Picture the leaping bush fire or the roaring furnace. Now think of the full flowering of crops in Summer, the optimism of the expected harvest and the joyous anticipation of the harvest to come. Picture the Celtic army fighting in full passion and absolute exuberant optimism; their charge will either sweep the enemy aside or fail. Death or glory, no holding back, fly or crash and burn! Fire is about all consuming passion, thrown into whatever the endeavour.
The Fire element represents different periods of our lives as we move through different cycles. It is associated with the Summer, the time when the fields are golden with wheat, the trees are heavy with ripening fruit. When everything is looking up, optimism is the name of the game and the heart soars high with passion and enthusiasm.
Yin Fire represents gentle warmth; the healing hand of a caring friend, the lighted candle, red wine and warm rich incense. In this element one can warm others up with sensitivity and good humour, but notice that a person in this element is still very much leading others, they are in charge; their passion, energising and driving them.
Yang Fire represents the burning furnace, the oven, bonfires, volcanoes and the Sun; it is volatile and consuming. If people in the yin of this element emanate a warm glow, then in the yang of this element they might flare up or burn out. This element is single minded to the point of intolerance.
When you are in a Fire period your single-minded passion will either drive you to success, drawing others along with your enthusiasm, or you’ll go down in flames, but still dragging others with you. You might be intelligent and witty in the pursuit of your goal, but the goal is determined by your heart, not your head.
Fire nourishes Stone/Earth, and is nourished by wood. It is the forest fire that renders the nutrients locked up in the plants into a form that feeds the soil. Obviously, wood is fed to a fire.
Fire is controlled by Water and controls Metal. Water is most often used to quench Fire. Fire is the preeminent tool for the blacksmith in his mastery and manipulation of Metal.
These need to be contextualised into usable ideas. Stone is all about the long hard slog to build something that lasts, it will take a great passion, an emotional drive to set you upon such an endeavour. Probably regular top ups of passion along the way to keep you going.
If you want to get people enthusiastic and emotionally positive, a new idea or a green shoot with great potential is often your best bet. It has often been found that changing the brand or logo of a product is enough to enthuse both workers and customers. The new is perceived as better. Remember wood is about new beginnings.
If you’re about to by a new car because of your emotional reaction to the smell of the seats, the roar of the engine and how it makes you feel, you are in the grips of fire; your passion. This is why a good salesman want to get your commitment now, he knows that fire can burn itself out when the fuel is gone. By comparison, water has mass, it represents the sound, unemotional argument with facts and details; an argument that will still be valid in a week or a month, or, if it’s a political/philosophical idea, in a hundred years. Often your cold, unemotional bank statement can put out the fire of enthusiasm.
Making something in metal like a tool or a weapon requires a lot of hard work. In the same way that most of the shaping of a metal tool is done while it is very hot, your passion will do a lot of the hard work in shaping your skill acquisition as a lot of what you need for the application of a skill is the right attitude and that is shaped by emotion.
