I plan to post on this thread some considerations, ideas, and history about not only Fire Rising and how it has evolved, but to also touch upon Fire Circles in general.

There are hills in India, where even now as I write, sitting around a fire are spiritual people tending these fires attempting communion with their idea of spirituality. Several years ago anthropologists took core samples of these "hills" and discovered that they were composed of wood ash. That the practice of gathering around these fires had been going on consecutively for hundreds of years in the same place.

We are not so lucky to have such a long lasting un broken lineage. In fact there have been groups trying to 'get back to Nature' in the U.S. For the last century, for the most part alot of our tradition stems from just the last couple of decades in what we can refer to as the (now) stagnating Pagan revival scene. For many people the writings of Henry David Thereau and Margret Murray were a catalyst. In this each group seeks to reconnect with some aspect of living in connection with Nature that is considered to be lost or forgotten. We must then rediscover the proverbial Wheel, or in our case learn how to make a fire and the community which revolves around it.

After having spent a considerable amount of time in the modern Wicca or Witchcraft scene, I had begun to stagnate. I began to see how much we as a people use religion to define ourselves, and yet often times it is only a superficial change. A term has been coined calling this the "Episcopagans", people who are brought up through the Judeo- Christian society, and have difficulties connecting with their own tradition. We then seek to change our discomfort by changing to another spiritual tradition. It kind of resembles how we change our dirty socks. The difficulty is that the individual attempting to make these changes must do a self analytic inventory of their ethics and morals and question their previously accepted given assumptions of everything from the basic rights and wrongs up to and including the more complex morals of our world at large. In the attempts of this process we find that often we have similar conclusions, and much more often have differences of opinion from others who are attempting to verify truth for themselves. Where is the common ground which we can sit together and find fellowship, community, family, and the ever ellusive 'Tribe'?

It was during this time in my life that I was invited to a gathering called 'Rites of Spring.'
Two women I had been involved with at the time had been attendee's of this gathering. One explained to me that, "The workshops are really good, but if you want to see magick happening go to the Fire circle." And so I did, and it was a step that changed my life.

What I found was a diverse group of people who were dedicated to using the Fire and a gathering of people as a model to support self development, Artistic pursuits, Social change, all underpinned with the concept that we were recreating an activity that was as old as time itself. A behavior of gathering around a fire that went back to the very beginnings of our human existence. Many cliques of groups were represented. They were Wiccans, Pagans, Christians, Jews, Muslims, Ceremonial Magicians, Druids, and every conceivable tradition old or new was accepted as being a valid path. I have witnessed a Catholic Priest giving Holy communion on one side of the circle while a Ceremonial Magician invoked Kali-Ma with dancing Priestesses on the other side. I fondly recall the spark of hope that if we could make this all come together, then there was a way to do it in a larger context. That there could be peace in our time.

The obvious admixture of various paths and traditions appealed to me. I had been growing and studying most recently a concept of true catholocism, or the universality of religious experience. The term 'Pansophia' was coined by Maggie Ingols (Nema) from Cincinatti. This term descibes that all Relgions and Philosphies contain an element or perspective of truth. And that by studying them all you can find this truth for yourself. So in finding the Fire Circle I had found a foundation for what I had come to learn was a next step for me, and possibly for the betterment of our world.

I was not alone either. There were several personalities who seemed to have gotten the same notion as I. One important voice in the activites at Rites of Spring was the performer and stage Magician Jeff McBride. With his stage talents perfected through his career, he made an excelant vehicle to bring other people into the inner circle of what we were trying to do with a gathering of people around a Fire Circle. Jeff was soon joined by his life partner Abbie 'Spinner' McBride, who as a team became a focus for many who were starting on the same path. Over the next several years I met with them at gatherings and we grew with the help of many others what would become known as the Alchemical Fire Circle.

The AFC model is one that is loosly based on an interpretation of using the ancient pseudo science of Alchemy as a framework for understanding the changes a person goes through in life. The novelty of the particular AFC model lies in that the various things an attendee does at a Fire circle (Drumming, Dancing, Watching, Talking) are seen as places where these steps in evolution can take place. Much of it is not arbitrarilly assigned but comes from several years of experience in observing human behavior, and is further correlated with modern Psychological theory. Much of the later work in Psychology and it's consideration of Alchemy was pioneered by Carl G Jung, a student of Freud.

Is the Alchemical model the only way to have an experience at a Fire Circle? No it is not. In fact we see that the ancient Alchmists themselves were often in disagreement about how the experiment of Alchemy , called the Magnum Opus or Great Work, could be achieved. There are many variatons of the same theme. The basic premise is that through using a natural process we can stimulate growth and evolution through a recycling. That what we might see as worthless (trash, negative emotions) actually is that which will enable us to transcend and become a more integrated personality (paraphrase of Dr. Jung). That we can find the miracle elixer that cures disease, that which will make us rich! The concept here of being wealthy is not one which is limited to a notion of material value. But one instead which places value on spirtual worth or virtue.

This concludes my present thoughts on the aspect of the past of the Fire Circle and Fire Rising. In my next installment I will attempt to tackle the more recent history of Fire Rising, and presently what you can expect as an attendee of this years gathering. Seriously having fun!

Peace
Christopher 'Fox' Wallace