Fire
After exploring the sacred Celtic triplicity of earth, sea, and sky, we turn our attention now to fire, that other element. In many ways, fire lies at the heart of many spiritual practices in the Celtic traditions.
Fire Magic
To the Celts, fire has always been of central importance. Whether it be the hearth fire—the heart of the home—or the teine-eigin, the need fire lit at the fire festivals of Beltane and Samhain to bless the community and the livestock, fire has always been seen as life-giving, cleansing, and protecting. As such, a host of traditional lore and practices are attached to it. Every early community around the world has honoured the importance of fire, and seen it as a magical tool, central to life in every way, bringing light and heat. This continued in Britain and Ireland well into the early twentieth century, when homes were still heated by open fires. Today its elemental presence is being sought out once more, and wood-burners have become fashionable in many British homes, bringing back a sensuality and living energy that has been sorely missed in most centrally heated buildings. In the Celtic worldview, every home must have a hearth fire as both a central energetic point in the house and also for the spirits and ancestors. There are many tales told of faeries of the hearth, and British and Irish folk magic attest to the many spells and protective charms placed upon a fire or up in the chimney to protect from malicious spirits ranging from witch bottles containing protective magical items to mummified cats and children’s shoes. Equally, fires outside on the land were the heart of community celebrations, and the comfort of every traveller or hunter in the wild northern landscape, a place of storytelling and magic, ease and security that held the dark at bay. The protective magic of the fire is ancient and powerful. The ability to light your own fires from nothing is both an essential practical skill for anyone who spends time outdoors, as well as its own deep magic that will assist you in your own wild magic.
Ways to Connect with the Fire Spirits
Learn to light safe fires. Have evenings of only candlelight. Try a fire walk. Learn fire-poi. Dance. Cook on an open fire. Barbeque. Write down your worries and burn them on a bonfire. Contemplate the sun and the earth’s fiery heart.
Beltane and Samhain fires
Traditionally, especially in Scotland and Ireland, Beltane (“the fires of the god Bel,” May1/5) and Samhain (“summer’s end”—October 31/November 7) are the two main Celtic fire festivals, the others being Imbolc (February 2) and Lughnasadh (August 1). At Beltane and Samhain, all the fires in the community were extinguished, and would be re-lit from a central fire. In the Irish Cormac’s Glossary, we see that two fires would be lit, and the cattle and any sick persons would go between these two fires to drive out sickness and other negative energies such as bad fortune or ill wishes. The same twin fires were used in Scotland, to bring healing and good luck giving rise to the Gaelic proverbial saying: eadar dà theine Bhealltuinn (“between two Beltane fires”).
The inhabitants here did also make use of a fire called tin-egin, i.e., a forced fire, or fire of necessity, which they used as an antidote against the plague or murrain in cattle; and it was performed thus: all the fires in the parish were extinguished, and then eighty-one married men, being thought the necessary number for effecting this design, took two great planks of wood, and nine of them were employed by turns, who by their repeated efforts rubbed one of the planks against the other until the heat thereof produced fire; and from this forced fire each family is supplied with new fire, which is no sooner kindled than a pot full of water is quickly set on it, and afterwards sprinkled upon the people infected with the plague, or upon the cattle that have the murrain.45
Celtic Fire Churn as per Description Below
This incredible imagery describes a community sized fire lighting technique, known as a Celtic fire-churn, taking place in the early eighteenth century. There are many ways of lighting a fire without matches or a lighter, and this one is similar to a technique known today as the bow drill method, only on a massive scale. While using so many people is not to my knowledge practiced today, smaller scale fire churns are still made, although more often for the use of one or two people at a time and can be a very effective way of creating fire. Something similar is done in Russia where it is known as a fire-door, which suits it well: the fire is made underneath a doorframe-shaped structure of two vertical planks with a cross beam, and the central fire drill turned by ropes in the middle. Calling it a door is a wonderful way of imagining the fire as coming from spirit through it to manifest in this world.
Blessing of the Kindling
Every household naturally would have its own fire, as many do still to this day, and blessing the fire was traditionally performed daily (if not twice a day) not only to keep the fire lit, but also to keep the house safe from an out of control fire, as the possible danger from open hearths was immense. Every hearth functioned as the heart of the home, and this revolved around the careful relationship between the family and this powerful presence in their midst. For this reason, in Ireland and Scotland especially, the hearth was usually placed under the protection of the fire goddess Brighid, who later became Saint Brigit, called upon each day to place her care over hearth and home.
This blessing was traditionally performed by the woman of the house, who would say the following prayer or one like it as she stirred the hearth fire back to life first thing in the morning. Traditionally the prayer would be spoken softly, breathed into the hearth rather than proclaimed loudly due to its role in the hearth-keepers relationship with the fire, a private relationship and private, even solemn daily ritual.
The following kindling prayer, which calls upon Saint Brigid, is from the Outer Hebrides in Scotland and was still in use in 1900 and beyond. It’s an example of the practice of syncretism, a common feature in Celtic communities where the old Pagan ways and Christianity blended more or less seamlessly. As such, it’s perfectly permissible to make your own or adapt this one to have a more Pagan flavour; it can be used for outdoor fires just as well as for hearth fires:
Kindling Prayer
TOGAIDH mis an tula
Mar a thogadh Muire.
Cairn Bhride ’s Mhuire
Air an tula ’s air an lar,
’S air an fhardaich uile.
Co iad ri luim an lair?
Eoin, Peadail agus Pail.
Co iad ri bruaich mo leap?
Bride bhuidheach ’s a Dalt.
Co iad ri fath mo shuain?
Muire ghraidh-gheal ’s a h-Uan.
Co siud a tha ’n am theann?
Righ na grein e fein a th’ ann,
Co siud ri cul mo chinn?
Mac nan dul gun tus, gun linn.
I WILL raise the hearth-fire
As Mary would.
The encirclement of Bride and of Mary
On the fire, and on the floor,
And on the household all.
Who are they on the bare floor?
John and Peter and Paul.
Who are they by my bed?
The lovely Bride and her Fosterling.
Who are those watching over my sleep?
The fair loving Mary and her Lamb.
Who is that a-near me?
The King of the sun, He himself it is.
Who is that at the back of my head?
The Son of Life without beginning, without time.46
Smooring the Fire
Smooring, (smàladh in Scots Gaelic) essentially means subduing or smothering as a way of ritually settling a fire down for the night.
Though less environmentally friendly than many other options available today, peat is still the traditional fuel for many in Scotland and Ireland. Peat burns hot but with less flame and light. However, it has slow long-burning embers; settling it down for the night to be revived in the morning works well. A similar approach can be taken with a wood fire, but more care must be taken for safety and effectiveness—so long as a fire guard is in place, or if outdoors, nothing flammable is placed too close by.
The smooring ritual is done with great gentle care and can be a thing of great beauty. The embers are spread evenly across the hearth and shaped into a circle. The circle is then divided into three equal parts with space between them all. Then a peat, or a chunk of peat is laid down between each of the three sections. Smaller wood logs are also suitable for this purpose. Traditionally, during Christian times, the first was laid down in the name of the god of life, the second in the name of the god of peace, and the third in the name of the god of grace. This could easily be changed to honour the Three Mothers, the Dea Matronae, or each in the name of Brighid, the god Bel, or any other of your choice. Equally, a prayer for other things such as protection, guidance, and healing could accompany each peat or log, laying them down in the name of life, peace, and grace is sufficient. The remaining ash is then heaped over the peats and the embers to bank it down effectively for the night.
A Traditional Highland Scottish Smooring Prayer
AN Tri numh
A chumhnadh,
A chomhnadh,
A chomraig
An tula,
An taighe,
An teaghlaich,
An oidhche,
An nochd,
O! an oidhche,
An nochd,
Agus gach oidhche,
Gach aon oidhche.
Amen.
THE sacred Three
To save,
To shield,
To surround
The hearth,
The house,
The household,
This eve,
This night,
Oh! this eve,
This night,
And every night,
Each single night.
Amen.47
Fire Lighting Methods
Basic fire lighting
Preparation
To light a basic fire anywhere—in the hearth at home or in nature—you first need to prepare your ground. First consider the position of your fire. Out in the wild, you will need to know you have permission when necessary and that there are no overhanging tree branches that may catch—remember that the space directly above a fire is hotter than you may think! Clear the area of ash if it has been used before. If in nature, be especially careful to clear away any dried leaves and twigs and that no small animals could be affected. You also need to make sure the ground is not excessively dry—it is possible for a wildfire to start when roots are burned underground, so take heed of any fire exclusion zones. When in doubt, use a fire bowl.
Next, gather your tinder, kindling, and larger pieces of fuel. Ensure that all materials are dry and ready yet a sensible distance from your intended fire so that they cannot accidentally catch.
Fire-lighting happens in three stages:
1. Tinder: To take the spark to a flame, or to light with a flame from matches/lighter.
2. Kindling : To take the flame into a small fire.
3. Wood/fuel: Once the small fire is going, the flames will be large and hot enough to ignite smaller logs, after which increasingly larger logs may be added for a more sustained burn.
Tinder: Tinder is a fine-textured combustible material that will ignite with a small spark. When this is burning, slightly larger material can be added, increasing in size from twigs to logs until the fire is fully burning. In a hearth, tinder may be tight balls of newspaper, or firelighters that can be lit with a match. Outdoors, tinder can be several things you can bring with you such as charcloth, cotton wool balls, or jute twine. You may also use fully natural materials such as dry birch bark, cattail fluff, usnea lichen, and some varieties of dried fungi, such as cramp ball fungus (Daldinia concentrica), also known as king Alfred’s cakes in the UK which is a round, knobby-shaped fungus that grows on ash trees. Tinder can also be made by using a stick and a knife. Cut away any bark to get to the drier heartwood. Drawing the knife away from you down the length, cut thin curls of wood; this is sometimes called a feather stick.
Kindling: Kindling is larger and made of more dense materials than tinder; small, dry twigs or thin slivers of split logs are ideal for this. Add them one at a time until you have a small, steady fire with a few small burning wood coals underneath. You may need more kindling than you think, so gather plenty.
Fuel: Wood needs to be dry to burn. There are advanced techniques for lighting a fire in wet conditions, but you’ll first need to be proficient in other fire-lighting techniques before any attempts.
Seasoned logs: Wood that has been left outside for at least a season if not a year—are best to burn. It’s ideal if it has been cut into logs just after felling and the bark is left on. The less moisture in the wood, the hotter and cleaner the burn with less smoke. And if you are using wood-burner, your chimney or glass burner doors will be cleaner. That said, getting seasoned wood in the wild will mean bringing it with you or seeking dry fallen wood in your area. With a little practice and care, it is possible to chop branches into smaller logs or to place a longer branch over the fire at one end and gently and gradually feed it in over time.
If you’re not experienced with using an axe, a small hand axe will be adequate for cutting most logs in the wild off fallen branches. Small folding saws are sometimes easier (and a little safer), and wire saws are super light but take some muscle to use on all but the thinnest branches. All these tools are relatively cheap; don’t go for whatever’s cheapest but instead tools that are higher quality. Higher quality tools last longer and are very light and portable … perfect for the hedge druid’s or wild witch’s backpack!
Making Your Spark
It is perfectly possible to light a fire for magical or spiritual purposes using matches or a lighter with fire-lighting blocks before adding the kindling. I’ve seen many indigenous shamans from around the world use fuel of this kind, and the results have still been powerful and sacred. However, I feel it’s best to use traditional fire-lighting techniques if you can. Firstly, these are skills our ancestors would have taken for granted, and to continue learning their skills is itself a living prayer of honour. Secondly, starting fires in this way forms a much deeper and more powerful offering to the spirits, our ancestors, and the spirits of the fire and fuel. When using the old methods, we are creating a physical manifestation of the pure forms of the fire spirit we are calling in. It’s also deeply satisfying!
Fire-steel
One of the easiest ways to light a magical fire from scratch (not using a lighter/matches and firelighters) is to use a fire steel, also known as a magnesium fire stick. These are relatively modern inventions but are an improved, more efficient design based on the use of flint and steel, or a knife and fire striker (more on those later). Fire-steel is basically a steel rod coated in a cerium and iron alloy, and a steel scraper. When the surface of this rod is scraped at speed, it gives off very hot sparks which can ignite your tinder. These molten sparks are VERY hot, producing temperatures of around 3000°C (5500°F) but are really easy to use and relatively safe—the sparks go out very quickly unless they catch on some tinder. They are reliable and unlike matches or a lighter, work fine if they’ve got wet—all they need is a quick wipe to dry. A single fire steel is also ultra-portable and can be used thousands of times. The rod is usually given a black coating to prevent rusting, which requires you to strike it hard enough to scrape to get your spark, but it’s easier than it sounds.
You will first need to prepare the area where you are lighting your fire and gather your tinder, kindling, and fuel. Wispy and fluffy tinder works best with a fire-steel.
Gather a small pile of tinder with a slightly larger layer of kindling beneath it. Have your tinder and kindling close together so that the flame can spread, but don’t make your pile/layer of kindling so dense air cannot travel around it. As with all outdoor fires, light yours in a relatively sheltered spot out of strong wind.
Hold your fire-steel diagonally downwards just above the tinder. Kneel carefully before your intended fire at a close distance over it but not so close that you risk burning yourself. Be calm and steady, fire lighting takes patience and care. Be sensible and present in what you are doing, anticipating what’s likely to happen next.
Strike down the fire-steel with the scraper, away and downwards from you, close to or over the tinder. Start by holding the scraper at an angle of about 90-100 degrees to the rod, about halfway or two-thirds up the rod. Your strike needs to be relatively fast (but not super-fast), and quite firm. Don’t go up and down the fire-steel, only strike downwards and away from you. Some people find it easier to reverse the tools and drag the fire-steel down firmly over the scraper, but the motion is the same. It can take a few goes to get the knack; be patient, and practice before you ever need to light a fire in the wild for any warmth or survival reasons. It is simple to do but is something you learn by muscle memory and experience rather than logically; don’t presume just by reading this you can light a fire at need without trying in more relaxed circumstances first!
When the sparks hit the tinder, be very gentle but quick to add more tinder if necessary. Then add the smallest grade of kindling, gradually adding more (you’ll need to add this fairly quickly, but not so fast as to smother the flame.) Let the flame get strong enough first. When you’ve a nice pile of kindling burning, you may then begin adding your fuel—larger logs or peat bricks. (And once again remember that while the use of peat is traditional, it is not environmentally sound!)
After you’ve become proficient at using a fire-steel with its intended scraper, you might like to try using a knife with the fire-steel rod. The technique is basically the same but take care to strike away from you … especially when a blade is involved! Most bushcraft knives work for this purpose, but these days you can easily find good knives with a special fire lighting part on the back edge of the blade. Fire-steel rods of varying sizes can also be bought on their own for use like this, or for replacing your kit when the rod has run out of strikes, which will happen over a long period of use.
Flint and Steel
This is my favourite method of fire lighting, as it has that ancient, ancestral feel to it; care and skill must be used to make it successful, yet it is also relatively quick and with practice is as reliable as a modern fire-steel.
This method requires sharp-edged flint flakes that are fairly robust and large enough (about half to a third the size of your hand) to hold steadily with your hands at a safe distance from where you are striking to avoid scratched or nicked fingers with a fine sharp edge. You also need a fire striker—these are in all sorts of shapes but are usually a variation on a D-shape with a rounded side to hold with your fingers and a straight edge to strike the flint with. By striking the flint with the steel, you get a smaller and duller spark than with fire-steel, and you need some especially fine tinder to spark to a flame. Charcloth is excellent for this (you can make it yourself or buy it online), or you could use a fungus like the cramp ball fungus discussed earlier. If you use charcloth, place it with some fine tinder underneath it, such as jute threads (pulled from jute twine), and lain already in a small bed of fibrous birch bark, dry straw, grass, or cotton wool. Have other gradually larger materials to hand at guide the spark to a flame and to a fire from this point.
Holding the flint in one hand, strike the steel against it, close and directly over your charcloth. You might like to try holding the charcloth underneath the flint with its edge poking out slightly to catch the spark this way. Hold the flint horizontally and strike the steel upon it at a 90-degree angle. This takes a fair bit of practice; you need to do it with quick and short but quite firm strokes. Try doing it in a three-fold rhythm—tap tap-tap! Tap tap-tap! I find this often works best for me; the best spark usually happens on the third tap, but one tap is enough for the more experienced. The trick is all in the firmness and confidence of your strike, the angle, and in the edge of your flint—too dull and it won’t spark, too fine and it’ll break off without effect. Again, using this tool becomes easier with experience but can be done with just common sense when the materials are at hand. There is no easy way around it—using steel and flint takes practice, practice, and more practice, but once you’ve got it, you’ll find it will come easier next time.
When you have your spark, you need to support it growing into an ember immediately by placing it in the finest grade tinder you have—a nest of very fine birch bark, horse hoof fungus shavings, or jute threads all work well—which is in turn laid on a football-sized bed of dry grass or straw. You can then fold the straw over your ember and gently lift and blow into it (sometimes just a small wave of your straw bundle is enough) and it will suddenly catch into flame. The moment when it suddenly ignites and you have a ball of fire in your hand, with the straw burning upwards is wonderful and lots of fun. At this stage you can lay it down again into your bed of more tinder and kindling, adding fuel when it is well enough established.
Flint and Iron Pyrite Balls
You can use the same method for flint and steel with flint and chunks of naturally sourced iron pyrite—flint and iron pyrite occur close together in nature so were often found by our ancestors in the same vicinity. The iron pyrite chunks do not have a sharp edge, so you will have to strike the flint off of them rather than the other way around. Catch the spark immediately by striking them together over a prepared nest of tinder (horse hoof fungus or birch bark shavings work best for this) before moving onto larger tinder and then kindling.
Bow-drill Method
Lighting a fire using a bow drill is one of the simplest yet widely used techniques among indigenous peoples, with subtle variations in form. Keep in mind that this method does take time, skill, and hard work. Bow-drill methods are thought to date back to the Palaeolithic Era, and it is possible to use this technique with equipment made from scratch using nothing but a knife. The idea is that the bow has a string twisted around a wooden stick, the drill, which when rapidly pulled back and forth, spins against the hearth board to produce an ember.
Basic parts of the bow-drill method:
• Bow and string/cordage
• Hearth board
• Handhold block
• Drill
• Grease (optional)
• Various grades of tinder from the very fine to smaller twigs
(previously prepared), larger sticks for fuel also on standby.
Making the bow-drill: A bow-drill is made by twisting the string from the bow to spin the drill which is held vertically between the hearth board and the handhold block. The handhold, or baring block is held in the other hand. Pressure is applied downwards to keep the drill spinning into the hearth board. The whole apparatus is held steady by placing your foot on the edge of the hearth board as you run the bow back and forwards quickly and repeatedly. The hearth board has a small notch cut into it at the site of the bow drill’s friction; a heated black dust will form which will eventually ignite into a smoking ember. This ember needs to be quickly placed into a ball of tinder and blown gently but consistently until the tinder ignites. Be warned—this can take time!
Using the right kinds of wood is important for this type of fire lighting:
For the drill: Willow or hazel are the best, spruce or ash in second place.
For the hearth board: Willow or lime preferable; poplar, spruce, pine, and alder also work.
Experiment with different combinations that can easily be sourced in your surroundings, and notice the effects of the different seasons, as well as the condition of the wood. The ideal wood for the bow-drill is neither too dense, hard, nor too soft. Try sticking your thumbnail into the grain to feel it for yourself.
Making the Hearth Board
Find a suitable piece of wood from which to carve the board. As stated above, this wood must be dry and dead; the fallen wood commonly found on the forest floor is usually damp or has some rot. Look instead for dead standing trees, or an already seasoned piece, and try to select pieces which do not have knots. If you must cut, the piece you need must be about a foot long, four inches wide, and at least twice as wide as the thickness of your intended drill. Using a large knife, hatchet, or hand axe, carefully cut the piece so that it resembles a small flat plank, cut along the grain. Cut the piece to be about an inch thick.
The Drill
The drill or spindle needs to be about a foot long, and straight vertically grained; a split piece from your board works well. The same requirements for the wood apply—dry and seasoned. Trim this piece to be slightly less than an inch in diameter (e.g., the width of your thumb) and shape either end into sharp points. The drill doesn’t have to be perfectly smooth, but fairly round with nothing to catch the string when you use the bow.
The Handhold Block
The handhold is a block of wood with which you press downwards onto the spindle. Cut it with a saw to roughly four or five inches square, about one or two inches thick with a flat base and top. Whittle and perhaps sand it top and bottom so that the spindle can sit in it and it is comfortable for your hand to grip and apply the pressure over several minutes. I’ve found using a thick cloth or a piece of leather rag can help; I’ve fairly small women’s hands and need to be comfortable enough to apply the strength, and no one wants splinters or blisters! Gouge a small hole in the bottom big enough to house the pointed tip of the spindle, but not so deeply that it inhibits the turning. A smallish cone-shaped depression is ideal.
The Bow
Select a green, fresh branch (hazel and willow are good woods for this) as thick as your index finger and the length of your arm elbow to fingertip. It needs to be straight or have a slight bowlike curve and be springy but not weak. If the branch feels too stiff, whittling a little from the inside of the curve can help. Check to see that it bends evenly. Split each end vertically about two inches for the string.
The String
The string can be made out of all sorts of things—jute, leather, rawhide, cotton, and several types of cordage from wild plants such as nettle cordage, for example. Ropes made of nylon and plastic are okay but can melt from the friction. And in an emergency, you can even use shoelaces, although it needs to be pretty thick, around a quarter of an inch. Whatever you choose, string will fray from usage, but a quarter of an inch’s thickness should last long enough for plenty of fire-starting over a year or so. Cut it to one and a half times the length of the bow. Using the splits at either end of your bow, tie it tightly using square or other knots such as the clove hitch that will catch and not undo. There are plenty of sources for knot-tying online, but the main idea is that you want it to be unpickable until you have it as taut as you want along the bow. Draw the string tight but not archery tight. When finished, the string should wrap around the spindle and tighten, ready for use.
Technique
With everything ready for your fire already prepared—space cleared, tinder, kindling, and fuel gathered, kneel with one foot on the edge of the hearth board: left foot if you are right-handed, so the board is on the inside of your foot and your other knee is to the right. Position the spindle about an inch from the edge and at the other end of the board so there is room. Pushing down with the block, let the spindle mark its position on the board. Next use a knife to scoop out a small funnel shape on this position to support the spindle tip. Wrap the string around the spindle so that it stands outside the bow with one loop of cord around to make the cord very tight. Some adjustments might be necessary, but once you’ve tried it, it becomes common sense and straightforward. Position the bow in its notch and begin stroking the bow back and forth, to form the handhold hole and the hearth board hole enough to settle. If needed, use the knife again to adjust the holes so they fit better. When the holes are the right size, use some grease to lubricate the top of the spindle in the handhold if you have any. That way, most of your energy will be expended in creating the friction at the bottom.
Now cut a small notch next to your hearth board hole so that air can get into the hole. Place a small piece of wood or bark underneath to catch any smouldering coal.
Bow Drill
You are ready to start. Place the spindle in the notch with the cord twisted tight around it and move back and forth, pressing down with the handhold and bowing slightly downwards away from you and upwards towards you. Try to keep your back straight. Use the whole length of the string firmly and at a steady speed but not too quickly. Keep going! Gradually you will get some smoke—carefully lift the spindle to check. If it still smokes, you may have a coal. Use a twig or the tip of a knife and gently edge it out through the notch onto the wood you’ve laid to catch it and place it into a nest of tinder. There may be some more powder in the hearth-board hole which can be added to help keep it going. Bunch the tinder around the coal and gently blow on it, and it will catch. You’ll need to lay it on its laid bed of more tinder and kindling straight away, before adding some fuel when it’s fully established.
This technique takes practice and patience, and is the basic one-person form of what ancient Celtic communities used to light their community and ritual fires, now known as the Celtic Churn.
Celtic Churn
An incredible sight, the fire churn takes time, materials, and several people to prepare. There are numerous variations possible with this design, but essentially the technique is the same as a bow drill but on a larger scale. The drill is usually a straight sapling sized tree trunk of about 6 to 7 feet in height held in place by two vertical v-split tree trunks or forked branches secured in the ground, with a third crossbeam between them to provide the downwards pressure. A wooden board or pan is placed on the ground beneath the drill, which is tied round with rope, and pulled either by two groups of men on either side, or by one man, holding both ends of the rope, and pulling backwards and forwards. Records suggest whole grown oak trees were once used for this technique, and entire villages of men took part, which would have been an awe-inspiring sight.
Fire Laying Ceremony, Fire Offerings
There is little to no surviving lore on the practice of giving a sacred fire an offering in the Celtic tradition. The Romans did write dubious accounts concerning the practice of the Wicker Man, burning men and livestock in a vast wicker construction, but in practice this would prove highly impractical, as wicker burns fast and relatively coolly, extinguishing long before an offering would be burnt. However, the practice of giving offerings to spirits generally is well attested, and it is something that is still widely practiced elsewhere, in shamanistic and animistic traditions around the world. Given that there is a host of lore in the Celtic regions concerning fire spirits and honouring the hearth spirits with offerings, it is likely that offerings to the fire itself in outdoor settings were practised at some time, in some form, and certainly taking up the practice now can deepen your relationship to the fire spirits with great effect.
Following the patterns of fire laying known from Celtic traditions such as smooring the fire, we can work with the idea of honouring the sacred three—earth, sea, and sky, the Celtic “three mothers,” or the three faces of Brighid when lighting a fire. In this way when the area for fire lighting has been suitably and safely prepared, we can build our fire in a triskele pattern in three sections. Lay a bed of three suitable sticks rather like the letter Y or the peace sign, laying these first three sticks down as a base for the fire, taking a moment with each stick to thank the tree spirits, and the tree that it was a part of. Telling the fire-to-be that we give thanks to it also, we can then lay the first one down, in honour of the element of earth and all its abundance. Try these words or speak your own as you feel guided.
Spirit of wood, spirit of this tree that was, I give thanks to you for your gift of fuel. Spirit of fire that will be, I give thanks to you and ask that you receive these gifts in friendship and honour. I lay this down in honour of wood, and fire, and the spirit of earth that holds us all!
Repeat with the next piece, repeating the same format, but this time finally in honour of the sea:
Spirit of wood, spirit of tree that was, I give thanks to you for your gift of fuel. Spirit of fire that will be, I give thanks to you and ask that you receive these gifts in friendship and honour. I lay this down in honour of wood, and fire, and the spirit of sea that surrounds us all!
And finally, the sky:
Spirit of wood, spirit of tree that was, I give thanks to you for your gift of fuel. Spirit of fire that will be, I give thanks to you and ask that you receive these gifts in friendship and honour. I lay this down in honour of wood, and fire, and the spirit of sky that breathes us all!
Next, make an offering to these three sticks and the circle of the fire itself, either by placing a small pile of herbs, honey, or cream in each of the three sections, or by gently and carefully making a circle of herbs around the edge and along the three “spokes.”
Some suitable herbs are mugwort, meadowsweet, roses, vervain, or juniper, although the type of herbal offering could suit the purpose of the fire or the season.
Offerings of cream or honey work well, as does a freshly baked bannock, broken into three pieces, one for each section.
When making the offering, start with giving thanks for the offering itself: the plant, the bees that made the honey, the bread that made the bannock, and so on. Then speak to the fire-to-be and the surrounding spirits. Ask them to receive this offering given in friendship. Try these words or, again, use your own:
Spirit of the mugwort, I thank you for your friendship and your support, I give you now to the spirits of this fire, that you may be transformed, and inspire my visions. Spirits of the fire that will be, accept my offering as a sign of my friendship and respect.
You can then lay a bed of kindling again following the triskele pattern. Make sure you have your finer kindling materials close by to take the spark or the char and get the fire going.
I find making a sacred fire is a ritual in and of itself, and one that needs time and careful preparation, where every aspect of the fire is thought out carefully, from safety considerations and practicalities such as having all your materials at hand before you begin, to the magical and spiritual matters such as your prayers and offerings, and indeed the purpose of the fire itself.
Fire Divination
With time and practice, fire divination and scrying can serve as a deep and insightful dialogue between you and the fire spirits. There are many traditional Celtic fire divination techniques that stem from this initial awareness of the fire spirit and the lighting of a ritual fire. In times past, even the home’s hearth fire would have been lit from a ritual flame and honoured as sacred, as discussed earlier. The play of flames and shadows upon the wall or the patterns in the ash in the morning could have been considered omens of many things.
It was once a regular practice to burn the straw mattress of someone when they died—and the ash from this was especially ominous—with those present looking out for a footprint in the ashes that might match one of those present. Such a footprint was said to identify the person who would die next. Burning mattresses no longer happens even in rural communities, but the fire from a traditional wake or funeral gathering can also be used to seek omens and signs- not for who might die next- but for messages from those who have passed, or other guidance from the spirit world, at a time when the powers of fate and mortality feel particularly strong.
The fire was seen as both a home’s heart and spirit; and any unexpected activity or sign around the hearth was always noted as communication from the spirit of the fire or the household spirits in some form. In Shetland, a whole system of reading the fire formed around the movements of the flames and the fuel as it burnt.
A brand standing by itself in the fire was called a guest; a smoking brand betokened an unwelcome guest, while a bright brand meant a friend. The coming of the unwelcome guest might be prevented by pouring water on the brand, but care was needed lest the act should bring misfortune on a friend, who might fall into a mire or burn.48
Fire Scrying
Using fire for scrying is relatively simple but takes time, and the practice suits some temperaments better than others. Scrying of this kind works best in a fire that has been ritually laid, lit, and honoured as a living spirit, which can be done in many ways. Acknowledge the fire spirit as an ally and friend and make it an offering; a fragrant or magically relevant herb is the most common. Speak to it in your own words or try these to get yourself started:
Spirit of the fire, bright one, I thank you for your warmth and illumination—show me what I need to know, blessed one.
Good herbs to offer the fire are mugwort or juniper, or a handful of incense. Gently and carefully cast the herbs into the fire saying,
Accept these gifts, friend …
Settle down to sit by the fire, getting yourself comfortable and calmly present. Let your eyes rest upon the flames and embers, and see what you will see. It may take several hours, and is often best performed late at night, when the mood—both your own and that of the environment around you—feels conducive to such work. You may from time to time ask the fire questions politely and with gratitude. Let the flames’ movements form a kind of body language and gesture you can feel as a response. Divination of this kind is more of an art form and is dependent on a shift in consciousness, so look for feelings and symbolism for your answers rather than yes or no responses.
Fire Cleansing
The traditional Beltane fires were lit for cleansing and blessing- cattle were often driven between two large Beltane fires to cleanse them of illness and pests, as well as ill wishes and attacks by unfriendly spirits. In the same way, fire can be used for energetic cleansing and blessing today. It all comes down to the purpose and practicalities of what you are looking to cleanse and why. A ritually lit fire can be used to cleanse and bless magical tools: hold them over the flames or waft them through the smoke. Equally, a home or a person can be cleansed by taking a fire brand from your ritual fire and circling the home or person anticlockwise to rid the home of ill will, misfortune, or unwelcome spirits; and clockwise to bring in blessings, protection, and fertility, with accompanying prayers and calls for assistance by your spirit allies and gods. Such prayers only exist in Christian forms now but creating your own on the spot is perfectly effective so long as you are clear in your intention. Obviously, sensible care should also be taken when using fire in this way to ensure safety—candles lit from a magical fire may be the more practical option in some circumstances.
Another old practice was to leap the fire, an activity popular at Beltane celebrations, where the young men especially would use this as an opportunity to show off their vigour and agility, but again with sensible precautions, its possible for almost anyone to jump or step over a fire for cleansing and blessing, and to receive the vitality the spirit of the fire provides. One way for older or more delicate people to jump the fire is to use the embers, and when a fire is well established to bank it down slightly and drag out a thin line of embers with small low flames to one side, enabling those less able to step neatly over it.
Fire Magic—Prayers
In cultures around the world, fires have always been used for making prayers. The transformative effects of fire and the sight of smoke and heat haze rising up to the sky evoke images of our intentions and messages floating up into the heavens where they can be heard by our gods and ancestors. The Celtic practices of sacred fires at the fire festivals of Imbolc, Beltane, Lughnasadh, and Samhain show an awareness of fire’s magical and healing properties; the practice of burning things as offerings and prayers is also long standing. Various things can be used for making prayers with fire: sacred herbs, gathered consciously by the practitioner themselves as green spirit kin will have the best efficacy. However, prayers can also be written on paper or carved into wood. Straw figures like the corn dollies and the traditional last bale of straw known as the Cailleach figure (gathered and made as the final act of reaping the harvest), can be powerful offerings to accompany requests for healing or prosperity. Other effigies of body parts requiring healing for example, may also be burnt, such as carved or sculpted hearts, eyes, or even limbs and organs.
Care must be taken when lighting a ritual fire to respectfully honour the fire spirits before requests are spoken aloud and offerings and any physical representation of the prayer are given to be burned and transmuted into the spirit world via the flames. Sometimes the prayer and the offering are the same thing, e.g., an item carved of wood that will burn well. At other times such as with prayers written on paper, additional offerings seem most appropriate. Above all, there is no rule book. Respect for the spirits and practical considerations need to be combined for the best results.
Saining
A traditional practice in Scotland, saining was said to remove illness and ill wishes from a house or area. The practice involved burning branches of juniper and letting the smoke fill the house from top to bottom, until the whole area was dense with smoke, so much so that no one could stay inside. When the house was fully smoked, only then would the doors and windows be opened to let the smoke out, carrying with it all the negative energy and illness. Saining is exactly like modern-day fumigation to remove insect infestations, only it worked on an energetic, spiritual, and emotional level as well. Though wild juniper is endangered these days, it is widely available to cultivate and grow. Burning dried juniper or juniper berries as incense upon a charcoal disk works just as well and provides the perfect alternative to burning sage or smudging, which is a traditional Native America practice. Bunches of juniper can be bound in the same way as a smudge stick and burnt in exactly the same way without cultural appropriation and in a way that honours our Celtic ancestors and with a plant that grows better in cooler northern climates than white sage.
Celtic Sweat Houses
While the Native American sweat lodge is well known, its Northern European equivalents are often overlooked. Known in Ireland until relatively recently (the nineteenth century) as the teach allais or sweat house, evidence for this practice has been found as far as the Outer Hebrides and as far back in time as the Neolithic era, some 5,000 years ago. In recent centuries, these were mostly beehive-shaped structures made out of stone with a small entrance. Strange structures dating from the bronze age known as Fulachta fíadh or burnt mounds, which show evidence of the use of fire and water are thought to be ritual sites for sweat houses. Unlike the Native American sweat lodges, these structures were also made of stone and often turfed over for added insulation. A teach allais or Fulachta fíadh was usually placed near a naturally occurring spring or holy well as a water source. Prior to its use, a fire would be burnt inside it to heat the structure, and then the fire was dragged out and the person seeking healing went in and remained there in the darkness until sufficient sweating had occurred. They would then crawl out and immerse or cover themselves in the cold water from the sacred spring. A wonderful source from the nineteenth century describes it thus:
Small buildings called sweat-houses are erected, somewhat in the shape of a beehive, constructed with stones and turf, neatly put together; the roof being formed of the same material, with a small hole in the centre. There is also an aperture below, just large enough to admit one person, on hands and knees. When required for use, a large fire is lighted in the middle of the floor, and allowed to burn out, by which time the house has become thoroughly heated; the ashes are then swept away, and the patient goes in, having first taken off his clothes, with the exception of his undergarment, which he hands to a friend outside. The hole in the roof is then covered with a flat stone and the entrance is also closed up with sods, to prevent the admission of air. The patient remains within until he begins to perspire copiously, when (if young and strong) he plunges into the sea, but the aged or weak retire to bed for a few hours.49
Constructing a traditional Irish sweat house today is beyond the scope of this book, but it is worth noting that constructing various shelters and willow wood “benders” for temporary use in this way is perfectly reasonable. As the fire is put out after the structure has become sufficiently heated, there is less of the danger than with the Native American sweat lodge—there are no hot rocks to be careful of. While we know of no prayers and rituals being used in these structures in the pre-Christian era, it is extremely unlikely that they were used only for cleansing and the healing of rheumatism. Evidence in Ireland suggests these structures were mostly used in the autumn months, perhaps when a trained healer or druid came through the area, or as some have suggested, they were to be used alongside various hallucinogenic mushrooms that also favour growing in such sites in the autumn months such as fly agaric (Amanita muscaria) and so-called magic mushrooms such as the liberty cap, Psilocybe semilanceata. It’s safe to presume our ancestors in Ireland and the British isles knew of these mushrooms and their effects, but sadly much of that wisdom has now been lost. Modern studies have suggested liberty caps can help in healing depression, PTSD, and even migraines.50 It’s likely they would have been of tremendous psychological and spiritual benefit in the hands of trained and experienced practitioners. Working with such potent plant spirits in the confines of an Irish sweathouse would have been a powerful experience indeed!
Fire Banishing
Fires can be used to consume and transform all sorts of negative energy and are useful in spell work to burn away any cords, candles, poppets, or any physical spell objects once they have performed their purpose. Fire can also be used in ritual to burn off illness or any other negative spirit intrusion.
Fire Blessings
Traditional fire blessings usually involve either leaping the Beltane fire or carrying a fiery brand clockwise around the boundaries of a piece of land. This practice can still be performed today in a more practical manner, by lighting a candle in a suitable holder and asking Brighid to bless the flame. Use your own words for this or try these:
Great goddess Brighid, bless this flame, bless this candle, may your eternal flame burn brightly here and bless this home (or space, land, et cetera.)
Take the candle, and lead it clockwise around the house, or space, and clockwise around every room in the house or any other area, making sure the light shines in every dark corner, nook and cranny, or anywhere that needs special attention, such as where people sleep, or where there are old objects that may contain energetic residues. As you go, imagine the flame is a great ray of light that reaches every aspect of the space, clears away any negativity, and fills the space with spiritual as well as literal light.
When you have finished, take the candle to an altar or other central spot and leave it to burn down. Offer your thanks to Brighid for her blessing.
Suitable Woods for Fuel
As well as choosing well-seasoned dry wood, the type of wood that you burn will have an effect upon the success of your fire and the way it burns. In addition, certain woods are traditionally taboo to burn, or can have added magical or spiritual significance—good for ritual fires with a specific purpose.
The following is a traditional English folk song that lists the most common woods and their burning properties:
Traditional Tales
The Woodcutter’s Song
Oak logs will warm you well
That are old and dry
Logs of pine will sweetly smell
But the sparks will fly
Birch logs will burn too fast
And chestnut scarce at all, sir
Hawthorne logs are good to last
That are cut well in the fall, sir
Holly logs will burn like wax
You could burn them green
Elm logs burn like smouldering flax
With no flame to be seen
Beech logs for winter time
Yew logs as well, sir
Green elder logs it is a crime
For any man to sell, sir
Pear logs and apple logs
They will scent your room
And cherry logs across the dogs
Smell like flowers a bloom
But ash logs smooth and gray
Buy them green or old, sir
And buy up all that come your way
For they’re worth their weight in gold sir’ 51
Taboos
There are numerous taboos in Celtic tree lore, often for very practical reasons. It is never a good idea to burn yew—while the toxicity in the wood is commonly thought to not present a problem when burned, especially in log burners where the smoke is taken well away from anyone sitting by it, I have known several occasions where people have become sick and experienced severe psychological distress and terrifying nightmares when breathing in yew smoke. Yew is highly toxic and care should be taken when handling it. Woodcarvers and archers using yew bows seem to have no trouble, but there is plenty of anecdotal evidence of it effecting those cutting the wood when it’s fresh, and the leaves and berries are highly toxic. Care needs to be taken when handling yew, especially when children are around. Equally, yew is a highly magical tree and a powerful spirit in its own right, intimately connected to the dead and the otherworld. For these reasons, the tree and its wood need to be treated with care and respect. While it burns hot and smells pleasant, it can unintentionally evoke powerful underworld forces with ensuing, undesirable results. Be warned!
Another taboo is burning elder—in fact, it is taboo to ever cut the elder without first seeking permission and offering recompense to its spirit, the Elder Mother. Elders are closely connected to faeries and powerful natural magic (this is not a tree for Tinkerbelle!)—“the good folk” who must be treated with respect and care at all times, and can be terrible if crossed. A tradition from folklore suggests that you should seek the Elder Mother’s permission by saying:
Elder tree, Elder Mother, please may I have some of your wood, and you may have some of mine when it grows in the forest.
This petition is done essentially to trick the spirit; I would say it is far better to make the tree a simple offering of some water or a small bowl of honey, speaking to it and letting it know your intention at least a day before cutting it—never burn it. However, the pith inside the elder is very soft, and a thin, straight, hollowed out elder branch can make a good blowpipe to blow a fire back to life.
Magical Woods for Fuel
There is a host of lore in the Celtic tradition about trees and their magical properties; for an extensive exploration of the subject, please see my book Celtic Tree Magic (Llewellyn 2014). To cover the subject briefly I believe it’s important to remember that every tree, plant, or other living thing we work with has its inherent spirit, and to work well with any living thing magically depends on our relationship with these spirits. Therefore, it is always a good idea to know what wood you are burning for a ritual fire and where it came from. Best practice is to cut it with an offering and thanks for its gift and thank it again when you burn it. Where this isn’t possible, take time to connect with the spirits who once dwelled in your cut logs or fallen branches by spending a few breaths to become present to them. Thank them as your green kin for their gift as fuel, at least.
Knowing which type of tree you are burning can also have an effect upon your ritual or magic, and seeking the best trees for your purpose is a good idea, again making sure you are as conscious of what you are doing as possible. The following is a simple reference to the main magical trees in the Celtic tradition in addition to their uses in a ritual fire.
Oak: The tree of sovereignty and the green man. Oak’s name in Gaelic, Dara, is where we get the name druid, from deru wid, someone who has the wisdom of the oak. Best for all sacred fires, especially at Beltane and Samhain, but should be honoured as a treasured resource—oak is a slow-growing tree, so efforts should be made for its sustainable and responsible use.
Hawthorn: The queen of the May, associated with faeries and female magic as well as the heart and feelings. Good for love spells, faerie connection, healing, and to raise life force.
Birch: This tree burns quickly and is the first of the Irish ogham alphabet. Associated with fresh starts, cleansing, and rectification. Burn to initiate a new cycle in life, at baby blessings, and in new homes.
Pine: Use pine to cleanse illness and clear stuck energy. Pine is associated with the upper world and calling in air spirits, such as eagle and buzzard.
Apple: This tree is associated with the Celtic otherworld, Avalon, where souls seek healing and regeneration. Burn for healing magic and for rituals of reconciliation and compassion as well as sexual magic, and marriages.
Ash: Ash is a powerful magical ally generally and in many ways the best wood as fuel; however, ash is on its way to becoming an endangered tree due to the disease called Ash Dieback in the UK and Europe; it also has problems with infestations of the Emerald Ash Borer in the US. This wood should be used responsibly and sustainably—check all restrictions regarding this tree in your area and take steps to honour this tree whenever it is used.
45. Martin, Western Islands of Scotland, 1229–1231.
46. Carmichael, Carmina Gadelica, Volume I, 83.
47. Carmichael, Carmina Gadelica, Volume 1, 84.
48. Spence, Shetland Folk-lore, 1697.
49. A History of the Island of Rathlin by Mrs. Grange, Rathlin 1851, Coleraine.http://irisharchaeology.ie/2012/03/the-sweat-house-at-creevaghbaun-co-galway/.
50. Robin Carhart-Harris, Leor Roseman, Mark Bolstridge, et al. “Psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression: fMRI-measured brain mechanisms,” Scienfitic Reports 7. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-13282-7.
51. The Woodcutter’s Song—also known as “Logs to Burn” and “The Dartmoor Log Song.” There are many versions of this British folk song; this version was published first in volume 159 of the British magazine Punch in 1920, and is listed as being by Honor Goodheart but is of disputed authorship and may have been adapted from other sources. https://archive.org/details/punchvol158a159lemouoft/page/898.