How can we reconcile the immensely destructive force of fire with its equally
limitless creative potential? Forest managers light intentional blazes to clear
overgrowth and begin anew the cycle of life. A fireplace becomes a hearth,
offering heat, light, and survival for the homes residents. And fiery volcanic
activity can obliterate what stands in its path all the while creating new land
in a matter of hours and days that becomes highly fertile soil in thousands or
millions of years. The element of fire--and its life-giving results in the form
of heat and light--represent both a powerful metaphor and an undeniable fact of
organic and spiritual transformation.
Evelyn Underhill, in her classic book Mysticism, states unambiguously 'No
transmutation without fire.' And 'Here, as elsewhere...the self must lose to
find and die to live.'
