Fire allows for rapid transformation. It provides the avenue to honor your lessons and old belief structures by turning them over to Spirit, thus enabling you to heal deeply at the level of the soul without having to experience them.
Fire ceremony, one of the core rituals in many medicine traditions, is typically held around the full or new moon of each month, when the veils between the worlds are the thinnest. In the past, it was done in the presence of a teacher for many years before the student was encouraged to do it alone. Now, shamans say the earth and our civilization are in such great peril that fire ceremony can be held by anyone who is willing to step in. The fire itself will become your teacher and will let you know immediately if your intention is pure.
Before entering the fire circle, create an offering out of burnable materials, typically a small stick. This “spirit arrow” can represent something that needs to be honored in order for you to let go of it. The offering serves to focus one’s attention in active meditation. The object can be decorated or left as is.
If twigs are not readily available, some people use wooden craft sticks which can be purchased by the bundle. A word or phrase identifying the issue to be honored or released can be written on the stick.
Connect with what you are honoring, the gifts you have received, or what you are envisioning into being. Using your breath, blow this intention or prayer into the offering several times.
Ideally, it’s preferable to do your fire out-of-doors, where you can connect deeply to the earth, the star energies and the timelessness of the location. Initially, it is recommended to hold fires at night, so you can notice subtle changes and learn from the fire.
In Chapter 9 of my book, One Spirit Medicine, there in an exercise describing a micro-fire ceremony performed indoors with a candle. This is perfectly acceptable as well.
Fire ceremony allows us to source from our soul and to re-remember how we have sat around sacred fires throughout time. Whenever you feel blocked, or are working on what you want to dream into your life, fire is an incredible tool to help you change and shift. My children love to participate in fire ceremony with me. They often bring their personal stick offerings for what is going on in their lives. We encourage you to invite family and friends to your fire ceremony. Many Light Body graduates hold monthly fire ceremonies in their own communities.
I am pleased to offer this downloadable document with full instructions for a fire ceremony, opening and closing sacred space, and a beautiful chant to center your mind. While the steps are simple, always bear in mind that you are creating ceremony. At this time of tremendous change, our souls long for ceremony. As you work with fire as ceremony, you will develop your own unique rituals.
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