Thanksgiving with Hestia

Hestia is one of those goddesses that doesn’t get a lot of attention. But as a goddess of hearth and home, we’re coming into her season of Thanksgiving and then the December seasonal celebrations as we hunker down in the dark time of year (in the Northern Hemisphere).

COVID gives that dark time extra meaning this year.

Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve been drawn to pictures of old-timey kitchens with the ornate cookstove, the table covered with goodies, and the cheerful family members decorating the tree or helping in the kitchen. Okay, I know that idyllic scene probably was rarely the reality, but I’m still drawn to it anyway.

When I was a child, my parents did Thanksgiving and Christmas as a nuclear family, just the three of us. Not like in those pictures. As an adult I’ve lived in friendship communities where we did have those gatherings with lots of socializing and huge amounts of awesome food. But now with COVID, we might all be doing these holidays alone or with our core family group.

I’m calling on Hestia to guide me in the prospect of celebrating Thanksgiving alone, without wishing for what might have been. There’s no point in that. It’s just a downer. Writing this is a way to think of more positive options.

I’m thinking I need to create a relationship with Hestia. I’m creating a loving, grandmotherly image in my mind. She’s in that old-timey kitchen.

I call on her for a spirit of gratitude. Maybe you already do a gratitude journal. If not, get a nice piece of paper, and several days before Thanksgiving, write down the date and something you are grateful for. It can be a very small thing. Start your day with it. Do this each day leading up to Thanksgiving and on that morning before breakfast. You might find this a beneficial habit to continue in a nice journal.

I call on Hestia also for a spirit of giving back to my community or to someone in need, as an alternative to a big gathering. Think about this ahead of time. Pay it forward. I always sign up to ring the Salvation Army bell; my first bell ringing choice has been Black Friday, my alternative to the psycho shopping frenzy. And after the ugly political divisions we’ve endured, we need to do things to pull ourselves back together as a country. It’s up to each of us. Yes, this can include being polite and nice to people you know voted for that other guy. Resist the urge to gloat and belittle.

I offer this chant as part of that:

All is well, we/ I cast this spell;
Fear and anger have been quelled;
What was divided is now healed;
Peace and harmony have been sealed.

Repeat as needed.

On Thanksgiving morning, welcome Hestia. Create an image in your mind. Write your gratitude statement. Give yourself a nice festive breakfast. Treat it as a ritual. Savor your coffee or tea. Maybe a mimosa or Bloody Mary? Energize and give thanks for the eggs, pancakes, bacon, whatever, and especially any animals that provided for you. Maybe Zoom with those you’d normally gather with. Spend time outside if the weather permits. Snuggle with the dog or cat.

At some point it’s time to start on your Thanksgiving solitary or small group feast. I love turkey and dressing. But the logistics are difficult for having a turkey, even a small one, sucking up space in the fridge for three days while it thaws enough to get the innards out on Thanksgiving morning. And if you’re going it alone, that’s a lot of meat. You need space in the freezer for leftovers. Don’t forget the carcass for making soup. Pull the front and back apart and freeze separately. Each one is good for a batch of soup.

I think this year I’ll get just a thigh or drumstick quarter if that’s available, or roast a chicken. Or there’s always ham, but I like to do that for Yule/ Christmas. My friendship group gathered for years on Christmas even though most of them were some variety of Pagan. What self-respecting Pagan passes up an opportunity to gather, celebrate, and feast? We would always join hands in a big amoeba-shaped “circle” to give thanks before we ate.

If you are able to be with friends or family in a COVID-safe manner, an appropriate song to sing before the meal would be:

Our hands will work for peace and justice,
Our hands will work to heal the land.
Gather ‘round the harvest table.
Let us feast and bless the land.

Another good one, that would work in a group or if you are giving thanks alone is this chant by Ayla Heartsong, sung by the Crows on our Crow Goddess CD and featured in a blog posting earlier this month by coven sister Marilyn:

I am plenty,
I am abundance;
Filled up and overflowing, yes
I am abundance.

Don’t forget to thank Hestia at the end of the day.

With COVID cases increasing around the country, calling on Hestia again and following the same practices as for Thanksgiving will likely be appropriate for Yule. We all might be celebrating Yule via Zoom, but I’ll leave that discussion for someone more tech-savvy than I am. Blessed Be and Happy Holidays. Stay safe.