The Fire Element

Take a moment to watch a candle burning. See how the wax forms a puddle at the base of the wick and is drawn up the wick to feed the flame, as the air feeds it from above. See how this combination of liquid, solid and gas comes together to make Fire, which transforms its fuel to light and heat.

 Yet another of the mysteries of our world...the way that fire can transform anything we feed it to pure energy, leaving only a small amount of ash...which is itself a nutrient for the soil whether it is the miracle of a single candle flame, or the raging destruction of a forest fire, Fire is an element whose power for transformation is immediately apparent...

Magical techniques associated with fire are candle magic, burning of anything, scrying in flames, and dancing around fires.

Find some music that has a very strong drumbeat. Light a candle and turn out the lights. Put the music on and let your body start to move with the rhythm and flow. Feel how your muscles and joints loosen up as you move them. Feel your connection to the earth and how it is broken and reformed each time you lift and replace your feet.

Feel how you begin to breathe deeper as you move, and how your breath molds itself to the rhythm. Let yourself dance freely. Dance with your shadow. Sing along if you can...use a rattle if you have one.

Keep dancing for as long as you have energy and enjoy it...and stop and tune into your body...hear your heart pound...feel the energy in your legs and arms....feel the depth of your breath and feel how warm you are...you've been burning lots of energy doing this...and feel your energy flowing...feel how everything is speeded up...feel how it flows and realise how outward movement can make things move in the hidden parts of your being...and the subtle, energetic parts of your being...

Do some light exercise while you slow down and drink lots of water...and record your experience..

Fire heals by getting things moving. It can help one overcome the stagnation of apathy, the heaviness of depression, or the distant coldness of intellectualisation. It also heals by transforming one form of energy to another.

Fire corresponds to Will, that force within us that keeps us selecting goals and moving toward them, dealing with the obstacles and challenges we find in our path. It's the spiritual quality of strength of purpose, and it helps us deal with obstacles and challenges.

It motivates us and helps us motivate others to work with us for common goals. It gives us courage (from coeur, French for "Heart") when we are dis-cour-aged or dis-heart-ened.

...Think for a moment about a time when you felt discouraged....when it seemed like you had come up against an insurmountable obstacle. And think about the different ways you have managed to move beyond obstacles. Sometimes we attack and try to destroy them or defeat them so they'll move out of our way. Sometimes in attacking, we can scare the obstacles off.

 Sometimes we try to scramble over them. Sometimes we try to find a way around them, using cleverness to sneak by. Sometimes we go another way. Sometimes we can take the time to befriend the obstacle so that it no longer wishes to impede our progress. Sometimes we try to find out what the person or thing in our way needs and provide it so that the obstacle can move on.

Think of times when you have used each of these strategies. Think of other ways you have been able to proceed in spite of obstacles. Then think of an obstacle you are facing now. What is your instinctual approach? What are some other possibilities you could use to be able to continue on your path?

 Talk about some of these possibilities with a friend and then try them out. See how they work perhaps you now have some new tactics for getting where you know you need to be... Flexibility and Creativity are among of the gifts of Fire.

One of the magical functions of Fire is Protection. It is the energy that sets boundaries and rings alarms when those boundaries are crossed. Many techniques for self-protection involve surrounding oneself with light.

That light might absorb any negative energy that comes toward you, or it might transform it, burning it in the way of fire to create a neutral energy take a moment to sit in silence, and let your mind become very still. Ground in the way you normally do and feel your body....feel its solidness and its flows...feel your heartbeat and feel the flows of energy in your body.

Center in the way you normally do, and let your thoughts still as you focus on the light in the center of your head now let that centered focus drift downward through your being, so that you become aware of the bright light burning in your heart, and let it drift further down so that you come to a place in the very center of your being, somewhere between your solar plexus and your navel.

See the light that shines there. Breathe deeply to feed the flame. Use your breath to draw the energy of the Earth and the energy of the Heavens into that flame and see it flare brighter. See it burn like a small, brilliant Sun in the center of your being and think of a question you have been looking for an answer to.

Ask this question and let it burn in this flame of golden light. Let the smoke be carried to the Goddess...and wait for an answer if the answer doesn't seem to make sense...or if it seems like something unattainable, ask how you could proceed if you wanted to bring it about, and wait for an answer.

 Keep this light burning as you map out the first steps you would take to bring this goal about and when you know how to proceed, offer a prayer for the strength, clarity, and will to succeed in your aim....and let the light in your center flare a thank you for the guidance you have received....let that light spread through your being for a moment, to empower you to do what is necessary to meet your goal...and let it fade into an underlying awareness that you know your Will and how to achieve it....

This light of Will that burns at our core is sometimes called Spirit. People define Spirit in many different ways, and my own definition is still evolving: for me it has to do with this process of aligning my will with Divine Will and my light with Divine Light.

The angel associated with Fire is Michael, chief of the archangels, known as the Warrior of God. I don't see Michael as a Rambo of the heavens; he is an arm of the God/dess and his flaming sword dispenses justice, balance, and protection to all the children of the One.

He is often depicted in armor, like the ideal chevalier of the Middle Ages, protector of the weak and helpless. Like a true warrior, he would rather settle disputes peaceably than with violence. He is dressed in red and scarlet, the colours of Fire, courage, and honour.

All the elements have a destructive side; hurricanes, floods, and landslides can kill as surely as fire. But there is something about the consuming hunger of fire that strikes fear in people. Certainly the virtues of this element...transformation, protection, and fighting spirit...need to be carefully contained and directed or they can also be destructive.

 Certainly the warrior spirit has gone completely out of control many times in human history. Fire is about facing fears and overcoming them.

Sometime around the first quarter moon, think of something that you have always wanted to do but let fear hold you back. It might be facing up to a particular type of authority figure. (like your father or boss) It might be acting in a way that would give you a feeling of freedom (like making love outdoors) It might be trying a new creative outlet. (Like belly dancing) Whatever it is....write it on a piece of paper, and put that paper under a red candle. Light the candle and watch the flame. Get yourself centered in your power center as in the exercise above, and envision yourself doing this thing.

See the obstacles you will have to overcome, and make plans to get around them. Feel the freedom, excitement, and empowerment of doing this thing within that flame of Will inside.

Do this every night until the full moon....and then do whatever it is that you have been building the courage to do. Once it is done, burn the paper, and offer the light as a thank you to the Element of Fire...and the ashes to Mother Earth...

 

Creatures Associated with Fire;

Herbs Associated with Fire;

Copyright Willowsong /97