The fruit of our minds and work of mortal paws, it is but a pale imitation of thy handiwork.

Outside of liturgy during most of the year, the star hearth is concealed behind a sanctuary curtain that allows the star's light to pass through. The curtain is drawn back during liturgies, and kept open during the feast of the kindling of the fire of understanding, which lasts a week.

The star within is regarded as “an icon of an icon”. Real stars are called “Icons of the Light”, mere semblances of the glory that fills the empyrean. The warmth and light radiating from the star symbolizes the Light's care for its creatures.

The star also represents the fire of understanding that burns in the souls of the Light's little ones, the gift of sapience. The hearth as a whole, as a complex piece of technology, represents the fruits of sapience.

In former times, the hearth powered the homes of surrounding houses as well as the lighthouse itself. Those who lived within the geographic area powered by a particular lighthouse were expected to attend the liturgies at that lighthouse. Hearthside began the tradition of simply powering the lighthouse itself and selling any excess power back to the municipal power company to cover operational costs. After the War of Dissolution when the PIous Dissolutionists took over the Bright Way, this practice was imposed throughout the rest of Focus.