SACRED FIRE
"For time immemorial fire has been seen as magical, sacred and purifying by our ancestors"
See also :
Reclaim our cultural heritage
Ritual Welcoming of Fire,
The Ancestral Fire
What is Fire?, Symbolism of Fire,
Fire Dieties, Fire Stories & Myths,
Reclaim our cultural heritage
Ritual Welcoming of Fire,
The Ancestral Fire
What is Fire?, Symbolism of Fire,
Fire Dieties, Fire Stories & Myths,
Watch some of my YT videos on my approach to Sacred Fire:
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Ritual
A few words on ritual by Ian >>
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
A few words on ritual by Ian >>
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
Some examples of sacred fires :
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This is a very engaging and interesting video on Sacred Fire in Europe by Nordic Animism
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In Ancient Greece, the living flame of Hestia was tended constantly and never allowed to die out, for it represented the energy of all life and to let the flame extinguish was to invite a cold and barren existence. When new “subdivisions” were developed, fire was carried from the town’s hearth to light the fire of the new community, assuring its prosperity (see here for more. )
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The Olympic Torch is just one example of the living flame that has survived to modern times. This photo shows The Olympic Flame lighting ceremony for Pyeongchang 2018 Olympics, in Olympia Greece, Peloponnese. Ancient Olympia, the original site of the ancient Olympic Games. Even today, this ritual has been continued and indicates the starting of the preparation of each Olympic Game. The lighting of the Olympic flame is held several months before the beginning of the Olympics in the actual site of Olympia, near the temple of Hera. Eleven women dressed in ancient Greek robes represent the priestesses and perform the ceremony. The chief-priestess lights the torch with the use of a parabolic mirror that concentrates the light of the Sun. Then she passes the torch to the first runner and usually a route around the world starts that passes through many capitals and finishes in the town which hosts the Olympics. It is thought as a great honor to carry the torch with the Olympic Flame, which symbolizes the peace around the universe. The final runner enters the stadium where the opening ceremony of the Olympics is held and lights a giant torch. The Olympic Flame is lit during all the days of the Olympics and is extinguished in the closing ceremony. In the ancient times, it was thought that the Olympic Flame was sent by the gods who favored the games. The runners would run all city-states of Greece carrying the message to stop any war fight as the Olympic Games were about to start and inviting all athletes to take part. Source: www.greeka.com
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The sacred fire of Vesta was a sacred eternal flame in Ancient Rome. The Vestal Virgins tended the holy fire. It is said that if the flame ever went out it was re-kindled from friction fire, and laurel and ivy were thought to have been used.
In ancient Ireland it is said that a sacred fire was kept ever burning on a shrine at Kildare, in Ireland, and attended by virgins of high rank, called 'inghean au dagha,' and again if the fire ever went out it had to be lit using friction.
The New Fire ceremony (in Nahuatl xiuhmolpilli—the Binding of the Years) was an Aztec ceremony performed once every 52 years and it is thought that the fire was relit using friction and some say it was performed on top of the person being sacrificed.....(How true that is, I don't know...and no I won't be proving that legend!)
Today, there are still eternal flames maintained all throughout the world. In ancient times, eternal flames were fueled by wood or olive oil; modern examples usually use a piped supply of propane or natural gas. Human-created eternal flames most often commemorate a person or event of national significance, serve as a symbol of an enduring nature such as a religious belief, or a reminder of commitment to a common goal, such as diplomacy. Se this wikipedia article https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eternal_flame
In ancient Ireland it is said that a sacred fire was kept ever burning on a shrine at Kildare, in Ireland, and attended by virgins of high rank, called 'inghean au dagha,' and again if the fire ever went out it had to be lit using friction.
The New Fire ceremony (in Nahuatl xiuhmolpilli—the Binding of the Years) was an Aztec ceremony performed once every 52 years and it is thought that the fire was relit using friction and some say it was performed on top of the person being sacrificed.....(How true that is, I don't know...and no I won't be proving that legend!)
Today, there are still eternal flames maintained all throughout the world. In ancient times, eternal flames were fueled by wood or olive oil; modern examples usually use a piped supply of propane or natural gas. Human-created eternal flames most often commemorate a person or event of national significance, serve as a symbol of an enduring nature such as a religious belief, or a reminder of commitment to a common goal, such as diplomacy. Se this wikipedia article https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eternal_flame
links:
Interesting link on hearth fires:
https://songofamergin.wordpress.com/2017/12/20/the-celtic-hearth-the-heart-of-the-household/
Interesting link on hearth fires:
https://songofamergin.wordpress.com/2017/12/20/the-celtic-hearth-the-heart-of-the-household/