Vesta, the fourth and final of the major Olympian goddesses to have an asteroid named after her, is associated with this final stage of existence. Although she is known for her radiant beauty, she is the eldest of the Olympian gods.

Vesta was Jupiter's younger sister. This, too, shows her non-procreative method of communicating, as well as the fact that she is frequently seen as the prototype of the nun, whom we also refer to as "Sister."

Mythology of Vesta

Vesta was known as Hestia to the ancient Greeks, a name derived from the word for hearth, and it appears that she was involved in the domestication of fire for human use in the home and in sacrificial sacrifices. As the most revered of the Olympian gods, she was always given the first offerings and libations.

Rare legends exist concerning her exploits, and the few images of her show her in repose, implying an inner, contemplative demeanor. She turned down marriage proposals from Apollo and Poseidon, vowing to remain a virgin forever under Zeus' care.

Hestia became Vesta in Roman mythology, eternally veiled yet known as the most beautiful of the deities. She was revered in the home as the protector of the hearth and its light. In public, she was regarded as the state's protector, and her priestesses were the six Vestal Virgins of Rome.

The Vestals, who were dedicated to spiritual duty, were in charge of keeping the sacred light alive, which was supposed to assure Rome's protection. They had enormous prestige, but if they let the flame go out, they were whipped, and if they broke their promise of chastity during their tenure of office, they were whipped publicly and then buried alive.

Vesta became the model for the medieval nun. However, several thousand years ago in the ancient Near East, the Vestals' forefathers tended a temple flame while also engaging in sacred sexual ceremonies to bring healing and fertility to the people and land.

The term "virgin" did not originally denote "chaste," but rather "unmarried." Whereas Ceres and Juno needed a partner to complete themselves, Vesta's priestesses reflect an aspect of the feminine nature that is whole and complete in and of itself.

The sacred sexual energy

Vesta in the human psyche represents the portion of each person's nature that desires to experience Venus's sexual energy in a sacred way. This can happen in a variety of ways.

We will most likely assimilate this sexual energy if we are typical products of our culture's mores. We can devote ourselves to a spiritual, religious, or meditational path, or even follow in the footsteps of priests or monks.

Alternatively, we may experience this union with the Self as a process of psychological integration in our lifelong therapeutic practice. We delve inward in some way to gain clarity, and in doing so, we revitalize ourselves. When we achieve the entire and self-contained core of our being, we are able to pursue a vocation in which we can be of service to the world.

Vesta The virgin emphasizes the significance of our relationship with oneself. This may result in a singular way of living. If we are married, we may not be willing to give up everything in order to merge with another. We may find the most satisfying sexual interactions in Vesta's realm by being our own best lover.

Alternatively, we may go back to the older cults of priestesses in the Ancient Near East and have sexual relations with people who come and go in our lives or with whom we are not married or committed. These unions are frequently accompanied by a sensation that something exceptional, healing, and divine has transpired.

We may feel shame, remorse, and incompleteness if our society does not provide a context to recognize sexual unions that do not result in getting mated. To be rid of this burden, we must first comprehend the intrinsic essence of Vesta's virgins and how they reconciled sexuality and spirituality.

Vesta guards not only the inner spark of spirituality and sexual energy, but also other important things that enable human life's continuation. She sustained the state and social institutions as the "keeper of the light." She also protected the house and hearth, including kitchens, food preparation, and purity.

Today, she can be thought of as a librarian, museum curator, or other person who preserves the sparks of human civilization. She could also express herself through a job that involves housing or food.

Vesta in our natal chart

The astrological sign in which Vesta seats, advises how you might best nourish the spiritual flame within you and then use it to serve others. It can warn you when Vesta's acute focused quality becomes too limited and hence unhelpful, and it can also provide a key to investigating the spiritual aspects of sexual energy.

Vesta's house position indicates the regions of your life where you are most likely to encounter your drive for self-integration and your devotion to a calling. This can be a location of dedication and commitment, but it can also be a place of limitation in order to actualize that commitment.

You might want to look at other residences that have Vesta themes, regardless of where your Vesta is located. The fourth and twelfth houses indicate how you withdraw within yourself to undertake inner activities.

The Tenth House represents your passion and calling. The Sixth House is about service, the Twelfth House is about limitations and obstructions, and the Eighth House is about inner development and your views about sex.

Vesta's aspects to other solar system bodies illustrate how her desire to journey inward and seek deeper meaning either clashes with or finds an outlet through the other functions of your chart.

Like Pallas Athene, Vesta was known as a virgin. If Pallas Athene was the pre-reproductive Maiden, Vesta could be thought of as the post reproductive Crone. After their thirty-year term of office was up, the Vestal Virgins of Rome were allowed to marry, but they were then often beyond childbearing age.

In pre-classical times, the cult of the goddess who later became Vesta included sex as a sacrament. Thus Vesta, insofar as she is sexual, represents a rarefied form of sex that transcends the procreative function and aims to achieve spiritual union rather than physical children.

Through Vesta, you integrate and renew on an inner level, allowing you to focus and dedicate yourself to work in the outer world. Vesta signifies the process of spiritual emphasis that can lead to personal unification in the human mind. In a broader sense, she represents our ability to concentrate on and devote ourselves to a specific area of life.

When our attention gets too narrow, we can feel confined and walled in. When our ability to focus is hampered, we can feel disoriented. This, too, may cause us to feel limited in the area of life indicated by Vesta's sign or house position.

Vesta's astrological glyph, in addition to resembling the letter V, which points downward and inward, depicts a flame blazing on either a fire or an altar. This represents Vesta's role as custodian of the hearth fire and the temple flame, but it also represents the development of the pure spark of spirit within us. Vesta is, unsurprisingly, the brightest object in the asteroid belt.