Fire is a representation and embodiment of passion.
Eros,
Sexual arousal,
Rage,
Chaos,
Raw primordial energy.
When fire is completely unbridled and going in all directions,
It can be a destructive force.
However,
When fire is carefully harnessed and directed,
That's when we tend to find it most directly useful.
Fire is electricity.
Fire keeps our homes warm and our stoves cooking.
Fire is this fire element in our bodies in the form of metabolism,
A burning away of stored energy that serves our circulatory system and overall vitality.
Fire is a powerful force that asks us to learn how to master it.
When the emotional fires within us feel out of control,
It can often have a destabilizing effect where you feel constantly on edge and emotionally dysregulated.
So fire depends heavily on the other elements around it to alchemize into the forms that are most valuable for humans,
Which also includes moments of unbridled expression.
Fire is also an ancient symbol of initiation.
The phrase,
Trial by fire,
Is a figure of speech that signifies any test that measures your capacity to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles.
In the olden days,
A trial by fire was a means to prove your innocence.
In modern times,
It has come to represent an opportunity to demonstrate one's readiness for a new level of mastery.
This initiatory process is known as a rite of passage,
Which plays an important role in fostering a sense of belonging by challenging,
Celebrating,
And ultimately integrating people into their respective family system,
Community,
Society,
Tribe,
Or culture.
Personal initiation into and throughout adulthood is fairly common in societies that have a high level of social cohesion.
They have some way of publicly acknowledging the shift from one season of life to another by igniting the warrior instinct necessary to persevere through the moments of uncertainty and failure.
Fire represents the courage to face what you are most afraid of,
Face that which may have the power to destroy you,
And actually come out on the other side of that journey,
Forged anew.
And so with that,
Let's do a breath of fire,
A practice from Kundalini yoga,
Followed by a series of questions in which you may want to keep a journal nearby to write down insights that come to you during the meditation.
You are welcome to sit nice and tall in a chair,
On a cushion,
Or on the floor.
Feel the full length of your spine.
Deep inhale.
Feel your lungs expand from your back.
Exhale slowly.
The breath of fire is where you engage your abdominal muscles to initiate a vigorous pumping of the breath.
The inhale is passive and silent.
The exhale is active and audible.
And you maintain a steady rhythm between the two,
Which sounds like this.
If you're feeling lethargic and desire to boost your energy level,
The breath of fire can be an effective tool.
Conversely,
If your energy is manic and filled with anxiety,
And you desire to harness and focus your breath without bringing your energy down,
This can also be a good breathing practice to turn to.
So let's do it together for 30 seconds,
Then 60 seconds,
Then 90 seconds.
You can follow my pace or go at your own speed.
And so we begin.
The breath of fire is where you engage your abdominal muscles to initiate a vigorous pumping of the breath of fire.
Take a deep breath in.
Exhale slowly.
And now we will do it for 60 seconds.
So we begin.
1,
2,
3,
4,
5.
Take a deep breath in,
Exhale slowly,
And now we will go into a 90 second breath of fire and so we begin.
Take a deep breath in,
Exhale slowly,
And now we will go into a 90 second breath of fire.
Take a deep breath in,
Exhale slowly,
And now we will go into a 90 second breath of fire.
Take a deep breath in,
Exhale slowly,
And now we will go into a 90 second breath of fire.
Take a deep breath in,
And exhale slowly.
That concludes the breath of fire.
Now take a moment to ask yourself a series of questions.
Feel free to jot your answers down in a journal or simply answer in your mind or out loud.
What are you being initiated into at this particular moment in your life?
What are you being initiated into at this particular moment in your life?
For example,
We have the journeys from childhood to adulthood to elderhood,
One job to the next job,
One type of family to another type of family,
Singlehood into partnership,
Starting a new business,
Joining a new spiritual community,
Relocation,
Overcoming a deep-seated fear,
All different kinds of initiations into new states.
So what are you being initiated into at this particular moment in your life?
What are you being called into transforming in your life?
What are you being called into transforming in your life?
What is your trial by fire?
What is your trial by fire?
What no longer serves you that you are leaving behind?
What no longer serves you that you are leaving behind?
And finally,
What is the new state that you are birthing,
That you are growing into?
What is the new state that you are birthing,
That you are growing into?
This concludes fire,
Musing,
And guided meditation.
