Swaha ~ Offering 2020 to the Fire

Well, here we are in December and my goodness what a year it has been. Have you seen the popular dumpster fire memes? It is understandably fitting for 2020.

Let us look past the smoke and stench to focus on the flames. Fire ceremonies are a huge part of many traditions around the world. Most all religions have spiritual practices using fire to set intentions, purify the mind, remembrance of mourning or cleansing spaces. In Christianity there are prayer candles. Menorah are lit for eight nights during Hanukkah. Fire has even been used as a representation of God where the concept of God is too abstract for us to grasp. God shows up in various forms of fire in both old and new testaments of the Judeo-Christian Bible.

A Puja is a Hindu form of worship using a fire ceremony called a “homa”. An integral part of the homa is offering gifts of grains, ghee, herbs, prayer requests and other substances to the flames with the mantra “Swaha”. Swaha (pronounced svāhā) can be translated as “I offer” or “Let it be so”. This is an offering to God as an indication of the release of desires.

According to Ayurveda, fire has several jobs ranging from digestion, transformation, illumination, conversion and of course heat. Fire also is useful for burning up the ignorance, delusion and obstacles that keep us from the success of knowing our own divinity.

It could be said the main job of fire is transformation. Anything touched by fire is changed. We often say someone is “walking through fire” when they are experiencing a difficult time in life. Dr. Alberto Villoldo gracefully states “Fire allows for rapid transformation. It provides the avenue to let go of the old story and drama, to transform, to renew and to be reborn”.

Agni is our digestive fire that literally transforms the food we eat into us. In the mind, fire helps us to learn new information and process emotions. Fire is also related to the sense of sight which helps shed light on darkness to allow us to see. This is not only related to visual acuity but also our ability to hold a clear vision for our life.

Fire always needs a container otherwise it will spread burning everything in its path until the fuel is gone and then burn itself out. This destructive nature is so perfectly depicted in the dumpster meme. But fire can be illuminating, inspiring, purifying and enrich our connection to the Divine. The sacred container for our fire is devotion. This year can be a great awakening if we learn from what we have experienced during 2020. We are at a particularly potent and truly life changing juncture. My sweet teacher Dr. Lad. always says that “After you have gone through the fire you will come out one of two ways, bitter or better”. The choice is yours. We can remember who we truly are, move out of the chaos to choose healing and peace instead.

According to ancient Vedic texts there is a light that shines in our hearts that is ten thousand times brighter than the sun. This is our true essence and nature. If we can remember the light that resides within us, then we can exist in a place of compassion and purification. Joy and passion will spread through our communities. across the nation and even around the world. Then not only will we thrive but all other species and the planet will thrive too.

I encourage you to create a simple sacred ceremony for yourself. Start with gratitude. Consciously give away the good and the bad. Make a symbolic act of offering the lessons, hardships, and joys to fire. Hand over fears and worries to the flames. Let it be so.

Please feel free to reach out if you would like some ideas of where to start.

I am happy to be your guide.

From: December 2021 Newsletter