Goddesses and Personal Archetypes
Archetypes are inner images that embody universal characteristics and experiences. They are responsible for the persistent themes we see surfacing in our own lives. Myths and fairy tales, many artistic images, and many of the characters we encounter in our dreams are expressions of these archetypes. As inner guides that exist in your personality, the goddess archetypes influence how you behave, how you think and feel, and how you relate to others. Since the goddess stories that are passed on in the mythology of human cultures embody the expression of female character, they provide us with a rich and fascinating way to gain access to the personal archetypes that are active in our lives.
How to Use Your Personal Goddess Type:
The interpretation of your goddess quiz begins on the next page. Each section starts with a brief guide to understanding the information, followed by your personal results. Before you begin to study it, take a few minutes to review a few basic concepts that will help you use the goddess report to:
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Understand/accept yourself as the unique goddess you are meant to be.
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Learn how to use the guide on the goddess path to personal fulfillment.
The results of your goddess assessment can be used in several different ways. One is to treat your report simply as interesting reading to be enjoyed. As the 100-year-old woman answered, ‘ Sure, Sonny, I believe in horoscopes. At my age I believe in anything that makes life more interesting!’ Have fun with the report. Use it, and information available at the website, as an entrance to the fascinating world of mythology and personality type. Learn to recognize patterns of behavior among your family, friends, and coworkers while you gain a better picture of your own strengths, abilities, and vulnerabilities.
A second approach is to use your results to learn to relax and accept yourself for who you really are. Recognizing the strength and beauty of your own personal goddess type can be a deeply empowering experience. If your goddess type is not one that is valued highly by society, your sense of self-esteem will almost certainly have been threatened. Take comfort from learning about the richness of your goddess type and realize that, even if it seems you are often ‘marching to the beat of a different drummer’, you share your type with many others and don’t have to try to force yourself into the mold of a more socially acceptable type. You are not alone.
The third approach is to use the report as a guide on your path to personal growth. It can help you see and understand the underlying reasons for the patterns of your life. Each goddess type has both strengths and weaknesses. Knowing about your goddess type, you can capitalize upon those strengths (and guard against the weaknesses) while you begin to work on your underdeveloped traits. The more you function within your inherent goddess type, the stronger and more confident you will become, the more control you have over your life, and the better prepared you are to make the choices that create the life you want. You can enlist the help of other, less well-developed goddess types, thereby enlarging your repertoire of attitudes, feelings, and behaviors. You will be less rigid and more flexible, better able to meet the wide variety of challenges and demands that your life may present. Your report highlights ways you can assist this process of ‘becoming’.
Your Personal Goddess Type:
Her Story and Her Symbols
Each one of us is born with an inherent temperament that predisposes us to develop as one of a number of goddess types. These ‘goddess gifts’ reveal themselves at an early age and remain fairly constant throughout our lives. They influence how you learn and think, how you decide and act, who you select as friends and mates, even where your talents lie, in short, everything that makes you unique and guides the direction of your life. This gift, your personal goddess type, is your favored, most trusted style in dealing with the outer world.
Hestia
Chief of the Goddesses
and the Greek Goddess of Hearth and Home
Hestia, Greek Goddess of the sacred fire, was once known as “Chief of the Goddesses” and “Hestia, First and Last”. She was the most influential and widely revered of the Greek goddesses. But scholars often refer to the goddess Hestia as “the forgotten goddess”. Like her counterpart, the Roman goddess Vesta, Hestia is virtually unknown today. Her name means “the essence”, the true nature of things. Because of the her association with hospitality, the word Hestia can mostly be heard today used in the names of inns and restaurants, making some people wonder if “Hestia” is the name of a franchise. Unlike the other Greek goddesses, Hestia does not have a “story” . . . there were few adventures to record about her. She simply “is”. Few images of the goddess Hestia exist. A very “private person”, her symbols, the sacred flame and the circle, are usually used to represent Hestia in works of art. Hestia’s brief stories, retold here, are too scanty to instruct us. It is her traits, not her actions, that most define her. These virtues define the goddess Hestia: mild, gentle, forgiving, peaceful, serene, dignified, calm, secure, stable, welcoming, and, above all else, well-centered. Of all the Olympian gods and goddesses, Hestia was the first born. And also the last. This takes some explaining . . . Her parents were the Titans, Cronus & Rhea. She was their first child. But Cronus, made fearful by a prophecy that one of his children would grow up to usurp his throne, quickly swallowed the infant Hestia (as he did the brothers and sisters that followed) in order to prevent the fulfillment of the prophecy. Later, following the birth of Zeus, the grieving goddess Rhea tricked her husband into swallowing a rock wrapped in swaddling instead of the infant, causing him to vomit up all the babies he had swallowed. First in, Hestia was the last to be disgorged. Hence, the goddess was often called “Hestia, First and Last”.The goddess Hestia grew in grace and beauty and soon caught the attention of the gods Apollo and Poseidon who both sought her hand in marriage. But Hestia wasn’t having any of it . . . saying that Aphrodite’s ways (romance and marriage) were not her ways, she placed her hand on Zeus’ brow and swore an oath that she would not marry. More than anything else, she wanted to follow a path that was true to her nature and was of her own choosing. She didn’t require the trappings of power or adventure like Athena and Artemis (the other virgin, i.e. unmarried, goddesses). She was perfectly content and fulfilled, being “Aunt Hestia”, and enjoyed being of service to her family and community. Zeus, grateful that Hestia’s announcement had averted the possibility of war between the rival suitors, not only supported Hestia’s wish to remain single but decreed that Hestia’s name should be mentioned first in any prayer and that she should receive the first portion of any sacrifice and be honored in the temples of each of the Olympian deities. So delighted was he with Hestia’s decision, that Zeus handed her the keys to the family home (Mount Olympus) and offered her the position of manager, and with it the responsibility of running this vast estate while the rest of the gods and goddesses wandered about in the larger world having all sorts of adventures. True to her nature, Hestia stayed at home, never leaving Mount Olympus, always there to welcome the others and enjoy their “homecomings”. The goddess Hestia never involved herself in the fights and machinations of the other gods and goddesses, somehow managing to stay above the fray. Non-judgmental and forgiving, her “unconditional love” and calm acceptance inspired the love and trust of others in return. Dependable and caring, Hestia was always there for them and helped them to manage their lives which were certainly more exciting than her own. One of Hestia’s most important responsibilities as the estate-manager was as “Keeper of the Reserves”, seeing to it that all their clothing and equipment was in good repair and the the pantry always full so there would be ample food and wine on hand when any of the gods and goddesses returned from their adventures. As keeper of the key to all the supplies, Hestia efficiently managed the large household, pleasing all with her practical dependability. One of the few myths of Hestia tells how the lustful Priapus attempted to rape her as she slept. As he approached her bed, a donkey (long since a symbol of lust) began to bray loudly, awakening the slumbering Hestia. Her screams awoke all the other gods and goddesses and sent the embarrassed Priapus falling all over himself as he tried to flee. Hestia is also known as the originator of the concept of “sanctuary”. It was an offense to Hestia to refuse hospitality to a stranger. That those in need were to be sheltered and protected from ill-treatment was recognized by Hestia’s followers as a sacred obligation.Special emphasis was placed on the requirement to not “take advantage” of a female guest, presumably as a result of Hestia’s experience with Priapus. Hestia is often spoken of in conjunction with her friend and neighbor Hermes, the god of communication and travel. They were polar opposites in terms of personality; Hestia spoke little and stayed at home, while the outgoing Hermes had the “gift of gab” and traveled to the far ends of the world. Though a marriage of such disparate characters clearly could not have succeeded, they shared strong bonds of friendship. They are remembered together in the Homeric Hymns (edited by H.G. Evelyn-White): “be favorable and help us you [Hermes] and Hestia, worshipful and dear. Come and dwell in this glorious house of friendship together, for you two, well knowing the noble actions of men, aid their wisdom and strength.” The circle symbolized Hestia as the “complete” goddess, the goddess who was whole, “one complete within herself”. Hestia was seen as, not only psychologically “centered”, but also as representing the center, the center of the home and family, the city, and even the world itself. The source of Hestia’s sacred fire was believed to be the molten lava that burns at the center of the earth, connected by an “umbilical cord” called the Oomphalos to the city of Delphi, a place of great wisdom and spiritual energy. The town hall, a meeting place for citizens to discuss the community’s affairs (a forerunner of western democracy), was built around a hearth that honored Hestia. The living flame of Hestia was tended constantly and never allowed to die out, for it represented the energy of all life and to let the flame extinguish was to invite a cold and barren existence. When new “subdivisions” were developed, fire was carried from the town’s hearth to light the fire of the new community, assuring its prosperity. The Olympic Torch is just one example of the living flame that has survived to modern times, though it is seldom recalled that it originally honored the Greek goddess Hestia. The ritual of a bride and groom lighting a candle together from the flames of two candelabra to symbolize the creation of the “new” family from their two “old” families derived from the ancient practice of bringing Hestia’s flame from the bride’s mother’s home in order to assure Hestia’s blessing on the union. Every home had a hearth that was dedicated to the goddess, and each day began and ended with a ritual requesting that she protect and nurture the family within. As the Goddess of Architecture, Hestia intended that homes should be built from the center out, with the center being a hearth that contained her sacred flame. As part of the naming ritual, all infants were carried in a circle around the altar of Hestia to secure her blessings. There was an altar to Hestia in the center of every home . . . it was the fireplace, the hearth, where the family gathered. Hestia’s vision of a house was that it should truly be a home, a place where one’s body, spirit, and relationships would be nurtured and replenished. . . a place to “come home to” after exposure to the cold and chaos of the external world. Hestia is associated with the warmth and comfort of the welcoming fireplace. Just as the flames glowing from the hearth soothe us with their warmth and glowing light, the goddess Hestia gives us security, peace, and comfort and helps us accept the truth of our lives with inner grace.
Hestia’s Symbols
General:
Hearth, home, living flame, architecture, bowl, veils, pantry, town halls, navel, veils, keys, and circles.
Animals:
Donkey (ass) and pigs.
Plants:
Angel’s trumpet (datura), poppy, goldenrod, yarrow, hollyhock, purple coneflower, and yarrow.
Perfume/Scents:
Angelica, iris, lavender, and peony.
Gems and Metals:
Amethyst, topaz, garnet, gold, silver, and brass.
Colors:
Gold, lavender, dark rose, silver, grey and black.
The Hestia Archetype
Every woman’s personality is actually influenced by numerous different goddesses (traits that exist in her personality, or roles that function in her life). One goddess, however, predominates. It is this goddess, your personal goddess type, that is detailed in this report because she represents the core part of your personality that establishes your identity and most influences how you express it to the outer world. Think of it as your own personal ‘comfort zone’ your personal goddess type represents your basic, in-born core, the way you ‘really’ are. When you are functioning within the boundaries of your goddess type, you feel ‘at home with yourself’. Anxieties will be dissolved, priorities clearer, and you will feel energized, resilient, and capable. If your circumstances are well matched to your goddess type, your normal coping mechanisms will work well, and you will feel a sense of control over your destiny.
Hestia Characteristics
Although she was a beautiful, powerful goddess with many suitors, Hestia was never pretentious. Likewise, individuals with her archetype are realistically aware of their own strengths and limitations and do not display vanity or a sense of their own self-importance. Although they are sharp appraisers of other people, they evaluate themselves equally, always holding themselves responsible for their own actions.
Hestia’s deepest desire is to belong. She has a strong sense of being connected with past events and traditions. Hestias believe that work is good for the soul and that play is a reward for work done well. Consequently, Hestia women are willing to work long, hard hours. When they take on a task others can be sure it will be completed if it is humanly possible.
The friends of a Hestia woman are likely to be a lot like her. She tends to prefer modest, rather quiet friends rather than boisterous or nonconformist types. A Hestia is not one to put on airs herself, and finds it objectionable when others act inappropriately for their social or economic ‘station’ in life. You can usually count on a Hestia to be up on all the latest gossip for she probably indulges in gossip, since she can be rather judgmental at times.
Because she is so business-like, others sometimes mistake her as unfeeling. Quite the reverse is true. A Hestia tends to be reserved and often has a low level of emotional expressiveness, disclosing her most intimate personal feelings only to a close few, and this may leave her feeling somewhat isolated from others. She cares deeply about others and is particularly vulnerable to rejection or criticism.
Others’ first impression of a Hestia is often that she is a solid individual, feet rooted to the ground, sturdy and secure in her self. Her facial expressions seem unemotional, as if she were concentrating. Hestias usually dress in classic styles, seldom extravagant or flashy. Her clothes are always clean, carefully pressed and tidy. She takes great care with her appearance and may criticize others who do not.
Hestias are charming women who find it quite easy to interact with strangers and acquaintances. They usually have impeccable manners and a sizeable repertoire of entertaining anecdotes and are often the life of the party. They can establish common ground quickly and feel quite close to someone even after a limited amount of contact.
Occasionally their tendency to ‘lecture’ or over-explain information can annoy others, but they can be counted on to be knowledgeable and accurate in their speech.
With an eye for facts and detail, and her decidedly practical nature, a Hestia can organize the people and resources around her to get almost any job done. She is particularly adept at managing facts, figures, and technical information, working everything out down to the very last detail.
Waste, whether it is of material resources or human potential, is abhorrent to a Hestia. She values efficiency and usually adheres to the traditional methods. Sometimes she can become rather impatient with others when they ignore the established way of doing things, but usually such irritation is held inward rather than vocalized.
A Hestia always relates well to those who need her, e.g., the ill, the uneducated, the boss. Her large need to be of service to others often leads her into the service occupations. Her preference for the traditional and the stable makes her prefer working in situations that are fairly predictable and do not require that she be highly adaptable or innovative. Theory and experimentation do not hold much appeal for her; she would rather remain practical and down-to earth. She excels at managing facts and detailed information.
Most Hestia women tend to be devoted and loyal employees. She has a well-developed sense of the office hierarchy and lines of authority, and does well in large, highly structured institutions. She usually has immense respect for those in authority and strives to please them with her performance, often feeling personally responsible for seeing that others follow the established rules and routines. Combined with her dislike for the squandering of money and other material resources, her traits make her valuable in both secretarial and middle management positions. Hestias often experience discomfort when placed in positions of authority over others and may often try to do everything themselves rather than delegate to others who may be less efficient. It is not surprising that they often feel overworked.
A Hestia takes her responsibilities seriously. She will attend to them before she allows herself to relax or have fun. Since she is helpful, hardworking, and incredibly generous with her time and attention, she is always a valuable asset to her family and her community.
A Hestia is a natural born worrier. Others can easily tell when she is distressed about something for she is fully expressive of her emotional reactions. Her tendency to worry and be pessimistic usually makes her well prepared for any disaster when (and if) it comes, but her predisposition to always expect the worst takes an undue toll on her, not to mention those close to her.
Devoted, dependable, and decisive, women with the Hestia archetype fulfill their promises. When a Hestia gives her word, others can count on it. Whether she is at home or work, a Hestia is quiet and serious. She has incredible ‘stick-to-it-iveness’ and performs her duties without flourish or fanfare. Consequently the dedication she brings to her roles can sometimes be taken for granted, and a Hestia would be well advised to occasionally ‘toot her own horn’.
Your Personal Characteristics
Hestias tend to be quiet, low-key, and often disengaged from the social ‘flurries’ that go on in the world around you. You prefer the company of a few close friends or an intimate to a loud and lively party or to interacting with a wide circle of friends. It’s not necessarily that you’re unfriendly or shy; you simply need less social stimulation than other types. You generally prefer to be alone because you find yourself easily overwhelmed by large or noisy crowds, your energy being depleted by such social situations. Although some may mistake your independence and reserve as aloofness, you actually need time on your own to recharge your emotional ‘batteries’ and to restore your energy.
The goddess Hestia seemed quite content to live and work without needing a lot of companionship or excitement in her
life. Your responses on the quiz indicate that, while you may be friendlier than the typical Hestia, you are still
well within the average range for all individuals.
Like the typical Hestia, you are not very gregarious. You frequently find that the hustle and bustle of crowds and
the company of others drain your naturally energy and leaves you feeling unpleasantly over-stimulated. You need more
privacy and time to yourself than other types do.
Like Hestia, you’re a woman who approaches life realistically and who isn’t inclined to engage in much fantasy,
idealism, abstractions, or anything else far removed from concrete experience. Details, technical precision, and
practical applications are far more appealing to you. You tend to approach life in a rather conservative manner and
are not particularly impressed with people who ‘may be smart but don’t have much common sense’.
You respect tradition and the time-honored ways of doing things. You prefer familiarity to novelty, variety, and
change. Indeed, you may even be somewhat resistant to change, finding it rather stressful.
The physical atmosphere of your surroundings greatly influences how you feel. When you enter a room you instantly
form a first impression that takes in every detail. Ownership may give you a strong sense of security, creating an
attachment to your possessions.’
You, like Hestia, are someone whose ‘heart rules her head’, for you have good access to your feelings and find it
relatively easy to express them openly. Sometimes you do so even though it would be wiser not to. Though it may
leave you vulnerable on occasion, wearing your heart on your sleeve usually makes others feel comfortable in talking
to you about their feelings and in sharing confidences with you.
Like Hestia, your needs are fairly simple, and you are not usually difficult to please. You have a strong desire for
stability and peace. Although you may enjoy occasional travel or the adventure of new experiences, you do not
require them to feel fulfilled like Hestia did. Instead, you are comfortable with familiarity and routine and do not
find them intrinsically boring. . . consequently you are not compelled to seek thrills or adventure at every turn.
On the other hand, you may find that change and disruption are particularly stressful to you and that you resist
change even when it might be beneficial.
Like Hestia, your level of excitement seeking is low, indicating that you are not likely to become bored in
situations that do not offer high levels of stimulation. You are unlikely to be a risk-taker or thrill-seeker and
are probably easily overwhelmed by noise and commotion.
Much like Hestia, you are moderate (or average) in your preference for the security and stability brought by
conformity to tradition. You are not particularly prone to challenging authority, convention , or traditional
values. But neither do you demand a safe, predictable routine to feel secure. You are also average in the extent to
which you experience ambiguity, chaos, and disorder as stressful.
Many of the legends of Hestia recount stories that demonstrate her conscientiousness, her wisdom, and caution. Highly
conscientious, Hestia was able to avoid danger and to achieve success through her purposeful planning and her
persistence, avoiding impulsive behavior that would diminish her effectiveness and subject her to undesirable
consequences.
This ability to foresee the likely outcomes of one’s behavior is a hallmark of intelligence. The ability to
contemplate long-range goals, to plan and organize routes to these goals, and willingness to persist in your efforts
even when you’d rather be doing something else, is one of Hestia’s goddess gifts. . . one that gives the ability to
successfully undertake projects that require organized effort in sequenced steps or stages, leading others to regard
you as being intelligent and reliable.
On the negative side, some women of the Hestia type can become compulsive perfectionists and workaholics who set high
(sometimes unrealistically high) standards of performance for them and others. Furthermore, Hestia types are
sometimes so focused on their goals that they find it difficult to relax, not to mention play. Acting spontaneously
and impulsively when you are playing can be fun. Others usually see spontaneous people as colorful, wacky, and fun
to be with. Give yourself permission to act in a carefree and careless manner every once in a while-at least no one
will accuse you of being stuffy or boring.
In her myths Hestia is usually depicted as someone who is confident in her ability to accomplish her goals, someone
who believes she has the common sense, the drive, and the self-control to overcome the obstacles in her path. Your
level of confidence in your ability to succeed is also moderate like hers.
You are well organized and like to live according to routines and schedules, your attention keenly focused on what
you have to accomplish. But short of spontaneity, sometimes you may be so bound up in your lists of ‘Things To Do’
that you overlook valuable opportunities to enrich your life.
Hestia was widely known for having a strong sense of duty and moral obligation. Unlike her, your sense of obligation
is average. You usually honor your commitments and seldom find contracts, rules and regulations overly confining.
Hestia usually thought things through carefully before she sprang into action. She was deliberate and cautious when making decisions. Like Hestia, you tend to take your time before deciding and seldom do or say the first thing that comes to mind without deliberating your alternatives and their probable consequences. The goddess Hestia was seldom impulsive. Like her, you usually take your time before speaking or making decisions, considering your alternatives and carefully weighing the consequences of your actions. Impulses are not inherently bad; acting on our impulses can be an effective response in situations requiring snap decisions. Additionally, acting spontaneously and impulsively makes play possible. People who are impulsive are often seen as being colorful, exciting, and fun. Nonetheless, excessive impulsivity can lead to trouble – examples include using illicit drugs that eventually destroy one’s health, responding with an insult during an argument leading to the destruction of an important relationship, or excessive socializing that results in being fired from one’s job. Your level of impulsiveness is lower than average.
How A Hestia’s Mind Works
Your goddess type is largely determined by the neurological hard-wiring you received at birth. It governs the way you
think and learn. Unfortunately, most of us have been exposed to a ‘one-size-fits-all’ educational system that fails
to take into account that not everyone has the same style of learning. Understanding how you think and learn best
can help you be more productive at work or in school.
Although Hestia is generally portrayed as being a realistic, practical, and down-to earth type, your quiz reveals
that you are more imaginative and creative than the typical Hestia. While most Hestias are more oriented to facts
than fantasy, you prefer to use your imagination, and keen sense of what is possible, to create a richer, more
interesting world.
Though your goddess Hestia was not particularly known for her open-mindedness to new and unusual ideas, your scores
indicate that you are more likely than her to enjoy purely intellectual exercises or games. Your level of interest
and comfort in thinking abstractly is average rather than low like hers.
Like Hestia, who usually demonstrated self-discipline or will power, your level of self-discipline is average. You
are often able to overcome any reluctance to begin a task (even a disagreeable one) and to stay on track despite
distractions. You usually find it possible to persist at difficult or unpleasant tasks, seeing them through to
completion.
It is not surprising that most Hestias like you do well in traditional classrooms. After all, a Hestia is a
down-to-earth woman who has a firm grasp on reality. The organization of concrete facts is her forte; she generally
respects traditional institutions such as schools, and is responsible and dependable. She is comfortable with
predominately teacher-to-student interactions such as lectures and assignments. Hestias appreciate practicality and
flourishes in classroom settings that foster consistency, cooperation, and hard work.
A Hestia tends to have effective study habits. Because she seeks the ‘right way’ of doing things, she is usually
anxious to conform to a teacher’s expectations and often wants to please the instructor. She works best in
situations in which the teacher’s expectations are clear and when specific instructions for accomplishing assigned
tasks are given. She finds abstract or unstructured lessons frustrating, but is not disturbed by memorization,
drills, workbook exercises, and logical step-by-step presentations that deal with concrete facts. For a subject to
seem worthwhile to a Hestia, it must be realistic and practical. They need to see the usefulness of information.
As a Hestia you are probably at a disadvantage on timed tests and could profit from a course that will help you
develop test-taking skills. Even though they often can read an exam question once and provide the correct answer,
many Hestias second-guess themselves . . . going back to reread the question to be sure they understood it. In a
timed test this usually works to their disadvantage.
Hestia At Work
Just as your inborn goddess type impacts the way you think and learn, it also greatly influences your life at work.
When your goddess-given strengths and patterns of behavior have become habitual, certain jobs or careers will be
more ‘natural’ for you. When your job allows you to capitalize on your goddess type, it is interesting and
energizing, almost fun. So if you’re about to enter the job market, use you knowledge of your goddess type as a
guide to selecting an ideal position that is a good match for your goddess type.
None of this means you can’t be happy in other fields. Lots of other factors influence job satisfaction, your boss
and coworkers, the pay, the dress code, for example. Most people manage to adapt, to develop and strengthen their
less developed skills and interests when working in a job, unless other factors introduce too many problems in the
setting.
Finally, if you aren’t satisfied at work or don’t feel you’re very effective, you can use what you learn about your
goddess’ strengths to examine the match between your goddess type and your current job and career.
Hestia was moderate in her quest for achievement. Those with a drive to be recognized as successful often have a
strong sense of direction in their lives and strive hard to achieve excellence in their chosen pursuits. Taken to
the extremes, high achievement seeking may result in an individual who is too single-minded and obsessed with his
work. At the other extreme, is an individual content to get by with only a minimal amount of work, even if it means
being seen by others as lazy. Your level of achievement striving is average, not at either extreme.
Hestia at work tends to be:
Accurate
Logical
Cautious
Loyal
Conservative
Matter of fact
Comfortable with routine
Practical and sensible
Dependable
Resistant to change
Hardworking
Responsible
Honest
Serious
Like Hestia, you pay great attention to facts, valuing what has been proven by experience. You can usually be counted on to be accurate. You like to do tasks that you’ve learned to do well and to see the results of your work quickly. You may excel at jobs that require paying a lot of attention to detail.
As a Hestia, you probably enjoy setting up systems that improve how a process works and like to proceed in a logical step-by-step fashion, following established procedures so that everything runs smoothly. You seldom mind having to repeat a task or use a skill once you’ve mastered it. Boredom is rarely a major issue for you in your job.
A Hestia type like you is usually well organized and likely to be a bit lost without her list of ‘Things To Do’. Very aware of time, you value punctuality and tend to be very productive, planning your work schedule down to 15-minute time slots to get the most done. With a tendency to be a ‘workaholic’, you’ve probably accumulated more annual leave time than you’re ever likely to use.
You work more effectively when you’re allowed to work on one project at a time, seeing it through to completion. You like for your work environment to be fairly predictable. You probably try to maintain a tidy workspace (or at least have a system that helps you find your ‘stuff’ even if it is all in a pile!)
You work better when you have clearly defined goals and systems already worked out. Like Hestia you rarely procrastinate and feel comfortable making decisions fairly quickly. You will be happiest in jobs that give you a lot of control over how you go about getting your work done.
Your business-like demeanor and professional approach often inspires others to look to you for leadership. You tend to be fairly assertive, matter of fact, and impersonal . . . getting right to the point without a lot of chitchat. As a result some of your coworkers or customers may think you are blunt, or even tactless. Your natural abilities in logical analysis and objective decision making allow you succeed in a competitive environment.
Your ideal job would give you ample privacy and ‘quiet time’ to think things through. Having to talk a lot, to explain your ideas to others before you’ve had a chance to carefully think them out is not a comfortable thing for a Hestia like you. You would prefer to work at a steady pace, not being interrupted by having to switch back and forth between tasks.
Hestia Women Often Find Careers in These Fields Rewarding:
Special Education Teacher
Paralegal
Interior Decorator
Primary Care Physician
Insurance Agent
Home health nurse
Bank examiners
Librarian
Guidance Counselor
Credit Counselor
Customer Service
Innkeeper
Human Services Professional
Minister
Manager
Homemaker
Computer analyst
Secretary
Office manager
Teacher: industrial, technical
Public Relations
Teacher: secondary
Mechanic
Attorney/judge
Hestia’s Relationships
When we encounter people whose god or goddess type matches our own, people who have similar traits, we are usually attracted to them and often make them a part of our social circle. This is not surprising for they tend to think like you, have similar interests, treat you as you treat others, and are easy for you to communicate with. You feel comfortable and energized when you are with them. When you spend much time with someone of an opposite type, you may feel drained of energy if it becomes a struggle to find common ground. Other types truly see the world through different eyes and approach life from a very different perspective. Depending on the situation in which you find yourselves, you may be able to recognize your differences and essentially ‘agree to disagree’.
Try to learn more and use your understanding about different god and goddess types, remembering that even though they differ, each type has its unique strengths and beauty. After all, it is the incredible diversity that makes life so colorful!
Like the goddess Hestia, you are a natural diplomat-you are reasonable, tolerant, and fair. Willing to listen to everyone’s viewpoints, you are always ready to see their side. Harmony in your social relationships is important to you, so you generally go out of your way to be considerate, friendly, generous, and helpful. Endowed with an optimistic view of human nature, you tend to believe that others are basically honest, decent, and trustworthy.
Other people tend to see you as a strong and decisive woman and are attracted by this quality, seeking to make you a leader and conferring upon you a responsibility that you may or may not wish to have. You may need to set limits on your giving nature and learn not to trust others so readily.
Even if you strongly disagree with someone, you will try to find the areas of agreement rather than emphasizing your
differences. You find it difficult to flourish in an atmosphere where there is discord and will sacrifice much in
order to avoid conflict and to keep everyone else happy.
Hestia was one of the goddesses who was well known for being altruistic, often helping others in times of need and
spending her life in service to others. Unlike her, you are moderate in your need to serve others by doing things
for them. Requests for help sometimes feel more like an imposition than an opportunity for self-fulfillment. Your
level of altruism is moderate.
Hestia was noted for being moderate, neither high nor low, in terms of her agreeableness, her willingness to lead or
participate in group efforts. Although she, like most of us, preferred to avoid conflict or confrontation, she would
not easily abandon her own needs and interests just to avoid a confrontation. Unlike her you are concerned with
getting along well with others and have a pleasing, agreeable manner that others find appealing. You tend to use
tact and charm, rather than strategy, to accomplish your goals. Just as your personal goddess type Hestia placed the
highest value on cooperation and the avoidance of conflict, you greatly dislike any kind of confrontation. Much of
the time you seem perfectly willing to deny your own needs in order to get along with others.
You are more tenderhearted than your personal goddess type Hestia who was seldom strongly affected by the suffering
of others. Unlike her, you can easily sense the pain and neediness of others and are easily moved to compassion.
Strongly affected by human suffering, sometimes you may lose your objectivity and impartiality.
Hestia As a Child
What you were like as a child and the messages you received from your parents have undoubtedly influenced your development, for better or worse. Lucky for you if your family enjoyed and encouraged you to develop naturally as the Hestia that you are -chances are you felt good about yourself and got a big head start in developing all your Hestia strengths.
Sometimes, however, having ‘too much’ family support can cause a problem. When parents give their little goddess unlimited approval for the traits of her natural goddess type to the exclusion of helping her develop the helpful traits of the other goddesses that exist as potential in her personality, she can grow up too one-sided. Take, for example, the young Hestia who spends all her free time playing house and helping mother fix dinner while they wait for daddy to come home from work. Rewarded at an early age for being the ‘little woman’, she learns to discount the value of her achievements in other areas, perceiving that a woman without a man is of little value.
Also unfortunate is the girl whose goddess type meets with her parents’ disapproval. Their opposition won’t change her inborn type; it just leaves her feeling bad about herself for being who she is, feeling inauthentic if she tries to conform to their expectations by pretending to be ‘the other girl’ that she sensed they would have preferred, or even making her rebellious.
As a Hestia child you were probably very warm and affectionate around those you knew and trusted. Loyal and sensitive, most Hestias are thoughtful and greatly concerned about the needs of opinions and others. Consequently, many Hestia girls are especially vulnerable to feelings of embarrassment and shame. Hopefully you were lucky enough to have family, friends, and teachers who encouraged you to not just accept everything at face value and who gave you lots of praise.
Even as a young child you were quite responsible, dependable, and down-to-earth. It would take time for you to get used to new people or new surroundings. Sometimes you could even be fearful when facing new experiences. Most Hestia children find it difficult to be ‘pushed’ into many different, particularly unfamiliar, activities and situations. A young Hestia flourishes with set routines. Some little Hestias seem more like a grownup than their parents given their cautious, determined, and single-minded approach to life.
Remember that your parents, like most, probably assumed that you, their child, were pretty much like them. All parents have a different view of the ‘right way’ to rear a child, one that reflects their own god or goddess type.
Hestia As a Parent
Armed with your new understanding of how the goddess types work, you will not be surprised to hear that one other factor, the goddess or god-type of your child, will play a big part in how well you will fare in your role as a parent. Bear in mind that, whichever little gods or goddesses reside in your pantheon, the wise goddess avoids trying to reshape them and allows them to grow into their true goddess-given selves with her understanding and support.
Hestias are often loving and nurturing, consistent and fair. They always have a strong sense of duty and strive to teach their children responsibility and strong moral values. Since many Hestias are rather anxious, always watching for danger or a threat to their security, some are slow to give their children independence, worrying more than most parents do that their children will get hurt.
As a parent, Hestia is consistent in handling her children. She makes the rules of the family quite clear; usually her children follow her lead and harmony prevails. Since she seeks to share her traditional, often conservative, values with them, she may find herself faced with a nonconforming or rebellious child, and this can be extremely troubleing to her.
Hestia and Her Mates
Is there one perfect match for your goddess type? Some types may be naturally better suited than others. After all, the more similar two types are, the more they understand each other for the more values and interests they have in common, the easier they can communicate, and the less work they have to do to get along. They may, however, have to make an extra effort to stay interesting to each other.
But what about opposites? Opposites may attract, but too often they don’t manage to stay together. When a person from a very different type comes into a romantic relationship with you, you may find yourself drawn to them because you are intrigued by their difference. (Sometimes this may be a sign that they have a quality or strength you admire that isn’t a part of your goddess type and that you need to develop in your self.) Too soon the magical courtship stage is over and you begin to notice that the differences between you are less appealing, maybe even a source of annoyance and conflict. Perhaps you start seeing signs that there isn’t good chemistry between you, or that you need to pull back and not invest so much of yourself. If you think there is enough positive about the relationship and can thoughtfully examine the differences objectively, you may decide to live with the differences between you. Sometimes, though, the differences are just too great to overcome or do not justify the amount of energy it takes to maintain the relationship. If you choose not to deal with the differences, it is wise to move on and find other mates who are more compatible with your goddess type.
But if you’re already deeply invested in such a relationship, or if you simply like a challenge, much can be gained in a mating of opposites. Rather than unintentionally turning your differences into a source of frustration and dissatisfaction, you can learn to celebrate them. Unfortunately, the tendency is to instinctively follow the path of the Pygmalion archetype. In this legend the sculptor Pygmalion, unable to love any of the women he met, carved a statue . . . a perfect and beautiful image of his ‘ideal woman’. Over the course of his labors he grew madly in love with her, but fell into despair because, as a lifeless statue, she could not love him in return.
Like Pygmalion, we (in ways subtle, and not so subtle) try to make our partners change, to become more like us. Chipping away at our loves and marriages with constant tension, criticism, and complaints, we try to pull our partners out of their own god- or goddess- types. Such efforts are destined to fail. Even if it could be successful, it would extinguish their personality, leaving them as lifeless and cold as a statue. Although Aphrodite took pity on the poor sculptor and brought his statue to life in the legend, we must make our own miracles . . . by understanding our differences and seeing them not as problems but as incredible opportunities to breathe life into our own relationships.
This section will guide you to a general understanding of how your goddess archetype exerts a profound influence on the course of your love life. Perhaps the most important aspect of this report is the recognition that the very same differences that attract a woman and her mate to each other can also be the cause of most of the conflict between them, and that it is how these differences are handled that really matters.
Hestia women are committed in their relationships. Without a family surrounding her, a Hestia feels melancholy and yearns to be loved. She places the highest value on sustaining her relationships and respects the institutions of marriage and family. As a partner, Hestia’s commitment is for a lifetime. Loyal and faithful as a mate, she takes responsibilities to her family very seriously and is a steady, dependable partner who works hard to nurture and protect her relationships. She will often stick with her partner through thick or thin.
A Hestia desires harmony in her household, and will go to great lengths to provide it. She is conscientious about her responsibilities as a homemaker, and her house is usually clean and orderly. She wants family decisions settled quickly and efficiently, and the household organized and run on a schedule. If her partner is one whose standards are much more relaxed, frustration may be inevitable. She may find it easier to just ‘do it myself’, but eventually ends up feeling resentful. She cannot help but feel that everything her family does is a reflection on her. Consequently, she may often feel that she is being taken for granted (and she probably is, so a Hestia woman is well advised to ‘toot her horn’ on occasion.
Generally, the home of a Hestia woman is a pleasant place. She decorates in a practical, tasteful style, avoiding fanciness and trendiness. It is important that her belongings be practical. Although she may enjoy exotic foods, luxurious cars, and elegant places, she does not require them. She takes special delight in traditional holidays and festive occasions, especially if there is ritual involved. And if there is no tradition or ritual associated, she’s likely to start one!)
Since Hestias feel so strong about what’s important to them, it is important to them that their partners share similar values and concerns. Having mutual interests and friends is very important to the relationship.
Communication between partners is often a source of dissatisfaction in Hestia’s marriage. Hestias often find it very difficult to share their feelings, even with their mates. This is especially true for negative emotions. She simply may not know how she really feels about something until she has time to think it over and, if pushed to talk about her feelings before she is ready, is likely to become resentful and withdrawn. Hestias have a strong desire to hear about, and understand, their partners feelings; if this need is unmet, they begin to feel vulnerable. Most Hestias greatly enjoy sexual interactions with their mates. Physical intimacy often allows the Hestia to ‘open up’ emotionally to connect with her partner through intimate discussions and sharing after a sexual encounter.
It is important to a Hestia that she feel listened to by her partner and supported, especially when she is in the midst of strong feelings that threaten to overwhelm her. Although she is long-suffering, her tendency to always put the needs of others before her own can leave her feeling depleted and exhausted. Loving and affectionate themselves, they need to be loved and appreciated in return and usually hope to find this from their mates. A Hestia can be crushed by criticism from her partner and needs frequent reassurance of her worth. Always considerate and caring, Hestia values good communication and mutual respect and deserve to be appreciated for their loyalty, dedication, and generosity.
Visit the reference section at www.goddessgift.com to find valuable resources that will help you ‘love the one you’re with’, getting past the ancient conflicts and behavior patterns that have the power to destroy relationships. Learn to appreciate, even honor, each other’s complementary, but differing, ways of being. By developing insight into the ways the god and goddess archetypes interact, you can learn how to make your differences complement one another as intensely as they might otherwise clash.
Hestia Under Stress
Your goddess type impacts every aspect of your life, including your health and sense of well-being. In fact, recent research suggests a direct link between personality and illness. Your goddess type represents the orderly arrangement of your personality that helps you deal with life. If your life is highly compatible with your goddess type, all is well. If, however, your circumstances force you to function largely outside your personal type, you will view your life from a negative perspective and experience stress and emotional discomfort. Our thoughts and emotions are deeply intertwined. Negative thoughts provoke negative feelings that rob the body of the energy it needs to remain in healthy balance, leaving us susceptible to illness.
Consider this example: Amy’s goddess type is one that finds it very difficult to say ‘no’ to anyone. Consequently, she is always trying to do too much and is frequently behind schedule. Missing deadlines and being late for appointments causes her to feel guilty, so every time she is late creates additional stress for her. That stress results in a negative chemical reaction in her body, which, if continued over a long period of time, can ‘wear down’ her body’s natural defenses, leaving her accident prone and vulnerable to infections and a number of other stress-related illnesses.
Another body of fascinating research suggests that each personality type is linked to its own specific areas of vulnerability, or ‘weak sites’, within the body . . . an Achilles’ heel, so to speak. It is thought that these particular areas may be more sensitive to stress-related chemical imbalance.
This section will help you identify:
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Typical ways your type functions under stress
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Characteristic negative thoughts (fears and anxieties) that produce stress
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Vulnerable areas of the body and major health issues for your goddess type
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Behavior patterns that may put you ‘at risk of developing a specific health problem
As a Hestia type, you need to feel secure and much prefer the familiar to the unfamiliar. When this need is not met, you are likely to become anxious. Hestias are usually big worriers who often live on a day-to-day basis with a low level of anxiety in their lives. Generous to a fault, you tend to take on too much responsibility, working too hard to see that the needs of others are met while you put your on needs on the ‘back burner’. You may frequently feel the strain of trying to juggle your competing responsibilities of work, family, and friends.
Hestia women thrive in stable environments. They experience disorderly situations and constant change and disruption as highly stressful. Because of her unstinting generosity and kindheartedness, the Hestia woman may frequently find herself taken for granted, or even taken advantage of. Understandably, this can evoke feelings of anger and resentment . . . feelings that a Hestia has a tendency to suppress. If the situation continues and these feelings continue to mount, the Hestia woman will often begin to feel insecure. She is filled with a sense of foreboding and becomes excessively nervous and overprotective of others. Unfortunately this may cause others to feel ‘smothered’ by your attentions, leading them to resist or even become defiant. This, of course, only makes you feel more rejected and anxious.
When stressed many Hestias become suddenly erratic, displaying their distress in dramatic emotional outbursts. Since you are usually rather serene, holding your emotions in until they threaten to overflow, these eruptions of strong emotion only add to your distress, making you feel guilty for burdening others with your problems.
It is typical for a Hestia to respond to ongoing stress by becoming rather depressed. Your view on your situation might become very negative, colored by a sense of helplessness and defeat. Food is often used to provide a sense of comfort, and you may have a lifelong struggle with your weight. Hestias are also at risk for other types of addictive behavior . . . including alcohol and drug abuse, gambling, and compulsive shopping. Those who respond to stress with increased sexual behavior are placed at heightened risk for sexually transmitted diseases and unplanned pregnancies.
If major stressors become ongoing, a Hestia’s anxiety may spin out-of-control, leaving her with a generalized sense of apprehension and dread. She is likely to become even more wary of change and pessimistic about what the future may hold. Many Hestias at this stage virtually collapse under the stress, developing physical symptoms to such a degree that they can’t manage their usual responsibilities of taking care of every one else. Denied the opportunity of expressing their basic nature, being of service to others, they become even further depressed.
Physical illnesses frequently affecting Hestia women include hormonal imbalances and various disorders of the female reproductive system (including frequent yeast infections and menstrual disorders), urinary tract infections, fibromyalgia, thyroid problems, and back (mid- and lower) pain.
Situations most likely to trigger a Hestia’s level of stress are those that evoke:
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fear of being unsupported (or even abandoned)
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frustration at feeling restricted, controlled or otherwise manipulated
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feeling unvalued or unappreciated
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feeling victimized and powerless to take control of one’s life.
Major stressors that arise in the lives of a Hestia are often related to her:
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need to socialize, sometimes at the expense of her other obligations
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taking on other people’s problems or feeling guilty when she doesn’t, and
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tendency to feel anxious about life, whether or not she will ever have enough or be ‘good enough’.
Hestia’s Personal Goddess Path
While your goddess type is the strongest, most developed, preferred, and ‘natural’ to you, you potentially have aspects (or traits) of all the goddesses in your personality. They are willing to come to your rescue if needed. As your life unfolds over time, you will be presented with different challenges that are not in your goddess’ ‘area of expertise’, challenges that another goddess would be better equipped to handle. You can recognize when this occurs because you may feel drained of energy, ‘mentally fuzzy’, and less sure of your ability to cope. Your life may feel out of control, or you may even have a strong sense of being ‘numbed’ or detached from what is going on around you. Here is where those other goddesses can come to your rescue.
Hestia’s Allies
The goddesses Atalanta and Demeter are your allies. Already present in your personality, they can be called into play to help you adapt and grow. Which goddess is active at any given time depends on a combination of factors that interact-how many (and which) goddesses are in your repertoire and your predisposition to use them. The situation you find yourself coping with and the roles it calls forth in you, even your hormones, and your stage of life are also important factors.
Think of your life as an improvisational play with several actresses in the cast, each with a different role. One actress (your personal goddess type) will play the lead and be on-stage most of the time since she is your strongest, most experienced performer. However, the others will be called on-stage occasionally when the play takes a direction that calls for their ‘special’ skills or attributes.
You can also activate a goddess archetype intentionally, by consciously focusing on her (through study, meditations, rituals) or by ‘doing’ those activities with which she is associated, such as taking a college course to ‘activate’ the logical Athena. All you need do is honor her and consciously invite her presence – a process called ‘invoking’ a goddess. This section identifies the other goddesses in your makeup and some of the ways you can summon, or invoke, these goddesses in your life-to solicit their aid during times of crisis or to strengthen their impact and increase your psychological flexibility.
Like Hestia, your ally Demeter was in touch with her emotions, able to examine herself and to understand her motives. As the most selfless, and most nurturing of the goddesses, it must have been very difficult for Demeter to stand her ground against Zeus, refusing to provide the harvest until her daughter was restored to her. As an ally, Demeter can help you surmount the feelings of self-doubt that sometimes engulf you. She can assist you in learning not to feel so guilty when you speak out boldly about what bothers you. If you are one of the many Hestias who are so reserved that they seldom speak out about their ideas and feel their ideas are often underestimated by others, you may need to seek Demeter’s help in developing your assertiveness.
Hestias often experience resentment and self-doubt when they sense something is wrong in their relationships, but remain loyal even when they are being victimized. Unless the Atalanta archetype is strong in her personality, a Hestia typically fears the worst. Hestias often are indecisive because they fear they might make a mistake. Or they procrastinate starting something out of fear that they might fail. Or become ‘clinging’ in a relationship because they feel unsure of themselves or unworthy. Once Atalanta’s presence is activated, a Hestia develops an ability to stand back and view her life more objectively, coming to a better understanding of cause and effect, learning to stay firm and balanced. With Atalanta’s assistance can conquer her fear of losing control and becoming irrational when faced with a crisis. In short, she learns to trust her own judgment and to act accordingly.
To develop a healthy balance in your life you need to integrate characteristics of each of the goddesses into your life. By so doing, you can recognize needs you’ve left unfulfilled. Then by attending to those needs, you can become happier and more self-confident. Visit the website again (www.goddessgift.com) to learn more about the different goddesses and to learn specific ways to strengthen their presence in your life.
Recognizing Your ‘Missing Goddess’
Just as your goddess type is dominant in your makeup, there is also one specific goddess that will be the weakest in you. Artemis is your missing goddess. Recognizing this goddess, and honoring her presence, is critical to your well-being because, if she remains neglected, she is apt to appear at the most unexpected time to create havoc in your life.
Most of us have witnessed, at one time or another, an acquaintance who, in the face of some seemingly trivial irritation, explodes into a tirade, ready to ‘take the skin off’ the offender. Normally a sweet-natured, compliant and somewhat self-effacing type, she pays for ignoring her missing goddess (in this case one who is more demanding or judgmental than her own goddess type). Had she acknowledged these needs within herself and developed a few simple assertiveness skills, she would have been spared this embarrassment.
You’ve probably encountered the motif of the ‘uninvited guest’ that appears in many fairy tales and legends. Usually the story begins with a celebration to which everyone in the kingdom is invited, everyone that is except for one certain person (often a witch or a troll who is disliked because they seem ugly or evil). This uninvited guest, understandably miffed at having been excluded, invariably shows up anyway and places a terrible curse on the hosts, the infant who is being christened, or even on the entire kingdom! The terms ‘uninvited guest’ or ‘missing goddess’ refer to the neglected or rejected side of our selves we’ve forced out of our conscious awareness. In Jungian psychology, these disowned aspects of the self, forced to reside in the darkness of the unconscious mind, are called the ‘shadow’. It is the part of our self that we feel least comfortable with and have rejected as not being a part of ‘who we really are’.
A Hestia type can be highly skeptical, suspicious, and distrustful because she possesses an imagination that conceives of, and then dwells upon, all the awful things that possibly could happen. Artemis can help you to increase in self-reliance, to avoid your tendency to be overly dependent, seeking security above all else. The courageous and adventurous Artemis will help you approach the future and the unfamiliar with more courage and less fearfulness.
Approaching the Triple Goddess
Before the Titans and the Olympians (the gods and goddesses with their very human-like traits and personalities) appeared in Greek mythology, and long before the 5,000 year reign of male deities, people recognized a Triple Goddess who symbolized the three faces of the original Great Goddess. Often depicted in association with the changing phases of the moon, the Triple Goddess moves between her many roles with the changing seasons of her life. In Greek mythology her three faces are described as the:
Maiden/Virgin Skilled,self-defining, achieving, and focused
Mother/Matriarch Relationship-oriented,nurturing, loving, generous
Wise woman/Crone Contemplative, spiritual, compassionate, able to laugh, an agent of transformative change in society
In Native American mythology the Triple Goddess was represented by the benevolent Changing Woman who could change back and forth from an infant to a young or old woman at will. She reminds us that a full life is rooted in our own nature as well as the seasons of our particular stage of life. Although recent social changes such as our ability to control the timing of childbearing have loosened the ties of the various stages to a woman’s chronological age, it is still common for most women to develop psychologically following this age-old sequence.
The major developmental task of the young woman, in her maiden stage, typically is to claim and embrace her own personal goddess and to fully develop and strengthen the character of her personal goddess type. Having done so, at mid-life (the phase of the mother/matron), her personal growth is enhanced by nurturing the presence and the strengths of the other goddesses who have remained less developed in her personality. With her primary goddess now strong and experienced, she can now afford to attend to the areas of her life she has heretofore neglected. And in the third phase of her life, generally occurring when she is postmenopausal, she reaches the stage of the wisewoman or crone. Her task at this stage is to pull back some from the more external and active involvement of her earlier years, to integrate all that she has learned, and to draw inward, finding her own voice and purpose. She emerges more spontaneous and less restrained by convention, more contemplative, more compassionate and self-accepting. She can be quite outspoken, in touch with her anger on behalf of herself and others. She is fully capable of forcing social changes that are needed. Using the wisdom she has gained, she now is able to weave her unique perspective into a tapestry that is a full expression of the sacred feminine.
Ways to Grow
Hestia’s journey to completeness will involve developing parts of yourself that may have been neglected as you exercised your Hestia qualities in service to others. Your growth will center on the need to develop competencies that you may have depended on others to perform . . . the need to develop your own independent decision-making and expertise.
Other recommendations:
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You have much to teach others and are probably a good teacher, but you may expect too much of others. Some will agree with you in theory, but for various reasons (perhaps they’re not as self-disciplined as you) do not find it easy to change right away. Your words and your example probably do more good than you realize, but you need to be patient with those who do not move as quickly as you.
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Hestias are often anxious people. Try to remember that there is nothing unusual about occasional anxiety; at low levels it can be energizing and make you more productive and aware. Learn to accept a low level of anxiety, explore it, and learn to control its negative effects. Do not hesitate, however, to seek professional help for anxiety that is frequently disrupting your life.
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Meditation, yoga, regular exercise, and deep breathing are healthy ways of reducing tension without turning to excessive use of alcohol (or other drugs) to allay anxiety.
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Many Hestia women tend to get edgy and irritable when they are upset or angry, blaming others and creating barriers to getting the love and respect they need. Be aware of the pessimism, the negative thought patterns, that may cause you to have dark moods. When you are filled with self-doubt, you can easily become your own worst enemy.
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Hestias often overreact when they are under high levels of stress and are feeling anxious. Learn to identify the “triggers” that make you overreact. Often it is your own negative thoughts, and you should realize that fearful thoughts weaken you and make it even more difficult for you to change things for the better. You can’t always control the events happening in your life, but you can learn to manage your own thoughts.
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Work on becoming more trusting. You have a gift for getting people to like you, but you are sometimes afraid of making a commitment to them and may need to come down clearly on one side of the fence in your relationships. Let people know how you really feel about them, even if it means stirring up some of your deepest fears.
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Hestia women frequently have little awareness of the extent to which they are liked and admired by others. Learn to trust yourself more, and to be open to the genuine positive feelings that others have toward you.
Closing the Circle: Finding Completion on the Goddess Path
Even before the appearance of the Triple Goddess, humankind recognized the existence of a ‘Oneness’, a creator, a ‘giver of life’, a spiritual presence who was complete, in and of herself. She was known by many names, among them the Great Goddess, Ishtar, Gaia (Mother Earth). All powerful, she was life energy itself, and a goddess unafraid to venture into the underworld, the symbol for the soul. She reminds us that we must ground ourselves in the reality of our nature and incorporate all sides of ourselves, whether they be light and pleasant or dark and wrathful. She demanded that we connect to the inner wisdom inside our selves and that we manifest that wisdom in the world.
A Final Note
Although in contemporary times we are more likely to speak of mental health, self-actualization, or even spiritual enlightenment, the quest remains the same – growth that leads to personal authenticity. Recognizing and nurturing your goddesses within is a good beginning. As you continue on the goddess path in your quest for a meaningful life, we at Goddessgift wish you good luck and . . . well, Goddess-speed!
We wish to gratefully acknowledge the contribution of Dr. John A. Johnson for allowing the use of comments he authored concerning the description of personality traits measured by the IPIP items contained in the goddess quiz, and to Steven E. Brenner who authored the original IPIP analysis program on which our program is based..