#fire deities

Fire, the spark, the radiation, the energy that animates the world. Fire moves underneath the surface of the earth; the sun fire warms the earth, and we depend on it for life. Humans have always revered the fire. Fire was originally stolen from the sky, lightning struck trees were the main source before mankind learnt to create flames. With fire humans were capable of defend themselves from wild animals, to cook raw meat, to have a light in the darkness and a warm place in the cold weather. Fire is a creative and destructive element; it helps and harms, and it is generally assumed that humans began to move towards progress when they discovered fire.

Some of the most common fire spiritual correspondences are:

Orientation: South

 Qualities: Passion, Creativity, Energy, Destruction, Power, Action, Movement, Achievement, Desire, Willpower

Magical Weapon: Athame, Sword, Sickle, Candles, Brazier, Torches, Labrys, Dagger

Rituals: Protection, Purification, Banishing, Courage, Strength, Sexuality, Love

Places: Volcanoes, stars, sun, desert, fireplaces, ovens

Natural elements: lightnings, flames, lava, snakes, crickets, lizards, scorpions, felines,

Tarot: Swords

Rune: Kenaz

Zodiac Signs: Leo, Aries, Sagittarius

Spirits: Dragons, Salamander, Wyvern, Phoenix, Djinn, Chimera.

A time of magic and transformation, sacred to the goddess Brighid, is upon us at the eve of Imbolc, Lá Fhéile Bríde as it is known in Irish and Là Fhèill Brìghde as it is known in Scottish Gaelic. Brighid is one of our oldest and most revered of goddesses, Britain and Brittany are both named after Her, she is the sacred guardian of these countries. Her special festival, Imbolc, is one of the oldest Celtic festivals- one of the most famous sacred sites in Ireland, the mound of the hostages at Tara, built around 3350BC is astronomically aligned to the Imbolc sunrise, and there are several others, showing us that this time has been sacred for thousands of years. Thought to mean ‘in the belly’ Imbolc is a time when the ewes are pregnant and the new lambs are born, and when the year ahead is still pregnant with possibility.

Vesta is the Roman cognate of the revered Greek goddess, Hestia, “first of all divinities to be invoked” in classical rituals. In Greece, they had public hearths called prytaneums that came under the domain of the most revered Hestia, protector of “all innermost things,” according to the great philosopher Pythagoras, who also claimed that her altar fire was the center of the earth. The altar of Vesta in classical Rome was tended by the Vestal Virgins and was also believed to be the very center of the earth. The insignia for the goddess Vesta was an altar table with flames at both ends, forming the Greek letter “pi,” which is the numerological symbol for the Pythagorean sect.

Since Kilauea began its most recent eruption a fortnight ago, we've been hearing a lot in the news about Madame Pele, Lady of Kilauea.

Every pagan should sit up and take notice.

During the 1955 eruption of Hawai'is Mount Kilauea, a large section of Puna was cut off from the rest of the island by two massive lava-flows. As a safety precaution, the authorities evacuated the entire area.

Frequently Asked Question: Why do some American heathens hate Loki?

My Answer: Most Loki-haters hate him because other people taught them to. Of course that begs the question, how did the original teachers of Loki-hate decide to hate Loki? Some of them had bad experiences with Loki or Lokeans, some of them based their opinions of Loki on lore, some of them based their opinions of Loki on a mistaken impression that every pantheon has a Satan figure in it, and some have other reasons. Recently at least some hatred toward Loki and his followers is because of a perception that they are Marvel fangirls and therefore are not serious about Heathenry.

Fire has long been a holy symbol, a representation of the spirit and even the divine.  Fire worship is one of the earliest forms of religion known to humankind – one can almost imagine our ancient ancestors marveling at the sight of a red ember crackling out of a fire and flying up and away into the black night sky.  It just sparks a sense of reverence, doesn’t it?

Long-time readers of this blog have watched me go through a strange journey. After 25 years as Priestess of Freya, comfortable with my spiritual routines, it was weird to suddenly have Loki crack open my head and funnel all the other gods in, all because I walked out of a movie saying, "I bet I could write something more authentic than that."