Goddess of the Week: Hestia

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MamaJosephine kindly requests that we give Hestia her due, and so we shall.

Hestia was the Greek goddess of the hearth. She was not like her sisters Hera and Demeter, who liked to flit around and have their dramas. Hestia was a homebody. She stayed home. Always. She never married -- although she had her chances -- and she cared little for glory.

How little Hestia cared for glory became apparent when the gods were arguing about where to seat the the newly appointed god of wine, Dionysus. See, Mt. Olympus is no different from any other real estate market. It's all about location, location, location. The original twelve gods had their thrones, they liked where their thrones were, they liked the space between them, and they liked who they were sitting next to. They were like kids in a car. Every one of them was riding shotgun, and every one of them wanted to keep it that way.

Except Hestia. She was all, "Dude, take my throne. I don't care." She just moved on down to the hearth and sat there. It was easier to tend the fire anyway. Plus, she totally didn't have to deal with any of the politics or the blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. You know how long-winded the omnipotent can be.

The Greeks appreciated Hestia's modesty. Every home hearth was an altar to Hestia and was kept burning at all times. The first sacrifice of every day was made in her honor. Families knew: sometimes you need to give up your chair if you're going to keep the peace. Cities knew it too. When new colonies were formed, they lit the fire of their new town's central hearth with fire from their original town's central hearth. The hearth, the home, the willingness to sacrifice one's own comfort for the good of the tribe, were the very definitions of community.

Channel this goddess: When you're feeling lost, out of place, or rootless, when longing for the comforts of home, when someone takes your place on the couch, or when making smores!

Need a goddess: I got goddesses! Leave a comment in the comment section telling me what you need and I'll see what I can do.

In the meantime, keep those home fires burning.

Goddesses of the Week: Eileithyia and Leto

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This one is for Lisa, who, if she hasn't given birth already is probably just about to.

First thing: Breathe.

Second thing: Hold tight to your partner.

Three: In between contractions send a call out to Eileithyia, Greek goddess of childbirth and labor.

You want Eileithyia on your side because she can speed up your labor or delay it. You're going to have to trust me here. I had my first daughter in two and half hours and my second in about forty minutes so I know what I am talking about.

If you are unwittingly carrying Zeus's child, however, go ahead and get that epidural. Things might take a while. When the Titan goddess Leto was pregnant with Artemis and Apollo, Zeus's wife Hera pursued Leto to the ends of the earth. Poor Leto finally found a place to hide on the floating, and hence unplottable, island of Delos. When Hera couldn't find Leto, she did the next best thing: she kept Eileithyia from coming to Leto's aid by pulling out about 1,000 pictures of her last trip to Crete and forcing Eileithyia to see every last one of them.

Finally, the messenger goddess Iris came. "Dude! You're totally needed," she told Eileithyia and Eileithyia made her escape. The minute Eileithyia landed in Delos, Leto was ready to deliver.

Now, goddesses are kind of like doctors. Just like your pediatrician takes over once the baby is born, you'll want to channel a different goddess once your baby is safely delivered. Once you here that piercing "Waaaahhhhh," send a new call out to Leto herself. She is a goddess of motherhood and a protectress of the young, and, having raised two over-achievers herself, she knows all the things you need to do to make sure your kids get into top colleges. (Think unusual talents that impress college recruiters: Her son Apollo, for example, invented music and controlled the sun.)

Channel these goddesses: Believe me, you'll know when you need them. (Sending you good thoughts, Lisa. Best wishes and take care.)

Need a goddess: That's why I'm here. Tell me your need and I'll see what I can do.

Goddess of the Week: Philophrosyne

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How's your social life? Things going well for you? Are your friends supportive and lively? No? Are they difficult and pedantic? Do they complain? Do they borrow your money? Your clothes? Your car? Oh, no. That doesn't sound good at all. Or perhaps your situation is changing. Perhaps you are moving on in your life, changing locales, jobs, schools, prisons. Whether you need to jettison old friends because they are dragging you down or find new ones because your life is changing, the goddess for you is Philophrosyne.

Philophrosyne is the Greek goddess of friendliness, kindness and welcome. She is one of the Sraces, a group of goddess sisters who went around ancient Greece encouraging hospitality. For her part, Philophrosyne basically invented those tea sandwiches that everyone likes and that are always an appropriate addition to any potluck or party. She also invented hostess gifts, friendship bracelets and pinkie promises.

Philophrosyne reminds us that while we cannot always choose the people who surround us, we can choose how we act among them. By bringing friendliness, kindness and welcome to any social situation we can, hopefully, encourage such qualities in others. Alas, it is true that sometimes our good social graces are met with rudeness, stupidity, pig-headedness, general uncouthness, and even boorish arrogance and bad taste, in which case forbearance, tolerance, and good humor will perhaps prove even more worthwhile than friendliness, kindness and welcome. But still, in the immortal words of Frank Burns "It's nice to be nice to the nice."

Philophrosyne also reminds us that we have the right to expect friendliness, kindness and welcome from our friends. If the people we choose to spend our time with do not possess such qualities, perhaps they are not very good friends, and perhaps it is time to seek new ones.

Channel this goddess: when interacting with the world at large. Everyone deserves to see the best side of you, including the very rude woman who looks like she's been sucking lemons at your dentist's office. Also channel this goddess when hosting a lovely picnic in the hills, when meeting friends for cocktails, and when learning to co-exist with a new roommate or difficult neighbor. (You can also invite Philophrosyne to brush a little friendly powder on the less-pleasant people you know.)

Kate: This one is for you.