Fire + Ceremony
FIRE ELEMENT -We are all being called to become part of a new consciousness and new humanity. In fact, your life is meant to be a continuous ritual of love and gratitude.
The North direction is red and represents sexuality, passion, birth, transformation, change, intensity, faerie realm and the imagination. It is the raw aspect of ourselves, our creative force and our ability to shed our skins.
Traditionally a wand is the magic tool used with this element.
Symbols, red candle, red ribbon and object that represents fertility/ life. This element is a good come to when working with your creativity, working through sexual issues or wanting great transformation and change.
FIRE CEREMONY- Maya Tradition
After the altar is built, it is decorated with many different types of offerings, until it is piled high. Additionally, flowers are often placed just outside the altar at each of the four directions and with the appropriate colors: Red = East, Black = West (since black flowers are rare, purple is commonly substituted), White = North, Yellow = South. Flowers are used as an altar decoration; they are gifts to the gods because of their beautiful fragrance and colors, an aromatic perfume for them.
These offerings are a way of giving food and life to Mother Earth. While feeding Mother Earth, the participants also feed themselves. The Fire Ceremony gives life and energy to all those who take part. We sustain our lives by sustaining Mother Earth
There are many different kinds of offerings. They vary from one community to another, and even between different spiritual lineages. Although it is important to honor all the sacred aspects of existence, there is a hierarchy of importance which is implicit in the ceremony.
1. The Nawales. The word nawal (from the Nahuatl “nagual”) refers to the spirits of the day-signs that make up the sacred chol q’ij (Yucatec: tzolk’in), the 260-day cycle of the Mayan Calendar. The numerous white wax candles that adorn the Fire Ceremony altar are an offering to the nawales. It is said that the candles are the manjar of the nawales, which means a special, very tasty kind of dessert. Movement and dance are also offerings to the nawales of the Calendar.
2. The Four Elements. Each of the four elements is honored with its own special offering.
Fire: Aromatic plants and herbs like pericone, rue and rosemary are offerings to the element of fire. They serve to attract the gods for the purpose of protecting and maintaining a good physical state, i.e. good health.
Earth: Various kinds of liqueur (usually licorice) or lotions are poured on the altar and symbolize the earth element, as well as Mother Earth herself. Liquor represents spiritual contact in order to receive divine messages. Perfume is used to give pleasure to the gods with its aroma.
Air: Flowers are the offering for the element of air.
Water: The sugar with which the altar symbol is drawn represents purity because of its white color; it is an offering to the element of water and it is also used to produce harmony and sweeten one's life and environment. It is the sweetness of life. Chocolate is another typical offering to the element of water.
3. The Ancestors. In addition to the white wax candles that are offered to the nawales, a typical Fire Ceremony altar is usually piled high with special light-brown candles made of tallow and called cebo. These are dedicated to the spirits of the ancestors. Tobacco (often in the form of ordinary cigarettes) and flowers also serve as offerings to the ancestors. Tobacco is a force for potentiality; the smoke dissolves any negative energies that surround one.
4. The Encantos. Though this word can have other meanings, in this context it refers to the guardian spirits who watch over the shrines and natural altars of the Mayan religion. Copal incense – called pom in K’iche’ – in all its forms serves as an offering to the encantos.
There are many different kinds of offerings. They vary from one community to another, and even between different spiritual lineages. Although it is important to honor all the sacred aspects of existence, there is a hierarchy of importance which is implicit in the ceremony.
The Four Elements. Each of the four elements is honored with its own special offering.
Fire: Aromatic plants and herbs like pericone, rue and rosemary are offerings to the element of fire. They serve to attract the gods for the purpose of protecting and maintaining a good physical state, i.e. good health.
Earth: Various kinds of liqueur (usually licorice) or lotions are poured on the altar and symbolize the earth element, as well as Mother Earth herself. Liquor represents spiritual contact in order to receive divine messages. Perfume is used to give pleasure to the gods with its aroma.
Air: Flowers are the offering for the element of air.
Water: The sugar with which the altar symbol is drawn represents purity because of its white color; it is an offering to the element of water and it is also used to produce harmony and sweeten one's life and environment. It is the sweetness of life. Chocolate is another typical offering to the element of water.
Empowering and Transmuting with Fire
Fire focuses and activates higher intentions, cleanses the energy field, and is the prime transformer used for millennia by indigenous people to shift the form of matter. Fire can burn away obstacles and unhealthy patterns, and shine the light on and empower deeper wishes.
When a person seeks spirit’s help, they can learn to help themselves and subtle yet profound ways, such as cleansing or merging with the power of the elements for guidance, healing and strength, and accessing elemental qualities to serve any moment’s needs or to empower new goals in life directions. Calling on the wisdom of the elements is an empowering act that reflects personal responsibility and willingness to change. All that’s required beyond this is an open heart, and the elements will always respond.
To start, I’ll ask you to contemplate a few things, such as, what is your highest wish for yourself, and who you inspire to be? Are you aware of what you want to change and what you want to empower in your life and what your heart and soul long for?
I now invite you to hold an unlit white candle while you close your eyes and connect in the journey space with the element of fire which the candle represents. Simply feel your connection to the power of this element in whatever way comes to you.
Once this connection is established, I invite a second, more focused intention, this time on the wishes you just reflected on. First, clearly see those goals, at the same time feeling in your body as if these were true in your life right now. What would it feel like if these aspirations were reality now? Make this experience as real as you can. As you do this I encourage you to speak these intentions allowed.
I know invite you to speak out loud anything you become aware of that may hold you back from your wishes. Blow your wish three times into the unlit white candle now really feeling what you want in your life as you do this, infusing and mixing these intentions with the transitional energy of the fire.
A practice for at home following your initial intention setting ceremony is to light the candle and meditate while sitting in front of the burning flame. You should do a similar meditation in front of the lit candle three nights in a row. For the first two nights ask the fire to help you focus on what you’d like to bring to your life. Fill these wishes in your body, emotions in mind as if they were already true. Then blow or snuff the candle out.
On the third night asked the fire to help you to see what you need to magnetize, what you need to concretely achieve or bring into your life to make these wishes reality. The fire may also show you what you need to change, what you need to let go of, to shift or act upon, to reach your goal and become who you want. Ask the fire to strengthen within you the power to transmute your own life while you let the candle burned completely down. It’s during this time, while a candle burns, that you can empower your commitment to heal and act on the information you’ve received from the elements.
It is recommended that you make a simple offering of bread, loose tobacco or flower petals to the earth into the element of fire and gratitude for what’s been received.
Ceremony + Ritual
