when I need a fire either when camping or as part of a ritual or an event then a fire will be coaxed and I will draw on my knowledge and experience to ensure fire is welcomed through rubbing sticks and tended with awareness (not rushed and doesn’t matter how long it takes unless of course one is needed in an emergency ) . Outside (includes within large covered spaces/roundhouses etc) I will always rub sticks to welcome fire with sets I have prepared . Preparation is all part of my practice.
I’m not doing as many practical posts at the moment but passing on the knowledge and skills I pick up along the way is also important to me so I will still continue to share practical tips too - and lots on my website and a fire plough tutorial on YouTube. In the past I did mostly practical posts but now I want to share more about the sacred aspect of my approach as that is the underlying reason I rub sticks and underlying in my approach when I guide people to rub sticks.and it’s just as important for me to pass on my approach, philosophy and share folklore & stories I don’t mandate any way of conducting fire rituals. I do not follow any particular belief but my own path.I endeavour not to appropriate from other cultures. my focus now is welcoming fire in ritual for use in uk My practice has evolved from 9 years of rubbing sticks and being involved in sacred practice over 20 years and my research into neid fire
I guide people in how to welcome fire by rubbing sticks and pass on knowledge and skills so they can use in thier own practice and pass on to others. With Neid Fire I guide people in materials needed. I share the history, folklore and myths surrounding Neid Fire and that it was used for hundreds of years in ritual in UK before being wiped out in the 19th c. Use of Friction fire was then mainly absent (in uk) for over a hundred years until bushcraft/survival movement. I am trying to address the absence of Neid fire and welcoming of fire in a sacred way in the UK to pass on to others. I share what is important for me and pass on the knowledge I have gained so people can dream into and weave in what is important to them. Ritual can be influenced by time of year / beliefs / spiritual path / the land/ nature/ local customs/folklore / a theme / a crisis etc etc that can all be weaved in . Traditionally Neid Fire was for use in time of need and auspicious events. I can work with people to make the Neid Fire apparatus and use it in communal ritual so they can perform thier own rituals and pass on the tradition themselves. Thankfully I know this practice is still alive within Eastern Europe/Slavs /Baltics/Russia - it is Western Europe where it seems to have been buried in the ashes (mostly - I know I am not the only one out there and know of a few times it’s been used in last 10 years just not widely known ) “Apprentice of fire”.
I recently saw someone use that phrase and it really struck a chord with me. As well as a welcomer of fire or is that a fire welcomer I will always be an apprentice of fire Or one could say a disciple of fire. I shall never be a master of fire. It’s like “fire keeper” - are we the keeper of fire or is fire the keeper of us 🙏 I welcome and tend the ancestral fire I love exploring the language of fire - language is important to me and my use of it evolves as I continuously explore my connection with fire. No doubt I shall dream into more phrases for welcoming and tending the sacred flame 😀🙏 I coax the embryonic ancestral fire out of hiding from the wood I welcome the ancestral fire through breath I’m always learning Connecting and honouring And passing on to others Without fire we wouldn’t be here. We are forged from fire. Wood choices for sacred fire… I don’t mandate any particular wood - what is important for me personally is:
1-it’s native to where I am 2- preferably it’s sourced local to where I am welcoming fire (if at all possible) 3-it’s been collected from fallen/dead standing wood or it’s overly abundant and has been harvested sustainably My preferred wood for bow drill in ritual is English Oak which has been collected from wind fallen branches. Hazel is my favourite tree and loves having fire coaxed from her and commonly sheds branches. For sacred/ritual practice I collect my wood in advance and season There are lots of combinations for bow drill and it can be a personal choice.I also make my own cordage usually from nettles With Neid Fire I am working on a larger scale and so I am reliant on what I can find which has naturally fallen - I have Hazel and Ash spindles and Hazel and Poplar hearth logs and Holly for the bearing log. I kept/keep scouring the woods to find suitable fallen branches/trees.And for Neid Fire you need to collect in advance and season Traditionally Oak was used for Neid fire but it is very difficult to find suitable fallen oak and I would NEVER cut a live Oak for my own purposes and I DO NOT advocate cutting live Oak. For the fire wood - for me it is importent that it is native, local (if poss) and collected from fallen wood and is a good burning wood and is dry - I commonly use hazel and/or birch first (fast burning) then ash or seasoned oak. Again I collect in advance and season. (These woods are all native and local to me) The sourcing, collecting and preparing the wood is a huge part of my friction fire practice which I endeavour to do with awareness and respect and gratitude -for neid fire it can take several months I’m blessed in that I live next to woods with Hazel, Oak, Elder, Ash, Hawthorn, Elm, Poplar, Willow, Tilia, Ivy, Clematis Sacred Fire has been central to many cultures
A commonality is that fire deities were often female (Hestia, Vesta, Brigit etc) and the sacred fires tended by women and they would rekindle the fire using friction fire on a cyclic pattern. Within the community it would be women who tended the hearth fires. (note-the pic is only pic I could find of women doing a fire ritual – lighting Olympic torch via solar) The emergence of Christianity saw the end of these traditions and as we know many many women (and yes men too – but mostly women) were brutally persecuted and the old ways mostly eradicated. Largely unknown is the Neid Fire friction fire ritual that was once widespread throughout Europe –The Church saw it as heathen and so was abolished. The last records of Neid Fire in Scotland was 1840s. There is a lack of info in Eire. Wiped from the ancestral memory. Friction fire in a sacred way was a part of our cultural heritage and is very different to bushcraft/survival friction fire. The modern bushcraft/survival movement started in the 60s/70s has become a huge global industry. Largely it has been male dominated but that is now fortunately changing. Friction fire has become popular through bushcraft/survival movements and it is a very good thing otherwise we would have lost the skills (tho fortunately indigenous peoples continue to use friction fire) In recent times - fire starting (inc friction fire) has been seen to be more male dominated and at times macho There has been a mis-conception that it is more suited to “men”🤬 Let’s remember who tended our sacred hearths I have taught many women and it’s fantastic to see more women using and teaching friction fire. Traditionally fire by friction has been a communal practice and not about proving how fast/quick you can coax an ember on your own. We’ve lost our heritage of ritual fire. What is missing is teaching friction fire in sacred/holistic way - I am trying to address that and encourage people to learn and use and pass on the knowledge and skills to others I feel we need to throw off the burdens of the past; reclaim our cultural heritage and reconnect to nature, the land, ourselves, each other and be kind 🙏 What methods do I use for welcoming fire? The clue is in my name 😀
I can’t actually remember the last time I didn’t use friction fire for “lighting” an outdoor fire - over 5 or 6 years ago at least maybe more (I may have “played” with other methods but not for consciously welcoming fire) Friction fire is my way, my passion, my practice , my calling - and I use it every opportunity I have so if a fire needs welcoming by me it shall be by rubbing sticks together. The 4 main friction methods I use now are:
( I have also experimented lots with various variations inc pump drill, mouth drill, arm bow drill, pedal drill, fire saw, coat hanger bow drill, stationary bow drill, kitchen utensil bow drill etc , lots of variations of bow drill and have lots of fun doing so 😀 there is a humorous side to me too 😀that sometimes comes out in ritual - ritual does not always need to be serious I own a ferro rod and have used one on occasion (let’s just say they are not for me - I don’t like them) I do have a fire piston for demos I can’t get on with flint and steel either but I don’t need to - friction fire is my path 😀 We have lost the knowledge and skills and in Europe part of our cultural heritage (neid fire) was buried and taken away from us - it is my calling to try and help rekindle our connection to fire in a sacred way through rubbing sticks. Fire ritual was once a huge part of our cultural heritage. SHFF now offers Journey with Fire experiences - contact Ian @sacredhearthfrictionfire for more info Blessings on the ancestral fire 🔥 Ian 🙏 #ancestralfire #sacredfire #ritualfire #alternativebristol #firebyfriction #frictionfire #mindbodyspirit
Today in modern society the majority have gotten so used to having everything everywhere all at once. And just take it for granted that they can just go and get whatever they need whenever they want (yes money allowing and yes that is changing in some ways now there is a cost of living crisis)
And of course often I fall into that trap …. not really thinking about where stuff comes from as I plop it into the basket or how much it costs (well that's changed recently as costs have spiralled) as I tap the card on the reader or click on a button I’m not religious … nor do I attach myself to any particular doctrine or belief – including any heathen / pagan path …. my fire by friction passion has evolved into my own (one could say “spiritual”) way….. I won’t say practice as I don’t practice all the time or often ….. sometimes I do sometimes not…. sometimes weeks go by without doing anything …other times I may practice daily….and when weeks do go by…. Sacred Hearth is still smouldering away (like an ancient sacred eternal fire) ready to be blown into flame….. I have this underlying “passion” / “burning desire” for honouring and giving thanks through the art of rubbing sticks and fire itself…. which has evolved over the years.... and I am becoming more drawn towards the communal welcoming of fire rather than the individual pursuit …. (which maybe why i don't practice as often) Our distant ancestors learning to tame the wild fire and “domesticise” wild fire into the hearth fire was one of the fundamental factors in the evolution of our species….. And they did not take it for granted…. like natural resources…. fire could not be guaranteed…. fires would be kept lit….. or at least embers kept going ….. skills were passed along… how to keep a fire going…. how to leave a fire so it would still have hot embers in the morning…how to transport fire…. and eventually …… over thousands of years…. they would eventually learn (and pass on ) how to welcome fire either through striking stones or rubbing sticks….. and they would give blessings and honour fire… indeed the importance of fire still lives on in many religions such as Zoroastrianism and Vedism…. Fire by friction seems to have more of a magical / holy meaning than any other method of “lighting” fires – as part of many religious rituals fire by friction would be used to welcome in the fire over any other method – e.g. in Vedism - fire churning (using a strap drill like contraption) is used to welcome in Lord Agni and is still used today in Vedic temples. In Europe the Neid Fire and fire churn rituals were used (even when flint and steel was commonly available ) and “The Church” even tried to ban fire by friction many times through the centuries denouncing it as unheathen and unholy .... indeed the Neid fire rituals clung on in parts of the Highlands of Scotland until as recent as the mid 19th century. Many see fire by friction as difficult and decide to learn it as it is a “challenge” (it's only difficult as it is no longer passed along as with many other old skills ) – for me i wanted to learn a traditional way of lighting fires in a holistic way which led me on my path which continues to evolve. For me it’s more about not taking fire for granted and using a method that has been used for thousands of years… you need to be aware and be in touch with your environment – knowing what materials are available and where they can be found and at what times of year and what materials to use at different times of years … preparing and storing materials (oh yes I firmly believe our ancestors prepared for fire as much as they did for anything else and not just “do it on the spot” ) – today there is a lot of emphasis on challenging oneself and putting oneself in a survival situation without any tools and being able to survive without anything….to prove to oneself that they can do that. Yes I’m sure our ancestors could do that when forced in a survival situation due to the way they lived and the relationship they had with the world ... and of course youth were tested through rites of passage (which maybe many people who go on these challenges see them as rites of passage as that is something missing from our society and maybe it's an ingrained part of us that many crave for) …our ancestors knowledge was built up and passed along the generations… and I’m also sure that usually they would try and make life as easy as possible ... as life would have been difficult…………. and not having to go and make a friction set whenever they needed to light a fire would most likely have been one of those things 😊 and lighting a fire may only have been done at auspicious times or only when absolutely necessary….. tho I’m sure they would have kept the skills honed and practiced whenever they could…. So where is this particular rambling going…. nowhere really..... just sharing some of my thoughts on my connection to fire (which is similar to some of my older posts) …… our human connection to fire lies deep within …. we are forged from fire .... our connection to fire is within our dna…. we just need to be reminded of it and have it rekindled .....….. and that is what I seek to do through Sacred Hearth Friction Fire.... journey with fire.... the old way.... blessings on the ancestral fire Ian Please check out this very engaging and interesting overview of Sacred Fire in Europe by Nordic Animism >> A few words on ritual. Ritual can mean many different things to people.
Ritual does not have to be religious or spiritual. Ritual is usually done with intention or awareness to mark an event or achieve an outcome A ritual may comprise a set of actions done in a specific order Many people may have morning rituals where they do same set of actions with intention - this may be slightly different to routine where it’s just done as matter of course Ritual usually has significance for the people undertaking them Ritual and ceremony are often used interchangeably - tho a ceremony is often an occasion where a ritual could be performed within it Ritual may help people get clarity , to clear their mind, To be clear on their intention Ritual can be lots of things to many! I find ritually welcoming a fire very powerful and a way to connect on a deeper level with many different things! by doing things with awareness and intention it helps me connect ; be grateful ; and not take things for granted By using fire by friction there are a specific set of actions I need to take in a specific order to welcome the fire and by doing this with intention and awareness for me this is ritual Ritually welcoming a fire at the start of an event can be a very powerful way of starting an event with intention -and you could state intentions for the event as part of the “ritual” fire rituals can also be used to mark a time of the year or point in someone’s life etc For me within ritual it is important not to appropriate from other cultures I research and learn and share from other traditions but I am careful not to adopt their traditions into my approach - I am now more careful over words I may use etc I have been asked before by someone well meaning whether I would consider doing a Mayan fire ceremony - no - it is not my culture The Northern Europe Need Fire rituals really connect with me as they are from my heritage and I feel that I can use fire churns in rituals which are of my own making and not based on any other culture’s tradition Blessings on the ancestral fire🙏 #sacredfire #fireritual #ritualfire #ancestralfire #ancestralskills #earthskills |
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