A Daily Look Within – Day 15
In addition to Fire’s many uses in our daily lives, it has many applications in devotional and spiritual/magical ceremonies. By example, in the Catholic church, an altar server uses a lighter to start each candle on the altar. These candles are blessed and sit on the altar and are only used during the Mass. They are then extinguished, usually with a snuffer often located on the other side of the lighter. In magical work, an altar or sacred space is designated by blessing in a similar fashion and with similar (if not more) attention paid to candles and light. In various workings and for various reasons, right down to the day of the week, the intention, or deity being invoked, the type of candle color and its placement on the altar can vary. In ancient cultures, Fires, torches, and lights were used more fundamentally in everyday life; not just ceremonially.
In contemplating Fire/Flame applications, one can appreciate how history and evolution itself have played a part in how and when we use it. With modern lighting conveniences “at the flick of a switch,” the necessity of using open Flame has almost become a luxury, or even non-existent. In our more “advanced” cultures, we have moved away from actively using live Fire for everyday use; primarily due to safety reasons. Before re-learning how vital Fire truly is, it was quite easy for me to go for extremely long lengths of time without thinking on it or using it. I can remember, in the past, going for so very long without using a candle. The exceptions, of course, being birthday cakes, or if the lights went out. Okay, there’s the whole gas stove thing, but who really sits there contemplating a round, blue ring under a pot, pan, or kettle?
