This week at The Pagan Experience, our topic is fire!

What ignites your passionate fires?
The feeling of love, of bliss, of inner knowing that what you’re doing is making you incredibly happy. This is art, drawing, painting, writing, blogging – anything creative. Falling in love with what I’m studying at university, over and over again, and the reminder that my participation and my striving for great grades is part of how I honour Herne – by preparing myself with the knowledge to extend into a career of environmental management and it’s impacts on human health (and vice versa).

What fuels your spiritual fires?
These days I just have to think of Herne and I am overwhelmed with such feeling of love, of joy, and of pride of being his daughter. At home, in the car or wherever I often start humming or singing under my breath (I can’t carry a tune). For me to ground myself and to recharge my batteries, there’s nothing better than going outdoors and it’s so much more amazing on those rare occasions that I can find somewhere within the Sydney region that is quiet, and I’m alone, and I still feel safe.

What rages in fire’s destructive wake within you?
My sun is in Leo, my moon in Sagittarius, and my Ascension is in Aries. I am ALL fire so it doesn’t take much for me to just lose the plot. Stupidity, inconsideration and those unable to see reason really get me going. I try to stay away from people who don’t understand me – so up until recently I rarely socialised with anyone.

And, what has healed from the cauterizing flames?
My memory is full of scars. I can see that something has happened to them, but I have a lack of emotional memory to how bad I once was within my own darkness. The lack of self esteem and excuses as to why I couldn’t be happy – I threw them into the flames and became a phoenix rising above from them. I do this over and over again, with each relapse, adding a new scar. But that’s okay – I love scars!

How do you honour fire?
Physically, I have a beautiful hand-made soy candle on my altar. Emotionally, I try to keep my fiery temper under control. As fire rules the creative force, I honour fire through my art projects – the drawing diary I’ve recently begun, the kids book I need to get a wiggle on for my youngest niece, through continuing to write.

How will you embrace its transformative powers?
Fire is probably the one element that I am slightly afraid of, because in order to be transformed you must first burn. Before you can grow to your fullest potential, a part of you must die. Perhaps ‘sacrifice’ is a better word – you must be ready to sacrifice that element and essence of self, to strip it back to the rawest of layers, and only then will your self be ready for the new growth to come through. We all need to do this regularly, when we’re ready. Each time I feel that I am growing out of my current shell, it’s time to throw what I am holding onto into the flames and begin fresh and lighter.