Journey with fire... the old way...

​In the old days  our ancestors were more aware of their surroundings, environment, resources and did not taken things for granted. Some years resources may have been plentiful and others scarce, in the plentiful times resources would be stored for the scarcer times, and  they were careful not to over harvest/hunt.... they respected their environment and the natural resources available and gave thanks for what the earth provided....
​(in the main anyway and within indigenous cultures ... the current state of affairs is just a sympton of the progression of the human race - with the exception of many indigenous peoples )

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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