Light the ANCIENT FLAME in Your Life.
Everything Old is New Again.
VESTA AETERNA
… is the powerful ancient Roman goddess of the home and hearthfire. For centuries, her Eternal Flame was kept alight in her temple by her priestesses, the esteemed Vestal Virgins. And if you’ve ever felt a sense of reverence or comfort when you look into a flame, it may be Vesta you’re seeing.
ETERNAL VESTA
If You’ve Ever Felt Drawn to the “Old Ways”
… you’re not alone. It is a changing world, and many people are turning to the past to find spiritual meaning and focus in the present.
If that’s the path you’re on, here you can learn about ancient history - Vesta’s history - and how she is honored today with simple but beautiful rituals, all rooted in ancient practice. Her sacred flame brings warmth, comfort and inspiration to countless people worldwide, and if your life needs a little illumination, it can do the same for you. You’ll also find a curated selection of videos, articles and a gallery of artifacts, as well as a community of like-minded people who feel as drawn to ancient customs and rituals as you do.
The Natural Spiritualty of Fire: Are You Searching?
Spiritual but not religious? Vesta might be right for you. Discover the natural comfort and instinctual reverence that come with being in the presence of her living flame. It’s provided a spiritual focus for millions of people for centuries - one that respects your intellect, lifestyle and autonomy - and it can do the same for you.
If you’re new on this journey, the Vesta Today page offers simple rituals - drawn from antiquity but adapted for modern life - that can help you incorporate Vesta into your life. Many find it a liberating, fulfilling and happy path.
And if you’ve already been on this path for a little or a long while, I’d love to hear from you. Perhaps you can share the ways you honor Vesta as well.
A Flicker of an Ancient Flame
For centuries, Vesta's Eternal Flame burned in her temple in the heart of ancient Rome, providing a sense of comfort, constancy and connection to those who honored her. No matter what was happening, the flame was there.
Here, I’ve reproduced that sense of reverence with a scene reminiscent of the temple’s sanctum: a white marble encircling wall with fluted columns and a vibrant flame burning inside a bronze firebowl.
Subscribe to the All Things Vesta YouTube Channel to connect with like-minded people.
A Little About Me
I’m Debra May Macleod, BA, JD, a bestselling author of seven historical fiction novels set in Ancient Rome and featuring the powerful order of the Vestal Virgins. My books chronicle the history of the Vestal Order from its beginnings in the 8th century BCE to its end in the 4th century CE. I’ve also written nonfiction books about Vesta.
But more than that, I’m someone who has discovered the beauty and relevance of Vesta’s sacred flame, and who wants to share it with others, some of whom who have been honoring the old ways for many years, and some of whom are new to it all.
It’s remarkable how much this spirituality can impact your life, from your relationships and home life to your sense of purpose and happiness. And as someone with a background not just in authorship but also in marital mediation, I know how positive that can be.
You can read a bit more about my background on my author page.
A Candle: The Modern Altar Fire
Do you have questions in your life? Of course you do. So do I. So did the ancients, from the greatest Caesars to the most humble shopkeepers. To find the answers, they turned to the same thing that people have been turning to since the dawn of humankind. The gods and divination. Many people still turn to these today to help them focus their thoughts and energy, work through their emotions, and make decisions based on their own intuition.
The Vestal priestesses had questions too, and to find the answers, they had a formal method of divining the goddess’s will by reading, recording and then interpreting the flames, smoke, burnt wood and ash of Vesta’s sacred altar fire. Since many of their practices were performed in secret, however, or have been lost to time, we don’t have specific documentation for how they did this.
As an author of historical fiction on the Vestals, I had to find a way to bring this vital aspect of a Vestal’s temple duty to life. To do so, I did a deep dive into ancient Roman religious practices and principles, and emerged with an authentic method of fire-reading that has religious and historical merit, and that the Vestals would have used.
Ex Flamma - From the Flame
Yet truthfully, I found the process so beautiful and useful that I kept going. I transferred this method of fire reading to something far more accessible for most people - candle reading. (I even wrote a book about it).
Just as the Vestals read the flames of the altar fire, you can now read the flames of a Vesta-dedicated candle. And you can use the same kind of principles, practices and rituals used in the ancient world
So whether your questions are serious or irreverent, whether you’re looking to hone your intuition by the sacred flame or just have a little fun with friends, candle reading by Vesta’s flame is ideal for those who couldn’t help but light a candle while reading my novels on the Vestals. I hope you’ll try it in your life.
From unlocking insights into your past, present and future to improving your love life, it’s a beautiful process with real-world meaning and use.
Immerse Yourself in the World of the Vestals
See the sacred flame burn in the temple… feel its heat, hear it roar… enter the world of ancient Rome and live with the Vestals by reading these action-packed, emotional historical fiction novels:
LATEST RELEASE - COELIA CONCORDIA: THE LAST VESTAL VIRGIN OF ROME.
For over a thousand years, the esteemed priestesses of Vesta were tasked with keeping the goddess’s Eternal Flame burning in her temple. For as long as the fire was alive, the Eternal City would endure. This is the thrilling, emotional story of the last Vestal Virgin—Coelia Concordia—and her battle to save the sacred flame from an encroaching darkness. It is also a story about a prophecy fulfilled, the fall of an empire, and the relentless suppression of the old gods as seen through the eyes of those who lost everything, but never gave up hope.
The First Vestals of Rome Trilogy
“If you love history, the Roman empire and the sex, fights and deception that allowed these privileged people to create one of the greatest cultures in the world, you will love this book.” - Book Junkie Reviews on Rhea Silvia
The Vesta Shadows Trilogy
“Fascinating… [A] page-turning story of the birth of the Roman empire, watching all the big names - Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, Augustus - from an angle never seen before.” - Margaret George, NYT Bestselling Author on Brides of Rome
ARTICLES
FEATURED VIDEOS
Whether you are new to honoring Vesta or she’s been in your life for a long time, I think you will like these stylish devotional cards. They each express a simple sentiment you can speak to Vesta in Latin (Latin to English translation key also provided). To me, there is something very special about speaking to Vesta in her first language. This pair of cards comes as a high resolution PNG zip file download (best for professional printing on 12 point gloss).
