Raechel Henderson - The Scent of Lemon & Rosemary: Working Domestic Magick with Hestia

Llewellyn Publications

Woodbury, Minnesota

Copyright Information

The Scent of Lemon & Rosemary: Working Domestic Magick with Hestia 2021 by Raechel Henderson.

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First e-book edition 2021

E-book ISBN: 9780738766881

Cover design by Kevin R. Brown

Interior illustrations by Sara Koncilja

Llewellyn Publications is an imprint of Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Henderson, Raechel, author.

Title: The scent of lemon & rosemary : working domestic magic with Hestia /

Raechel Henderson.

Other titles: Scent of lemon and rosemary

Description: First edition. | Woodbury, Minnesota : Llewellyn Publications,

2021. | Includes bibliographical references. | Summary: Spells, crafts,

and recipes for creating harmonious energy in each room and turning your

entire home into a sacred spaceProvided by publisher.

Identifiers: LCCN 2021000472 (print) | LCCN 2021000473 (ebook) | ISBN

9780738766676 (paperback) | ISBN 9780738766881 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Hestia (Greek deity) | Witchcraft. | Magic. |

HomeReligious aspects. | Sacred space.

Classification: LCC BF1566 .H46 2021 (print) | LCC BF1566 (ebook) | DDC

133.4/3dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021000472

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021000473

Llewellyn Publications does not participate in, endorse, or have any authority or responsibility concerning private business arrangements between our authors and the public.

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Llewellyn Publications

Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd.

2143 Wooddale Drive

Woodbury, MN 55125

www.llewellyn.com

Manufactured in the United States of America

Contents

Chapter 1:

Chapter 2:

Chapter 3:

Chapter 4:

Chapter 5:

Chapter 6:

Chapter 7:

Chapter 8:

Chapter 9:

Chapter 10:

Chapter 11:

Chapter 12:

: Ingredient Correspondences

Prometheus may have stolen fire for the humans,
but its Hestia who keeps it alight.

melissa hill, imbolc invocation to the fire goddesses

INTRODUCTION

On September 9, 1999, I wrote the following in a spiral-bound notebook: I have found my goddess teacher: Hestia, that hearth/goddess of fire. It seems appropriate that I learn from a hearth goddess what is needed to prepare for winter. Further down the page I wrote, By the time I have finished this tablet, I hope to have more rituals to Hestia to put in a Book of Shadows for myself. Spoiler alert: I never wrote that Book of Shadows. I was three years into an abusive relationship that would last another nine. My commitment to my witchcraft and spiritual path often had to take a backseat to navigating that reality.

Even so, Hestia never left my thoughts. I was invested in making a safe place, a home, all those years. Through garden plans and household crafts, recipes and cookery, cleaning schedules and decor, I attempted to change my situation by changing my environment. Throw pillows and goulash can only do so much, however, and even the hardiest weeds cannot grow where there is nothing to nourish them. During those years I would touch upon Hestia, reaching out to her, asking her to help me make things right. But this goddess of hearth and home knew there wasnt a place for her there. Eventually, in 2008, I gained the strength and support I needed to break away from that relationship and start again. When I did so, Hestia was waiting for me.

I didnt formally dedicate myself to her until 2019twenty years after I first encountered her. I had a lot of emotional fallout to work through, which led me to working with goddesses such as Hecate for several years. Even so, Hestia was there, in the background, keeping the hearth burning as I discovered what kind of person I wanted to be. My relationship with Hestia is more partnership than worship. I ask her to help me in my work, both magickal and mundane. I make offerings to her, in gratitude for her blessings and aid, but when I address her, my language is more familiar than reverent. That informality doesnt make our connection any less meaningful.

At the time when COVID-19 spread across the globe, ripping away peoples sense of safety and exposing the weaknesses of various governments, I felt that Hestia was more relevant than ever. I wrote this book during the first half of 2020, during a shelter-in-place order that lasted much longer than anyone had expected. In many places, others experienced the same. We were stuck in homes that we may not have spent much time in before. Work and socializing may have kept us away from our homes for hours each day. For some people, this meant learning new skills: cooking, cleaning, the fine arts of housekeeping, and even new hobbies. For others, this meant being stuck in an unsafe environment for who knew how long. Some folks were dealing with isolation and loneliness. Others were reevaluating just what the home meant to them.

The Scent of Lemon & Rosemary is the collected wisdom from all those years of discreet workings with Hestia, the Greek goddess of the hearth. All the spells and rituals are included, as well as a deep dive into her mythology and meaning in todays society. Ive also included several crafts you can make to create a cozy home environment. The book has an unapologetic leftist ideology, as Ive found Hestia to be incompatible with capitalism and all it entails.

You dont have to be a polytheist, or any kind of religious, to use the information in this book. The concept of a safe home goes beyond deities. Security and safety land on the second tier of Maslows hierarchy of needs. You can perform the spells and rituals without worshipping Hestia or even invoking her at all if you wish. You dont have to be Pagan or a witch, even. The crafts, recipes, and advice on housekeeping dont require magick. Much of it is drawn from knowledge our grandparents and ancestors had.