"Some day, after we have mastered the winds, the waves, the tides,
and gravity; we shall harness the energies of love.
Then, for the second time in the history of the world, man will have discovered fire."
- Teilhard De Chardin
Fire is something that certainly can't be avoided lately. As southern California is lit ablaze it has made me think. I admit that I am one who finds meaning in the most random of places. One who sees the omens, lessons and signs in the beautiful world around us. I am not one who believes in coincidence on a grand scale, as I see each coincidence is all part of a giant web of purpose designed to connect our lives to all the possibilities that exist.
For example, I take it as no surprise that these fires happened shortly after a horribly unsettling break up by someone I began to care for. If I were in the relationship, I don't know if I would have opened that special part of me up to the world and really thought about the fires and come out of it with the lessons I am now beginning to see.
Fire has always been a greatly spiritual thing. Sure today it is commonly thought of as a quarter of the basic elements, but in history its position as such was often debated and changed culture to culture. Some saw it as above water, earth and air. Fire was a divine spark that existed within everything. Harnessing fire was one of humanities greatest achievements, but understanding it has always been far from complete.
Flames purify. They burn off impurities and reconnect us with the divine spark within ourself. Some even claim that the fires of hell were for this reason... to purify the souls of the sinners to either experience the hells more or to eventually given them a chance at salvation. Burning land also was a way to purify the land and add nourishment to the land.
This is what I need. I think I have needed these flames. Sure I don't want to sound callous, I feel very bad that these fires have destroyed people's property and disrupted so many lives, but perhaps that is the point. We ignore so many things in life maybe we need our lives to be disrupted so we can pay attention to things again.
One of my earliest memories is being fascinated by a cartoon that had a phoenix in it. A creature that was birthed by flames died in flames and repeated this process forever amazed me. Through the years, I have always felt a kinship with this bird. Many times I have invoked this and tried to create massive change in my life by deciding to putting things to rest and allowing myself a rebirth.
I think now is another of those times.
It is finally time to let a lot of things in my past go. Time to release them into a holy fire and allow them to be put to rest, freeing myself from things I have held onto for much too long. I know I have been asking for great changes in my life, but I now realize I also have been not allowing them to happen. I have been allowing myself to be tied down to the past to the point of not letting myself go through the metamorphosis I have needed.
But hey while everything else around is burning down... I think it is time to let those ropes holding me back go up in flame too. It is time for man (and me) to rediscover fire.
and gravity; we shall harness the energies of love.
Then, for the second time in the history of the world, man will have discovered fire."
- Teilhard De Chardin
Fire is something that certainly can't be avoided lately. As southern California is lit ablaze it has made me think. I admit that I am one who finds meaning in the most random of places. One who sees the omens, lessons and signs in the beautiful world around us. I am not one who believes in coincidence on a grand scale, as I see each coincidence is all part of a giant web of purpose designed to connect our lives to all the possibilities that exist.
For example, I take it as no surprise that these fires happened shortly after a horribly unsettling break up by someone I began to care for. If I were in the relationship, I don't know if I would have opened that special part of me up to the world and really thought about the fires and come out of it with the lessons I am now beginning to see.
Fire has always been a greatly spiritual thing. Sure today it is commonly thought of as a quarter of the basic elements, but in history its position as such was often debated and changed culture to culture. Some saw it as above water, earth and air. Fire was a divine spark that existed within everything. Harnessing fire was one of humanities greatest achievements, but understanding it has always been far from complete.
Flames purify. They burn off impurities and reconnect us with the divine spark within ourself. Some even claim that the fires of hell were for this reason... to purify the souls of the sinners to either experience the hells more or to eventually given them a chance at salvation. Burning land also was a way to purify the land and add nourishment to the land.
This is what I need. I think I have needed these flames. Sure I don't want to sound callous, I feel very bad that these fires have destroyed people's property and disrupted so many lives, but perhaps that is the point. We ignore so many things in life maybe we need our lives to be disrupted so we can pay attention to things again.
One of my earliest memories is being fascinated by a cartoon that had a phoenix in it. A creature that was birthed by flames died in flames and repeated this process forever amazed me. Through the years, I have always felt a kinship with this bird. Many times I have invoked this and tried to create massive change in my life by deciding to putting things to rest and allowing myself a rebirth.
I think now is another of those times.
It is finally time to let a lot of things in my past go. Time to release them into a holy fire and allow them to be put to rest, freeing myself from things I have held onto for much too long. I know I have been asking for great changes in my life, but I now realize I also have been not allowing them to happen. I have been allowing myself to be tied down to the past to the point of not letting myself go through the metamorphosis I have needed.
But hey while everything else around is burning down... I think it is time to let those ropes holding me back go up in flame too. It is time for man (and me) to rediscover fire.
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