Embers of Memory: Echoes from the Hearth

Hearth comes from the Old English meaning “the floor of a fireplace”. Many ancient cultures had goddesses of the hearth, like Hestia from Greek mythology. In medieval times the hearth was the largest and most central structure in the dwelling. The phrase “hearth and home” reflected the importance it held as the center of family life. Before we had all the modern forms of heating and cooking, the hearth was the center of the home. Meals would be prepared and the family would gather near it for warmth. After the day’s work was complete, families would gather to talk and tell stories. The hearth was a sacred place within the home. The home I grew up in had a fireplace in the basement recreation room. In the winter we would be allowed to build a fire. It was one of my favourite places to spend time. A fire burning and curled up in a nearby chair reading or just listening to the comforting crackling sound the fire made as it provided warmth and light. I preferred the electric lights off. My hours of solitude near the fire are very warm memories for me. When I was there, the noise and turbulence over my head would recede and I was in a world of my own. It was a world where peace and calm had more hold than anger and chaos. My thoughts, my imagining, my ideas were mine to be had without rebuke. I feel my desire to write was born in those hours. There were times in that world I sensed the presence of other energy. It may have been my imagination or my intuitive understanding of energy’s presence. Either way, that presence was like a warm embrace of love and understanding. They may have even been the presence of those who gathered around the hearth in years past. <a href="https://shadowspublishing.medium.com/embers-of-memory-echoes-from-the-hearth-d67ab83b0ede">Learn More</a>