Fear Transformed: The Benefits of Fire

I walked away from my first Sacred Fire community fire mesmerized. That night, I slept so deeply. I’ve actually had a fear of fire all my life; I even took a course in how to put fires out! But when I came to this consecrated Fire, I remember staring at the flames and thinking, “Even if I fell in right now, it would not hurt me. It is here for us, hearing us, allowing us to be heard. It’s medicinal. It’s beautiful.”

Since that first time, I try not to miss the monthly fires, even when I’m exhausted. To go means that I know that there will be relief for me. There will be brotherhood and sisterhood, openness and acceptance, and that is something that I want. I want to feel all the things that Fire allows to happen in that space, all guards to be down, to be there in my spirit. This is a very powerful medicine that I need in my life.

Just like yoga and meditation are part of my daily practice, I recognize these community fires as part of my monthly practice. Even when I do a hundred things in my day, I commit to this.

— Cindy Nelson
Sacred Fire Long Beach, CA (USA)
December 9, 2019