Having a factual hearthome.
PT: Having a factual hearthome. /End PT
When most people talk about hearthomes, they tend to talk about fictional places, or places that exist generally like forests or oceans. We haven't really seen much talk on having a factual hearthome, a hearthome of a real place. So much so that it only just occurred to us that this is even possible, let alone that one of us experiences something like this. So we wanted to talk about it a little more, in hopes that the concept will get a little more light shone on it.
First off, what is a hearthome? The term hearthome was coined by @\alt--h on December 15th, 2016. It describes something that invokes a sense of familiarity and in many cases feels like home to the point it can be considered an aspect of ones identity. For me this personally feels like somewhere I belong. Somewhere where my 'true self' is its strongest. Where I am grounded and centered. Where everything for about who I can be and am is allowed to exist in its fullest.
I have a few hearthomes, several of which I have known for a long time. The first two I knew before I even knew the term. Space and forests. While I have additional alterhuman connection to space, both of these are locations that center and ground different aspects of me. So when I stumbled across the term 'hearthome', I immediately understood that that's what these were.
Some months ago I started questioning my connection to water. And I realized it was the same type of connection I had to space and forest. When I am in it I feel centered. I feel connected to myself in a way I cannot properly put into words. Its like I unlock a whole new part of myself. I don't become anything new. I am just found.
While some may consider these factual hearthomes, I don't necessarily consider them such, at least not at the time of writing this. That main change. I don't consider them fictional either. I just consider them hearthomes, and do not want to place them within the factual/fictional dynamic.
Recently a few of our members were involved in drama targeting them for being factives. This resulted in them getting more involved in the community then we already were. And one of our members, m Avium, realized that there's nothing stopping hearthomes from being factional in origin. However we had *never* heard of this happening. At least being called by name. This was a complete revelation to us. So of course, we started thinking about it. What all it might entail, and if it might apply to us, since many of us have hearthomes.
That's when it struck me.
I help at a conferences twice a year, every year. I won't name it for doxxing reasons, but it is a huge deal in my life. I have straight up described it as my home before. As somewhere that centers me. That I find my true self in. *That finds me.*
That is everything I experience in my other hearthomes. The only difference? I actively get to go to this one.
Which brings me to another major point of this post. What it's like to be able to actively go to your hearthome.
For me? It's refreshing. This hearthome is a conference. It's made by the people that attend it, as much as the place its held and the events that happen at it. Being able to be in such an environment is genuinely healing. It is somewhere I feel beyond safe. It is somewhere I feel seen. It is somewhere I feel aligned with who I want to be. It's where I feel like I am actively the person I'm meant to be. I feel found there. Being able to actively go back to that place is the highlight of my year, every year. Words cannot even describe the connection that is there.
But yeah. We're not used to making these kind of posts so excuse how messy it is. I'm sure I'll make a more coherent one sometime in the future but this is what you get for now.
I hope it's got you thinking about hearthomes, fictional, factional or otherwise. Who knows, you might even join us in having a factional identity with a hearthome!
