Although it holds a place among the sacred elements, fire never brought me the same awe and mystery as the others. I was intrigued by the physical sciences in my youth, and my idea of fire had been reduced to a chemical reaction. As unsexy as the water cycle is, there are limits to Man's control of it. After hundreds of years of research, we still can't manipulate water and sky sufficient to stop droughts. The fire triangle, on the other hand, is simple. It is a chemical reaction. It is easy to defeat.

Last week I found myself in my helicopter, flying a rather unique mission. As the fires in Southern California spread and threatened structures aboard my base, we were dispatched with large "buckets" (more like flexible barrels) attached to the bottom of our aircraft that we would dip into lakes and carry over the fires to dump on the flames. I have many hours of practice carrying an external load, but not over fire. I learned something that day - fire IS a living thing. It moves according to its own will, independent of terrain or wind. It can even bend the wind to its will, creating its own weather and pressure system, as we discovered last week. Water and fire, being natural enemies, cannot coexist in the same space. If mixed, one or the other will be banished to the sky as smoke or steam, or to the earth as ash or runoff. Anything intruding upon this epic battle will also be forced to choose sides. As I flew at 125 feet through the black smoke and searing heat, my helicopter settled as the hot air dispersed the air molecules and my engine and rotor blades had to fight harder to generate thrust and avoid the lapping flames that pulled us down. The heat wrung the sweat from me and my crew, eventually evaporating each of the little drops of water that fell from our faces and onto our flightsuits and the nonskid floorboards. The thick smoke detoured briefly through our lungs, and upon encountering the moisture in our bodies, insisted that it resume its course skyward, and produced many coughing fits. The water we spread on the flames generated occasional plumes of white steam that rose alongside the columns of black smoke, offering a simple but powerful representation of the struggle between these sacred elements.

So after this experience, I must confess -- I have a new appreciation for the terrible beauty and power of this element. I'd also like to offer my prayers to those who were harmed or left homeless by the wrath of the firestorm. Stay safe, and Blessed Be.

-"Jasmine"

Jasmine, yes fire is a living thing, I learnt this at an early age when I lost a friend to a house fire. Witnesses commented on the way the fire moved, like pausing and looking like it was thinking which way to go next, the sounds that came from it were bizarre.
 My friend Steve never stood a chance as the fire originated from his room. He was a smoker who that night after he had been drinking fell asleep in bed whilst he was smoking. Luckily everyone else including a young baby got out.

 Fire does fascinate me...lol no Im not a pyromaniac but I spend many an evening sat in front of our log fire gazing at the flames as they dance and create images and listening to the sounds it makes.

 We need to have a healthy "fear" is that the right word(sorry its early and Im ill lol) and respect for the elements, they can be so incredibly beautiful but deadly.

I also offer up my prayers to everyone affected by this firestorm.
Fly safe Jasmine

Blessings
Avaloniaspirit

Thank you Jas and you team for all your hard work fighting the fire.

It is a beautiful thing to work with I must say. I'm learning how to play with Poi - Fire Dancing. It's awesome, but we have to keep in mind that when the Poi hits us, that is fire hit'n us, and we must be careful of that. I don't want my hair to go up in flames. lol

BB
Eve

To be honest, I always had a fascination for fire...even as a kid my parents always had to tell me over and over again to stop playing around with candles.
When I started working with my circle, the first thing that astonished me was the way the fire behaved when a cone of energy is crated. The huge spiral it becomes, circling around with the people dancing around it....it's tooo beautiful.
Then I started fire joggling and I became even more fascinated (I joggle with fire sticks)...the sound of the fire as it goes so close to your ears and the heat it gives....adrenaline all over the place  

I can almost imagine how it must have been fighting against these flames in that helicopter...I read your story, Jasmine, and I was thinking that you were somehow lucky to be unharmed after that kind of experience.

I too will join in the prayer.

Blessings
Freya

Beautiful post Jasmine. And very eloquently put. I respect and love the element of fire. It is very much a living thing. When performing Candle magicks and working with flame you can actually scry and communicate fire elementals if you desire. I believe each one of us has various opportunities in our lives to be awed and mesmerized by an element of the force you spoke of.

Whether it be Air, earth, fire or Water, all is part of the living, breathing and moving Mother upon which we live. It's always a delightful journey of self-discovery each time one presents itself in all of its wisdom and glory.

Thank you for sharing Jasmine. I loved it. And thank you.....I know it must've been an extrememly hard thing to do....and I am sending thoughts, energies and prayers to the people, animals and other beings that are being misplaced by this event.

Be well, wherever you dwell.

Blessings Bright and Dark,