How to Hold an Outdoor Fire Ceremony

Soul-level personal healing supports from planning, to ceremonial steps, aftercare and integration

A Personal Outdoor Fire Ceremony
There is something special about gathering in community for fire ceremonies, but there is great beauty in a solo fire as well. Whether your fire is outdoors by a river or a candle in your bedroom, fire ceremonies are powerful healing opportunities and are recommended for energetic and spiritual maintenance. Ideally held at a minimum of twice a year or, as much as a monthly working practice, these fires are often timed with celestial events such as Solstices, Equinoxes or Full Moons and have long, rich histories in different cultures, traditions and faiths. 

Juliette at a Seaside Full Moon Fire ~ photo credit to Amber Samaya

When we call on the medicines of Fire we can easily trust in our primal knowing that fire changes things completely. Whatever fire touches is transformed. Whole forests and towns to ash and soot. Bread into toast. Cold to hot. Liquid to air. This includes too; dense energy, uncomfortable dynamics, completed life choice patterns, spiritual intrusions, and imposed roles and limitations, that are released, transformed, and returned to source. By the very nature of its being, Fire is an ancient powerful ally to be highly respected.

Our human clan has gathered around fire for an unfathomable amount of years. It’s hardwired into our cells to gravitate to, gaze into, be warmed and illuminated by its light - particularly during the dark half of the year. Rituals of cleansing & clearing, of honouring & calling to the Sun, as a method for carrying prayers & blessings, a place to give offerings in gratitude; you can tap into traditions of your cultural heritage, spiritual lineage or create your own ceremony from elements important to you that arise naturally or are cultivated over time.

What I offer here are customizable steps to hosting a full, complete, personal fire ceremony in a spiritually safe manner, best suited for being held outdoors.  As with all such work, it can be taken as deeply as we are ready for.

1. Sacred Smoke Ritual & Setting Space
In the ways that feel right to you, be sure to set aside time and space for this deep inner work. 

• Turn off the ringer, put up the Do Not Disturb sign, however you need to eliminate distractions or interruptions.

• Prepare in your personal ways as you do for any ceremony - some people will take ritual baths, don specific clothing, gather sacred tools, or sit for a time in a favourite sanctuary.

• Engage in a sacred smoke ritual or otherwise cleanse your energy body with fresh herbs, oiled water, feather fans, and/or grounding techniques.

• Establish your sacred working container. The safe space for your spiritual practice. Some people will call in the directions, the guardians of the land, any spiritual guides, totems, angels and deities they work with. Some will draw a circle around them and the fire space - either a tangible and visible circle or simply an energetic one. 

2. Water Blessing
It is my preference to include a water blessing when I host a fire ceremony. Water has an incredible capacity to hold the energetic imprints of the electromagnetic frequencies sent into it from our emotions, words, intentions, hands-on-healing, crystals, sound, and symbols. One can look to the work of Dr. Emoto, Sandra Ingerman’s transfiguration work with GVD cameras, or my sharing on this DIY rice experiment for more ‘left-brain proofs’ of working in this way.

Juliette Offering Blessed Water Back to the River Post Ceremony

• Ideally using a plain glass, clear water bottle, or simply an open topped vessel - fill it with clean fresh water; anything from a sacred waterfall or your kitchen tap. If you choose to, you might include adding supportive, non toxic, plants or crystals in this water.

• Spend some time holding your water while generating feelings of love, joy, or contentment, while whispering words of encouragement, chanting healing songs, or speaking of which you wish to invoke more of in your life, such as inner peace, health, inspiration. Send healing thoughts, channel reiki, raise your vibration, give blessings and allow it to infuse the water. You might take it further and draw symbols on the glass or write affirming words onto paper to tape to the side.

• As you are moving through the releasing work during your fire ceremony - refill, recharge, and uplift yourself, as needed, by drinking this water. In this way you are literally filling yourself with blessings and positivity.

• Remember to save a little water to give to the earth or into a nearby stream, river or the ocean as an act of offering gratitude and sharing its healing capacity.

3. The Fire
Please consider fire safety as paramount! Always ensure proper extinguishing is on hand - look into how many litres of water in correlation to size of your fire is required to have access to, know where the nearest fire extinguisher is, the rules and regulations of the land or building you are in. Regardless of if you are holding an outdoor fire, using an indoor fireplace, or a candle on a table - fire safety is your responsibility.

The Ceremonial Fire Altar at the Selkie Sanctuary Cottage

Depending on one’s traditional background, cultural heritage, and belief systems, all of these steps are likely to take on different nuances, practices, and methods. Exploring and possibly re-animating forgotten aspects found in historical resources and stories, taking up or tailoring traditions that have been handed down to you, or creating your own personal methods as seems most fitting to you, are beautiful ways to cultivate and deepen your own ceremonial connection with Spirit.
With so many methods for working with the alchemical nature of Grandfather Fire, how we each cultivate our own ways and practices is part of the "art" of healing arts. As you read the examples within each step of this fire ceremony structure, take note of what parts resonate most deeply with you, see where your natural interests may be brought in, and pay attention to what your intuition may offer.