It was a dark and stormy night…
Visualize a writer…
a composer…
an artist…
They sat, staring at the blank space in front of them. They needed the right words to help people understand how deeply they connected with the natural world. They wanted their readers to know how vital they were in the natural process of life. The more they tried to find the words, the more helpless they felt. They could not bring the thoughts and ideas to life…
However, in that shadowed moment, they thought they heard a whisper, “Call my name…” and they had a sudden mental flash, like a small firework going off in the back of their brain.
“Fire…” they said. “I call upon Fire… ” From their inner darkness came a light. Their mental block was dispelled. The words and language they needed seemed to flow from their fingers.
The energy of Fire is like a little pilot light – always there… always willing to become the Flame of Inspiration and Enlightenment!
It only takes a Spark and a little bit of kindling…
Those who create are intimately familiar with that dark spot. Call it “writer’s block” or whatever, it happens to all of us at one time or another. However, calling out to Flame often lifts that shadow and opens the way for our words, our music, and our creation to flow once more! In that moment, I think we offer part of ourselves as the kindling, the physical participation necessary for true Art to come into existence.
The Element of Fire brings a passion for Life. It can burn hot and fast when needed but it can also be controlled to a slow burn. It can mesmerize like a candle’s light, dancing and flickering, leading the mind to depths of stillness. Or, it can open the gates of inspiration and primal power as the fingers of a great bonfire reach to the sky – and everything in between!
When I first started down the path of knowledge as a “new” pagan, there were lists upon lists of associations with every element and I tried to memorize them all! I was quickly schooled, however, and accepted my lesson that the Elements teach by experience and feeling. Fire, especially, offered unexpected insights in those early days!
You see, it happened that I was also learning to be a Fire Dancer!
Intention is the Spark… Passion is the kindling
Now, we’re all familiar with the voice of Air. The winds of the seasons sing to us all the time. Song and story travel on the element of Air. Water’s song is easy to experience, too, in the rain, the streams, and the oceans. Earth’s melody may be more subtle but we hear her in the rumbles of moving rock, quaking in a deep bass – or whispers just below our hearing as we come into contact with her through the ground and the trees and plants.
But Fire… there is nothing like the Song of Fire! It is energizing. It can be shocking and very transformative. The first time you are gifted to hear it, you have a very intimate understanding of why it is called the “Spark of Life!”
I stood very still as my teacher approached. His hands deftly controlled the flaming poi – balls of fire at the end of chains. He advanced until he was a hand-breadth from me, the fire spinning and spinning, weaving patterns of light that sang!
There is no other sound on earth like the song of Fire! It brings in every tonal register simultaneously. If you listen closely, you can almost hear words… and those words remain with you forever!
Come Now, Fire, Purify Me!
When you journey with Fire through meditation or physical action, you must be prepared. Like all the other Elements, Fire has multiple aspects. More than interactions with the other Elements, Fire can be immediately painful.
We have all been burned at one time or another. Experiences like that can leave scars both visible and unseen. These elemental lessons reach deeply into our psyche. They do not allow themselves to be forgotten. This is part of the purification aspect of Fire.
It is a function and gift of Fire that it can remove impurities. It destroys what is destructible. Spiritually, we tend to gather and hoard bits of life as we grow. Often, these “bits” can present hurdles and barriers to our growth.
Call upon the Element of Fire to help free you and open the path to becoming your best self. I like to sit in meditation with Fire regularly, either in song, with candles, or maybe a backyard bonfire. I’ve learned over the years to clear my “dry grasses” instead of ignoring them till they self-combust! That way, my inner fire can be a “controlled burn” that moves me forward. Experience has shown me that it is much better than letting things pile up to “Wildfire” status!
The next time you are at a bonfire, let yourself listen for the song that Fire sings. Know that the same elemental energy exists inside you. Calling upon it will lead to enlightenment and transformation. The Element of Fire is always ready for a dance and will open the gates of wonder to you. It is always there, that little spiritual “pilot light.”
Call upon Fire… It answers!
For more information about Ginger Ackley, including her collected articles here on Pagan Song, her bio, and links to Ginger’s sites on the web, check out Ginger’s page on Pagan Song.
For more blog posts on Pagan Song about the music and magic of the elements, check out the Elemental Magic section of our Book of Shadows
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