Modern Ritual Innovations

Salve Eugeni!

It is a shame to see what is demanded from you as a tenant. Such regulations are unacceptable, since they also infringe your freedom of religion. We really have to stand up against this. Now they want to take away from people the right to light a flame. How far will this go? Where do we finally draw the line?

If Roman law has told us something, then it is that every citizen has certain rights. We are Romans, we are not slaves. We have to assume our rights.

Vale!

The most practical solution would be ignoring this rule, sabotaging any smoke detectors and simply light a candle. No further political activism required.

Vesta is the goddess of fire and the hearth, not light. LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) produce light through electrones jumping between semi-conductor electrodes. This is a purely electrical process. The corresponding god would be Iuppiter, since he is the god of lightning and hence electricity. The symbolism is therefore inappropriate for Vesta.

Ti. Terentius Varro sacer. sal.

Vesta IS first and foremost the goddess of the hearth which to our ancestors was the center of the domestic home. It was where the nourishment, heat, and fortunes of the family were determined. At the level of the sacra publica this remained the same, but the household on this scale became the Roman family or people.

We easily see the slow progression of technology through the ancient CDR over time. From crude turf altars and unshaped rocks to grand marble altars and images of the gods crafted from the finest precious metals. The old ways were still respected, even occasionally favored, but this not stop new means of honoring the gods from evolving slowly over time. The rise of the Galilean god stopped this gradual progression of sacrificial innovation.

But today, with the Roman Republic’s spiritual community, this progress resumes.

Roman brothers and sisters, let us step back and recall the domain of Vesta. The hearth and family. Fire was associated with Vesta as it was the only means of providing energy to a hearth. But Vesta is not the divity of fire per-say. She is the divinity of the hearth. What did the hearth evolve into today? Utility wise the hearths of old became our modern ovens and stoves. Symbolically the hearth evolved into our decorative fireplaces. But one thing remains constant – these are all meeting places of the family, of domestic life (or they should be, this aspect of life is too often forgotten today).

So, I would encourage you not to neglect this aspect of Vesta. It is heat – be it from a fire, or from a gas stove, or an electric grill, where we feel the warmth of Vesta. The fire aspect of the hearth is ideal. But Vesta is present in more places. She is present in your “hearth”. If you place an electric light in such a place to symbolize her presence, I can not see this causing disrespect. But in doing so, be reminded of her central domain. The heat of the hearth which was the primary reason the family gathered in this place, to nourished by good food and be warmed from the cold. In this meeting place, the beating heart of the domestic sphere is still very much present. It is where we still can gather, recall the goddess and build the pax deorum within our own families.

May Vesta smile upon you all.

I have to agree with Praetor and Sacerdos Varro. If we are really serious about a revival of the religio romana we have to include the old Roman customs as much as possible while also allowing room for these customs to live in the present by most people. Cutting off domestic worship of Vesta by discouraging a substitute for the ancient hearth fire is not the way to advance anyone’s interest. The same goes for extreme renovationism. By trying to please everyone sensitivities on “historical correctness” or “reinvention” we will be guaranteed to please no one.

Sen Crassus raises a good point. We do not have any criteria which define where such renovationism should begin and end, and we, therefore, have no way to allow cultores to educate themselves or for others to avoid strong disapproval of such things based on traditional grounds.

To use the Olympic flame analogy. The flame is often fueled by natural gas. It travels around the world in torches made of composite modern materials. It travels in planes.  So there is renovationism there. But it is mindful renovationism which pays tribune to the ancient tradition rather than aim to supplant it or replace its intent. We need to aim for this same goal.

We should urgently form a panel on experts on these matters to educate people on the religio romana in general and to hash out suggested guidelines in such matters. Otherwise, we will keep having the same debates over and over and make no progress as a developing mainstream religious practice.