Fire fascinates me….I could stare into the flickering, dancing flames for hours….
Fire transforms; it can both create and consume. Perhaps the fascination stems from a natural instinct to master & control it’s instability.
Necessary for our day to day living; but also it’s magic is brought into our celebrations. We have roaring fires at the Winter Solstice and Christmas time. A candle is lit as we say our morning verse before we begin our day’s work and who could say no to roasted marshmallows at the end of a long, sun-soaked day?
Four of the pre Christian festivals are fire festivals, testifying to the importance of fire in our ancestors lives; Imbolc, (the return of spring) Beltaine, (fertility festival) Lughnasadh (the beginning of the harvest) & Samhain (the end of the harvest, the beginning of winter). Bonfires were lit and feasting began…
The girls did plenty of feasting on roasted marshmallows and s’mores whilst daddy & I chatted. I took time to knit of course!
I love how fire has the ability to draw us together, to bring us close as a family. Sharing the warm summer evenings outdoors, or cuddled up beside the hearth on a chilled winter night.
Many of our ancestors believed in fire elementals…do you see our own fire fairy….?
