Tending the hearth is not about the domestic oppression of women, like it is often made out to be. Wherever there are people, someone has to come to some form of a hearth eventually, in order to eat. The Hearth is central to life. The definition of Hearth says: “generally at the center of the home and provides warmth and light, food and protection.” It can also symbolize love, fertility and life. The Hearth as such brings us pleasure, joy, and nourishment.
The hearth is more than cooking. The hearth is a source of warmth, a place of community gathering, and a tool for creation. It heals. The work of the hearth includes more than making food on a fire — traditionally it also included pottery, baskets, gardening, harvesting, preserving, storing and all the tools needed for those activities. The hearth was traditionally a place of blessings, prayers and deep care for the interconnectedness of the all of everything.
Part of my personal journey in life is to find how to feel “at home” within myself. Besides the external hearth, there is an internal hearth within yourself. Some traditions consider that center to be in the heart, others in the belly, and others the soul. In any of those perspectives, there is a sense of an inner fire…. and inner hearth in the home of our being. (more about personal journey before that) (here’s the article)
So, tending to our hearth is a source of empowerment, sovereignty, and relationship. The hearth is the core of your home, community, and the core source of your own personal power.
Hearthcraft brings about a deep reverence for all living things. A reverence that I feel has been lost as we sever ourselves from the earth and our food. And, in severing from food we sever from the hearth, the core of community and ourselves. We eat food without connection to how it got onto our plates. The farmers grow it with machines, disconnected from direct relationship with the soil and plants they grow. Our busy lives, focused on productivity, results and seeking more has us moving so fast we are disconnected from family, community and often ourselves. The reverence that is taught around the hearth requires a slow down to deeply listen and reconnect back to each other and the land.
Although it might seem like I am speaking of a life away from industry, corporation and business, I actually find that business can be a significant tool for transformation. Don’t get me wrong, I am a huge advocate for local business., however, look at the influence of business in the world… for example, Coke. I’ve been in some pretty backwoods regions of the world and without a doubt, almost anywhere, you can still find a bottle of coke. That is some powerful influence, don’t you think?
What would YOU use that kind of influence for?
I met a man once who was rather high up on the corporate ladder of Seagrams in Asia. And, he shared an epiphany he’d had one day where he realized that he could continue to distribute chemicals and illness or he could use that same influence to promote health and wellness. He then went on to lead a large international effort to share the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda around the world. You know what he chose to do with his influence.
That’s why I’ve created this newsletter. Yes, I have a farm and a lot of my life is informed by farm life (which I LOVE!!) And… I believe strongly that business is a powerful force that can be used for what we choose. I deeply appreciate the visionary action of startups and businesses. However, I see that what is missing is the other half of what Jeanette Armstrong calls the 4 societies. What is missing is the understanding of relationships, and honoring of tradition that need to be the underpinnings informing our actions forward.
Business is not just about “doing business” but it is also about going about YOUR business. It is not just about the business of running this farm, but it is about how the natural rhythms of life can inform every choice (including business decisions.) And, its about the vision, creation, action, traditions and community of the Hearth.
“Business from the Hearth” is a weaving of all this and more.