Beltane—or May Day—is upon us. We’re at the halfway mark between Spring and Summer. “Summer is Icumen in” as they sing in the Cornish town of Padstow, while the Obby ‘Oss makes its way through town, bestowing fertility, and children dance around the Maypole. Move through the mists of time, and many of our ancestors will have celebrated the turn of the year—some danced around maypoles or feasted—some towns lit fires on hills. Chanting and dancing and lighting fires in unison, one cannot help but lose oneself to the beat of drums and the flicker of the flames. At their most potent, these celebrations can reconnect us with something old and forgotten. Most of the pre-Christian customs have faded from our national calendar. Others, arguably, have been reduced to mere spectacle. But we can still carry the fire and keep some of these traditions alight, allowing them to evolve to meet changing needs. For our Fire issue, Maggie Eliana wrote a piece for us about fire rituals. Here is an excerpt from her piece, and a recipe to make an incense for centring—necessary as the Wheel of the Year continues to turn—sometimes so fast we have little time to process what we’ve been through.
Symbolically, fire has also held an important social role. The hearth of the home is where life revolves. The fire in the hearth can be thought of as the agni of the family, nurturing, providing, and protecting. Gathering around the hearth, the kitchen table, and the campfire, is how we come together with our community to share ideas, experiences, and stories. It is an opportunity for group bonding, for teaching lessons, and searching for truth. In this way, fire is instrumental to our rituals and practices of safety, security, and meaning-making.
Fire and smoke cleansing practices can be seen through a similar lens. Using smoke to cleanse a holy room, for example, creates a practice that offers contemplation and a spiritual mindset for the participants, and leaves a smell as a physical reminder to others who enter the space that it should be treated with respect. While this is undoubtedly an important aspect of ritual, the benefits are much more complex than our ancestors likely knew. Lack of true understanding, awe and wonder, and a desire for meaning led to a mystical view of the natural world. We took these gifts of nature and ascribed them with otherworldly power. However, modern scientific studies into smoke cleansing (Braithwaite et al 2008, Nautiyal et al 2007) have shown that antibacterial properties from the plants cleanse and deionise the air of a room for 24 hours after being burned. Herbs such as bay leaves, rosemary, lavender, rose petals, or pine needles can all be used to cleanse a space.
Bringing the element of fire into your practice can be achieved by lighting some candles or burning incense. For an even more holistic and personalised approach, you can make your own incense blends. You can customise the herb blends to suit your needs and preferences, and have fun experimenting with recipes.
An Incense Cone Blend for Centring (makes about 10 cones)
Here is a simple incense for finding your centre. It can also be used for space cleansing rituals, as a feature on your altar, or simply as a relaxing mood-enhancer. You can tailor the herbs you use to fit your individual needs. Some other good herbs are pine needles, calendula, juniper, lemongrass, or tree barks such as sandalwood.
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp lavender
1 tsp rose petals
1 tsp bay leaves
1.5 tsp marshmallow root powder
Approx. 1 tbsp water
To make your own incense cones, all you need is finely powdered dry herbs and some water. You can buy herbs ready-powdered or powder your own using a coffee grinder or mortar and pestle.
Slowly add water to the mixed powders to form a paste until you get a consistency similar to wet sand.
The mixture can then be pressed into cones.
Allow your cones to dry for about a week.
To light, place the cone in a fire-safe dish, light the tip and allow to burn for a few seconds before blowing out the flame.