Red / Vesta
Vesta is the Goddess of the Home and Hearthfire.
Dedication of New Vestal Virgin, Marchesini
She is symbolized by a sacred and eternal flame.
Associated with the colors of fire - red and orange - I chose a red candle for this burn. However, because of her white marble temple and the white dresses worn by her priestesses, the Vestal Virgins, Vesta is also associated with the color white.
The ancient Romans believed that as long as Vesta’s fire burned in her temple, kept alight by the esteemed Vestals, Rome would endure and survive whatever hardships, invasions, wars, famines or plagues came its way. Vesta is therefore a guardian goddess and, like her sister Juno, a protector.
A symbol of eternity, Vesta and her sacred flame didn’t just represent the enduring nature of the Eternal City (Rome), but also represents the eternalness of the soul and the endless, everlasting cycle of life on Earth and in the universe.
Like fire, which cleanses and purifies, Vesta is a purifying force. (That’s why, in addition to red and white candles, I often burn a pure beeswax candle in her honor. Burning beeswax releases negative ions in the air, which purifies it.)
Positioned strategically within its circular temple—the doors of which faced east, toward the life-giving sun—the ancient Romans saw Vesta’s sacred flame as a source of life, like the sun in the cosmos.
As you watch the burning of this red candle, one dedicated to Vesta and illuminated by her divine flame, you can sit back to reflect upon the qualities and aspects that she embodies, and how those might relate to your life or what you are going through.
You might want to reflect upon what “home” means to you. For some people, home may mean a large house filled with family. For others, home may mean a small one-bedroom apartment in which they reside alone. There is no right or wrong, no better or worse.
Moreover, a person’s “home” undergoes many changes in a lifetime. The people and/or animals we share it with change as well. Vesta might be a symbol of constancy, but she is one that endures through life’s many changes too. That’s the nature of fire—it’s always shifting, always changing, yet as long as it is alight, it remains the same.
Do you need a guardian spirit in your life, something to make you feel like you’re not as vulnerable as you may sometimes feel to life’s disappointments, hardships or challenges? Focus on the flame and let that comfort you.
Do you need to explore your own ideas about life and death, and that enduring cycle? Perhaps you long for a symbol of eternal life, spirituality and the soul. There is no better, brighter or more natural symbol than the sacred and eternal flame.
Life can be a messy process. I’m not talking about spilled milk and muddy boots, but rather the “mess” left behind by bad experiences. This could be an unhappy childhood, a divorce, a loss, a betrayal, a mistake, or a regret. Regardless, Vesta’s flame can help you purify and cleanse the past so that your present and future can be brighter.
Think about whatever bad experience, memory or mistake is holding you back or hurting you in some way. Think deeply about it. As you do, focus on the movements of the flame and on the melting wax...let those burn away, sweep away, those negative emotions or thoughts. Use your own intuition to shine the light onto what you need to do to move forward in your life and to make your peace with what has happened to you in the past.
Look for signs in the flame, signs in the shifting wax, signs in the pooling wax at the base of the candle as it burns down. Visualize the bad in your past burning away, burning down, like the candle itself. Use this time and this process to relax, to meditate, to find acceptance.
But especially use this time to ignite a new spark in your life. A new spark of what? That’s for you to determine, which you can do by shining the illuminating light of Vesta onto your life and into your thoughts and emotions.
As with all the candles in this candle-burning series, this red Vesta-dedicated one burned with the characteristics of the goddess it is associated with. You’ll see that I placed a medallion with the letter V at the base of the red candle as an offering. As the wax moved and flowed, it eventually covered the medallion to accept the offering.
Come back to this candle burning video whenever you need to reflect upon or embrace the aspects of Vesta, always tapping into your intuition to better understand yourself, to make peace with the past, to find perspective, inspiration and guidance in the present, and to feel hope for the future.
Go to the All Gods Candle Readings page or visit the Homepage