The Magical Fire Cairn

Okay, granted, this isn't exactly a burning cairn, it is actually-well, supposedly-a bonfire. I chose this to illustrate this post not because it's the best picture I could find to represent the subject of this post, but for no other reason than it has, if you will notice, a vaguely human figure.

Since Hermes is the god most often associated with cairns, I decided to include this little magical ritual quite on the spur of the moment. Cairns of course are not fire, they are semi-permanent structures made basically of stone. They were evidently meant to mark a passage, as a landmark. Some insist they are meant to grant fertility to the land on which they are placed. No one really knows for sure, or for that matter whether they were originally associated with Hermes, although cairns, and "Hermes Areias" (Lord Hermes) date back to the Mycenaean era.

Here is a more or less modern version-



The object of the ritual is a simple one, although of course it requires you to live in an area where it is acceptable to engage in outdoor burning. You will need a large wire or some type of mesh basket in order to achieve the effect you need, and of course-paper, and boxes, etc., and lots of it.

The idea is to visualize the magical goal, and raise sufficient energy to transfer to the materials. You then release the energy by ritually burning them. The wire basket should contain everything within a confined parameter, but you need to stay close by just in case a sudden wind blows. It shouldn't be a problem really unless you have your magical cairn sitting too close to a flammable object-such as a house, for example. Caution is advised.

As you watch the burning, continue visualizing your magical goal. In my case, I burned an old book I started writing years ago on notebook paper by hand, and visualized a fresh, new start, with no more wasted effort and energy. Once released into the elements, the energy should return to me and give me a new outlook, a refreshed sense of purpose and vigor. Well, here's hoping.