Knowing this we can be sure that Vesta, the keeper of the fire of the hearth and home as well as the community fire must have derived form some profound idea of community, civilization, and power over the quality of life for people.  Fire was associated strongly with the moon.  “[Women] claimed that their own blood was a form of fire, a manifestation of the Moon’s light.” (Thorsten, p. 359.)  Thus there was a three fold connection of women, fire, and the moon, which remains in many places around the world.  Women generally excuse themselves from fire tending duties during menstruation with the thinking that combining the two powers unwise.  This idea allows us to connect Vesta to the Great Mother Goddess of pre-Hellenic Greece who was worshipped in the form of the moon. (George, p.120.) 

 

                                                                             

      In Rome, Vesta was worshiped and her fire maintained by the Vestal Virgins.  While the Vestals of later Rome were in fact what we would consider virgins, those who have never had intercourse, the original meaning of the word meant something quite different.  The original meaning of the word virgin is one who belongs to herself.  These women belonged to no man, but only to themselves and to the Goddess Vesta.  They dedicated themselves to the keeping of the eternal flame of civilization and to serving humanity as the Goddess would have them do.  The original meaning of the word virgin is “independent” and that is how these women served.  They were sexually active, and served in the fertility rites of the goddess each year.  Not only that, they also served as sexual harlots.  “These same ‘virgins’ who devoted their lives to the Goddess [Vesta], who interpreted Her oracles to those who sought guidance, were under religious obligation several times a year to sleep with any man who came to their temples, because it was the law of the goddess that every one of Her children, no matter how ill favored, was entitled to love and pleasure, just as all were entitled to a fair share of food, clothing, shelter, air, water, and land.” (Thorsten, p. 143)

      Male children born to vestals became the kings of Rome.  “The most famous of these was Romulus, first king of Rome, who was born to the vestal virgin Rhea Silvia.  Consequently, the community’s religious and political focus centered around the hearth fire of the royal house which was tended by the princesses of the royal line, namely the vestal virgins.” (George, p. 121.)

Picture of Vestal Virgin Statues

      This fire at the center of home and the center of community, allowing the cohesion necessary to thrive, reminds us to maintain the central fire within ourselves.  This internal fire, creative by its very nature, is within the woman’s womb, red as flame, a generative spark growing to life.  As we keep that flame alive within us, we become more of that creative nature we have always been.  Confident in this flame, we remember the cycles of the moon, our womb’s guide, knowing that all things within the space and time of the Goddess are cyclical in nature.  Vesta reminds us that our creative Nature is our own belonging to none but ourselves.

 

                                                                 

 

The GoddessVesta

Symbols and Meanings

Greek Goddess:  Hestia, born of Cronus and Rhea and last born when Zeus freed his siblings from Cronus’ stomach

Vesta’s Spiritual Principle: Focus and Commitment

Character:  Goddess of Hearth Fire; Priestess

Symbols:  Eternal Flame

Torch

Alter Fire

Ritual

Donkey/Virgo/Service Oriented

Virgo

Virgin

Astrological Glyph:

Astrological Meanings

New Enterprises

Ritual and Rite

Balance of Polarities

Commitment to Self and Inner Union with Higher Power

Operates from Heart Chakra

Periodic Retreats from Mundane Life

Siblings

 

The Asteroid Vesta

 

      The introduction of asteroids to astrological influence made available a new female energy to be considered.  There are four asteroids mainly considered in astrology, Juno, Ceres, Athena, and Vesta.  Of the asteroids discovered so far, Vesta is the brightest, which gives credence to her name which originates from the Sanskrit root vas, meaning “shinning.”  She is composed of volcanic surface rock which is unusual in nature. 

      “Vesta appears as the Virgin in the Virgo pictograph.” (George, p. 117.)  The glowing charcoals that were worshiped in her honor at Delphi were known as the omphalos, or navel, center of the Greek world.  This is important in understanding the astrological meaning of Vesta in our lives. 

      There are two levels to understanding astrology in general, and therefore, Vesta in particular.  First there is the lower vibrational influence.  These are to be found in the lower chakras, those that deal with life in body, the mundane life.  The second area of life influenced is our spiritual lives.  Vesta influences both areas.  Both levels are necessary and to be celebrated, however, we generally learn about the first in order to gain understanding of the second.

      Vesta’s correlation with fire connects Her to the first chakra and the Kundalini force asleep there.  This is the seat of the soul and the fire of life.  As ruler of both Virgo and Scorpio, she has a strong sexual influence, as clearly seen in the rites of the vestal virgins and the later oppression of their rites.  An example of the extent this oppression was experienced is found in the following quote form Geraldine Thorsten’s book, God Herself:  “People felt that a contract binding a woman to one man was a violation of natural law and a sin against the Great Mother.  For many years after monogamy was instituted, women tried to make amends to the Great Mother by shaving off their hair and offering it as penance, or they spent at least one night of their married lives at the temple where, like priestesses, they enacted the Goddess’s generosity by sleeping with any stranger who’d chosen them and made his offering.” (p. 143.)  The influence of Vesta brings back women’s power to choose in all areas of their lives, including sexuality.

      When considering astrological influences of a spiritual nature, it is sometimes called Esoteric Astrology.    The main influence of the asteroid Vesta is its balancing effect.  Sexuality and balance are both aspects of the second chakra.  This balancing in a spiritual sense is in the heart chakra, or the meeting place of the lower chakras and their upper counterparts.  Spiritually, Vesta encourages us to commit to something larger than ourselves, our marriages, and our families.  She encourages us to commit ourselves to a spiritual, devotional path.  This liberates us from any sexual compulsions that may impede our growth. 

      The heart chakra is often called the rainbow bridge, connecting the lower chakras with the upper chakras.  Finding a balance in our lives between our mundane lives and our spiritual lives is what Vesta’s influence does.  The soul vibrates at a different rate than the body.  On a spiritual path the body’s vibration speeds up and the soul’s vibration slows down to meet, vibrating at the same level until there is transcendence.  Ritual and self renewal allow us to strengthen our inner union with our higher power.  This can require that we take periodic retreats from our mundane lives, which Vesta’s influence encourages. 

      In fact, ritual is a main aspect of the Vesta influence.  This ritual allows us to remain committed in a real and practical way to our spiritual path.  The independence of the virgin allows us to commit on a large scale and the balance that is brought about allows us to merge our mundane lives with our spiritual path. 

 

 

The Rite of Vesta

      In this rite, we dedicate ourselves to our own spiritual path and by so doing serve the world.  We commit to keeping the flame of life burning brightly and eternally within our own lives.  Vesta, goddess of the eternal flame, kept at the center of the home, the hearth, be with us in all of our service to ourselves, our homes, and our Earth.

Materials:

Bowl of grain

Loaf of Bread

Candles:  3 red,  moon; 3 yellow, creativity; 7 white, intent

Water for self blessing

Wand

Incense:  “Manifestation”

Vesta image

Donkeys

Juice

Appropriate stones

                                               *************************************************************************************

Alter set up:

Center:  six candles set up in pentagram with a red in the center.  White candles make the circle around it.

Left top corner:  bread, and juice, and stones (Earth)

Center in the back:  Vesta image and dedication

Right top corner:  incense, “Manifestation”, stones.  (Air)

Right bottom corner:  lighter, donkeys. (Fire)

Left bottom corner:  water, wand and stones (Water)

                                                           ***********************************************************************

Ritual:

1.      Set up Space.

2.      Ritual Bath

3.      Light the center candle.  Light the incense from this candle and use to light all the other candles.

4.      Smudge area, alter, self.

5.      Use wand to cast the circle and call the corners with elements.

6.      Moon Meditation (level one CD)

7.      Invocation and dedication to the Goddess Vesta.

            Vesta, our source of Light, bringer and sustainer of Light, independent, free, powerful, nourisher of Life, teach me to manifest this loving power in my life.  I dedicate myself to come before your alter here, to serve myself, this Earth, and the divine light and order.  I claim independence, freedom of will.  I claim the power of Light, the flame eternal.  I claim this with love and the creative power it distills into good and peace and the embrace of my lover.  I leave behind all ideas of pain, harm or darkness and come to this alter pure and filled with your light.  I rely on the promise of your eternal flame, to return to this alter with the moon and her course and your light of creativity in my heart with which to make my claim of Love.  Light the flame of desire, independence, creativity and nurturance of fire that maintains the creation in light with in me.  I claim all this knowing You, Vesta, as my source.  And so mote it be.

8.      Self Blessing.

Dipping the wand into the water for each, touch each of the seven chakras and say:

“Bless me Mother for I am your child.” (Crown)

“Bless my sight to see your path and mine.” (Third Eye)

“Bless my throat that I may speak the Truth.” (Throat)

“Bless my heart that it be open to you and all.” (Heart)

“Bless my solar plexus that I have energy to live.” (Solar Plexus)

Bless my belly for acts of love and creativity.” (Abdomen/Navel)

“Bless my vagina, the gateway of birth and death.”

“Bless my feet that they may walk in peace.”

“Bless my hands that they may do you work.”

 

9.      Raise the cone of power and let it go.

10. Ground the energy. Eat the bread and drink the juice.

11. Open the circle.

 

This ritual is taken from the outline given in Diane Stein’s book, Casting the Circle.

 

   Because Vesta began as Hestia, the Greek goddess of hearth and home, I have included some sites about her as well.

Web Site Credits

http://goddess.astrology.com/vesta/

http://www.mindspring.com/~ariadne1/goddesses.html

http://www.goddessgift.com/goddess-myths/goddess_symbols_Hestia.htm

http://www.goddessgift.com/goddess-myths/greek_goddess_hestia.htm

http://inanna.virtualave.net/roman.html

http://www.pantheon.org/articles/v/vesta.html

http://www.ascension-research.org/vesta.html

http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/vestahes.htm

 

Written sources:

Gadon, Elinor.  The Once and Future Goddess.  San Francisco, CA.  HarperSan Francisco; 1989

George, Demetra.  Asteroid Goddesses:  The Mythology, Psychology, and Astrology of the Re-emerging Feminine.  Berwick, MA; Ibis Press, 2003.

Gimbutas, Marija.  The Living Goddesses.  Berkley, CA.  University of California Press; 1999.

Stein, Diane.  Casting the Circle. California, The Crossing Press, 1990.

Telesco, Patricia.  365 Goddess.  San Francisco, CA.  HaperSan Francisco; 1998.

Thorsten, Geraldine.  God Herself:  The Feminine Roots of Astrology.  Avon Books, ISBN 0-380-56143-3