Friday, January 12, 2007

On the Library Table - Ex Libris XIV

Hestia Come Home, Jerrilee Cain
(Rutledge Books), ISBN-10: 1582441510
(and
ISBN-13: 978-1582441511)

In these winter days when light is pale, scant and so slanted, I find myself digging into the library of the little blue house in the village for words to soothe, enchant and summon up a little warmth. This book was one of the first volumes to emerge from my scriptorium and take up residence on the old quarter-cut oak library table in this new turning year.

"Hestia Come Home" is Jerrilee Cain's eloquent Jungian study, odyssey and profoundly personal memoir about the healing and nurturing presence in her life of the invisible deity or archetypal presence, Hestia, She who resides at the centre of every hearth, home and campfire, and at the heart of the ecstatic principle. Jerrilee's journey toward Hestia's hearth, wholeness and healing is interwoven with her tale about purchasing and restoring a dilapidated old house in the New England countryside, a house she fell in love with at first sighting and named the "Hestia" when she purchased it and started to bring it back to life. Her descriptions of flora and fauna in the countryside around her new home are rapturous - they are detailed and poetic, and they are rendered with the artistic eye and spirit of someone with a passionate regard for our planet and the natural order.

Hestia's flame and her circular hearth represent our deepest desires for connection - to home and community, to the natural world of which we are all a part, and to Life itself. Ancient, silent and unseen, the first born of the Olympians remains a powerful force in our modern world, and She promises us authenticity, creativity, healing and a way home.

Hestia Come Home is a remarkable book, a perfect book for these dark and thoughtful January days, and one which has a place of honour on my bookshelves. I am always curious as to why it didn't make more of a splash when it was published. Every single word of Jerrilee's journey sings, and in a voice which is clear and true.

5 comments:

econv said...

I just looked up this book in Amazon, and it is listed for $114. It must be some book!

kerrdelune said...

My word, I only paid $18.00 for the book which is an unassuming trade sized paperback without any illustrations - this has to be an error. KdL

econv said...

Maybe, but I've checked in other sites and it is unavailable. Demand and Supply. v.

fuzzypeach said...

A lucky buy, then! Wish I could find it, it sounds like a wonderful book.

Anonymous said...

Cate recommended this to me many moons ago and I am glad I read it.

I ordered a copy via interlibrary loan and it was very difficult to find. My university library does not charge for this service and some public libraries will do it for free and some for postage only.

It is worth tracking down and reading.