Faeries & Elementals for Beginners: Learn About & Communicate With Nature Spirits (16 page)

Hopefully some of these tips can help you to avoid the

common pitfalls of weather magic. Remember that no mat-

ter how localized the changes, weather affects many people and living things. Try to be mindful not only of the feelings of the sylphs, but of your neighbors if you feel you must

attempt to alter the sunshine, wind, or precipitation in your area. Inviting elementals to help your life while also not affecting the lives of others is still just as cool and powerful, and you won’t have to feel guilty about unintended consequences.

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Salamanders—

Elementals of Fire

In ancient history, the night was full of mystery and fear, and fire was the only way to dispel the darkness and keep

warm. But why are salamanders, those small amphibians

that live in damp conditions, associated with the magical

element of fire? Salamanders aren’t just mythological creatures, but very real little wet critters that scurry around wetlands and mud. It could be that, since salamanders often

hide in the sort of rotting logs that are found in such wetlands, they may have been accidentally tossed as fuel for

the fires in ancient times. When people saw little lizard like creatures wiggling out of the roaring inferno and fleeing

into the night, it must have been amazing. Were these sal-

amanders created by the flames themselves? Did they have

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some mystical power that protected them from be burned?

Where were they headed after having been born from the

much-needed fire of the evening? The legend of salaman-

ders began.

Mythology

The imagery of a salamander is set in mythology from the

actual amphibians that walk the earth, so the variation in art and written descriptions is not as great as for some of the other elementals. In real life, salamanders are pretty amazing animals, having the ability to regenerate severed

limbs as if by magic. However, many supernatural abilities have also been ascribed to the tiny beasts, such as an ability to ward off fire or even carry fire to burn down the homes of enemies. You can see a mythological representation of a salamander in any fire, even if real salamanders don’t live anywhere near your region. If you gaze into an established fire at the coals, you will see a flickering orange light glittering across the coals. That moving orange glow, writhing in the heat is the essence of the element of fire, the salamanders of myth and legend.

Salamanders aren’t just limited to campfires and can-

dle flames in their influence, but also hold dominion over the molten lava that flows from volcanoes and the spark

of lightning and other electrical energy. Think of the element of fire as being the heat and light that powers all processes, but that also holds the key to their destruction. All the things salamanders have the power to harm they have

at least as much as the power to help, so working with sal-Salamanders—Elementals of Fire • 129

amanders should always be done with caution and rever-

ence.

Meditation for energy

This is an excellent moving meditation to use when you

need an extra boost of energy, such as performing in a

sporting competition, or even if you’re just dreading going to work or taking a long road trip to see some obnoxious

relatives. Since fire is dynamic, and is the essence of passion and excitement, this meditation will not put you to sleep, but is intended to invigorate the body and let you chan-nel the energy from the idea of the element of fire through your soul and into your mind and environment. If you

feel awkward about dancing around or allowing the spirit

of fire to move you in a way that may not appear graceful, sequester yourself in a private place before beginning this meditation. Light a candle and some incense to invoke the

element of fire into the space and to provide inspiration for the meditation.

Since this meditation is so high energy, I suggest

grounding yourself both before and after the meditation.

As you ground, stretch your muscles that need stretching,

roll your head on your neck with control to work out the

kinks, and begin to feel present in the moment by getting

in tune with your body. A good relaxation technique is to

work from your toes upward, focusing your attention on

each part of your body in turn, stretching or tensing the

muscles until you feel the heat of their movement, and then relaxing totally so that you can truly be at ease. Sometimes it is impossible for me to even notice I have been tensing
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my shoulders or back all day from stress until I give them attention in meditation, releasing the tension after a bit of stretching and flexing.

When you have gone through an inventory of your

muscles, stand and relax while gazing at the flame of the

candle and the movement of the smoke of your incense.

Observe closely how the flame and smoke dance, and allow

your body to begin to move to imitate or be inspired by the movements of the element of fire before you. Is the candle swaying softly, or jumping frenetically? Is the smoke

smooth and flowing in one direction, or does it appears to almost tumble through the air? Don’t try to copy the movements in a mirror, but let go and try to feel the movements inside your body. Move all parts of your body that are comfortable for you at your level of fitness. So, if you only have flexible use of your hands, so be it. If you are more mobile, try not to get stuck moving just one part of your body like your arms. Notice the movements at the base of the flame

and try to copy them with your hips or feet, for example.

Ideally, during this meditation, you should be so

focused on allowing your body to move in the same way

as the element of fire that you should not have room in

your brain to be thinking about what groceries need to be

picked up that day or what assignments may be due soon in

school or work. The element of fire is something transitory and transformational. Allow the movements to overtake

you until you are no longer thinking about how they look,

or anything else for that matter, and your body warms up

from the heat of your exercise. Hopefully you’ll even break
Salamanders—Elementals of Fire • 131

a sweat and feel like the room is getting a little warm as well.

When you are suitably warmed up by your meditation,

allow yourself a cool-down period by grounding yourself

and stretching your muscles again. Do another inventory

of your body, this time from your head down to your toes.

Hopefully, you’ll find that some of the muscles that were

tensed as hard as a rock before your movement medita-

tion will now feel relaxed but energized. At the very least, by practicing this meditation often, you should be able to command your muscles to relax more quickly simply by

staying in tune with your body instead of ignoring its complaints.

Rituals for Purposes

The element of fire is transformation at its true essence.

Fire itself is a chemical process instead of a static thing in nature. A fire starts, consumes, and ends with a new result different from the combination of things that initiated its existence in the first place. Fire is also ascribed to emotions that are similarly transient but transformative, such as aggression and passion in all of its forms, whether loving or hateful.

By its very nature, fire cannot be sustained. So if you

are looking to use salamanders in your rituals, be aware

that they will be your honored guests for a limited time

only, and they will disappear as quickly as they appeared.

Using fire elementals is therefore best advised as a catalyst in your life to get you started with something exciting, like
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an exercise program or a romantic getaway, rather than to

sustain something long-term, such as a loving marriage or

an assertive work persona.

Rituals to initiate transformation

Using fire in rituals is frequently done in order to release offerings to deities or other entities or to change a wish into something that will actually happen. For example, exercises could simply consist of writing something bad on a piece

of paper and then burning it to transform that thing into

something better. Other rituals could involve writing something good on a piece of paper and burning it in order to

make it manifest in a person’s life. From those two opposite results you can see that the essence of fire is transformation rather than outcome, so when working with fire in a ritual context it is important to keep in mind your true desires, rather than letting those fire elementals run wild in your life, turning everything into metaphorical ash.

Below is a simple ritual to invite transformation into

your life. Since the changes that fire can initiate in your life will be profound, make sure that you are serious about changing your life and have a clear idea of what you would like your life to look like after it has been changed. Transformation without a goal isn’t a good idea when playing

with fire, even if your life is undergoing an unpleasant

transition already such as a divorce or a demotion at work.

Delay your ritual until you have a sincere need to destroy what is old to create something new and a clear vision of

how your new life should appear.

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Cast a circle somewhere where you can safely kindle

a fire. It is best to perform this ritual during a full moon, preferably on or near a Saturday in order to get the full

moon’s potent effects, along with Saturday’s power to create change, even if it must be in a destructive manner. Using

scissors, trim a small lock of your own hair to burn. Before you cast it to the flames, hold the hair and think about any negative characteristics or situations in your life that you would like taken away and transformed. Burn the hair.

After the hair has been entirely consumed by the fire,

go to the southern quarter of your circle and reintroduce

yourself to the salamanders, telling them about your goals for renewal as if they have already happened. For example, if you have lost your job and are going back to school, introduce yourself with your full name and the name of a

job that you hope to hold in the future once your schooling is completed. Hold a strong image in your mind of yourself inhabiting all those characteristics you desire and with your life situation completely transformed into what you wish it to be. Thank the salamanders and close your magic circle.

Expect the transformation to be swift and possibly a bit jar-ring, since fire is not a gentle element.

Exercise to confront a friend,

lover, boss, or coworker

One of fire’s characteristics is assertiveness, a tool many people need when having to confront somebody about an

unpleasant topic. Please note that using fire to gain assertiveness is not a good idea for somebody who is already

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naturally aggressive. An angry and volatile person may need to turn instead to the sylphs to think clearly and with a cool head when communicating. Rather, this exercise for confrontation is intended for those who normally avoid con-

frontation at all costs for fear of bothering others or causing trouble.

Before you perform this exercise, think of the various

positive fire characteristics that you will need when con-

fronting somebody. For example, you may need assertive-

ness, confidence and even a little charisma to help things go your way. For each characteristic that you will need, select a piece of jewelry, for example, a watch, bracelet, and ring.

Ideally, you would use new jewelry for this exercise that has never been used for any other purpose before, so it will be clear of all other energies, ready to be blessed for specific use in your ritual.

This exercise is best performed on a Tuesday during

a waxing or full moon, the day before or the day of your

confrontation. You will need your selection of jewelry and a red candle to represent the element of fire. Cast your circle somewhere where you can safely burn your candle, and

light it. Facing south, ask the salamanders for their help.

Holding each piece of jewelry one at a time, concentrate on the characteristic you will need during your confrontation.

Trace the word for the characteristic with your finger on

the piece of jewelry, and then pass it quickly through the flame of the candle. When all three pieces of jewelry have been blessed, put them on and thank the salamanders. After closing your circle, feel free to remove the jewelry and put it in a safe place.

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