Becoming One with Fire
1) Each of the four elements have aspects of temperature - cool or warm - and humidity - dry or moist. Fire has the qualities of being warm and dry.
Observe those things around you that have the combined qualities of heat and dryness. Compare the heat and dryness of a fire to that of the Sun. The burning core of the Sun is frequently referred to as "plasma" and is spoken of in terms resembling the way water would be described (such as flowing). Steam has more fire than ordinary water does. Ordinary water has more fire in it than ice does. Thus, to a degree, fire and water can co-exist. Yet, they are considered to be total opposites, and should be able to cancel each other out. How can they exist together when they should destroy each other? The answer is in the percentage of each. Much water destroys a little fire, and vice versa. But even a small amount of fire changes water and a small amount of water also has some effect on fire. Try to observe fire in its various combinations with the other elements around you. Make a list of these things. Take your time; do this for one week.
2) Find a place that is extremely hot such as a desert or dry sauna not a steam bath). If this is not possible, find a place where a roaring fire is going, such as a fireplace or barbecue pit or grill. Remove as much of your clothes as you can and get as close to the heat source as possible without risking a burn. If you're in the desert, be sure to wear sunscreen.
Once you are uncomfortably hot (but not painfully or unbearably so) and your perspiration is freely flowing, begin by doing a relaxation ritual .This may be difficult due to the heat, but it will test you to see how well you can do the Relaxation Ritual. Next, become very aware of your breath. Notice the way the heat feels as it comes in through your nose, goes down your air pipe and into your lungs. Sense or imagine the heat within your lungs, and feel the heat-laden air as it goes out of your lungs, through your air pipe and out your nose and mouth.
Now imagine that your entire body is nothing but a large breathing apparatus. Imagine that every part of your body has only the function of breathing and nothing else. Know that your skin is a vital part of this system. As you physically breathe in air, imagine that every pore of your body's skin is also breathing in heat and dryness: elemental Fire. Feel the Fire course through your body, cleansing and purifying. Then, as you exhale, feel it leave through your pores, taking with it the body's toxins, pains, and sufferings.
Caution: When doing this exercise in the desert, do not spend longer than 10 minutes. When doing this type of work it is much too easy to lose your sense of time. Have an alarm set to sound after 10 minutes or have a friend come and get you. Drink a glass of cool water immediately afterwards. This caution is for your health and safety, especially if you are not used to living in extreme heat or have physical problems dealing with heat.
Experiment with this at different times of the day, and if possible, at different locations. Try it in the cool of the night or even in the rain. Do this daily for a week.
3) Spend up to three minutes once a day imagining that you are the element Fire. Feel the heat and your ability to transmit that heat. Feel the dryness and as a result, perhaps, stop your perspiration if you are perspiring. Become Fire. Know what Fire feels like; what Fire is. Do this for one week.
4) Once you've learned how to "be Fire", the next step is to learn how to consciously control Fire. Take a moment and imagine yourself to be Fire. Bring the feeling from Step 3 into your awareness. Next, hold your hands 9 to 12 inches apart, palms facing each other. Visualize a bottle, cylinder, or small cask between your hands. Inhale. As you exhale, visualize all of the Fire element which is in you going out with your breath and into the container between your hands. Three to five breaths is usually enough to fill it. If it gets too hot to "hold" between your hands, move your hands farther apart. Once it is filled, observe it for a short time. Then, with three breaths, inhale it back into yourself and return to normal consciousness.
5) This will allow you to see whether or not you really have become not only in harmony with Fire, but also if you are able to control the element.
The next time you are feeling listless and have a total lack of energy, or a lack of desire to do the necessary things in your life (which is a sign of a shortage in yourself of Fire), form your Fire container as in Step 4. Then, with one big inhalation, draw the contents of the container back into you. Within a few minutes you should feel energized and revitalized. Try this instead of a morning cup of coffee.
The next time you feel as if you are bursting with an overload of energy, so much that it is hard to concentrate due to the fiery energy within you (which is a sign of excess in yourself of Fire), again form your Fire container; only this time, visualize a large black hole in the air in front of you and throw the container into that hole. Quickly see the hole close. Your excess energy should be gone, but you'll have enough energy left to do your necessary tasks. Don't do this "black holing" with Fire more than three times in one day. Otherwise, you could become so drained that your physical body could be weakened.
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