Of The Element of Fire

The element of Fire is associated with the south. Like the element of air, fire is associated with the masculine gender and the yang in the yin-yang symbol. It can still be argued that elements are adaptable to the opposable gender and therefore can be associated with either the masculine or the feminine. The qualities of fire are considered hot and dry, light and active but fire can also be in liquid form such as that found in lava.

The primary color associated with fire is red; while fire is also associated with yellow and orange. Still, fire can also be associated with the blue that is produced by intense heat or the greens and purples that can be seen in a flame at a campfire. Finally, white can also be associated with the fire; something that is "white hot" and white flames are common in the element of fire.

In the Witches Pyramid the element of fire is associated with the concept "to will," and the will is understood as humankind's "inner fire.” In terms of the pentacle, fire is demarked by the third point of the pentacle on the left, just beneath the point that marks the element of air. It has been argued by Deborah Lipp in, The Way of the Four, that fire "has no natural home on earth" and that "Air rules the sky, the Water rules the sea, and the Earth rules the land," and that fire stands apart from the geography. In truth, Fire has a natural home within the body of the earth, deep within its core. Lipp also asserts that "Fire is the outsider; it is out of control, and it conforms to no known rules.” Such a statement is not necessarily true – since fire requires air to feed – without it the fire dies. Such an idea can be extrapolated to the concept that for one "to will," they must "know”; for one to act responsibly, they must have knowledge to support the action. While it is true that fire can be quite volatile, it is untrue that the element does not conform to general rules.

On a mundane level, fire is associated with the heart, the spine, and the mind. Fire is in the "spark of life," it is in the electrical impulses that make the mind work, and it is in the nervous system – aiding communication between the mind and body. Fire is also part of the circulatory system since the heart relies on electrical impulses to beat and to circulate blood. Fire can also be connected to pain: a fiery pain or burning is often felt in injuries and while pain is often viewed negatively, pain has positive attributes: without pain the body would have no warning system in place to keep injuries to a minimum. Meanwhile, Fire is also associated with seeing – the eyes see via light waves, and without light, sight is not possible. The idea that fire is associated with sight can be extrapolated to the sixth sense of clairvoyance: the act of "clear seeing." Fire is clearly part of pyrokinesis and fire is also noted in some reports pertaining to poltergeist activity. Meanwhile, fire is also related to the not yet understood phenomena of spontaneous combustion. Magickally speaking, fire is associated with pyromancy (also known as causimancy and lampadomancy) and candle magick. Other forms of divination associated with the element of fire include: anthracomancy (divination using burning coals), astromancy, (divination via the stars), botanomancy (divination via burning branches), and ceromancy (divination via wax drippings).

The element of fire is represented by an equilateral triangle pointing upward. The triangle symbol is empty thereby signifying both the destructive and purifying nature of the element of fire. The hours of the day associated with the fire are from noon to dusk and the magickal tool associated with fire is the sword. As mentioned previously in "Of the Element of Air," some practitioners argue that the sword is an air tool, while others clearly count the sword as a fire tool. In the Tarot cards, the swords represent strife and are associated with the fire element.

The season associated with fire is the summer: the season for harvesting. Spiritually, the fire is parallel to the Mother aspect of the Triple Goddess, and the father aspect of the God. Fire is represented through deities like the Hawaiian Goddess Pele, and Hestia, the Goddess of the Home and Hearth. Fire is associated with love, with passion and with rapture and is therefore associated with Goddesses like Aphrodite, Venus, and with Gods like Zeus, Apollo, Hephaestus, Ra, and Vulcan. The elemental associated with fire is the salamander: a concept first defined by Paracelsus.

People are often said to be "fired up with enthusiasm," "all fired up with anger," or when completely confident and ready to move forward an individual is said to be "sure fired." Fire is the "celestial fire of consciousness”; and those individuals that are not fully conscious of the consequences of his or her actions is said to be going "out of the pan and into the fire."

Fire is an element that is linked with instinct; the will to live, the drive of passion that fuels inspiration. Fire destroys but purifies: when thinking of a forest fire the fire destroys the trees and plant life but provides the ground with nourishment so that nature can be renewed.

The Celtics called fire "deas" and the element is associated with the planet Mars; this is due to the fact that there is much iron on Mars, making the planet seem red in color. Fire is therefore associated with the God Mars and it is also linked to continuous change and transformation due to the element's ever changing form. The phoenix represents the element of fire: a creature that is associated with both Apollo and the Egyptian God Ra. The phoenix is a bird that, when it senses its own death, creates a nest and sets it on fire, being consumed by the flames. From the ashes a new phoenix emerges – this is symbolic of the properties of fire.

Summary of Fire Associations [by no means all inclusive]

Mundane Senses: Seeing

Mundane Manifestations: Visual

Sixth Senses: Clairvoyance

Practical applications: Candle Meditations, Warmth, Healing

Fire Colors: Red, Orange, Yellow, Blue, Green, and White

Elemental: Salamander

Season: Summer

Goddess Aspect: Mother

God Aspect: Father

Goddesses: Hestia – Goddess of Home and Hearth, Pele – Hawaiian Volcano, Goddess, The Greco-Roman Goddess Nemesis, The Roman Goddess Vesta, and The Goddess Brigit

Gods: Zeus God of the Sky and Lightening, Hephaestus – God of Blacksmiths , Apollo – God of the Son, Ra – Egyptian God of the Sun, Prometheus, and Horus, Vulcan

Cardinal Direction: South

South Wind: Notus

Magickal Tools: Athame, Sword, and Candles

Instruments: synthesizer, electric guitar, string instruments

Zodiac Symbols: Aries, Sagittarius, and Leo

Animals: Scorpions, Snakes, Reptiles, Fox, Ram, Bees

Mythical Animals: Dragon, Phoenix

Pyramid: To Will

Daytime: The Noontide Hour up until Dusk

Stones: Fire opal, Fire citrine, lava, obsidian, red jasper and tiger's eye among many others

Metals: Brass, Gold, Iron among others

Herbs and Plants: Alder, Allspice, Amaranth, Anemone, Angelica, Asafoetida, Ash, Avens, Basil, Bay, Betony, Black Snakeroot, Blood root, Cactus, Carnation, Carrot, Cashew, Cat tail, Cedar, Celandine, Celery, Centaury, Chestnut, Chili Pepper, Chrysanthemum, Cinnamon, Cinquefoil, Clove, Copal, Coriander, Cumin, Curry, Dill, Dragon's Blood, Fennel, Fig, Flax, Frankincense, Galangal, Garlic, Gentian, Ginger, Ginseng, Golden Seal, Hawthorn, Heliotrope, Holly, Hyssop, Juniper, Lime and Mandrake among the many.

Aspect of the Pentacle: The third point on the left of the pentacle

Tarot: The Suit of Swords

Things that Fall Under the Ruler ship of Fire:

• The Heart
• The Mind
• The Spine
• The Nervous System
• The Circulatory system
• Visualization

Magickal Pursuits:

• Trance
• Pyromancy
• Candle magick
• Healing
• Sex Magick
• Anthracomancy
• Astromancy
• Botanomancy
• ceromancy

Paranormal Experiences:

• Clairvoyance
• Spontaneous Combustion
• Pyrokenisis
• Poltergeist activity

Extremes in the Element of Fire:

• Agitation
• Aggression
• Anger
• Egotistical behavior
• Narcissism
• Uncontrollable lust
• Obsession
• Ruthlessness
• Vindictiveness
• Confusion and flightiness
• Insomnia
• Violence

Opposite Extremes in the Element of Fire:

• A lack of will
• A lack of passion
• A lack of drive
• A lack of enthusiasm
• apathy

Works Cited:

Lipp, Deborah. The Way of the Four, Llewellyn Publications. Woodbury:
Minnesota. 2006.

Websites:

Fire Correspondences: http://www.asiya.org/firecorrespondences.html

Fire Correspondences:

http://www.angelfire.com/dragon2/awakeningofthemoon/Fire_Correspondences.html

Encyclopedia Mythica: http://www.pantheon.org/articles/p/phoenix.html