A Fire Ceremony
Performing a fire ceremony is a powerful way to bring to completion that which we no longer need. It is a ritual that allows us to acknowledge the work we have done – all that we have let go of and cleared, and all that we have gained.
We can perform a fire ceremony when we feel ready to make a change in our lives. It is a way to visually express what we want to leave behind, and what we want to carry forward. In a fire ceremony we can honor our old way of being, while supporting our movement into a new way of being.
A fire ceremony is one of my favorite rituals. I write down on small pieces of paper old beliefs and thought patterns, or any themes in my life that I want to let go of. I place the papers in a fire bowl and burn them one by one, expressing out loud my understanding of these patterns, what I learned, and why I no longer need to carry them forward. I express gratitude for how these patterns served me in the past. I free them with the realization that they are no longer needed in my life.
A fire ceremony can be performed in a fire bowl, a pot over the stove, in a wood stove or fireplace, or at an outside fire pit. Be aware that even the smallest breeze can blow your papers outside of its container, so stay very present during this ceremony.
The purpose of a fire ceremony is not only to completely let go of old beliefs and thought patterns we have shifted, but also to remind our brain and body that we want to move forward with new thoughts, and the ability to take action in a new way.
Performing a ritual is a powerful way to summarize what lessons we have learned, and to feel gratitude for these teachings. It is a time to honor ourselves and the changes we have made. It is a time to reflect upon how we will carry the wisdom we have gained into the future.
Before I move on to the second part of the fire ceremony, I will burn sage or cedar to clear the energy of my body and the environment. In the second part of the ceremony, I focus on what new thoughts, choices and actions I will carry forward. I write in a journal a summary of my new way of being. I visualize it as if I am seeing a movie of my new life:
How do I look?
How do I feel?
What am I thinking?
What am I focusing my attention on?
How am I spending my time each day?
As the fire ceremony comes to an end, I reflect upon how I will reinforce this new way of being in my mind and body memory.
Performing a ritual offers us the space we need in our daily lives to reflect upon what is most important to us. It is a powerful way to express our deepest intentions, and to determine what we need to support our intentions to move from thought into action.
Photograph by Gleb Lukomets
