Revisiting the Household Gods

(Papa Olayade of House of Neo-Tribal sent this to me)

All great empires have their slumps.  Economies, like the seasons, rise and fall.  Rome was no exception to the standard; a once great pagan empire began to fall into decay.  The economy was in a slump, and the cabinets started to become bare, very similar to the contemporary American society as it stands today.  The neotribal pagan view is to return to some of the old household Gods to ease the strain on the wallet and the internal atmosphere of the household.              In Classical Rome in each household they had three main areas The Penates, The Lares, The Genius, these areas were blessed under the light of the Goddess Vesta the Roman equivalent to Hestia.  The classical beliefs were that these three sections helped keep food on the table and a happy household. These deities were helper deities allowing in times of strain on Denari, likewise with the American dollar.Vesta is the Goddess of the household and the hearth, our basic equivalent to the kitchen, where we know all important discussion and entertaining happens.  Vesta was a virgin goddess; keep the household pure like the earth it laid on. Vesta was the eternal fire and lamps that were constantly lit for her to keep both the house and the city-state safe.  Her sacred fire represented the warmth of the home coming and the safety around its warmth.  A dedicated house to Hestia or Vesta was a warm and inviting place, a place where a family could feel at peace and safe under her flame of warmth.  Vesta was the oldest and youngest of the Homeric Gods, showing the solid institution of the home and the beginning of new homes and new familiesTo awake Vesta in your home, the neotribal belief was to have a huge feast dedicated to her.   Each of the guests would offer a bay leaf in honor of her and the great Twelve Homeric Gods.  Then light a candle that shall burn through out the meal, representing her eternal warmth.  The Penates were the Gods of the pantry.  They attended to the welfare and food prosperity of the household.  They were represented by a small male and a female statue and offered food and candles during every meal.   By making offerings to the Penates, a small amount of your food and feeding the divine brought you more abundance to your pantry.  Some anthropologists’ believe that they are the two images on the wedding cake resemble the Penates offering food and prosperity to a new household on their wedding.The neotribal tradition is to create the Penates, placing them where the household eats.  My household created them using polymer clay and painting them.  A tray for their food to be placed during the meal, lies in front of them and a candle to the rear represents the warmth and light of the Goddess Vesta.   During the meal the candle is lit, and they are treated and served like one of the family.  I also place my drying seeds on their altar to bring forth a new and strong growing season.The Lares also being household deities differed greatly from the Penates.  The Lares were mortal and ancestral spirits who watched over their family.   They are spirits who protect the boundaries of the home and fields.   The Lares are specific to one’s household and domains, being that these are your ancestors.  These protect the household and the dwellers within it.  The Lares are invoked for wisdom and celebration.  It is the equivalent to asking your elders for advice and also inviting grandma to your birthday party.   Unlike the Penates, the Lares are called upon during celebration and need for advice.The neotribal tradition usually will have an altar setup to the ancestors where they can reside and communicate through. During major events, food is prepared for the ancestors.  It was as if you were cooking for a party and you knew Grandma liked pumpkin pie.  You would leave a small offering for the ancestors, and then later that evening place it outside to be carried away by the carrier spirits.  Whenever talking to the Lares or ancestral spirits for advice we always offer them food, drink, and incense to carry our thoughts and prayers.The Genius represents the mortal aspect of the household divine and the importance of the family structure within the household.  This Genius represents the male figures and the female figures of the household.  The males represented by Janus the God of opportunities and Juno the Goddess of the household.  These deities help with the flow of the household.  One opens the doors for new opportunities, while the other nurtures the ideas and secures the sanctity of the household.  On birthdays, people would make offerings to the deities to keep the home safe and prosperous. In the neotribal tradition, this represents the natural divine we find inside, recognizing the flame that burns within all of us. We celebrate it by giving thanks on our birthdays to what the Divine has given us.  We usually on birthdays have a cake, and each person at the table lights a candle on the cake for that person.  In this way, we give them wishes for their upcoming year, allowing their own divine nature to blossom and to bless all those around them.I hope the reintroduction of some spirits of the past bring you new and rejuvenated joy into your future and your pocket. These household deities were used to comfort the Ancient Romans, and now the can comfort the houses of the new generation of pagans. May your hearth burn steady and strong and the light of Vesta never burn out in your house and your soul; so say us all.    Love Papa Olayade