What comes to mind when you hear that single word? Charred hillsides after a forest fire, a comforting wood stove, a camp fire, the sound of crackling wood, images of blacksmiths, searing pain... There are many different uses for fire and the scenarios in which it is used can be as opposed as flame and water appear to be. Fire can heat, burn, scorch, illuminate, refine precious metals, destroy, renew, and a myriad of other actions. It is unusual that one element can have this many diverse capabilities. These capacities are not always distinct, but can sometimes combine, evoking strange or surprising responses. When one reaches to adjust wood in a stove, made to provide heat to a home in the winter, it is simple to burn one's hand by mistake. In this one action, fire can cause both comfort and pain.
Symbolically, fire also has the ability to illustrate many truths and emotions, standing in their place to ease one into an understanding before clearing the smoke to reveal what it had been illustrating all along. The emotions most commonly associated with fire are passion (particularly romantic passion) and a temper like lightning (striking quickly and lethally). Hence, the reputation red-headed individuals garner. When analyzed visually, it is interesting that fire illuminates its surroundings much as truth illuminates the darkness that is ignorance. We are born in a state of darkness with flashes of light that are the few basic pieces of knowledge that we possess. As we grow and learn, the darkness is cleared away to reveal the truth about the world. But be warned, it is not requisite that when the darkness dissipates, what the light reveals will be pleasing. Many have said "Ignorance is bliss" and not without reason. This is why children are often described as simply innocent; innocent of evil, of failure, of friends lost and dreams crushed, of abandonment, and of pain. Perhaps they are in darkness, but in the darkness they are safe from what the light illuminates.
Fire also provides warmth and comfort. Without it, many would perish from exposure to the elements when hiking or stranded in the wilderness. In the days prior to the invention of central indoor heating, if fire had not existed to warm the frigid nights, winter would have been an unbearable season, through which few would have survived. Even in places where a fire is not a necessity presently, it is often considered a pleasure - the appealing centerpiece of reunions of all kinds. Many discussions, both light-hearted and weighty, have taken place around a fire pit; the crackling of the logs becoming a mysterious addition to the night sounds, while the flames cast strange shadows on the ground and trees.
Arguably the most enlightening ability of fire is that of refining precious metals. If one had no knowledge to the contrary, it would seem most insensible to place anything of worth within reach of the flames. After all, most materials are destroyed by the intense heat. Contrastingly, fine metals are not desecrated by fire, but rather are made stronger, purer, and more beautiful by the flames. The same idea can be applied metaphorically to people. Depending upon the material of which you are made, trials, pain, and loss will either destroy you or make you stronger, burning away all impurities - leaving a gleaming piece of artwork that has increased worth exponentially by being put through the flames. The heat will burn, but not sear; it will be painful, but you will not be killed; it will not seem worthwhile while you are in the midst of the flames, but the finished product will make you realize that you could never be the person you are without going through the pain. However, this is dependent upon that of which you were made. If you are made of wood, then you will quickly be turned into ash by the fires of tribulation. If you are made of ice, you will melt away under the heat. Only those made of certain metals will last through the fires, becoming glorious in the process. It is worthwhile to note that the name diamond is derived from the ancient Greek αδάμας (adámas), "proper", "unalterable", "unbreakable", "untamed", from ἀ- (a-), "un-" + δαμάω (damáō), "I overpower", "I tame". If one is willing to go through fire and through the intense pressure that is necessary to become a polished diamond or jewel, the result will be a beauty and strength that will not be easily penetrated in the future. However, there is a reason such stones are rare and valuable. There are not many who willingly go through the fire, no matter the result.
As one of the four base elements, it is understandable that fire can be used and understood in so many diverse ways. Nevertheless, sometimes we become stuck in our thinking about certain common elements, seeing them in only one light. It is therefore helpful to investigate the less obvious meanings and sometimes simply to recall them, even if one has understood them in the past.
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