FIRE

The world is silent and dark. The night is on the land but a timid light is starting to brighten the eastern sky. The minds of the caretakers of tradition and prophecy awaken. It is time to strengthen the spirit of peace and abundance for the people and the earth. They hurry to the sacred ceremonial grounds and with great care rekindle the sacred fire. As the light of dawn spreads over the land the offerings, songs and prayers spread peace and joy to all beings in all worlds. It is good.

In Native ceremonies most rituals begin with the sacred fire. That fire will burn nonstop until all the ceremonies have been completed, through night and day for as many days as the cyclical ceremonies are accomplished. There are sacred fires that have been kept alight for hundreds of years, never extinguished or left uncared for. The most esteemed and disciplined members of the traditional native spiritual tradition are the Firekeepers.

The fire is a gateway to the Great Mystery. Through the fire we can commune with all worlds and all dimensions. Our Elders say that science still does not understand fire. The scientists can explain what is happening but not why this is happening or where it stems from. We have always known that the fire is a door to many worlds and many mysteries.

There are many fires. There is the fire within. The teachings of some mystery schools on Great Turtle Island* and the Himalayas teach how to ignite the inner fire. The testing involves sitting outdoors, in freezing weather with a simple cloth, often wet, and melting the snow with the heat produced by the practitioner’s body. A very useful technique when living in high altitude where winter lasts many months at below freezing temperatures while spending long hours in immobile meditation.

There is the fire of lightning and electricity. There is the fire of the sun and stars. There is the fire of the nuclear bond between atoms. There is the fire that digests your food and warms you.

Yet the fire is one. There is one fire, eternal. It is a mystery.

Fire is used in many ways for healing purposes. The most elemental practice is sweating to purify the toxins out of our organisms. Then, there are foods and spices that bring the fire to your digestive system, cleansing and tonifying the entire digestive tract. The fire is what nourishes the heart — the fire of love and friendship, of sacrifice and courage, of compassion and consideration. There is more understanding and true intelligence coming from the heart than from the brain. This is because of that primordial fire that ignites the electricity connecting as one the neurons in the heart.

There is the fire that can burn high and bright without any fuel. There is a magic that comes into the sacred fires and shows us that there is a primordial being there that we can communicate with. It is beyond the intellectual mind, yet it is there, real and very powerful.

As I write here and look out the window, I see the first red, yellow and orange leaves of the autumn season. There is a flame shining on my altar and the fire in my wood stove is dispelling the early morning chill of these first autumn days. Soon, December through February, this fire will be going 24/7. I love those days… Looking into the fire as the ultimate television showing me the great beyond and yet still heating my home and my food.

Love and Light to all  🦅

*North America