The Element of Fire

How many times have you stared into a fire and lost yourself. Watching the flames dance and intermingle with itself as if it were alive and in some way trying to speak to you. What would it say? What would it try to communicate? The element of fire has both a creative and a destructive side. It is used to warm our homes, cook our food, and give us light in the darkness. Yet it can also be all consuming and destructive.

Unlike the other three elements, fire does not exist in a natural state. It can only come to physical form by consuming some other element. It converts the energy of other objects into other forms whether it is heat, light, ash or smoke. In order to benefit from the energy that is brought forth through fire, one must control Fire’s destructive nature. When a candle is lit we are not only calling upon the energy of fire but we are also limiting fire’s power.

Fire is masculine. Its qualities are change, passion, creativity, motivation, will power, drive and sensuality. Fire exhibits sexuality both physical and spiritual. It is often used in spells, rituals and candle magick for the purpose of healing, purification, sex, breaking bad habits, or destroying illness. Fire exhibits authority and leadership.

Man has been fascinated with fire since the first time they gazed upon it. With its possession and ability to control it gave them great advantage over the animals and such. It enabled them to cook, to have light in the night, to forge metal, and eventually to build a civilization. It has the gentle warmth and soft light of a fire contained and controlled yet it can also be the vicious eruption of a volcano. Although it is the strongest and most powerful of the elements it is also the one with the least endurance.

Whether it is in its physical form or its spiritual form fire can be a dangerous thing. Fire physically will overdo its job if there is not some limit put on it. According to the elves and their myths in regards to the element of fire, it is in its nature to try and overcome its boundaries, even its earthen boundaries. They believe that this is why fire spreads whenever it can and tries to consume everything in its rebellion to exceed its boundaries.

In regards to spiritual fire, we speak of strong emotion; emotions such as hatred and anger yet also of love and happiness. Fire is what burns in ones soul moving them to fight for the causes and ideals that they believe in. Fire represents a dream or desire or belief. It represents not only ones commitment for this dream but also the realization of it eventually coming to fruition. Much like the physical form of fire, if one has a spiritual fire burning within them, they will strive towards said goal until they have consumed and conquered it or they are burned down or destroyed in the process. Although this sounds as if one would be talking about an aggressive act to explain something that would move one to take such strong measures, the inspiration of love, or compassion could also fuel such a flame.

Fire should always be treated with respect and also an acknowledgement of its capabilities and its desire to break free of its “boundaries”. It is by far the element that will try and convince you that more is ok when in truth, it could eventually burn you alive.

Fire Attributes:

Direction: South – the place of heat

Type of Energy – Projective

Basic Nature – Purifying, destructive, cleansing, sexual, force

Color – Red

Correspondance In Tarot – The Suit of Wands

Fire Signs per zodiac - Aries, Leo And Sagittarius

Gods – Agni, Hepaetus, Vulcan

Goddess – Brigit, Peleand Vesta

A Bold New Look

With the changing of the seasons comes a change within ourselves.  Most of us can feel the tug as the wheel turns.  The new birth of spring and life that seems to spring forth out of us... then followed by the growth the summer months bring.  We all welcome the sun when it finally returns to us on a more frequent schedule in the first few months of spring yet as summer starts to fall upon us the heat also comes.  The Summer Solstice brings longer days which in turn means more hours of sunshine and thus more heat.

When Wendy suggested a change of look for our little site,I was glad to help out.  Sprucing up a spot of any kind is something I sort of have a love for.  As I looked through the vast array of options for us I wanted to keep it true to our content and the aire we have created.  I found many templates which spoke to me yet I kept coming back to the one chosen. 

The brillant orange and reds seemed to call to me more and more. The time of the Leo commensed recently in the latter part of July and will continue through most of August.  I have always been attracted to a strong Leo, especially the males.  Although they have not always turned out to be my most successful relationships.  I guess it is the Scorpio in me that finds them so alluring and spikes my curiousity.  It is probably also the Scorpio in me that eventually decides that the relationship is not one that necessarily needs to be continued.  Yet I can look back fondly on the few that I have had and smile that devilish smile that any Scorpio can. 

You may have also noticed that we have started a round of posts on the four elements.  Moon Storm over at Witchy Mama was kind enough to start us off with the element of air. It is nice to have a new face and a fresh voice to share some of her wisdom with us all.   My draw was the element of fire.  Another representation of the Leo.  I am eager to dive in deeper to its meaning as I prepare my post for the next week. 

When I first agreed to refresh the look of Ewitch I really was thinking of a more summer look.  The green thing you know and all the growth that is taking place. Although really full blown summer is more like the dog days of summer.  Unless of course you are lucky enough to live in the far north, yet even they had a taste of the heat of summer. 

I hope that the look I feel I was led to use is a sign of what is to come with the content of Ewitch for the next few months, as we begin our descent into the coming Fall and Samhain.  A bit of a detour into the more juicier topics that we all wonder about yet at times are too timid to ask about. 

I have always loved a good adventure and it appears we may be about to embark on just that.  A big thank you to Wendy!!  Who in the absence of all others at Ewitch kept the home fires burning and her pen hard at work. Her lovely way with words kept us all on the edge of our seats at times.