Why do so many of us have difficulty trusting the fire cycle and owning our power in the world? What does it mean to be in the fire and to push on through to the other side?
These are questions I seek to answer—for those I work with, as well as for my own soul.
We travel through many cycles in our lives. Some of these cycles everyone moves through at specific times, such as the various stages of life. We all have to deal with youth, maturity and aging. Other cycles are brought on by individualized life challenges—the death of a loved one, relationships ending, careers closing, moving from one location to another, health issues. Some cycles are a result of our soul coming to the fore of our consciousness and seeking the deeper meaning of our lives.
The fire cycle, which is most closely related to personal power, is one of the most difficult to embrace. It requires voluntarily entering into a period of chaos, of things falling apart, of not knowing what the outcome will be on the other side of transformation. It is when we begin the process of letting go and diving into the truth of a situation or an issue. It is when we take our sword in hand, cut away the dead wood and turn up the heat. During this time you will be confronted with your fears, as well as your dreams, hopes and wishes. You may feel like Frodo in The Lord of the Rings and wish to return to the comfort and safety of the shire—and yet there is a part of you that knows that true safety lies ahead and not behind.
One reason that many refuse to step into the fire and own their power is the fear of hurting someone else. It is true that others are often confused, fearful and angry when our decisions affect them, especially if it disrupts their comfort zone. This does not mean that you should stop your journey or postpone it, although the guilt you may feel may tempt you to abort the change, at least temporarily. In truth, you cannot quit your journey without grave consequences. It is said that The Christ said, "That which you bring forth will save you and that which you do not bring forth will destroy you." Because our souls are linked together karmically, our decisions will affect others, and they are supposed to! We do not need to protect others from the lessons they need to experience. We can be true to our own lives and be compassionate—not codependent—with those whose lives are intertwined with ours.
When the baby is ready to be born, it does not ask permission. Life does not travel in a neatly packaged box, or a straight line, but rather in a spiral of cycles and constant transformation. All things change, from the cells in our bodies to the expanding galaxies, in a dance of life and death far beyond our imagined control.
So what is our part? When we enter into a conscious fire cycle we must be willing to let go, and to do our part—whatever that is—to change. We must not blame others, or even ourselves, for wrongdoing. We must, however, become cognizant that we have Goddess/God-Given Co-Creative powers and can choose to move forward, or to hold back, the process of change. We can actually stand in the way of creation. It becomes our responsibility to discover and remove the blocks from our path and lean into the destiny that is calling us forth.
Nietzsche said, "Unless there is chaos, one cannot give birth to a dancing star." Chaos only looks like chaos to the uninitiated soul. Those who are familiar with change know that what looks like death to the caterpillar is life to the butterfly. The willingness to enter the chaos—the fire—and birth your own power, is often hard won and only comes after much resistance and suffering. After one has gone through a fire cycle consciously a few times, the resistance can lessen. Suffering becomes an option. The fire cycle will most likely never be easy, but with faith it can be a time of grace, excitement, and embracing passion and dreams. You can begin to experience the exquisite power of your own soul, as you make change in your life and become a co-creator with your higher power.
This world has become a place where power is frequently misused. Perhaps it has always been so upon our earth. This has created an imbalance between those who are powerful and those who feel ineffectual in their lives and depend upon others to run the show. Many people feel wounded around their power and so either reject the power/fire or misuse their power/fire. Neither course solves the problem. We were all born to be beautiful and to shine, no matter who we are. The earth and all her creatures need each and every one of us to be willing to step into the fires of transformation and to rise up out of the ashes of our old selves, just as the phoenix does again and again. If ever there was a time for us to do the conscious work of transformation and step more fully into the fire to embrace our power and our true selves, now is that time.
The world was born of fire—and so is each decision we make to change. Make it conscious, step bravely into the fire and embrace your power. The world needs us to be powerful and wise, now more than ever.
