My desire to approach my shrines and sit with her grew throughout the day. I found myself giving up on work and heading upstairs to clear my room of Christmas debris. I put away some of my gifts, and so many of them are appropriate for use in ritual with her, or as offerings. As I put the apple shaped soap, the rock salt candle holder and the beautiful earrings aside; her presence and interest in the items was palpable.
I unpacked my altar things (I am back with the parents over the holidays) and offered her some lavender incense and the vanilla scented pillar candle I bought for her last week. I spoke my words of gratitude and thanks, and sat down for a while to just be in her presence while the incense burned. This was a small devotional with no bells and whistles, but her presence was so strong it sent shivers down my spine. Out of the blue I had the most ridiculously overwhelming urge to offer her obsidian. It was like a download into my brain and once the idea was in there, it wouldn’t go away. I’m still getting to know Hera, and it’s starting to become apparent to me that this is very much how she likes to communicate. I’m OK with that, because when a feeling like this arises so strongly and out of the blue; I can differentiate it very easily from something made up in my own head.
I’m sure it’s no coincidence at all that I just so happened to have one piece of obsidian in my tiny collection. I bought it about 5 years ago and haven’t really thought about or used it for anything since. I offered it to her and looked into it for a while. Things followed that I have to think about. I think I will sit with her again tomorrow.
Hera is an interesting goddess, and it has taken a long time to get to the point where I am ready to sit and learn. But sit and learn I shall!
Tending The Hearth of The Gods 
This is interesting. I’m not very familiar with Hera’s story or presence either, but when my Tarot deck showed up, suddenly peacock images everywhere. Obsidian is sometimes a scrying stone. Does she have any connections with divination as a general art that you are aware of?
I don’t think she does historically, although I think this was partly what she was getting at with me, from a strictly non-recon perspective. 🙂
I guess it’s a good thing I’m not a recon 😉
Haha same. I was recon for years and still employ that methodology in my practice most of the time, but I have found that I needed ‘wiggle room’.
It’s a lot like that ‘special gift’ for a loved one. If in your receptive state you were ‘dropped a hint’ as it were, and you felt it was right and would be appreciated, then go for it. It’s a personal relationship, so maybe sometimes that has to more important than correspondence tables or recon resources!