{"id":15946,"date":"2017-11-01T01:10:35","date_gmt":"2017-11-01T06:10:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paganpages.org\/content\/?p=16136"},"modified":"2017-10-28T18:04:00","modified_gmt":"2017-10-28T23:04:00","slug":"spellcrafting-spells-rituals-25","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2017\/11\/01\/spellcrafting-spells-rituals-25\/","title":{"rendered":"SpellCrafting: Spells & Rituals"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fire <\/span><\/span>C<\/span><\/span>learing<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Merry meet.<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

At pagan festivals, it is almost expected there will be fire performers. While fire is one of the elements and there\u2019s something primal about it, I never saw it as particularly connected to a pagan or spiritual practice. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

That was until six weeks ago when a coven sister did her first fire clearing. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEver since I\u2019ve picked up my fans, I knew there was a spiritual component to them,\u201d said Becky Coates who has <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>been a fire spinner for 18 months.<\/span><\/span> \u201cBefore they came into my life, I was often seeing them <\/span><\/span>in sacred space and dancing with them during meditations. The first time I had them in my hands they immediately felt so right. I then took them to all my spiritual circles, to pick up the energy of that, but I didn\u2019t know what to do with it,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This past summer, someone picked up her card at a farmers market. Noticing it mentioned Coates as a massage therapist, tarot reader and fire dancer, and asked, \u201c\u2018Do you do that for energy clearing?\u2019 and my answer was, \u2018I can, but not yet.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Wondering why she wasn\u2019t doing that, she thought about what it would be like. At a Mabon weekend retreat with 20 other goddesswomen, she decided it was the perfect time to begin. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEvery time I do it, I understand it more and more. It started out with the clearing aspect of it, but now I\u2019m also getting into energy raising. I\u2019m excited to see how this practice grows.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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She\u2019s developed a basic structure for a routine that lasts the three minutes the fans burn. It starts when she approaches the fire, connecting with the fire source before she lights her fans and asks it to work through her. Barefoot, she then gracefully approaches the person to be cleared. She lets the fire greet them in the way it calls and then she casts a circle by spinning deosil around the person to be cleared. Starting in the center, she sweeps the energy from the center line out.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI can feel the density as I\u2019m passing though, so I\u2019ll feel a subtle shift. The faster movements bring energy up,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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As she works on both sides of the body at the same time, Coates explained, \u201cIt\u2019s learning and it\u2019s balancing.\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

As she sweeps and fans, raises and lowers, and spins around as you\u2019re standing still, you can hear the whoosh of the air rippling through the fire as the fans are moved quickly. You can smell a hint of Coleman camp fuel. You can feel warmth come near and move away. You can also feel a stirring in you, a negativity or a block you are willing to release being swept away.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

After her second clearing, Kelli Cooke said, \u201cI always feel like old energy is being cleared out, and old patterns are broken and undone. Any heaviness I’ve been carrying is set free, burned away.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

For me, I could feel the fire burning away the frustration and fear I wished to release from my life, and I could feel them being pushed away as they lost the hold they had had on my body and spirit.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Coates brings the fans over the head of the person \u201cto acknowledge the power within them.\u201d From there, she follows what she\u2019s called to do. It might be more clearing heavy energy out of the aura or rising the energy. The times I\u2019ve watched her she\u2019s been focused, eyes often closed, listening to her inner wisdom that guides her movements.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cYou\u2019re so in the moment,\u201d she said. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Those receiving cleansing have said the same.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Obviously, experience with fire spinning is a basic requirement for anyone wanting to do a fire clearing. So is a having a good sense of depth perception. In addition to fans, Coates thought hoops might also be used. If working with poi, consider using them to clear an area or cast a circle rather than for close-up work. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI could see using fire for more directive magic. You could use a staff or sword as a wand. If you have a prop that you\u2019re playing with, ask it,\u2019How do you want to be of service?\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

“Fire is such a communicative element and if you are touched by it, you know it’s power. It can feel like a warm hug or a blazing inferno and so much can be transformed through its energy,\u201d Coates said. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Kerry Bower felt both. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

She said she was honored to receive Coates\u2019 first ritual clearing.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cI still don\u2019t know what happened to me the few hours before the fire clearing, but it was extremely intense. I was very emotional and vulnerable. The combination of physical feeling I got from the heat along with the sound of the flames and the sight of the light behind my closed eyes really helped me release the spiritual weight I no longer wanted to carry,\u201d Bowers said.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was purging the most physical and mental pain I had ever experienced. <\/span><\/span>The flames took me from the low I felt hours earlier, and lifted my spirit, like a phoenix rising. I felt empowered and protected.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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