The Star of our Solar System

We started out as sun-worshippers on this planet, and the Sun is the center of our planetary system, as Copernicus, my birthday mate (we were both born on February 19), pointed out long ago. Composed of hydrogen and helium, our fantastic and fiery Sun is actually a midsize and rather ordinary star in the whole scheme of things. An impressive 870,331 miles in diameter, the Sun is 300,000 times the size of Earth. Its gravitational pull affects all bodies within a range of nearly 400,000 miles, which is why Earth and all the other planets circles it so loyally. The temperature at the Sun’s core has been estimated at seventeen million degrees centigrade, and at its surface, 5,5000 degrees.

Astrologically, the Sun is linked with the sign Leo the Lion. Naturally, fire is the element of our Sun. Around old Sol, all the planets rotate, pulled by the gravitational force of the star. Each of the astrological signs and their corresponding stones has a planetary influence.

The Sacred Flame

Here is a marvelous way to “reset” and forge a new path for yourself with fire, best done on a Tuesday.

Gather together

    * your cauldron or an outdoor firepit or grill

    * sage for smudging

    * athame

    * several pieces of paper and a pen

Light a fire in your fire-safe vessel, then light the sage and smudge the area well. With your athame, draw the magic circle around your fire circle. Sit around the fire, relax, and think about what challenges you face and need to overcome in your life.

Write on a separate piece of paper each issue that comes up for you. Then, with great intention, place each piece of paper on the fire. Take a moment of silent meditation, and on a new piece of paper write your hopes for the future. Fold this paper and carry it with you in your purse or wallet. Your vision for the future will take on a life of its own. End the ritual with another sage smudging and make sure the fire is completely out before you go back inside.

You should perform this rite at least once a year.

Self-Love Healing Rite

This fire element ritual might become a regular practice for you, as it is fortifying to your spirit and feels simply wonderful. Gather the following:

• A large red pillar candle
• An orange
• Bergamot essential oil

Take the large pillar candle, anoint it with bergamot essential oil, and charge it with positivity toward yourself. Scratch your own name into it and write: “I love [your name].”

Light the candle and say four times:

    I love me. I love [your name].

Light the candle every night, and repeat this spell before bed and every morning when you arise. Your mood and sense of self will continue to grow in positivity.

Conjuring Creativity: An Altar for the Imagination

Your personal altar is the ideal environment to incubate your ideas and can be a touchstone for daily conjuring and contemplation. By preparing your home and sparking your inner flames, you can clear away personal blocks and invite in friendly spirits who will aid you in personal pursuits, no matter what your line of work is.

On a low table or chest, place an orange or gold scarf and the following elements: yellow, orange, and gold candles for stimulating intelligence and clarity; bergamot oil for energy; and vanilla incense for mental power.

In an amber or clear glass bowl on the altar, place cloves and sage leaves. Next, add items that symbolize your personal creativity—perhaps a poem you wrote, a figure you sculpted, or a photograph you took of the altar.

Place benzoin, an herb for all-around mental strength and clarity, in your incense burner; it will bring inspiration from the psychic realm. Add any gifts from nature that inspire you—luminous shells, chunks of quartz, or feathers. Arrange your altar in a way that pleases you and stimulates your senses. Now, anoint the candle with bergamot essential oil while you meditate to clear your mind of any distractions. This is an essential step in opening the mental and spiritual space necessary to create, whether your intention is to create a ritual of your own design or an art project. Once you feel focused, light a sage leaf and wave it gently around so the cleansing smoke permeates your altar space. Light the anointed candles and the incense with a candle. Now set and speak your intention:

    By my hand,

    And by the blessing of the spirits,

    The fire of my creativity

    Burns bright,

    Burns long,

    Burns eternal.

    Blessings to me and to all who create!

Designing Your Own Fire Rituals

Fire rituals are superb tools for personal transformation, but fire should be handled with great care and understanding of its volatility. Rituals for change, ceremonies invoking the warrior spirit, and rites for ardent passion all are rites associated with fire. Fire gives courage and sparks ideas. Rituals with candle magic are a daily fire ritual you can do to create positive changes in your life.

Rites using firepower could include those for creativity, love and lust, courage, ambition, mysticism, purgation and cleansing, and closure.

Fire Deities

Shiva is the Hindu lord of life. He performs a ritual dance within the circle of flames.

Brigid is an excellent example of how an old pagan goddess was adopted by Christianity. The Celtic tradition’s great triple goddess was known as Brigantia in England, Brigindu in southern France, and Bride in Scotland. According to legend, Saint Brigid was a druid’s daughter, and was baptized by Saint Patrick. Her name means “bright one” and she tended the undying fire of the sun. Her song of invocation, as befitting a fire goddess, is “Brigid, excellent woman, sudden flame, may the bright fiery sun take us to the lasting kingdom.”

Durga, the oldest and fiercest form of the Hindu goddess aspect Devi, sprang into being from the flames in the mouths of the gods. Even though born from them, she was stronger than them all and was given weapons and a lion with which to battle the demon Mahiso. Seizing the demon by the hair, she freed the world from his evil so others could live there. She also rules the intellectual realm.

Pele, daughter of the Haumea, is the volcano goddess of fire and earth in Hawaii who first learned how to make fire. Luisah Teish tells of a personal encounter with her at a volcano in Maui in her book Jump Up. Many Pele stories involve the goddess appearing as an old woman who asks for a cigarette, then lights it with her magic. 

Wishing Time: Brazilian Candomble Ritual

            

The Brazilian Candomble religion is now intertwined with Yoruban spirituality introduced to the New World via the slave trade. Yoruban spirituality offers many answers to personal problems and is a popular system of aid for people in trouble. The Yoruban entities are ready to lend a hand with broken hearts, illnesses, divorce, work woes, insomnia, betrayal, infertility, politics, luck—anything that concerns the human heart.

In Brazil, Candomble has adherents in every walk of life, not just the poor and downtrodden. Candomble is a “fiery” faith: candles and beach bonfires are very much a part of it. You will find shrines with brightly burning candles in the finest homes in Rio. Street shrines are a delightful aspect of the Brazilian culture. An extremely popular and powerful image is that of Xango, the storm god of lightning and thunder. Rich and poor alike have problems, and the spirits are there to help all. The beautiful beaches that run along the entire coast of Brazil are popular places for rituals and offerings. It is not uncommon to find candles glowing by the sea. This must be very pleasing indeed to their beloved mermaid goddess, Yemoja.

These accommodating spirits are called orixas. Whether public, as in the middle of a street, or privately in one’s home, these offerings are all designed to attract and please the orixas when you need a favor. These offerings to the spirits are called despachos.

We all have times in our lives when we need help. Are you having difficulty with a coworker or your boss? Do you keep getting the flu all the time? Are you trying to quit smoking and can’t seem to kick the habit? Do you need more money? Are you looking for love? Ask the orixas!

The following is a list of orixas and their correspondences:

• Esu’s color is black. Esu has the power to bring messages, likes offerings of candy and toys, and is associated with the number three
• Ogum’s color is green, and helps with getting jobs. Ogum’s number is seven and he has a preference for cigars
• and rum. 
• Oia-Iansa favors white, the number five, and is a protector. Eggplant is her preferred offering.
• Orunmila is in charge of all divination, prefers yellow and sweets, and favors the number sixteen. Offer yams and coca nuts.
• Oxala like white, the number eight, and brings peace. White cotton and white coconuts are the gifts to offer.
• Oxum favors yellow and is the divinity for love and marriage. Present Oxum with sweet honey and sweet cakes.
• Sonponno is the ruler of health and is connected with the color tan and the number seventeen. Corn and beans should be at Sonponno’s shrine.
• Yemoja is the divinity who aids with fertility issues. Lucky number seven and bright blue are Yemoja’s domain, and offerings should be sugar cane and the syrup made from it.
• Xando is the power and passion divinity and his color is bright red. With both four and six as totem numbers, he should be gifted with fruit. Bananas and red apples are best. 

Fire Making

Here is a ritual that requires diligence and patience. Fire making by rubbing sticks together is very difficult and time consuming, but the few folks I know who have accomplished it have certainly felt transformed.

I was inspired by the teachings of the incredible ritual designer, Luisah Teish, who told me she keeps a candle burning in her fireplace at all times to approach Maui’s Magic Fire in another way. On the next full moon, gather a group and build a bonfire on the beach or a beautiful fire in a safety-certified fire ring in a park. Ask everyone to bring a glass-encrusted votive candle, preferably one of the seven-day candles you find at grocery stores or metaphysical shops. Begin a round of storytelling with the tale of Maui stealing fire. After you have told the story, light your own candle from the bonfire and say:

Thank you for the fire, Mahuika.

Next, go around the fire and let each participant tell a “fire story.” This can be a personal story of fire, or another myth or legend. After each story, the storyteller lights a personal candle from the fire and gives thanks for the fire that warms us and keeps us alive. 

The Sacred Element of Fire

Fire inspires us as it seems to spring directly from the divine. Early people regarded fire as power, as a destroyer, and a regenerator. The sung invigorates us each day and we feed on his fire for passion, action, and zeal. Fire is the giver of light and warms us all, man, woman, child, and animal. Fire feeds the passions of the human soul. The fire of the sun warms our hearts and illuminates our imaginations.

Fire Rituals

Fire, giver of light, source of illumination and warmth, is a basis for the following rituals.

Maui Magic

Maui was the trickster god of Hawaii for whom the pacific island was named. Hawaiian peoples were given the gift of flame by the fire giantess herself, Mahuika. However, since it had been handed to them as a gift, the people did not know how to start a fire on their own. Maui visited in the night and stamped out all the fires because he was curious to see what would happen. All the islanders were scared to go to the cave and ask Mahuika for more fire, so the trickster took on the task. Once there, however, Maui made more mischief and swindled the not-so-gentle giantess into giving up nine of her ten fingers, the source of her sparks and flames. Once Mahuika figured out the ruse, Maui was incensed and Mahuika chased him with a wall of fire.

In order to escape the inferno of Mahuika’s fire, Maui transformed into a hawk and flew away, using his power as a god to bring on rain to dampen the goddess’s fire. Sadly, the storm brought on flooding and the giantess was drowned. Her last act of generosity to the people of Hawaii was turning her stack of firewood into a forest. Mollified, Maui taught the islanders how to spark fire from the wood.