Light, Hestia and the pursuit of Happiness

Sunrise on the Roadshow.

I find out things by random reading- when I am without direction, or have a stray moment, I open a book- a phrase or word often leads to strange and curious places that are otherwise not thought of.  Today, it is Hestia, the Greek goddess of home and hearth.  Hestia is the daughter of the Titans Cronus and Rhea- time and 'easement'  (Rhea was the mother of the gods, born of sky and earth- she embodies the flow/ether/creative substance that is the essence of life.  Her name is another word for pomegranate, a large bird and a moon are named after her....)  Anyway, Hestia.  Hestia was the first child, given to liking plain things (wood, white wool, fire, clean water in earthen vessels), and became the center for home and domesticity. (Hearth)..... the center of stillness, peace and the literal 'easement of time'.

I like that.

And today is Sunday- I've never been much for organized religion- but on Sundays I've always cleaned. (Cleanness is next to godliness and all that) Mother's cleaning day was Friday (I dutifully more-or-less cleaned chair rungs and bathrooms), but my day has always been Sunday.  And truth is, it is not a chore but a measure of pleasure, to put the house in order, make things right again.  A meditation, a type of prayer that I have let lapse because of the demands of work over the years....and the simple laziness that comes with  marriage, morning movies and Sunday breakfasts- all of which are good and valuable things as well.  But I've missed it- the house has slid out of control, I have fallen off center, that nexus of calm has been lost.  And I am remembering it- this summer I have been slowly but surely putting things back together.  First the living room, then the kitchen and dining room.  Now the studio...by degrees.  My goal is to have the inside of the house centered and usable by summer's end- then to work on the outside.  This makes me feel better, more in control of my environment.... (everywhere else my environment is more responsive to outside demands- principals, professors, students.  Here we can create a haven).  And this is what I want to do today. 

Let there be light.