Walking the Hedge

The hearthstone symbolizes the ancient hearth, as well as the very heart of a family or coven, it also helps to connect us with our ancestors and other household spirits. It can be used to symbolize hearth and fire deities as well. Any items to be blessed can be laid upon the hearthstone as you do so. This is a very useful tool indeed.

The most popular places to hide witch bottles used to be under the hearthstone or doorstep. The seventeenth century witch-bellarmines of East Anglia have mostly been found buried beneath the threshold or the hearthstone of old buildings.

It is interesting to note that in old Mexican lore the umbilical cord is to be burned in the hearth to detach the baby from unclean, antisocial prenatal influences. In this lore the hearth symbolizes the unity of those who live together and endows this unity with sacred characteristics.

There is an old Somerset tradition that says you must draw a cross on a new hearthstone before you light the first fire – but not with an elder stave.

It was at the hearth where communication with spirits and ancestors was practiced and it was on the hearthstone where food offerings were left and incense burnt.

We all require light, heat and food, shelter, well-being, and companionship, all of which are represented by the hearth.

Even though most of us do not have literal hearths anymore, we can still honour a hearth goddess, or our ancestry, and all that the hearth stands for generally, by setting up a household shrine, or by simply placing special objects in our home.

The hearthstone is interesting in that it is associated with both earth (it is a stone) and fire, arguably, air could also be tossed in there, as fire needs air to burn and smoke often is symbolic of the element of air.

The hearthstone represents the home itself, the family, the heart or love the family shares, as well as the ancestors and our future descendants. It connects all these things and more.

If the hearth is the center of the home, then the hearthstone is the very heart of the home and family.

A hearthstone can also represent the axis mundi. In some traditions this is not a world tree but a world mountain, so use that to aid in your visualizations if you wish.

Just as fire is the center of home and ritual space, the center where the spirits can come to us and join us in our rites, the hearthstone is the very foundation upon which this hallowed fire sits.

Related posts:

1. Hearth Craft Class Starts Jan 5th
2. Hallowed Hearth
3. A Few Things That Work (and other things)