Prayer to the Hearth Guardian

The hearth shrine should be either a fireplace or located in the kitchen as close as possible to the stove. It should be equipped similarly to the threshold shrine. It is permissible to have a picture or idol of the hearth-goddess there, but it isn’t necessary, as she is regarded in most Pagan traditions as identical with the hearth-fire. Light the incense and the candle, saying:
Honor to Fire,
Honor to Gabija,
Honor to the hearth.

Gabija is the old Lithuanian hearth-goddess. Witches may substitute Hestia, Vesta, Brigid or a name from some other Pagan tradition. This prayer is derived from the Baltic tradition. "Gabija" means the covered one, because at night before the household went to sleep, the fire was banked and covered with ashes but allowed to smolder all night. It was cold in Lithuania.

Standing back a bit, extend your arms forward in a fan-shape, the palms up, and the fingers spread, but with the thumb and index fingers together and the middle and ring fingers together. Say the following:
Welcome, Holy Lady.
Holy Lady, please accept these offerings of pure water and salt, light and scent, for thine own dear self, and pass on some to the household spirits, ancestors, demigods and Gods, thanking them for their good regard, and asking for a continuance of their favor.

Any special requests or prayers can be added here, as the hearth-goddess will communicate them to the God who is specially addressed. Stand respectfully before the shrine a few minutes. If you are preparing food, add some to a dish in the shrine, saying “Gabija, be satisfied.” It is also traditional to have a larger bowl of cool water on hand to refresh the goddess, saying near the end of the rite, “Fiery One, bathe, refresh yourself.” These are Lithuanian customs.

At the close of the rite, snuff out the incense and the candle, reversing the initial prayer:
Honor to the hearth,
Honor to Gabija,
Honor to Fire.