HESTIA THE ARCHETYPE
The goddess Hestia’s presence in house and temple was central
to everyday life. As an archetypal presence in a woman’s personality,
Hestia is similarly important, providing her with a sense of intactness
and wholeness.
VIRGIN GODDESS
Hestia was the oldest of the three virgin goddesses. Unlike Artemis
and Athena, she did not venture outside into the world to explore
the wilderness or establish a city. She stayed inside house or temple,
contained within the hearth.
On the surface, anonymous Hestia seems to have little in common
with quick-to-act Artemis or with keen-minded, golden-armored
Athena. Yet essential intangible qualities were shared by all three
virgin goddesses, however different their spheres of interest or
modes of action. Each had the one-in-herself quality that character-
izes a virgin goddess. None was victimized by male deities or mor-
tals. Each had the ability to focus on what mattered to them and
concentrate on that, without being distracted by the needs of others
or by the need for others.
INWARD-FOCUSED CONSCIOUSNESS
The Hestia archetype shares focused consciousness with the other
two virgin goddesses. (In Latin, the word for “hearth” is focus.)
However, the inward direction of the focus is different. Externally
oriented Artemis or Athena focuses on achieving goals or implement-
ing plans; Hestia concentrates on her inner subjective experience.
For example, she is totally absorbed when she meditates.
Hestia’s way of perceiving is by looking inward and intuitively
sensing what is going on. The Hestian mode allows us to get in touch
with our values by bringing into focus what is personally meaningful.
Through this inner focusing, we can perceive the essence of a situ-
ation. We can also gain insight into other people’s character and see
the pattern or feel the significance of their actions. This inner per-
spective provides
Goddesses in Everywoman