Fire
The element of fire is connected with our creative spark, with passion and willpower.
In most traditions it is associated with the summer season, south, and midday.
Fire also has a more masculine and outgoing energy.
People who are strongly connected to the element of fire often have a lot of energy, but also a tendency to overdo everything. They can be great motivators, very intense and loud at times.
The colors we associate with fire are red and orange, but also a very bright blue.
Fire does not exist in a natural state, it is an element that needs to consume, and it can be a very destructive energy, but also an energy that drives us.
Fire is also seen as sensual and sexual. It can be used in magic and spells for healing, purification, passion, motivation, sex, breaking bad habits and destroying illness.
We use fire to heat our homes and cook our food. Fire brings comfort on long, cold nights, and fire can light our way in the dark.
When we think about fire and the Faery realm, we think immediately about the salamanders.
They can be seen in the shape of fire ball, or tongues of fire, as Paracelsus suggests.
They are the elementals that keep us warm, but they also work through our emotions and have a special influence over those with a fiery temperament.
Salamanders are often seen as the most powerful but also the most dangerous of the elementals.
Other inhabitants of Faery that we could associate with fire, are dragons.
They are a common theme in the mythology of countries across the world, but their roles and meaning appear to differ depending upon the region concerned. In ancient Europe, for example, it was thought that the dragon’s power affected the ley lines of the land, also called the dragon lines. Where dragons passed, mystic energy flowed, and where they dwelled were without fail places of great sanctity and mystical harmony. Those places were more powerful than the areas surrounding it. Because of that we could associate dragons also with the element of earth.
It is said that Druids hunted these lines, and made a ley lines map for their people, instructing them to build their temples and homes along the lines in order to harvest the energies, however a lot of the stone circles, menhirs, and burial mounds that we find across the world are much older than the druids and the Celts.
We can also find a legend from Wales about dragons.
King Vortigern was looking for a spot to build a castle. He chose the place of Dinas Emrys, a rocky and wooded hillock near Beddgelert in Gwynedd, north-west Wales.
While he was trying to build his castle on the top of the hill, he was confronted with mystical happenings. Every night his castle walls would fall down.
Vortigern needed to seek the help of sorcerers and was advised by them to sacrifice a young boy, the ground should be sprinkled with the blood of this child born to a human mother and a father from the ‘other world’.
The child, Myrddin Emrys, was found in Caer Myrddin, but he was by no means an ordinary child. In fact, he was Merlin, the wizard.
Merlin warned him that his chosen site for a castle was above an underground lake where two dragons lay sleeping and it was they that were destroying the foundations of his fortress.
Therefore Vortigern commanded his men to dig deep into the mountain, and they did discovered and underground lake, just as Merlin told them.
The red and the white dragon awoke and began to fight, the red dragon triumphed and was said to represent Vortigen’s people and (according to Geoffrey of Monmouth) – was a prophecy of the coming of King Arthur, whose father’s name ‘Uther Pendragon’ translates as ‘Dragon’s Head.’ eventually the white dragon fled and the red dragon returned to his lair. Vortigern’s castle was built and named Dinas Emrys in honour of Myrddin Emrys (Merlin), and the red dragon has been celebrated ever since.
In 1945 an excavation of the Dinas Emrys site reveled evidence of a lake and fortress dating back to Vortigen’s time. So when you ever visit this place remember to let sleeping dragons lie.
The Celtic god Lugh is also a deity that we can associate with the element of Fire. His name means „The Shining One“ and he is said to be connected to the Sun, but if you look deeper into the myth, you see that some scholars have a different opinion about this.
For example, a famous story about Lugh is the one where he is said to have killed his grandfather Balor during the second battle of Moytura by casting a spear into Balor’s poison eye.
The thunderstorms that were taking place during the season of Lughnasadh were seen as the battle between Lugh and Balor. This was a time where rain and thunderstorms were welcomed, because the heat of the summer is fierce, the harsh sun was thought to be Balor’s eye and the spear of Lugh was needed to tame this power. From that example you can see that Lugh has a deeper connection to storm than to sunlight and his name can mean lightning flash, rather than being associated with the light of the sun.
As always I would encourage you to do your own research on this topic and to experience this energy for yourself. If you want to connect with him through meditation, you can find a guided Lughnasadh journey on my homepage here.
You can do this at any time, not just for the Lughnasadh season.
Another Celtic deity that is associated with Fire is Brigid. We talked about her already for the lesson about the element of water, but she has also a very strong connection to fire.
She is the Goddess of poetry, healing and smith craft, and her names means Fiery Arrow, Bright One, or Exalted One. Her festival is Imbolc, or also later called Candlemas.
Working with candles are a great way to connect with her.
The fire aspect that she represents is associated with the fires of the hearth, with inspiration and the forge.
It is said that she was born at the exact moment of daybreak, she rose into the sky with the sun, rays of fire beaming from her head. This fire in the head is said to provide poetic inspiration as she is also a goddess of the poets and bards.
In Kildare, Ireland a shrine for Brigid was kept with a perpetual flame tended by nineteen priestesses, the Daughters of the Flame. It is said that the flame was never extinguished.
Legend has it that no male was ever allowed to come near the flame and that the fire was surrounded by a hedge that no male could ever cross.
The flame was finally extinguished around the time of the reformation in the 16th century. In 1993 the flame was relit by the Brigidine sisters. Since then, the Brigidine Sisters in Kildare have tended the flame in their Centre, Solas Bhride.
Brigid is the daughter of Dagda, and also a member of the Tuatha de Danann, and so we can find the Faery connection to this goddess.
The element of fire is also connected to electricity and it is often thought that faires despise electricity.The reasons why fairies are believed to have been repelled by electricity are vague and rarely given.
I personally don't believe that electricity itself is a problem to the faeries, just think about the thunderstorms and lighting, which has connections with the old gods, like Thor and Lugh for example. I think the problem is what comes with it, the destroying of landscapes in order to establish electricity. I want to give you just a quick example how faeries can be connected with electricity. My husband works as a train driver, he is confronted with this many hours a day. He brought my attention to this modern day faeries. He told me that he can often hear their whispers in the crackling of electricity above him. He talks to them and acknowledge their presence. When you work as a train driver you will often be confronted with technical issues, however he is one of those who rarely has a problem that cannot be solved by having a little chat with the wee folk. He told me that sometimes others even ask him to help them, as he is known to solve the problem quickly, even if nobody really knows what he does. So shhh, let’s keep that between us.
I also do believe that many traditionalist are afraid to acknowledge the modern ways of faerie, because they are afraid of loosing the old folklore and the old ways. I do understand this and as much as I love the old stories and as much as I want to learn about it, I also know that everything must evolve and grow. Many tales for example blamed the faeries for illness and misfortune, so should we still hold on to this belief system? I don't think so. I don't force anybody to agree with me that there are new, modern, electricity loving faeries, but I want to encourage people to keep an open mind and heart. The folklore tells us about the life with faeries a few hundred years ago, but life was different then, and I’m very sure that the fae have adapted to our modern lifestyle and are part of it as well.
So let’s assume I work on a video, may it be for my YouTube channel or otherwise. For this work I first need to go outside with my camera, powered by a battery that needed to be charged before. It is there where the faeries come in already, they bring the power to this source, we could also be scientific about this, but then I guess this course would be wrong, so let’s go with technical faeries. Later on I need to work with a program on my computer to upload the material from my memory card, to edit, to put some pretty music on it, then I need to export and upload the video. All those actions require either the power of electricity and some weird invisible WLAN radio waves…lol.
The modern faeries that we associate with fire/electricity may play a part in this whole process.
If you do some research on this topic you will probably find nothing on it, because it seems to be some kind of taboo to associate faeries with the modern world.
That’s why you really need to trust yourself and make your own experience.
Activities
Enjoy the sun
Go out on a sunny day and feel the warmth of the sun on your skin, regardless of the current season. Contemplate about this element, about the warmth it can give, the light it shines, but also about its destructive side.
Make a candle
This might be a fun activity, if you have never done this before. You just need some wax ( best to purchase organic wax), an empty glass and a wick. Think about what purpose this candle should have and choose the color for it accordingly. For example if you want a candle for purification you could choose white, or if you want a candle for healing you can use green wax, and so on. Everybody has their own color associations, so listen to your intuition. You may also want to add some herbs or essential oils; it is your candle so do whatever fits best for you.
During the whole process of melting the wax think about what this candle means to you and send your own magic in it. Maybe you want to sing, maybe you just want to be quiet, or maybe you even want to dance naked around your stove (please be careful here…lol), do whatever feels right to you and then when your work is done you can use this candle in future exercises.
Compost
If you have the possibility and you have your own garden start composting, as this is also associated with the element of fire. Compost creates heat, and it is wonderful to observe the transformation over the months, and later you have your own compost to add to your soil and grow your vegetables for example.
Campfire
Make your own campfire at a safe place. Don't use lighter fluid but start a fire with the most basic tools that is possible for you. You can also start a fire for a barbecue and observe the transformation from raw to cooked. This might seem all a bit basic, but how often do we really pay attention to the element itself when we do this. So you might even do this just by yourself, so you can really focus on the fire element and its energy.
Sauna
If you enjoy to go to a sauna, do this during this lesson, but got to a dry sauna not a steam one.
Banish
I’m sure many, if not all of you, have done this at some point in their life. Take a piece of paper and write something on it that you want to get rid of. What is it that bothers you at this time, what do you really need to release? Write it down fold your paper and burn it in the flames. Observe how the smoke rises and it disappears in the sky. Take the rest of the ashes and scatter them in the air.
Exercises
- Meditation
Take some time this week to do the guided meditation provided in this lesson.
- Creation
Allow inspiration to enter. You could draw a painting of salamanders, fire, use the colors yellow, orange and red. Try to paint, even if you think you are not good at it, then just do something abstract. Draw a dragon or a representation of a solar deity. Maybe you want to work with a photo manipulation program if that is something that you prefer. Allow the sparks of inspiration to be manifested in a piece of art.
- Activities
Try out one or more of the activities that are suggested in this lesson. Don't stress yourself, it is all for good fun.
- Candle flame gazing
If you have made a candle use this one for this exercise, if not you can use any candle you like.
Give yourself at least twenty minutes for this exercise.
Light a candle and darken your room, make sure the candle is more or less at the same height as your eyes, so you don't have to tilt your head to much. If you like you can also put some music on. Sit quietly and become still. Just focus on your breath for a while. Keep your eyes open and gaze into the flame. Often it is said that you shouldn't blink, but if your eyes start to itch, it is okay to blink, you will become used to it the more you practice, so don't overthink this.
Allow the image of the flame to occupy your mind.
Imagine that you are breathing the light of the candle in and out of yourself. Feel a sense of purity and clarity infusing with your body and mind as you absorb yourself in this meditation.
While you gaze into the flame you can also ask the fire faeries to show you images, if you don't receive anything don't worry, you can do this as often as you like and it may not work the first time.
Just keep practicing this exercise and after time you will receive their messages.
- Research
Do some research about Dragons, Lugh, or Brigid. Find some ways how you can connect with them. So for example you can connect with Brigid through candles and wells, or through poetry or smith craft. Connect with Lugh by observing a thunderstorm or by doing the Lughnasadh journey. Connect with dragons by reading about their different legends. If you are interested to work with dragons you could have a look at D.J. Conway’s book „Dancing with Dragons: Invoke Their Ageless Wisdom and Power“ . I don't have this book, but after some research about Dragon Magic this is one that is often recommended.
In case you have it, let me know what you think.
I work through the Ley lines with Dragon energy, but we will come to this in a future lesson.
- Electricity
How do you experience electricity ? Contemplate about how faeries are a part of the modern technology and how you can bring them in. Write your own ideas down.
Do you believe they can be a part of the modern technology, or do you think that they would despise it? As always trust your own feeling there is no right or wrong.
Your Faery Homework for Fire
- Listen to your guided meditation
- Try out some of the activities
- Do the exercises during the time you work with the element of fire
- Burn away any negativity you don't want anymore with the fire that shines bright your center
- Write your experiences down in your journal