hestia as opposed to the mundane hearth that everyone had in their home? 

As far as I know, there was no difference between the way the hearth and Hestia were pronounced. The spelling is exactly the same, so I’d say the pronunciation was too. You could tell the difference by saying ἡ ἑστία for “the hearth” and Ἑστία for “Hearth” (i.e. Hestia) but really, it didn’t matter.

When we try to separate the hearth from Hestia, death from Thanatos, the sun from Helios and so on, we’re making a modern person’s distinction. In ancient times, the thing was the God. Our monotheistic culture has influenced our idea of what a God is supposed to be, but in many polytheisms, a God is just something greater than you - maybe all-powerful, maybe not. The logic goes that if it’s greater than you, you want it on your side, hence you appease it through worship. That’s why the sun, Helios, is a God. He’s powerful, he gives us light and warmth, but we are at his mercy because he can vanish anytime and leave us to die. To prevent that, to keep ourselves on his good side, we honour him as he deserves.

The same goes for Thanatos - scary, could kill us any moment - and Nyx - dark, mysterious, steals our senses - and Ouranos - above us, changing and seemingly infinite - and yes, Hestia too. She is fire, one of the most destructive elements of our planet, tamed and contained in a neat space, and used to benefit us. Isn’t that amazing? Isn’t that godlike?

And that’s one of the things that I love the most about Hellenic polytheism. The Gods aren’t distant beings that govern tangible things. Nyx isn’t a voice that whispers in the night. She is the night. The only difference that you could imagine between Nyx and the night, or Hestia and the hearth, is that the latter is just this one right here - this hearth, this night - whereas the former refers to all of them - Night, Hearth in their absolute sense. Hence each object or concept would be both divine in its own right and a manifestation of something greater at once.

I’d like to take a paragraph or two to address the question of the Olympian Gods and their names. Like hellenismnow said, their names aren’t literal descriptions of what they govern - but that doesn’t mean they aren’t meaningful. The reason you don’t hear Apollon and immediately think “oh, Archer” or “oh, Destroyer” or “oh, Musician” as you would with, say, Hypnos, is because the word is so ancient that even the Ancients didn’t know what it meant. Apollon is attested in a Hittite treaty from the Late Bronze Age as Apalunias, and Artemis is written in Linear B inscriptions from the same period as A-te-mi-to. For millennia, people have guessed at the origin of the names, and any encyclopedia page about the Gods will be full of possible etymologies. But nobody knows which one is correct.

What we do know is what those Gods govern over. Artemis, for example, is mistress of everything wild and untamed, from the hunt to little children to virginity. Hermes is the one without boundaries - he travels above, on and below Earth, he speaks and lies, he accumulates wealth both honestly and dishonestly. Think about each of the Gods for a while and try to guess what’s at their essence. That’s what they’re God of, just like Selene is Goddess of the moon. They may not rule over something as tangible or well-defined, but does everything need to be? Love and sleep aren’t well-defined, and yet we experience them, we know they’re powerful, and so they’re Gods. Likewise, many of the Olympian Gods govern - and are - abstract concepts.

(There’s also the issue of syncretism, in which a foreign God is equated with a Hellenic God and makes the Hellenic God’s essence harder to define, but that’s a whole other subject.)

No matter what path you follow as in witchcraft are, chances are you have some sort of sacred space. If you are a witch whose practice is part of your religious beliefs, this might be a place to communicate with your deities. If you work with spirits, this could be a place where honor your ancestors. Non-religious witches like myself often use altars as a space where they can connect with their magical and spiritual sides. Even though we all share this desire to have a place all our own dedicated to our craft. 

That doesn’t mean we all need the same type of space. Whether you are a new witch who can’t show off your craft publicly (we’ve all been there) or just a witch who isn’t really into the more standard altar table setup, there are plenty of options for customizing and creating an altar space that meets your needs.

Window Altars

One easy way to create an altar is to take up a windowsill. Depending on the arrangement of the room you’re using, your personal preference, and the space available, the size of this type of altar varies. 

This generally small altar space can be good for witches in the broom closet and green witches who like to keep their altars populated with plant friends. Because it is literally a window to the outside, these altars are also great places for charging things like crystals, spells, and water under the light of the moon. 

Benefits:

Good for altars that are heavily planted (hello, sunlight!)

Generally discreet

Keeps your altar space contained (for all us witches that do not know when to quit)

Garden Altars

While pretty much any altar can include plants, there is something else to say for an altar that is almost completely plants. If you have some space indoors, why not design a witch’s garden that doubles as an altar space?

A small tray planted with succulents with offering bowls and candle dishes set into the soil and crystals scattered around can be a unique, and even moveable altar! You could also use potted plants so that you can change the arrangement or plants out whenever you need a refresh.

Benefits:

Deeply connected to nature and the earth

Pluck herbs for spells right off your altar

Generally pretty moveable

Bath Altars

If you love bath magic as much as I do, you’re a water witch, or your bathroom is one of your most sacred places (self-care anyone?), a bath altar could be the perfect thing to give your craft a physical home.

We’ve all seen those pictures of wooden tray tables for baths surrounded by eucalyptus and candles. Add a statue of your deity (or a symbol of something important to your craft), some crystals (check how your crystals are affected by water and humidity first!), and some jars of your favorite things to mix into bath spells, and your bath altar is set.

Benefits:

The perfect place to combine witchcraft and self-care

Perfect for witches that incoroporate the water element in their craft a lot

Magic really does belong in every room in the house

Travel Altars

If you tend to practice on a whim rather than waiting to be in a specific place or if you need to be able to stash your altar quickly, a travel altar is perfect. These altars can be fit into matchboxes, Altoids tins, jewelry boxes, and even hollowed out books! If you can carry it with you and find supplies small enough to fit, anything goes. (I’ve even seen locket altars!)

Some witches will create multiple travel altars for different purposes or focuses, but don’t feel like you need to collect them if that’s not your thing.

Benefits:

Small and discreet, it’s hard to make a mess with these

Very customizable (and easy to have multiples of!)

Perfect for witches in the broom closet

Virtual Altars

Tech witches, I haven’t forgotten you. If you’ve been following me for a bit, then you might know that I threw out the idea a while ago about a altar lockscreen/wallpaper for your phone/tablet/etc. Now that I’ve talked to some tech witches, I know this is actually a pretty sound idea! 

Whether you commision an artist or design one yourself, a lock screen wallpaper for an electronic device (you could even go as big as a laptop with a touch screen!) could make the perfect altar for a tech witch. Even if you decide not to use it as a wallpaper, designing an image that serves as an altar and opening it in GIMP or Photoshop where you can create additional layers for placing other virtual elements could be useful.

Benefits:

Travel friendly

Can be synced across devices, so your altar is always with you

Easy to change and “redecorate” throughout the year

Paper Altars

(This incredible paper altar was created by Stella Witchcraft! Please click here to check out their full post and their blog!)

Similar to a virtual altar, a paper altar is a portable, customizable altar. Many witches choose to include paper altar setups in their grimoires, but there’s nothing stopping you from making larger paper altars with poster paper that can be rolled up and stored away.

If paper altars are attractive to you, don’t be deterred if you aren’t an artist! Minimallism in paper altars is perfectly fine. You can always outline your altar with symbols or even words alone. If you’re happy with it, it is perfect. You don’t have to meet and requirements for aesthetic or any other witch’s expectations.

An echo deep in nightfall;

A cloudy, moonlit sky.

I liken leaves to fallen souls

Who shared their last good-byes.

I pay respects for those who kept

Strong hearts and precious souls

I let them know they’re cared for;

That they made the world more whole.

And whilst their bodies now may rest,

Their spirits surely thrive;

Eternal in my honor

To keep memory alive!

Sweet Pumpkin Buns by Lands & Flavors

Mabon Goddess Job by CariocaWitchh

DIY Dried Orange Garland by Garden Matter

Apple Roses by Cooking with Manuela

Make an Autumn Fairy from Natural Materials by The Magic Onions

Delicious drink photo from It’s A House blog

Celtic Knots from HowStuffWorks

Apple Candlers by Mathew Mead Style

Apple Honey Challa by Tori Avey

An old fashion pie recipe that’s super simple to make and a great Ostara/Spring Dessert! I’m making one for this Easter with my family.

Honey, Eggs, Cream are all Spring Foods. Honey symbolizes sweetness and the rewards of hardwork just like the little bees that work so hard to make it! 🐝

And Salt banishes negativity and is purifying!

This dessert is perfect for getting rid of the stress or worry of Winter and welcoming any sweet rewards from your hardwork in the future this Spring!

Ingredients:

One 9 inch Pie Crust (Store bought or one of your favorite crust recipes)

½ Cup of Melted Butter

¾ Cup of White Sugar

2 Tbs of Cornmeal

¼ tsp of Salt

¾ Cup of Honey

2 Eggs + 1 Egg Yolk

½ Cup of Cream

2 tsp White Vinegar

1 tsp of Vanilla Extract

Salt Flakes for Garnish

Preheat your oven to 350. In a large bowl, mix together your dry ingredients before slowly mixing in your wet ingredients one at a time…. (I never do this and just mix it all together randomly as I go, but it’s up to you.)

Feel free to add a sigil to the base of the pie crust. This is mine -

Pour mixture into your pie crust, it will be liquid and thin; that’s okay!

Cook for 45 to 60 minutes or until the top is golden brown and it starts to bubble.(I recommend 60 minutes on the middle rack. Mine didn’t burn at all!)

Take it out of the oven and let it cool for One hour or more to let it solidify. This step is very important to make sure it isn’t too liquidy. The consitancy should be like Pecan Pie Filling.

Garnish with Sea Salt or Himalayan Salt; any big salt flakes. But regular table salt will do just fine if the others aren’t available.

Done! 🍯🐝🍽😋

The Harvest.

a tarot spread for lammas.

1. The Reaper.

What part of your life do you need to let go of?

2. The Crop.

Where in your life do you need to continue to grow?

3. The Harvest.