Fire Magic

I loved everything about summer camp when I was young. Well, almost everything. I wasn’t a fan of the latrines. But other than that, I loved it.

I went to a camp near Eagle River, Wisconsin, called Northern Hills. It was a Girl Scout camp, so no boys.

When we arrived, we chose a camp name that everyone called us for those two weeks. Mel. Kermit. Farm. Dusk. I was Felix.

Each day we’d swim in the freezing cold lake. We’d learn about the native plants and trees. We’d hike. We’d sing. And we’d do all sorts of things with fire.

We would cook over the fire. And I’m not talking about weenies on a stick. We made some pretty sophisticated fare using a reflecting oven.

There were contests to see who could build and light a fire the fastest. I was good at that.

There were huge bonfires at night that we would sit around and sing.

It was magic.

Being drawn to a fire seems to be hardwired into us. We have fireplaces inside and firepits in our yards. We love to cook over a fire on the grill. For romance, we light candles. It’s the heat. The flickering and ever-changing light. The smoke.

Fire can also be used for ritual magic. For releasing. For cleansing. Here are some ideas.

Write an intention on a slip of paper. You can decorate it to deepen your connection to it, if you like. Place the paper under a candle in glass. These can be found in the Latinx section of many grocery stores. Or you can use what are called chime or altar or spell candles. They are bigger than birthday candles but thinner and shorter than tapers. You’ll need the proper holders for those. Either way, put a plate under them because you are going to let them burn all the way out. As you light the candle, speak your intention.

I like to light a candle to mark the start of a sacred time such as before meditating or at the end of the work week to remind me to take a “sabbath.”

If there are emotions you’d like to release, write them out. I find it’s best to be as raw as you’re feeling. This isn’t the time for flowery prose. If you want to scrawl Fuck forty-seven times on the page, do it. You can then burn the pages in a fire you build, or light them in your kitchen sink, or in a cauldron. Just remember: Safety pays in many ways.

You can send a desire off into the Universe to be fulfilled by writing a word or two on a leaf or tying a small piece of paper to a sprig of herb. Use lavender to attract love and devotion, for example. Or spearmint for wealth. Or rosemary to help you make a decision.

Fire can also be used for meditation, staring into it with a softened gaze, entering a liminal space where ideas and answers can flow to you.

There is also magic to be found in simply sitting by a fire with those you love, either romantically or platonically. It opens our souls to the mysteries in the depths we share and allows us to feel connected.