Fire Ceremony
Sometimes the simplest ritual can feel so good.
For balance in life, I crave awareness of nature, of the sacred nature of life, of the sacred nature of self… Let me share a moment of mindfulness with you in this post.
Take it to the fire.
It’s been rainy up here in the mountains, and last night I lit a small fire in the wood stove. My children even asked me to light a fire. The warmth felt so good!
Before kids, I used to do a lot of fire ceremony. Well, maybe not a lot, but I celebrated the moon cycle more intentionally than I do now. And fire is such a cleansing element—a transforming one. Many a time I’ve taken my burden to the fire and let it burn!
Last night I got out a little frankincense, blew gratitude into it, and gave it to the flames. Gave it to the night. A simple thing, but a sweetness that grounded me.
I got out my sage stick and smudged, which my kids love. Always feels good to smudge myself. Need to do it more often.
I sang, and made a pretty circle with some rocks I have hanging out.
Oh, the rocks. My crystal and rock collection has grown since I was a girl. I've got some good ones!
I was thinking of some friends who I know are also into crystals... @bearone, @thekittygirl, @ameliabartlett, @nainaztengra , @zen-art, @eaglespirit, @carrieallen... wouldn't it be fun if we could teleport everyone's crystal collections to one place and make massive grids and sacred circles 'n stuff? (Totally digressing here, just a wild idea that popped into my head.)
Back to my circle of rocks. Several of these big chunks I hauled back from a road trip to Colorado, 11 years ago. There's this place in Estes that sells them by the pound. The rose quartz, the green quartz (left), the bright green dragon stone (not what it’s actually called, but I forget its name), and the shiny stone my hand is on the pic below all came from there.
There's also a stone from Mt. Shasta in that circle. The rock that says "breathe" was made for me by a friend of mine who is a doula and attended the birth of my twins.
I meant to do more, but got distracted by kids, and steemit, and laundry. I could hardly call it a fire ceremony compared to what I used to do, more like a moment of mindfulness, but it still shifted my energy and made me feel more grounded, so it was definitely worthwhile.
What do you do to honour nature. What kind of ritual (or tradition) makes you feel more centered and calm?
Thanks for reading!
Peace. @katrina-ariel
All images mine unless otherwise credited.
Author bio: Katrina Ariel is an old-soul rebel, musician, tree-hugging yogini, and mama bear to twins. Author of Yoga for Dragon Riders (non-fiction) and Wild Horse Heart (romance), she's another free-spirit swimming in the ocean of Steemit.
dragon art: Liiga Smilshkalne
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Yes, love the rock shop in Estes Park, we go up there at least once a year.
Haven't tried the one in Canyon City yet, will add it to the list!
I really like that green one!
Nice! Very cool that you know the shop. And yes, that green shiny rock is something special. Thanks for the comment! :)
What a neat ritual! I always enjoy bonfires, it is so relaxing to stare at the flames, and satisfying to burn up stuff. :)
Love your rock collection too! How cooL!
I agree. Staring at flames in a campfire or in my woodstove is so peaceful. Mesmerizing. And burning things that no longer serve is a great release! Thanks for the comment. :)
I was using my little organite the other day for my back ache and cramps. I've been having massive aches in certain areas of my back these days. Not sure why. The organite helps when I put it on the area.
I need to look into energy and crystals for the equinoxes and solstices. Every solstice, my sleeping pattern is completely backwards and haywire, I'm more balanced at the equinoxes but I'm also more prone to getting sick. I need to do something about it, not sure what.
Hey @binkprod, even a Natural Agate or a Himalayan Rock salt massage will help ease out your back pain
Cool, thanks for the info. I'll try that.
I always thought frankincense was an expensive item, being a gift from the three kings and whotnot? I guess its not as bad compared to gold and myrrh then :)
OOOH fire is in the forefront of my mind at the moment as the volcano here has erupted - she's settling now, but it's definitely brought to the forefront an elemental awareness - fire, water, earth, air - all is keenly felt here as I sit watching all around me! It's so importnt to connect to these rituals to understand more about the self and our relationship to the earth. At the moment the volcano is speaking to me of the fire of destruction and creativity - what a magick abounds!!!
Your rocks are lovely, thank you for thinking about me honey 💚💚💚 Fire is a great element to work with and goes nicely with crystals, I am sure you had a great time 💚
Your rocks are very pretty. This is a wonderful idea.
I usually have a fire on every season change with friends. In particular the winter solstice is a special one.
This year I couldn't do summer because I was traveling. I really missed doing it, probably will do a catch up on July 4th.
wow Great crystal and rock collection you have.
nice article...
Very nice! I always enjoy a good fire ceremony. And I love collecting minerals and gems as well. My collection has been growing pretty big lately, my house is starting to look like a rock quarry lol!
Yay!
This makes me think of one of the best places on earth...
The Gold Mine Rock Shop in Canyon City, Colorado.
I LOVE this place. Chris and I spent several hours here... then went back and spent more (time and money). If you google it you can find AWESOME images of all their rocks and gems (just within google maps).
And maybe we take a trip there... I really like Canyon City... And it's home to BIG BURGER WORLD:
Sexy burger model: @chrisroberts.
And yes, making the time for yourself to just sit and be present is really important... and often overlooked (by all of us). But these kinds of reminders help everyone. It's not the size of the ceremony, but the intention. ❤️
This is one of the awesomest comments ever! Sounds like a plan... at some point I'd love to meet up there! Also, can I please have that burger? Please?