Grand tidings! Join me this week as we continue our way clockwise around the sacred circle: to the South and the Land of Fire. We explore two myths around the creation of Fire, the creatures that populate its legendary mythologies, and the correspondences you may add into your magickal lives each and every day.
Instagram: @beyondtheseaspodcast
Tarot Collaboration: @thefeatherwitchnyc
Ticket Link for "Route 66" @ Actors Theatre of Indiana: atistage.org
Podcast website: https://beyondtheseas.buzzsprout.com/
More info: https://www.kierandanaan.com/beyond-the-seas
Subscribe for all the mythological and folkloric episodes, posted weekly.
Sources
-“Fire Fairies/Fire Elementals.” Mythical Creatures Guide, www.mythicalcreaturesguide.com/fire-fairies-fire-elementals. Accessed 13 February 2024.
-Grace, Wiremu. “How Māui brought fire to the world.” Te Kete Ipurangi, eng.mataurangamaori.tki.org.nz/Support-materials/Te-Reo-Maori/Maori-Myths-Legends-and-Contemporary-Stories/How-Maui-brought-fire-to-the-world. Accessed 13 February 2024. Wired, www.wired.com/2014/08/fantastically-wrong-homicidal-salamander/. Accessed 13 February 2024.
-Mingren, Wu. “Dragon Myths: Tales of Beasts, Beauties, and Brutes.” Ancient Origins, www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends-europe/dragon-myths-0012715. Accessed 13 February 2024.
-Simon, Matt. “Fantastically Wrong: The Legend of the Homicidal Fire-Proof Salamander.”
-Unknown. Myths and Legends of the Great Plains, edited by Katherine Berry Judson, Chicago, W.F. Hall Printing Company, 1913.
Music
"Moments to Remember" by Josh Leake
"Intimacy" by Ben Winwood
"Walking in Forests" by Ben Winwood
"It'll Be Alright" by Ben Winwood
"From Nothing" by Josh Leake
Cheers,
Kieran
Grand tidings! Join me this week as we continue our way clockwise around the sacred circle: to the South and the Land of Fire. We explore two myths around the creation of Fire, the creatures that populate its legendary mythologies, and the correspondences you may add into your magickal lives each and every day.
Instagram: @beyondtheseaspodcast
Tarot Collaboration: @thefeatherwitchnyc
Ticket Link for "Route 66" @ Actors Theatre of Indiana: atistage.org
Podcast website: https://beyondtheseas.buzzsprout.com/
More info: https://www.kierandanaan.com/beyond-the-seas
Subscribe for all the mythological and folkloric episodes, posted weekly.
Sources
-“Fire Fairies/Fire Elementals.” Mythical Creatures Guide, www.mythicalcreaturesguide.com/fire-fairies-fire-elementals. Accessed 13 February 2024.
-Grace, Wiremu. “How Māui brought fire to the world.” Te Kete Ipurangi, eng.mataurangamaori.tki.org.nz/Support-materials/Te-Reo-Maori/Maori-Myths-Legends-and-Contemporary-Stories/How-Maui-brought-fire-to-the-world. Accessed 13 February 2024. Wired, www.wired.com/2014/08/fantastically-wrong-homicidal-salamander/. Accessed 13 February 2024.
-Mingren, Wu. “Dragon Myths: Tales of Beasts, Beauties, and Brutes.” Ancient Origins, www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends-europe/dragon-myths-0012715. Accessed 13 February 2024.
-Simon, Matt. “Fantastically Wrong: The Legend of the Homicidal Fire-Proof Salamander.”
-Unknown. Myths and Legends of the Great Plains, edited by Katherine Berry Judson, Chicago, W.F. Hall Printing Company, 1913.
Music
"Moments to Remember" by Josh Leake
"Intimacy" by Ben Winwood
"Walking in Forests" by Ben Winwood
"It'll Be Alright" by Ben Winwood
"From Nothing" by Josh Leake
Cheers,
Kieran
With the warmth of life and the Sun, may we live with the Elements.
To Fire in the South, we turn our beatific gaze.
To the life-giving and life-sustaining realm,
We upraise and lift our arms,
We sing with ululating voices,
To herald in the passion and awareness of Midday.
As the Sun beats hotly and proudly down on our skin,
May we know that singing with us are his Children,
The Fire Elementals.
Those who guard and protect the willingness, courage, and bravery of our world.
They burn in our spirits, guiding our way to greatness.
They kindle our passions, our awareness, and our love.
And remind us to live with strong will and energy,
Burning away the old so as to invite the new.
As they fly forth on beds of lava or Summer’s sweet wind,
We know them to be our brothers and sisters in the Craft,
In the greatest forms of Magick.
So may we today arise anew, passions enflamed and spirits ignited,
As the Fire Elementals lead us forward…
And into the Beyond.
Thus, with courage and might, destruction and creation,
We travel ever onwards.
And know that our work…
Has only just begun.
(transition music)
Grand tidings and welcome to you on this, the seventeenth episode, of Beyond the Seas. My name is Kieran and here we are again, back at it for another week.
And now, some updates with Pauline Gedge’s The Eagle and the Raven! So: I did have some time to dive back into the novel and get some pages under my belt. Well, let me tell you: there was a profound scene that I have to talk about. Essentially, the main characters are in first century Britain, attempting to unify the Celtic tribes as a means to fight against the Roman invasion. And these main characters are on the Western coast, heading off to the Isle of Mona: the stronghold, the center of Druidic practice and religion in the world. And over the course of 24 hours, these characters interact with and experience the Druids and their magick. The main character, Caradoc, spends his time with the Master Druid of the Druithin and there is this magkical moment that takes place between these two men. The next morning, our characters are sailing back to the mainland and...I could not help but empathize the most with Caradoc’s wife, Eurgain, as she trailed her hand in the ocean, looking back at the Isle, and bursting into tears.
I have to tell all of you, I read this section of the book last week that was on the day of the New Supermoon, so that made everything all the more charged. But: it put me in such a weird mood because…I felt like I had been there, after reading it. Like I was reading something about a place that I have known intimately and personally. So much so that, as I got to the theater that night and was getting ready for the show, I pulled up The Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids while I was waiting. And I reread the information about their training and educational courses. And the next day…I signed up for the first year of training through the Order. And I am so excited to announce that I am a Bard in training and an official member of the Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids. I could not be more excited for this journey and its immeasurable gifts—and to experience the growth and revelations along the way.
And now, the Card of the Week! Here we go everybody, this week is super exciting because: Claudia pulled the first Major Arcana card—and the first reversed card! There are so many things circling around this week and I cannot wait to dive into them all. This week’s reversed card is none other than…Death. Death Reversed. So first off, what does Death mean when it is not reversed? It is all about out with the old, in with the new. The unshackling of chains. The freeing of the Self and Spirit, normally—potentially—from an outside source. Now, this card this week is reversed…so the flame of truth, the sword of truth we were working with last week, must come from…within. The amount of work we are called upon to do now must come from within. And how fitting is it that, as we continue to explore the elements, we are discussing those very components? How do we unshackle ourselves from the weights of the past? Why do we need Fire this week, to burn away the shadows and travails of the past—so that we may work our way towards the future? There is so much power in the relationship between Fire and Death Reversed: when we turn the mirror inwards, with the only adversary and supporter as ourselves, we are faced with the ultimate choice. We must burn away that which no longer serves us, or continue on the path we are doomed to walk. How might you take these notions and ideas into your week ahead, alongside the things that have already come to mind in this moment of the podcast? Take a moment and pause the show if you need to, perhaps to journal and reflect on the things in your life that this weekly reading relates to.
And now, the Wine of the Week!
And finally, this week’s topic. As we continue our journey through the Elements, we now head clockwise to the southern edge of the circle—to the realm of Fire. Here, we take a look at the creatures, myths, legends, and correspondences that populate this element’s jurisdiction. As always, what are the Dragons and Salamanders of Fire? What happens to our inner vision as we explore the origins of Fire itself, as heard through the stories of Them Who Have Gone Before? What components of this element are available to suffuse into our daily practices of magick?
For now, grab your favorite bottle of red, find a comfy chair, and close your eyes as I tell you the tale of The Element of Fire—and take you…
Beyond the Seas.
(transition music)
Fire. Element of the South. Traditionally, the second element to invoke when casting the sacred circle or treading the compass round. I, as a proud Capricorn and Cardinal Earth Sign, stand on the complete opposite side of this element—and thus, have very little fire in my astrological charts. So bear with me as we take this journey together! Now, regardless of what the stars have to offer you in your personal natal narrations, one always has Fire within himself. For instance, my passions are the arts, teaching, knowledge, creativity, and storytelling. The strong will to get on the subway, show my Equity card at the Equity building, stand in line, and enter the audition room to blow the Casting Directors away…that, personally, is a shade of my inner Fire. Or when I see the light of knowledge and understanding ignite in my students’ eyes. That too is the gift of fire.
Fire is such a dichotomous element. It is both creative and destructive: it heals and destroys. As much as Fire burns away the old, as the means of making way for the new, so too does it rampage with chaotic might—annihilating everything in its path. Thus, we are reminded: tend the flame carefully and respectfully. The age-old adage of “don’t burn yourself out” is paramount here: when we feed the flame too quickly and hungrily, the boundaries of desire and passion dissolve those of safety and wisdom…leading to peril and danger.
Here, then, is where the Witch’s Pyramid comes into play. As with every aspect of every element, there is the responsibility To Know, To Dare, To Will, To Be Silent, and To Be. All five elemental aspects are inherent within each of the five elements. If you wrapped your head around that, after my explanation, kudos to you. In layman’s terms: we must apply knowledge with wisdom as we work with each element, Fire especially. It is those life experiences—the memories, sorrows, joys, and gratitudes—that compel us to understand our approach, and ultimate relationship with, each element of the circle.
Let us begin our foray into this Realm of the South with a Cherokee legend of how Fire was found and brought into our world. Of course, we are all familiar with the Greek myth of Prometheus stealing the fire from the Gods and his ultimate punishement thereafter—which is why we need to dive into that particular tale. Here is an exciting and poignant legend that I strongly admire and appreciate: it is found on the Legends of America website, as cited from Katherine Berry Judson’s book, Myths and Legends of the Great Plains, published in 1913.
“In the beginning, there was no fire, and the world was cold. Then the Thunders, who lived up in Galun’lati, sent their lightning and put fire into the bottom of a hollow sycamore tree which grew on an island. The animals knew it was there because they could see the smoke coming out at the top, but they could not get to it because of the water, so they held a council to decide what to do. This was a long, long time ago.
“Every animal was anxious to go after the fire. Raven offered. He was large and strong, so he was sent first. He flew high and far across the water and lighted on the sycamore tree. There he perched, wondering what to do next. Then he looked at himself. The heat had scorched his feathers black. Raven was so frightened he flew back across the water without any fire.
“Then, little Wa-hu-hu, the Screech Owl, offered to go. He flew high and far across the water and perched upon a hollow tree. As he sat there looking into the hollow tree, wondering what to do, a blast of hot air came up and hurt his eyes. Screech Owl was frightened. He flew back as best he could because he could hardly see. That is why his eyes are red even to this day.
“Then Hooting Owl and the Horned Owl went, but by the time they reached the hollow tree, the fire was blazing so fiercely that the smoke nearly blinded them. The ashes carried up by the breeze made white rings around their eyes. So they had to come home without fire. Therefore they have white rings around their eyes.
“None of the rest of the birds would go to the fire. Then Uk-su-hi, the racer snake, said he would go through the water and bring back fire. He swam to the island and crawled through the grass to the tree. Then he went into the tree by a small hole at the bottom. But the heat and smoke were dreadful. The ground at the bottom of the tree was covered with hot ashes. The racer darted back and forth trying to get off the ashes, and at last, managed to escape through the same hole by which he had entered. But his body had been burned black. Therefore he is now the black racer. And that is why the black racer darts around and doubles on his track as if trying to escape.
“Then great Blacksnake, ‘The Climber,’ offered to go for fire. He was much larger than the black racer. Blacksnake swam over to the island and climbed up the tree on the outside, as the blacksnake always does, but when he put his head down into the hole the smoke-choked him so that he fell into the burning stump. Before he could climb out, he, too, was burned black.
“So the birds, and the animals, and the snakes held another council. The world was still very cold. There was no fire. But all the birds, and the snakes, and all the four-footed animals refused to go for fire. They were all afraid of the burning sycamore.
“Then Water Spider said she would go. This is not the water spider that looks like a mosquito, but the other one — the one with black downy hair and red stripes on her body. She could run on top of the water, or dive to the bottom.
“The animals said, ‘How can you bring back fire?’”
“But Water Spider spun a thread from her body and wove it into a tusti bowl which she fastened on her back. Then she swam over to the island and through the grass to the fire. Water Spider put one little coal of fire into her bowl and then swam back with it.
“That is how fire came to the world. And that is why Water Spider has a tusti bowl on her back.”
Another legend that is important to share is that of our dear friend, Maui, and how he stole fire from the Goddess. It is found on the Te Kete Ipurangi website and is written by Wiremu Grace.
“One evening, after eating a hearty meal, Māui lay beside his fire staring into the flames. He watched the flames flicker and dance and thought to himself, ‘I wonder where fire comes from.’
“Māui, being the curious person that he was, decided that he needed to find out. In the middle of the night, while everyone was sleeping, Māui went from village to village and extinguished all the fires until not a single fire burned in the world. He then went back to his whare and waited.
“The next morning there was an uproar in the village.
“‘How can we cook our breakfast, there's no fire!’ called a worried mother.
"‘How will we keep warm at night?’ cried another.
“‘We can't possibly live without fire!’ the villagers said to one another.
“The people of the village were very frightened. They asked Taranga, who was their rangatira, to help solve the problem.
“‘Someone will have to go and see the great goddess, Mahuika, and ask her for fire,’ said Taranga.
“None of the villagers were eager to meet Mahuika, they had all heard of the scorching mountain where she lived. So Māui offered to set out in search of Mahuika, secretly glad that his plan had worked.
‘Be very careful,’ said Taranga. ‘Although you are a descendant of Mahuika she will not take kindly to you if you try and trick her.’
"‘I'll find the great ancestress Mahuika and bring fire back to the world,’ Māui assured his mother.
“Māui walked to the scorching mountain to the end of the earth following the instructions from his mother and found a huge mountain glowing red hot with heat. At the base of the mountain Māui saw a cave entrance. Before he entered, Māui whispered a special karakia to himself as protection from what lay beyond. But nothing could prepare Māui for what he saw when he entered the sacred mountain of Mahuika.
Mahuika, the goddess, rose up before him, fire burning from every pore of her body, her hair a mass of flames, her arms outstretched, and with only black holes where her eyes once were. She sniffed the air.
"‘Who is this mortal that dares to enter my dwelling?’
“Māui gathered the courage to speak, ‘It is I, Māui, son of Taranga.’
"‘Huh!’ Yelled Mahuika. ‘Māui, the son of Taranga?’
"‘Yes the last born, Māui-tikitiki-a-Taranga.’
"‘Well then, Māui-tikitiki-a-Taranga, welcome, welcome to the essence of the flame, welcome my grandchild.’
“Mahuika stepped closer to Māui, taking a deep sniff of his scent. Māui stood completely still, even though the flames from Mahuika's skin were unbearably hot.
"‘So... why do you come, Māui-tikitiki-a-Taranga?’ Mahuika finally asked.
“Māui said, ‘The fires of the world have been extinguished, I have come to ask you for fire.’ Mahuika listened carefully to Māui, and then she laughed. She pulled a fingernail from one of her burning fingers and gave it to him.
"‘Take this fire as a gift to your people. Honour this fire as you honour me.’
“So Māui left the house of Mahuika taking with him the fingernail of fire.
“As Māui walked along the side of the road he thought to himself, ‘What if Mahuika had no fire left, then where would she get her fire from?’
“Māui couldn't contain his curiosity. He quickly threw the fingernail into a stream and headed back to Mahuika's cave.
"‘I tripped and fell,’ said Māui. ‘Could I please have another?’
Mahuika was in a good mood. She hadn't spoken to someone in quite some time and she liked Māui. She gladly gave Māui another of her fingernails.
“But Māui soon extinguished this fingernail as well and returned to Mahuika with another excuse.
"‘A fish splashed my flame as I was crossing the river,’ Māui said.
“Mahuika provided another of her fingernails, not suspecting that she was being tricked.
“This continued for most of the day until Mahuika had used all her fingernails and had even given up her toenails. When Māui returned to ask for another, Mahuika was furious. She knew Māui had been tricking her and threw the burning toenail to the ground.
“Instantly Māui was surrounded by fire and chased from the cave.
“Māui changed himself into a hawk and escaped to the sky, but the flames burned so high that they singed the underside of his wings, turning them a glowing red.
“Māui dived towards a river, hoping to avoid the flames in the coolness of the water, but the immense heat made the water boil.
“Māui was desperate. He called on his ancestor Tāwhirimātea for help. "‘Tāwhirimātea atua o ngā hau e whā, āwhinatia mai!’
“Then, a mass of clouds gathered and a torrent of rain fell to put out the many fires. Mahuika's mountain of fire no longer burned hot.
“Mahuika had lost much of her power, but still she was not giving up. She took her very last toenail and threw it at Māui in anger. The toenail of fire missed Māui and flew into the trees, planting itself in the Mahoe tree, the Tōtara, the Patete, the Pukatea, and the Kaikōmako trees. These trees cherished and held onto the fire of Mahuika, considering it a great gift.
“When Māui returned to his village he didn't bring back fire as the villagers had expected. Instead he brought back dry wood from the Kaikōmako tree and showed them how to rub the dry sticks together forming friction which would eventually start a fire. The villagers were very happy to be able to cook their food once more and to have the warmth of their fires at night to comfort them.
“Māui satisfied his curiosity in finding the origin of fire, although he very nearly paid the ultimate price in doing so. To this day the Kahu, the native hawk of Aotearoa, still retains the red singed feathers on the underside of its wings, a reminder of how close Māui was to death.
“This is the story of how Māui brought fire to the world.”
Interesting to note the similarities between the two legends, alongside that of Prometheus. But how might we today utilize the transformative and life-sustaining power of fire in our lives today? What correspondences are linked to its eternal flames? What magick might we conjure, as we work our way through the Death Reversed, as to better our lives? And what creatures are the heralds and harbingers of the Fire Realm itself?
Refill your goblets, your drinking horns, your chalices, for the second half of the Elements Series of Fire, after this brief break.
(transition music)
Dragons and Salamanders. These mythical and actual creatures have been the subject of many a myth, legend, and story the world over. They represent an abundance of archetypal natures and qualities: power, resilience, strength, mystery, destruction, chaos, and rebirth. They are leaders and followers, mighty and small. Back to our dear friend, Paracelsus, who assigned a certain elemental to each of the four sacred directions: he it was who decided Salamanders come to represent Fire…and for strong folkloric reasons.
According to Matt Simon at Wired, “In the first century AD, Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder threw a salamander into a fire. He wanted to see if it could indeed not only survive the flames, but extinguish them, as Aristotle had claimed such creatures could. But the salamander didn’t … uh … make it.
“Yet that didn’t stop the legend of the fire-proof salamander…from persisting for 1,500 more years, from the Ancient Romans to the Middle Ages on up to the alchemists of the Renaissance. Some even believed it was born in fire, like the legendary Phoenix, only slimier and a bit less dramatic. And that its fur…could be used to weave fire-resistant garments.
“…Pliny also wrote extensively that it had…powers—and then some. His Natural History, which has survived over the centuries as a towering catalog of everything from mining to zoology, describes the salamander as such: ‘It is so chilly that it puts out fire by its contact, in the same way as ice does. It vomits from its mouth a milky slaver [saliva], one touch of which on any part of the human body causes all the hair to drop off, and the portion touched changes its color and breaks out in a tetter,’ a sort of itchy skin disease.”
Now, the grand cousin of the Salamander is none other than the Dragon. According to Wu Mingren over at Ancient Origins, “The dragon is a legendary creature found in many cultures around the world. Generally speaking, the dragon is depicted as a huge creature that has a serpent-like body and the ability to fly. Although most dragons have four legs, some are depicted as having two legs, or no legs at all. In medieval European folklore, dragons have wings, breathe fire, and are normally seen as malevolent beings. By contrast, in Eastern cultures, the dragon is wingless, associated with the weather, especially rainfall and floods, and regarded as an auspicious creature. And there are many other varieties of dragons around the world.
“…While the dragon is normally considered a creature of evil in the West, it is a different story in the East – it’s a benevolent creature in these cultures. Dragon kings are found in the mythology of China, Japan, and Korea, and are believed to be responsible for water-based weather phenomena, the most important of which being rain.
“As they brought the rains needed for agriculture, dragon kings were highly revered. On the other hand, a wrathful dragon king could cause natural disasters such as floods, typhoons, and storms, hence it was necessary to keep them happy. The dragon kings of the East are also depicted as anthropomorphic creatures, as they are said to reside in palaces under the sea, where they ruled over their sea creature subjects.
“…Benevolent dragons are not limited to Eastern cultures. Vodou practitioners, especially those in Benin and Haiti, believe in a loa (the spirits of Vodou) known as Ayida-Weddo. This loa is also known as the Rainbow Serpent. Ayida-Weddo is depicted neither like a Western dragon, nor an Eastern one, but is believed to have taken the form of a giant snake with glittering scales.
“Ayida-Weddo is believed to be the loa of fertility, water, snakes, and rainbows. According to one myth, at the beginning of time, there was a large serpent that encircled the earth to prevent it from crumbling. When the first rains began to fall, Ayida-Weddo appeared, and the serpent, who was in fact another loa, Dambala-Wedo, fell in love with her, and married her. While Eastern dragons provided the material needs of their peoples, Ayida-Weddo and her husband are believed to have taught humanity the great secrets of life, so that mankind may be able to lead lives that are more spiritually fulfilling and meaningful.”
My favorite depictions of Dragons comes from, obviously, Game of Thrones. I mean, come on—no other words need to be said on that subject. Regardless, the Spirits of Fire are powerful and strong, benevolent and malevolent. The following information comes from The Mythical Creatures Guide and contains strong folkloric elements that are relevant to our discussion today.
“The spirit of the hearth fire is often thought of as female and was once widely worshiped as a goddess. In Greek myth she was Hestia. Her name, according to Plato, means 'the essence of things'; a formless essence symbolized by the flame, which flows through everything that has life. As the domestic hearth is the sacred center of the home, the hearth of the gods is the center of the cosmos. She presided over all hearth and altar fires, and she was worshiped every day with prayers offered to her before and after meals. Her hearth was in the care of the woman of the home and before each meal something was thrown on the fire as an offering.
“In Celtic lore, the spirit of the hearth is Brighid. She was invited into the home by the woman of the house, in the form of a doll or corn dolly dressed in maiden white. Oracles were taken from the ashes of the hearth fire, which people examined for a sign that Brighid had visited, i.e. a mark that looked like a swan's footprint; if found, it was a lucky omen (the swan was an ancient attribute of the goddess Brighid). Many Irish homes still have a Brighid's cross hung up. This four equal-armed cross was originally a solar symbol.
There are many other fire spirits. The Arabian Djinn, for example, are composed of fire without smoke, with fire in their veins instead of blood. Will o’ the wisps are bog fairies that appear as curious lights, usually seen flickering in the distance over swamps and marshes. They jump and dance along with the aim of leading travelers astray. Perhaps the most common name is Jack-a-lantern or Jack O'Lantern. In Wales the will o' the wisp it is called ellylldan meaning ‘fire fairy’. It can be seen dancing about on marshy ground, into which it may lead a hapless traveler. When the will o' the wisp appears at sea it is generally called St Elmo's Fire, and is seen on ship’s masts and accompanied by a crackling sound.
“There is a connection between trades that use fire and magic. The magical reputation of the smith persisted in Europe into the nineteenth century and is still extant in India and Africa. In Britain, it was believed that smiths were blood charmers [healers] and could foretell the future. Even the water the smith used to cool metal had magical properties and was much sought after for healing purposes. A smithy-forged nail, hammered into a tree, was thought to transfer the illness to the tree. Smiths also possessed the secret of the Horseman’s Word which, when whispered into the ear of the wildest horse, would calm it. People swore oaths by the smith's anvil and in some places, he had the authority to marry couples, as at the famous Gretna Green in Scotland. In fairy stories smiths often protect people and animals against malignant fairies, evil spirits, witchcraft, and the evil eye.
“Fire is the most mysterious of all the elements. It seems almost supernatural in comparison to earth, air or water. The spirits of fire are concerned with creativity, life energy and the spirit. Fire generates illumination within, the light of the spirit. Fire gives us the power of energy, igniting action, animation and movement. It sparks courage and acts of bravery. It heats passion and enthusiasm. Fire is the power of inner sight and creative vision, directing it and controlling it to make it manifest in the world, the dominion of Will. It is the glow of the candle flame, the warmth of the hearth, the burning heat of the desert, the incandescence of the sun. However, fire transforms what it consumes, a power which may either purify or destroy. Fire is wild and untameable, dangerous; it can burn those around it. This is true of the fire spirits too. They are intense, impatient of human ignorance; they can be intolerant of our failings, and capable of infernos of rage and intemperance.
“…Fire is an agent of transformation- the food in the cauldron is changed as it cooks, raw ores and metals are altered into useful objects on the blacksmith’s forge, and it transforms the materials it consumes into ashes. Fairies and other spirits were attracted by these fires and circled round them, and sometimes had to be placated so that they would not cause trouble and steal the feast. Fire spirits are agents of purification. Cattle were driven over the ashes of the Beltane and Samhain fires to purify them, and flaming torches were carried around the crops at Midsummer to protect them.
“Fire symbolizes the life force. It was associated with the fertility of the land, and the ashes of the sacred fires were scattered on the land, to transfer the vigor of the fire spirits into the earth. It was also connected with the fertility of humans. Young men would leap through the festival fires to increase their virility, and young women jumped to become fertile. Fire magic is concerned with action and will. Fire corresponds to energy, power, passion, vitality.
“People with a preponderance of fire in their make-up are energetic, vital, passionate, creative, intuitive, generous, courageous, driven, friendly, enterprising, philanthropic, warm, cheerful and honorable. However, they can also be ostentatious, arrogant, excessive, dominating, vain, promiscuous, aggressive, tactless and opinionated.”
Now, the Correspondencesssss! The direction of Fire, in the sacred circle, is South and represents the Midday, High Noon. It is associated with the Wands suit in the Tarot, traditionally, and is ruled by Mars and the Sun. The season it represents is Summer, especially Midsummer, the Summer Solstice. Its colors are Red, Orange, Amber, and Gold, and its magickal tools are the Sword and Candles. Use herbs like basil, peppers of all kinds, anything spicy, cayenne, sunflower, cinnamon, cloves, Dragon’s Blood, and Cedar, and crystals like cleary quartz, sunstone, carnelian, ruby, and garnet, in any and all magickal workings involving Fire. Fire is the element that rules Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius in the Zodiac and, like Air, it has an outward, projective motion.
Magickal workings that fall within the realm of Fire include spells for bravery and courage, inner transformation, truth, wisdom, the acquisition of passion and love, love spells of all kinds, destruction, chaos magick, burning away addictions and diseases, healing, luck, prosperity, the will to dominate certain subjects or high-stakes situations (like auditions), and the slow growth of life and love over long periods of time. Consider the passion and flame, but also the destructive and demolishing aspect of Fire when planning out your magickal workings.
And finally, back to Death Reversed. I went to my two favorite decks again and pulled Death from The Ghosts and Spirits Deck and The Journey from The Wildwood Tarot. The former indicates the Grim Reaper, holding floating orbs of transformation and illumination, as you travel through the endings of certain things and towards new beginnings. The latter is titled The Journey and depicts crows feasting on fallen flesh, with dead and gnarled trees in the background, underneath a full moon. It shows the inevitable nature of life coming to its conclusion, but the promise that—like the cycles of the moon—it is a circle of transformation that keeps regenerating and moving. Now, these cards are reversed and, when contemplating the meaning of that along with Fire, one surmises that it is the inherent need to look within—to begin the process there for inner transformation and growth. The cycle of life to death to rebirth is inevitable, but on a macrocosmic scale. Microcosmically, it is up to the individual to traverse through the darkness of Shadow, illuminated by the power of Fire itself, to reach out and into the Light once more.
So hold fast to your inner Fire this week as you continue traversing through the Dark.
Hold fast to your passions and dreams,
As they will guide your way.
For, as with everything in this life,
It is a journey. A cycle. A spiral.
One that is both sorrowful and joyful.
Destructive and Creative.
Like Fire itself.
So hail and welcome Watchtowers of the South, powers of Fire and Feeling.
Be welcome to this our sacred circle on this day.
For as we continue to look ahead to the light of the future,
Underneath the noontide sun,
We know that our magick will always be stronger…
Because of it.
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The stories, research, and production elements were done and edited, respectively, by me, Kieran, with sources attached in the description. Be sure to hit the follow button, on whichever platform you enjoy the podcast, and look forward to more content next week. Until then, seek the veil between the worlds and allow yourself to travel Beyond the Seas….