From age 8 onwards I’ve had a fantasy of spending a month by myself writing in a thatched roof cottage by the sea in Wales, seeing people only in the evenings at the pub I can walk to for fresh bread and stew. It’s a well developed fantasy - lace curtains blowing in the breeze off the ocean, manuscript pages piling up on the scarred wood…
From age 8 onwards I’ve had a fantasy of spending a month by myself writing in a thatched roof cottage by the sea in Wales, seeing people only in the evenings at the pub I can walk to for fresh bread and stew. It’s a well developed fantasy - lace curtains blowing in the breeze off the ocean, manuscript pages piling up on the scarred wooden farm table perfectly positioned for light and view of the water.
My ancestry is Scottish, not Welsh so no idea where that detail came from, but visualizing that setting always felt to me like a homecoming, that I would be who I am meant to be in that place. Fast forward many decades of living the exact opposite life — people-filled, on a stage leading workshops and giving keynotes, yes to writing - 6 books - all traditionally published so deadlines galore and writing on planes and in hotel rooms, grabbing fast foods to gulp down before getting back to work. Very far from my Welsh dream.
Then I started analysis, and I found Hestia as the guiding energy in my life. There’s a wonderful chapter about her in a book Hillman edited called ‘Facing the Gods’. Have you seen it, Alyssa? From Hestia I learned about inner home. And five years ago I found the external representation. I now live in an 1837 stone cottage by the St. Lawrence Seaway. Hestia’s symbol is on the cast iron address plate. This is Hestia’s Cottage. It meets every important piece of my fantasy and, it turns out, is far more comfortable and luxurious than those thatched roof cottages!
Karen, thank you for sharing this personal story. What I love is how a fantasy and internal yearning was made manifest outwardly. That feels like a beautiful linking between inner and outer home. Rather than purely seeking it in one place or the other, they coalesce, a true coniunctio :)
I have heard good things about Facing the Gods but have yet to read it myself. Putting that on my list. Have you read Hillman's Mythic Figures? He has a great chapter on Hestia in that volume.
I haven’t read Mythic Figures. Putting it on my list! The chapter in Facing the Gods is by Barbara Kirksey and is titled, “Hestia: A Background of Psychological Focusing.” I’ve realized that this post is a few months old, but if you have need of Hestia material sooner than later, let me know and I can get the chapter to you.
Thank you for the offer. I'm planning to buy it in my next used book purchase. It's been recommended to me a few times, this is the push I need to get it in hand!
From age 8 onwards I’ve had a fantasy of spending a month by myself writing in a thatched roof cottage by the sea in Wales, seeing people only in the evenings at the pub I can walk to for fresh bread and stew. It’s a well developed fantasy - lace curtains blowing in the breeze off the ocean, manuscript pages piling up on the scarred wooden farm table perfectly positioned for light and view of the water.
My ancestry is Scottish, not Welsh so no idea where that detail came from, but visualizing that setting always felt to me like a homecoming, that I would be who I am meant to be in that place. Fast forward many decades of living the exact opposite life — people-filled, on a stage leading workshops and giving keynotes, yes to writing - 6 books - all traditionally published so deadlines galore and writing on planes and in hotel rooms, grabbing fast foods to gulp down before getting back to work. Very far from my Welsh dream.
Then I started analysis, and I found Hestia as the guiding energy in my life. There’s a wonderful chapter about her in a book Hillman edited called ‘Facing the Gods’. Have you seen it, Alyssa? From Hestia I learned about inner home. And five years ago I found the external representation. I now live in an 1837 stone cottage by the St. Lawrence Seaway. Hestia’s symbol is on the cast iron address plate. This is Hestia’s Cottage. It meets every important piece of my fantasy and, it turns out, is far more comfortable and luxurious than those thatched roof cottages!
Beautiful writing, Alyssa.
Karen, thank you for sharing this personal story. What I love is how a fantasy and internal yearning was made manifest outwardly. That feels like a beautiful linking between inner and outer home. Rather than purely seeking it in one place or the other, they coalesce, a true coniunctio :)
I have heard good things about Facing the Gods but have yet to read it myself. Putting that on my list. Have you read Hillman's Mythic Figures? He has a great chapter on Hestia in that volume.
I haven’t read Mythic Figures. Putting it on my list! The chapter in Facing the Gods is by Barbara Kirksey and is titled, “Hestia: A Background of Psychological Focusing.” I’ve realized that this post is a few months old, but if you have need of Hestia material sooner than later, let me know and I can get the chapter to you.
Thank you for the offer. I'm planning to buy it in my next used book purchase. It's been recommended to me a few times, this is the push I need to get it in hand!