The Hearth is the Heart of the Home

Life has its ups and downs, its Wheel of Fortune tumultuous spins that take you to places you never thought you'd find yourself - both really wonderful, and at times really unpleasant. People marry, babies are born, economic upswings instill hope and possibility, wars quicken, epidemics unfurl, friendships that once seemed promising are somehow lost. Over the past several months my own Wheel has done quite a bit of turning, and it's easy to get caught up in the flashes and colors, climbs and descents. Like turning off a radio that's blaring mixed signals, sometimes it's good to hunker down and shut out the white noise, figure out what's more important, and let that guide you forward.

With that in mind, last night I sat down and asked my Halloween Oracle deck what I really needed to focus on at this moment, above all else. I pulled: the Hearth.

Halloween Oracle, Stacey Demarco/Jimmy Manton

This accompanying book talks about how in ancient Rome the hearth was considered the heart of the home, the dwelling place of Vesta, a goddess closely associated with the family. This is a card that encourages nourishment and attention to family ties, and also portends the well-being of any relatives that are temporarily far away from warming fires of home. This card is welcome and feels very in tune with the ebb and flow of my own present energies. It's time to move inward to the core of my dearest and most intimate community, to focus on my loved ones, to connect with their lives and stories, and to share my own in return. In the end, this is what's most important, and I know that as I reach out and give energy toward fortifying those bonds, they will feed me in return. This is precisely the sort of sustenance I need. It's a wonderfully apt card to draw following the Joy card I drew on the previous day in regard to my husband's upcoming trip. My task is to settle my focus down around my family like a hen over her eggs. (And perhaps light some candles and bake some bread, too!)