Fire illuminates and heats. It is unbiased – it will illuminate a lie as easily as a truth. But in the heat, lies melt like lead and truth is tempered like steel. Whatever doesn’t stand up to the fire in your soul, is it truly yours?
The Moon came full at 1:06pm EST today, March 5, with the energy to help all who asked her grow in their personal power. Mmm, yes, I’ve had enough, I surrender, I need some help.
But if you’re going to ask something, it’s simple respect to give something. So I wanted to give the moon a fire ceremony. It’s cold and snowy here on the Connecticut shore, with a blanket of clouds covering a waveless, slushy sea. I knew that when Luna rose, she would not be able to see herself and would likely feel the icy slap of winter. I think that when you are full of life and at your most glorious state of being, you should be able to see yourself and you should feel warm. I prepared to honor her with at least that, even if only symbolically.
This particular full moon carries the energy of expanding personal power to anyone willing to receive it. A fire ceremony is about receiving something you wish to attract or releasing something you wish to let go of. I’m thinking if Moon wants to give, I’m good with receiving. So at 1:06 I made an object of beauty that symbolized what I wanted to attract.
An earlier meditation made it clear to me that there are a certain five people who are seeking freedom from emotional, creative and life-dulling stuckness – BUT they don’t know it! That’s what I do, and I have five places available for them. This stood out for me because I rarely get such specific images or messages about work in my meditations. Yet I was being told to ask the Moon, via the fire, specifically for five people. I drew images of these five on a piece of paper to burn as an intention.
Low tide here was at 4:44pm. Three 4s represent creativity, self-expression and focus on the task at hand. Powerful stuff, given the focus of the ceremony! Right at 4:44 I started building a cairn, as I’ve been doing daily for 124 consecutive days. This one would serve as the altar for the ceremony.
Moonrise today was at 5:55pm. Three 5s represent family and adventure. Again, pretty powerful, since I was seeking new people for my tribe and I’m in the process of creating retreats and other adventurous experiences. At precisely 5:55 I began the ceremony with drumming and prayer. The moment I lit the fire, the breeze went still. The flame was safe and soon friendly.
I won’t describe the whole ceremony here – my ceremonies really have to be experienced, not described. You can’t savor the flavors or feel a nourishing satisfaction from someone’s description of a good meal. But as it ended, I washed my head and neck with the frigid waters of Long Island Sound, where the ice floes can be seen from space, and howled at a Moon I could not see. I surrendered, I asked. Now, it’s back to work. The tempering doesn’t happen by itself.