In Roman mythology, Vesta was the virgin goddess of purity, home, and hearth. She was represented by a sacred fire which Vestal priestesses tended to night and day in her temple. As long as this vital fire was kept lit, the people were protected under Vesta’s guardianship.

The Romans externalized this potent creative force as an eternal flame, but it can also symbolize the light we carry within each of us ~ our passion, ‘muse’ or inspiration. And like the Vestal flame, we need to tend to our own sacred fires with respect and awareness.

There are times when inspiration comes effortlessly, ideas flowing in a stream of consciousness we have only to follow. But sometimes we struggle for ideas and the more we try to control the process and demand things work our way, the more we are met with silence, a blank page, or wasted efforts.

Often, inspiration finds us when we are not actively engaged in solving problems or working on our craft ~ it can catch us off guard while we’re taking a shower, on a long walk, waiting in line… and  sometimes, it comes to us in our dreams.  It’s not that we are powerless to the ‘muse’ as something external to ourselves, but rather that we have yet to learn how to recognize that spark as something within us.