my blog is a series of short essays, not really time-sensitive journaling, but i have moved this one up because it is quite important to me. i am concerned about right livelihood and about aligned ritual. i am not sure what to say to or about the large and powerful community of beautiful "alternative" people drawn together by a huge bonfire, with what acknowledgement of the atmosphere.

i urge others to learn to pray and make carbon-neutral ritual by burning the internal fire of life in our own bodies. for example, we can burn carbs and offer our sweat on the altar of the dance floor or the bike ride in the intention of bringing healing to the earth and all our relations. this is a strong way to pray. check it out.

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Fossilosopher
Wed, April 5, 2006

what is happening when we light a fire to mark the specialness of a prayer or a celebration?

what are the qualities of fire, its symbolic associations that make it the seal of consecration for you? why fire more than earth or air? what are your water rituals like?

i am wondering about fire because of something we are learning on a global level: that our species is burning the earth.

gawking at firelight enthralled the first humans and now we are enthralled in our fossil burners and our fine nets of electronic light and we end up in ash heaps. some fires make more air pollution than others. how do air pollution and prayer or partying relate? are they necessarily disconnected? have you heard of any ways of celebrating or focusing intention that acknowledge the carbon balance?

a community ritual that means a lot to me for this is the spiral that sobey makes in earthdance. the joining of hands and meeting of eyes feels earthy, the movement and the emotion is airy, the spiral shape flows like water and the intention burns without smoke. i really love it that sustainability stokers get together to party or make a parade and show a fun side to a way of life that is about letting go of some aspects of comfort and convenience. and how does fireplay get to be countercultural?

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Sobey
Thu, April 6, 2006
fire is primal, and energy, it's a reminder of solar power. it is dancing all the time..i have not spun fire but have been in an art installation at Burning Man intended to give people the experience of dancing with fire..the warmth of it in the cold night is a gift.

Burning fossil fuels on the other hand is something we have to collectively ween ourselves off of and I don't see it happening all at once and don't want to fall into constant judgement about it with self or other. If i could drive i would but would prefer to make it running off of biodiesil , water, air, or hydrogen-whatever is most sensical. I want to see both bicycles and sustainable transportation becoming predominant and for it to be accessable to more people.

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RainbOwPen Dragonly
Fri, April 7, 2006

interesting angle foss
fire spinning is really a trend! But should we allow the trend to flower and empower the gems who shine in the radiant light of this slightly more polluting fire?

I've never spun fire before but feel that it is a very sacred act.

Fire returns the organic to the earth, reduces the mighty tree to ash. Fire is Hot bright passionate desirous excitement jumping and licking at the darkness with terrible destructive beauty. It's hypnotic & essential.

Fires need to be fed to stay alive. *brainstorming* They eventually build a foudnation of glowing embers that appears to me in the most vivid gold shine that i've ever seen anywhere.

Primal and ancient.

Thanx for the reflective oportunity
love
~O~
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Mercury
Sun, April 9, 2006

My Dear Fossilosopher,

I so appreciate your spartan outlook, your daring questions...

It's one thing to light a fire that is consecrated and held as sacred.
It's another thing entirely to light fires without awareness or appreciation.

Too little fire, no spark of life.
Too much fire, pile of ashes.

Is there a middle way?

-Mercury

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Fossilosopher
Mon, June 18, 2007

naked fire
most of our fires are boxed for more efficient combustion. an open fire makes more smoke, but we like looking into an open fire and watching it dance and change.

for more connection and less pollution, make a small fire, get naked and close to it and pay attention.