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Fire Alchemy - Our Metaphor for Growth

by Whittney Matlock

How we approach any work of magik depends on our frame of reference. It is created from the metaphors you use to describe the indescribable things in life. For instance, the reality of our feelings defies our ability to fully define it, so we talk about feeling in terms of other more concrete ideas, such as actions and things. Spiritual growth is harder still than emotions to pin down, so how much more complicated our metaphors must be.

These metaphors give us a structure within which we can understand our experiences and terms which we can use to discuss them with others. As we work deeper and deeper magikal intents with other people it can be very helpful to use a common metaphor within a ritual or event. For this weekend, and our intentional fire, we will be using the very basics of the Alchemical structure as we work our way towards our goals.

There are many ways to approach Alchemy with all kinds of systems and structures. Here we are going to focus on a three phase process of transformation. I also will discuss how these three stages fit into a 7 stage process which fits nicely with a 7 chakra energetic model.

Alchemy is the process of transforming a substance of less value into a different substance of more value. Most commonly thought of as the transformation of lead (Pb) into gold (Au). This science began with the investigations of our early ancestors as they placed things into the fire and watched what happened. Soon a body of knowledge was formed about how metals reacted, alone and together, in the fire. They learned smelting (purifying metals), alloys (combining metals) and casting (shaping metals). As they learned these secrets of the fire, our ancestors created the foundation for many modern sciences. At the same time, they explored the spiritual metaphor of their work with the elements.

One form of the Spiritual Alchemy metaphor is: burning away impurities (Nigredo), softening and working with the pure substance (Albedo) and bringing the gold out (Rubedo). These three phases are the key ideas for this weekend and our Alchemical Fire Circle.

Nigredo – Blackening

This is where all our work starts. In this phase of The Work (our alchemical process), we look at our Prima Materia (ourselves) and begin to examine our personal lead. Your lead is anything that holds you down, keeps you back, blocks you from healing, sucks your energy and interferes with your living in constant and perfect connection to The Life Force. Together we bring our Prima Materia into the Fire Circle and heat it up. As we dance, sing, drum and experience the fire, our Prima Materia heats up physically and spiritually.

When you heat up base materials, they begin to bind with oxygen, they burn. As different materials burn at different rates, some elements burn long before others. This is mirrored as we heat up our spiritual Prima Materia. Lower vibrations, energies, patterns get heated up easier than higher vibrations and energies. As matter binds with oxygen to burn, your lead needs oxygen to blacken and burn. This makes your breath a powerful tool to be used at the fire when your lead comes up. Always breathe, and when you feel led coming up, use your breath to energize the process and to keep you in the moment. Where you have all your power to choose.

Focusing our intent into the fire, Spirit energizes within us and our lead starts to blacken. It becomes visible to us in our actions and reactions. Setting our intent to be with the fire and the experience of the moment creates a framework for your attention. Anything that pulls you away from your intention is potentially lead. In this stage you look at the distraction. Allow yourself to be as aware as you can be in the moment. Feel it, talk about it, move with it, be still with it, ask it questions. Then make an informed decision to follow the distraction or to come back to the fire. The important point here is that you have a choice to make. You can always follow a distraction away from the work in the fire. Or, you can choose to stay with the fire and dig deeper.

This is the hardest phase of The Work. At some point in your past, some of your lead was gold. It served and protected you; helped you in some way. As you moved through life, your challenges, needs and abilities changed. You develop new gold. But the new gold cannot be seen as long as you hold onto the old gold. So what was gold has now turned into lead. While other pieces of lead are inherited and learned from your family, education, community and nation. Where ever they came from, they are making decisions for you. Often without your knowledge. Here you have to look at the decision, what part of you made the decision and why it was made. Then choose with your aware mind what you will do.

Each piece of lead you find gives you more information about yourself and momentum for discovering more. Every piece is followed by others. Finding your lead is a life long process. Each blackening helps you see more clearly and blacken more lead. Staying with the fire makes your Prima Materia get hotter and hotter until you burn away what you are ready to release.

As you experience this phase, remember that you will not address all your lead in a single ritual. Who would want to?. The part of your self that manages your healing process will allow only lead you are ready to deal with to be blackened. Blackening will take its own time. You may be on the verge of a huge awareness and burn through your lead quickly. You may also be on a long slow discovery of who you are and so spend all night in this phase.

Albedo – Whitening

Whitening is working with Prima Materia which has passed through blackening and burned off some of its lead. As energy pours into your Prima Materia it gets darker and darker as lead liquefies and boils off. Dark patches start to lighten and you glow white hot from your work.

Dancing, singing and drumming stoke your fire as you warm up even more in the crucible of the fire circle. You stay in the moment with your breath and begin to see new choices opening up. You begin to burn off the lead as you become white hot with the power to choose. As you become aware of your lead, you take back your power. You regain your ability to choose how you act, rather then reacting without thought. This is the gold we are seeking: Awareness and the ability to choose our actions. Now is the moment to play with this new awareness of your choices. Test who you are now. Experience the beauty in your gold.

You enter this stage when you realize the lesson of the lead and that you can make different choices. You love yourself into this place. Here you connect with your deeper knowing and lovingly gain insight about yourself. You speak to others from your heart about what you have discovered and hear them clearly as they speak to you. You are able to observe yourself in a loving compassionate way. As you compassionately observe your lead and then consciously make the choices that are best for you, its energy transforms into gold.

Here, people often find their bliss. Filled with the energy of your dancing and intentions, you begin to see just how special, unique and loved you are in the Universe. In the moment you find your place.

Folks enter this phase when they are ready. Blackening may only take an hour or it may take several circles. Whitening will follow when you are ready for it. There is no rushing, you will take the time you need.

Rubedo – Reddening

Rubedo is the cooling off, polishing and integration of The Work. The lead is long gone and the finer metal within has been reshaped and retooled. A new miraculous creation comes into existence. All that done, now the hard part begins. Now that you have transformed, what difference will it make in your daily life.

The reddening is your “ever after.” When you leave the safety of the magikal ring, when you leave the dazzle of the fire … What happens to the changes and choices you made the night before. The mundane world buffets, abrades and tumbles us around. Showing us exactly what we want to see. Now that you have come through the process, will the buffing leave you dull or shiny? Will the abrading leave you scratched or polished? What do you see now?

Our moments at the fire are magikal and mysterious. We open up in the protection of our magikal ring and heat up our spirits in the flame of our work. Most of our life is lived away from the fire. Where we are ever cooling. We close our selves from the pain, ugliness and negativity of this “outside” world. This time as you cool, be open to changes in how you think and act. Choose to see the choices before you. This time you will cool to a gleaming surface. This cooling will show the brilliance of your spiritual metals.

The Alchemical process is happening every moment of your life. You can make any moment an alchemical fire where you blacken, whiten and redden. The fire bring us together as a community to celebrate our courage on this journey and to support us when we get lost in the blackness. Look into the flame and become who you truly are.

Namaste,

Whittney Matlock

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If you have links or informational articles on Fire Tribe, Fire Alchemy, Fire Magick, Intentional Fire Circles and related topics of drumming, chant, philosophy, dance, trance, and would like to contribute to our pages, please email Whittney with "HTS Fire Resources" in the subject line.

Thanks.

Fiery Blessings.