Hestia, is the Wise Woman, Goddess of the Hearth & Temple.
Hestia is the last of the Virgin Goddesses along with Artemis & Athena whom represent the essence of the independent feminine spirit.
These virgin goddess had their own unique way and ability to focus on what truly mattered to them, without becoming distracted away from the needs of others or even by needing others.

In Latin, the word "hearth" means to focus.
This exemplifies one of Hestia's greatest strengths. Hestia had the ability to focus inward and radiate a warmth to others that represented a fire behind her atonement with self.

Unlike Artemis and Athena, who manifest their strengths externally to achieve goals and implement plans for change, Hestia's true strength is found when she moves internally.
Unlike Artemis who feels relieved when a task is completed, and Athena who feels a sense of accomplishment when a task is completed, the Hestia woman feels a sense of inner oneness when a task is completed, as if these tasks have given her the time and space to reconnect with her fire internally.

Hestia is the archetype that represent centeredness. Her ability to remain still and develop an inner sense of knowing in the stillness, allowed her to be grounded in the midst of chaos, disorder, and dramatic events around her.

When Hestia is present, there is a sense of inner wholeness.
She is not attached to people, outcomes, possessions, prestige, or power.
Her ego rarely suffers, if at all because her external identity (persona) isn’t important to her because she is not tied to external circumstances and happenings.

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Positive Aspects of Hestia

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• A modest and gentle demeanor

• Independent, autonomous, and focused on her inner spiritual world

  • ​She is able to enjoy her solitude, not in a just ‘here’ and ‘there’ whenever she can ‘grab a moment’ way,  but, truly enjoying being in her own company

  • She is not interested in ‘staying busy’ or ‘background noise’ to keep her from loneliness

• Not seeking a relationship with a man to complete her

• Hestia’s dignity and her rights as the eldest were often recognized; yet she used her role earnestly and she took little advantage of her position for power and she played a very minor role in drama

• She feels whole as she is. Her ego isn’t on the line. 

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In today's society women who are more of a quiet presence, those who follow an internal (rather than an external) spirituality are sometimes misunderstood and viewed as "woo woo," “quirky," or a “loner.

These women who lack assertiveness and have a decreased focus on intellectual validation often feel like they don't have a place to fit in our fast-paced, competitive society. 

I discuss below how the one-sided development of a Hestia woman may cut her off from the aspects of herself needed to participate in life and fully express her true spiritual nature.

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Shadow Aspects of Hestia

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Because Hestia is a woman of internal wisdom, this archetype may be without a sense of how to interact with others and may cause a woman to feel lonely and isolated. She is the only goddess who was not represented by a human form, she was represented by the hearth so she lacked "image or persona" (aka ego). Given this lack of solidarity in form externally, Hestia struggles in romantic intimacy and/or conflict.   

• Hestia may lack assertiveness and doesn’t speak up if she feels discounted or devalued

• Pursuing efforts that are meaningless to her internal passions can cause burnout to this archetype.​

• Due to the lack of persona, people who are "close" to her may not understand what they mean to her.

  • Her solitude can turn lonely if the people she cares deeply for are unaware of how she feels, her needs, and may end in her being alone.

• The warmth that a Hestia woman has internally may seem impersonal and detached if it is not expressed in words or hugs.

•  She isn’t passionate about political causes and to the external world, it may be viewed as a lack ambition.

  • S​he can be overlooked and devalued by the high achievers who only measure people by objective, external standards

  • This can be hard on her self esteem in today's society that is swayed to that type of social validation

• She may feel misaligned and incompetent if she adopts the standards of others and applies them to herself.

  • This diminishes her internal flame  to but a spark

• She loses her center when she becomes to engulfed in the intellectual life of too much logic and reasoning

• Preoccupation with an emotional situation may keep her from feeling centered.

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How to integrate the shadow

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If you find yourself leaning more towards the shadows sides of the archetype, here are some ways to shine light on those shadow aspects: 

• You will have to interact with others, make small talk, and be interviewed and assessed like everyone else in a competitive culture

• You need to acquire an ability to be assertive

  • Understanding you can call on the strengths of other goddesses here​

  • You can use Hestia to provide and maintain an inner private way of being and then call to the goddesses like Artemis and Athena to provide an outer way of dealing effectively with the world.

• You must let those close to you know that you care

• You need to find a way back to wholeness through frequent acts of intentional solitude such as meditation, morning stillness, etc.

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Women I have coached over the years, even myself, have easily gotten caught up in the hyper masculine "doing" ways of society and have lost their ability to slow down and create a healthy internal environment with themselves.

"Being" and connecting with yourself becomes terribly uncomfortable if not fostered over time.

In the Embodied Warrior Program we learn to create intentional solitude through weekly contemplations.

We slow down and become intentional with our movement practice.

When we train from a place of developing wholeness between mind, body, and spirit vs just training to check a box, we are cultivating more Hestia.

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How to initiate your inner Hestia

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Maybe it is the slowing down and the oneness with self that you are craving, here are some ways to develop and cultivate your inner Hestia:

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• Hestia flourishes in a spiritual community

• Incorporate intentional solitude using meditation or breath work

• Consider engaging a task that make you feel whole and grounded by simply by doing the task, not completing or accomplishing it

  • ​This could  be found in the quiet solitude and sense of order that comes from doing “contemplative housekeeping”

• Consider your current reactivity and places where your ego is overcompensating for safety or validation. 

  • Our Born to Heal course helps with ego integration​

• Make intentional time in your week for activities that get you out of your logical brain and make you feel spiritual

  • Getting outside​

  • Prayer

  • Play 

• Ensure the standards set in your life are one's set by you

  • ​ Hestia women are not meant to be servant's of another’s needs or standards, nor oppressed by the clock

• Focus on one task at a time, one area or one room at a time, whatever feels easily manageable in the time available

• Consider increasing your space from the competitive workplaces as it does not reward Hestia women

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If you read through this and have any questions regarding how you relate to this archetype and/or how these are incorporated into our Embodied Warrior program, submit your question above for more information!