Everyday life as a curricular paradigm is discussed in this paper, beginning with a look at public and private feminist dilemmas, at the creation of nonpatriarchal categories, and at the everyday world seen both as phenomenon and as problematic. Numerous feminist scholars have addressed the question of a feminist standpoint on everyday life, and it is possible that the Hestian/Hermean paradigm can provide a thread through the labyrinth. The Greek goddess Hestia was the protector of the hearth, and her influence in the ecology of everyday life was pervasive. Hestian space was sacred and secular, and the hestia symbolized a spiritual presence. The god Hermes was the protector of public space, bridges and communication, so the system of action that operates in the public world is referred to as the Hermean sphere or domain. The discussion focuses on the following: the Hestian, or feminist, standpoint; the Hestian/Hermean division of labor; revising a genderless Gestalt; Hestian knowledge; and a Hestian model for curriculum. Educators today must confront the question of whether a curricular model grounded in the Hermean domain can be supported at the expense of the Hestian domain. These are not, strictly speaking, women's issues but rather human issues illuminated by women's scholarship, thinking, experience and curriculum building. Contains 32 references. (SM)