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The Story of Humans and Sacred Fire
When we gather around the fire, sometimes people ask an important question: What is at the heart of gathering together as human beings that involves Fire? Why Fire? Why Fire Now?
It’s a story as old as we are human beings. We see echoes of the same story in the sacred narratives of indigenous peoples and many other spiritual traditions.
Once upon a time there was a natural, mysterious world that existed before humanity arrived. During this time we were part of nature and moved in the world just like the other animals. But, we didn’t have claws, fangs or wings. We didn’t run on all fours or live in the water. We didn’t have fur like the others. We lived in a primal wilderness like a garden of Eden yet moved and roamed the land without shelter or center.
Then something amazing happened that would change our way of life forever. Fire arrived in our lives and we developed a special relationship with fire. Through the gift of fire we now had light in the darkness, and warmth in the cold. How and what we ate changed as we began to cook our food. Amazingly, this presence was much more than utilitarian.
We began to gather in circle and found ourselves with the capacity to see the world in a different way than the rest of creation. Instead of living in the immediate flow of the world like the rest of creation, we were able to ‘step back’ and reflect. For the first time, we could think about how to gather food or build shelter. We could plan and coordinate our actions. We could think about how to do things differently or better. This “mind” that we found ourselves with became endlessly creative as a tool that could be applied to many practical situations. We built many types of shelter. We made clothing, hunted with implements, grew crops and organized ourselves in fruitful ways; not only allowing us to survive, but to thrive through methods the other animals didn’t have. However, this gift of the mind (and our capacity to reflect and see that we see) would change our world forever.
This gift produced a split from the mysterious living creation of the world, leaving us feeling separate from others and with the potential to feel disconnected from the sense of who we are and how to move in the world in a good way. This gift came at a very high price. The voice of the mind, sometimes called the ego, left to its own agenda, produced extraordinary suffering and destruction.
But, The Spirit of Fire knew we were going to get into trouble so Spirit gave us five basic antidotes to the drawbacks of this gift of the mind. We were given:
Wisdom: To help us live a good life though it would have to be earned and learned. Wisdom would illuminate the natural blindness and selfishness of the mind and show us how to better understand life, the world, each other and ourselves.
The Traditions: The various ways that people in community hold wisdom, preserve it and pass it on to future generations. This includes how we work with wisdom as an ever unfolding mystery of life that produces change.
Specialized Emotions: Courage to overcome the natural insecurity of the mind. Gratitude to honor what we receive. Humor and laughter so the burden of our separation would be lightened. We were given deep grief in order to help us let go of loss.
Ceremony: To help us transcend our sense of separation and feel more closely connected to the mystery of the world, unperceivable by our minds.
Keeping Fire: An expression of heart, connection and transformation in order to keep us open when doubts and fear cloud our minds.
For some, special plants were also gifted to accompany these 5 antidotes. For thousands of years throughout the many lands, people lived and remained devoted to these 5 gifts as they were born, lived, shared with others and passed on from this world.
For a long time, the mind gave us great advantages yet it was balanced by Wisdom, Tradition, Ceremony, Special Emotions and Keeping Fire so that life could continue in a good way. However, over time, the voice of the mind grew louder and louder and led to imbalance:
-
Wisdom was cast in doubt and later confused with information.
-
Cultures dedicated to living in wisdom were overrun, neglected and forgotten.
-
Emotions became misunderstood and controlled.
-
Ceremony was misjudged, unappreciated or forgotten.
-
Keeping Fire became feared or relegated to being utilitarian.
Even in this time of great material and financial prosperity people felt increasingly disconnected from themselves, each other and the natural world. The individual’s and community’s sense of purpose and meaning began to fade, while confusion, distrust, and false knowing arose in its place.
We are living in these times of confusion and imbalance NOW.
The spirit of fire often known as Grandfather Fire has once again appeared to help us in this time of difficulty and need–to help us balance the mind with the wisdom of heart.
Out of this inspiration and guidance, the diverse international community known as Sacred Fire was formed to support humanity’s connection to heart through fire throughout the stages and cycles of life. A sacred place in the Catskill Mountains for learning and healing in the ways of spirit, called Blue Deer Center, was born.
A very old story
Sacred Fire and Humans
When we gather around the fire, sometimes people ask an important question: What is at the heart of gathering together as human beings that involves Fire? Why Fire? Why Fire Now?
It’s a story as old as we are human beings. We see echoes of the same story in the sacred narratives of indigenous peoples and many other spiritual traditions.
Once upon a time there was a natural, mysterious world that existed before humanity arrived. During this time we were part of nature and moved in the world just like the other animals. But, we didn’t have claws, fangs or wings. We didn’t run on all fours or live in the water. We didn’t have fur like the others. We lived in a primal wilderness like a garden of Eden yet moved and roamed the land without shelter or center.
Then something amazing happened that would change our way of life forever. Fire arrived in our lives and we developed a special relationship with fire. Through the gift of fire we now had light in the darkness, and warmth in the cold. How and what we ate changed as we began to cook our food. Amazingly, this presence was much more than utilitarian.
We began to gather in circle and found ourselves with the capacity to see the world in a different way than the rest of creation. Instead of living in the immediate flow of the world like the rest of creation, we were able to ‘step back’ and reflect. For the first time, we could think about how to gather food or build shelter. We could plan and coordinate our actions. We could think about how to do things differently or better. This “mind” that we found ourselves with became endlessly creative as a tool that could be applied to many practical situations. We built many types of shelter. We made clothing, hunted with implements, grew crops and organized ourselves in fruitful ways; not only allowing us to survive, but to thrive through methods the other animals didn’t have. However, this gift of the mind (and our capacity to reflect and see that we see) would change our world forever.
This gift produced a split from the mysterious living creation of the world, leaving us feeling separate from others and with the potential to feel disconnected from the sense of who we are and how to move in the world in a good way. This gift came at a very high price. The voice of the mind, sometimes called the ego, left to its own agenda, produced extraordinary suffering and destruction.
But, The Spirit of Fire knew we were going to get into trouble so Spirit gave us five basic antidotes to the drawbacks of this gift of the mind. We were given:
Wisdom: To help us live a good life though it would have to be earned and learned. Wisdom would illuminate the natural blindness and selfishness of the mind and show us how to better understand life, the world, each other and ourselves.
The Traditions: The various ways that people in community hold wisdom, preserve it and pass it on to future generations. This includes how we work with wisdom as an ever unfolding mystery of life that produces change.
Specialized Emotions: Courage to overcome the natural fear in the mind. Gratitude to honor what we receive. Humor and laughter so the burden of our separation would be lightened. We were given deep grief in order to help us let go of loss.
Ceremony: To help us transcend our sense of separation and feel more closely connected to the mystery of the world, unperceivable by our minds.
Keeping Fire: An expression of heart, connection and transformation in order to keep us open when doubts and fear cloud our minds.
For some, special plants were also gifted to accompany these 5 antidotes. For thousands of years throughout the many lands, people lived and remained devoted to these 5 gifts as they were born, lived, shared with others and passed on from this world.
For a long time, the mind gave us great advantages yet it was balanced by Wisdom, Tradition, Ceremony, Special Emotions and Keeping Fire so that life could continue in a good way. However, over time, the voice of the mind grew louder and louder and led to imbalance:
-
Wisdom was cast in doubt and later confused with information.
-
Cultures dedicated to living in wisdom were overrun, neglected and forgotten.
-
Emotions became misunderstood and controlled.
-
Ceremony was misjudged, unappreciated or forgotten, and
-
Keeping Fire became feared or relegated to being utilitarian.
Even in this time of great material and financial prosperity people felt increasingly disconnected from themselves, each other and the natural world. The individual’s and community’s sense of purpose and meaning began to fade, while confusion, distrust, and false knowing arose in its place.
We are living in these times of confusion and imbalance NOW.
The spirit of fire often known as Grandfather Fire has once again appeared to help us in this time of difficulty and need–to help us balance the mind with the wisdom of heart.
Out of this inspiration and guidance, the diverse international community known as Sacred Fire was formed to support humanity’s connection to heart through fire throughout the stages and cycles of life. A sacred place in the Catskill Mountains for learning and healing in the ways of spirit, called Blue Deer Center, was born.