by Nancy Robbins
ELEMENT PERSONALITIES, HOMES, and GIFTS SERIES
THE FIRE ELEMENT – the Power of Spirit and Transformation
Fire is the Power of the South. Power of Transformation – releasing old patterns and habits, and embracing the new. Fire has been used in purification ceremonies since the dawn of time and many religions associated it with divinity – the sacred flame. It is the spark of life and has the power of renewal. Fire is a catalyst for change and a transformer as it consumes its fuel. One of the greatest symbols for transformation is the phoenix rising anew from the ashes. Fire is radiance and vibrant energy, light, and transmutation – the power of Spirit.
FIRE CORRESPONDENCES
Key Words: Motivation, Action, Growth, Transformation, Radiance, Vitality, Expansion, Nurture, Trust, Abundance, Energy, Fruitfulness, Activity, Passion, Protection, Desire, Enthusiasm.
Direction: South
Season: Summer
Time: Noon
Moon phase: first quarter
Planets: Mars, Pluto
Gender: Masculine.
Colors: Red and Orange.
Senses: Sight.
Instruments: Stringed instruments
Creatures: dragon, lizard, snake, lion, ram, phoenix.
Natural Symbols: flame, lava, sun, stars.
Trees: oak, hawthorn.
Herbs/Oils: basil, bay, pepper, garlic, hyssop, juniper, rosemary, rue, cinnamon, clove.
Incense: frankincense, cinnamon, basil.
Metals: Brass, Gold, Wrought Iron, Stainless steel, Aluminum
Minerals: Red Carnelian, Yellow & Gold Fluorite, Fire Opal, Lava rock, Garnet, Sunstone.
Signs: Aries, Leo, Sagittarius.
Spirit Guides: Sun Gods – Helios, Apollo, Lugh, Bridget – Celtic goddess of the triple flame – spring, fertility, and life, Pele – goddess fire and volcanoes, Vulcan – god of the fire and the forge, Hestia/Vesta – goddess of the hearth and strength in women.
Archangel representing the South: Archangel Michael – Warrior of the Sacred Flames, Angel of Protection, Justice, and Strength. He gives protection and helps us transform by releasing and cutting our cords to fear, worry, and doubt with his blue flaming sword.
Fire Elementals: Salamanders, Spirits of Light, Muses
There is a varying hierarchy within fire elementals. Salamanders are found everywhere, and they are not the lizard type animal. No fire is lit without their help. No heat exists without them. Mostly, they are active underground and internally within the body and mind awakening spiritual energy or as a catalyst where energy is needed. They work with humans and the world through heat, fire, and flame – they are the essence that enables the flame to burn. They are responsible for all lightning, heat, explosions, and volcanoes. These elementals often have snake like movements within the dancing flames, as if extending out of the fire itself. They are full of passion and enthusiasm and for this reason are sometimes considered dangerous as their unpredictability can be disconcerting. However, when respected they are generous and warm- hearted. Higher level fire elementals are Spirits of Light that transmit light. Fire is not only flames and combustion but also radiating light, and it also has to do with enlightenment and with the world made visible through light. Even higher levels of fire elementals are Muses – spirits of Inspiration. They are mediators between intuitions flowing from the angelic world and the patterns from the cosmic blueprint.
The Fire Elemental Within: We have a salamander assigned to us for life. They work with the physical body by stimulating radiant energy through it. They relate to the heart and the circulatory system in the human body, as well as maintaining proper body temperature, and they are present when healing occurs especially where heat is needed or used. Fire elementals also work to maintain our spiritual body. They stimulate high spirituality, faith, and enthusiasm. It works with the body’s metabolism for greater health. A slow metabolism is often an indication of sluggish salamander activity within the body, and a quick metabolism is an indication of great salamander activity. A good connection and relationship with your inner salamander will stimulate vitality and loyalty, assist in greater confidence, strong aspirations, and spirituality. Too little a connection with your personal fire elemental will show in a lack of spiritedness, lack of faith and pessimism in your life. Too strong a connection may bring a lack of self-control, restlessness, and over-activity leading to burnout. It is best to connect with them through tranquility. They love to be a muse to inspire music composition and the written word and to help give us vision.
Salamanders love the smell of burning wood and spicy odors such as cinnamon and nutmeg. Candles, lanterns, and mirrors are attractive to them.
Djinn rules the Salamanders, is a servant of Archangel Michael and is a great Fire giant for protection. Adonai is the elemental king of Fire.
Fire Qualities:
Fire can be a flame or a conflagration – it destroys to create anew, it transforms, and thereby is a great purifier. It is warm and welcoming and when it is out of control can be dangerous as well. Fire rules the South, the direction of the sun’s fiercest heat (in the Northern hemisphere) and is related to motivation and taking physical action as in “setting a fire under you”, creativity, and the fires of passion. Fire enables you with passion and action to manifest your goals, dreams, and desires. It is quick acting. It symbolizes the spark within – the spirit within, the creative spark, the inner child. It gives your action courage, faith, and strength. Air fans its flames, but it needs earth to contain it. Water alone can put it out.
The Sun: In ancient times fire was thought to be a gift from the gods that carried the spark of life and the power of renewal and the sun was considered the sacred source of this fire. The sun was not only a source of light and warmth, but was considered a god. The Egyptians called the sun Ra. In Greek mythology Apollo was the sun god who would fly across the heavens each day in his fiery chariot. Then, as now, the sun is recognized as a source of life. We are affected by the cycle of day and night, as well as the monthly and yearly cycles of the seasons, which are al governed by the sun. It is important to be aware of the cycle of light and darkness within your home, and to find ways to utilize it to your best advantage – devoting rooms of social activity to benefit from cheery sunlight and rooms for rest and retreat placed in cooler, shadier areas of your home.
Home Hearth: Sacred Fire. Since earliest times humans have gathered around fires. A fire created a circle of light and warmth that fostered a sense of community. Similarly, the hearth was usually in the center of the home and served as a focal point for family life. Using fire in our homes connects us to these primal memories.
The Fire Personality:
If fire is your dominant element, you are passionate and intense. You are active, faithful, and trustworthy. You tend to be an intuitive visionary looking toward the future. Fire people need time to be alone and replenish – so they will seek privacy often and protect their privacy fiercely. They get right to the truth of a matter directly. They are courageous, optimistic, and have the pioneering spirit. Without constant stimulation they stagnate – a fire that stops moving is dead. They often seem to be hyperactive, volatile, and overpowering. Some become too intense and burn themselves out. They will often initiate a project and then become bored and are often very self-critical.
The Fire Home:
In a home the Sacred Fire is the hearth of the home whether it is found in a fireplace, a group of lit candles, the flame in a gas stove, electricity in an electric stove, or home lights. The fire element is found in kitchens, fireplaces, boiler rooms, and areas of intense activities such as athletic fields, creative studios, and playrooms. Fire presides over the southern quarter of a room or building. There are two types of Fire homes: One is the Sanctuary Fire Home – it is private, sanctuary-like, calming, rich and eclectic, and the second is the Abstract Fire Home –it is erratic, bright, vibrant, sharp, and brilliant, and abstract in style.
Sanctuary Home: People who have Fire as their predominant element have an intense level of high energy and a need to privately replenish it. They therefore create their homes as a place of retreat and privacy. A fire that is too big burns out of control and needs containment, and focus. Lighting is used to create focus in a room and becomes an important aspect of design. Lighting will be used with muted or dimmed lights as with candles (as a single candle flame in the dark commands focus), varied with spotlighting and bright vibrant lights and colored light bulbs. Fire energy is controlled in the lighting with dimmer switches. The need for privacy dictates the design with hidden rooms, contained and intimate space. Due to their intuitive nature the home carries an atmosphere of spirituality. Objects are symmetrically found clustered resembling altars. A Fire home may have some of the same classic quality items found in an Air home, but will be casually grouped together or in an eclectic group, rather than a formal arrangement. Curtains and fabrics are made of rich fabric generously and gracefully swagged to create a feel of abundance and luxury.
Fire Style for Sanctuary Fire Home: A Sanctuary fire home accentuates focused lighting with candles or dimmed lights and has a rich, eclectic feel especially with fabrics and textures. Shapes accentuating fire energy are triangular. Elegant accessories such as tasseled cushions, gilded Buddhas, chandeliers, canopy beds, and jewel-like glass are found in this home.
- Building Style: Tudor, Baroque, chateaux, eclectic mix of the old and the new. Symmetric, traditional architecture using brick, stone, and wood construction.
- Colors used: This home uses colors that are monochromatic schemes of rich shades of any color.
- Metals used: Gold, wrought iron, copper.
- Surrounding landscape: Gardens are small private areas with beautiful gates of wood or iron with softly monochromatic colors and are lush.
- Natural Environment: In the natural world the fire element most presides in deserts, hot springs, cliffs, dramatic landscapes, and volcanoes.
Abstract Home: Another type of Fire home plays with fire more flamboyantly and is less contained. This home has hard edges, brilliant and intense splashes of color, and is more modern and abstract in style. It is a high energy and exhilarating home.
Fire Style for Abstract Fire Home: This home has hard edges and vibrant erratic colors creating a sharp intensity. Due to the high energy in this home, there are usually no carpets or curtains. There is an erratic and dizzying combination of color, textures, smells, and sound. Accessories are usually modern sculpture, large bold paintings, shark angled, and lots of electrical equipment. Fabrics create a visual clash, as with ziz-zags, checks, and have bright, electric colors.
- Building Style: Modern, highly dramatic.
- Colors used: Vibrant, bright colors.
- Metals used: stainless steel, aluminum.
- Surround landscape: Gardens have a modernistic layout as with multi-leveled terraces and use dramatic plantings and succulents and cacti.
- Natural Environment: In the natural world the fire element most presides in deserts, hot springs, cliffs, dramatic landscapes, and volcanoes.
USING THE GIFTS OF THE FIRE ELEMENT
There are many ways to use the masculine energy of the fire element to purify, and actively energize your space, here are a few:
- Let sunshine flood into a space to energize it and increase your health and vitality.
- Use color liberally in decoration or in your clothes – especially the warm colors of reds, oranges, and yellows. Color is an aspect of fire because it is part of the electromagnetic spectrum of the sun.
- Color Walk: Go for a walk on a sunny clear day and visually connect with your surroundings. Examine all the colors you find in nature. Take note of which colors affect you the most.
- Burn away negative emotion: Take a piece of paper and write on it any obstacles, fears, worries, or doubts that you would like to release, then carefully burn the paper to release them.
- Get active: Get physically active and do your favorite form of exercise, or dance.
- Candle Flame Transformation: Sit by a fire or flame of a candle and observe its nature. Allow it to symbolically burn away any obstacles to your freedom of manifesting your desires and rekindle your active passion for achieving your goals. Let its flames invigorate your courage, passion, and hope in attaining your heart’s desires. The flames can also symbolically burn away the old patterns and energy in a room. Once the room is cleared you can also use the flame to dedicate energy to a room to enlighten it, bring light and warmth, or focus on protection and burning away any darkness. Combining the power of fire with the energy of color (another fire element) will add to the potency of your intent. Here is a quick reference for color:
Red – stimulates physical activity and vitality, for courage, strength, and passion.
Orange – stimulates camaraderie and enthusiasm, for joy, optimism, and creativity.
Yellow – stimulates philosophical conversation, increased concentration, wisdom, self-confidence, self-worth.
Green – stimulates feelings of balance, harmony, health, growth.
Blue – serenity, peace, inner truth, relaxation.
Purple – psychic awareness, deepens intuition, meditation.
White – for spiritual awakening and connection, purifying.
Black – absorbs negativity, protection.
- Symbolic images: Place pictures of the sun, stars, lightning, and fire in the home.
- Crystal Prisms: Hang crystals in the windows to make rainbow fire energy.
- Reduce EMF exposure: Reduce your exposure to electromagnetic fields in your home (it can decrease the number of immune cells, decrease hormone production, and cause changes in genetic RNA, possibly increase growth of cancer cells.) Stay a few feet away from them.