On Perseverance: Life's Sacred Fire Sixth in the Series
Early this month, fire burned down buildings at Universal Studios film and TV studio in Los Angeles.
Today, fire is ravaging the Bonny Doon Ecological Reserve on Martin Road in California. 1,400 residents have been told to evacuate while about 1,000 homes are threatened. Fire is burning in Humbolt, Ophir, Escondido Campground area and Jackson in California. At the end of this summer there will be wildfires in many parts of the country. Thousands of acres of vegetation will be gutted. Property worth billions of dollars will be lost in the infernos. Fire as a metaphor thus can bring to mind loss, suffering, and destruction.
But fire has positive connotations as well. Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca was in 1528 the treasurer of a team of three hundred Spaniards who arrived in Florida. Their mission: Conquer and govern the surrounding lands. Of these sailors, only Cabeza de Vaca and three others survived a shipwreck. They would wander in the southern parts of US for more than seven years before they found their way back to Mexico City.
One day, Cabeza de Vaca strolled far away from his colleagues. He got lost. As he struggled to find his bearings, he found a burning tree beside which he spent the cold night. In the morning he carried with him dry wood and held two burning sticks. With the fuel and fire, he walked for five days. On the sixth night he found his compatriots. For Cabeza de Vaca fire symbolized life and hope.
The image of a flaming torch brings to mind the empowering symbol of the Olympic Games. The Olympic Torch relay reminds us of Prometheus, who, defying the god Zeus, stole fire from Zeus and gave it to our ancestors. The blazing torch is thus the symbol for freedom.
Heraclites, the Greek philosopher, believed that fire was an agent of transformation and the symbol of perpetual change.
Zoroastrians represent the presence of God through fire. They believe that the individual soul is a divine spark. Chinese and Egyptian rites linked fire to the sun, associating it with life and health. For them, fire is a symbol of sexual and spiritual power of fertility and life.
In the Hebrew Scriptures, the Creator appeared to Moses through a brush of fire in which the fire burned without consuming the bush. For Christians, a burning candle in the tabernacle symbolized Jesus Christ, the light of the world.
Fire has been a powerful force in Hawaiian culture and mysticism. And Pele, the goddess of volcanic fire, is most revered.
Fire symbolizes life, transformation, spiritual power, the invisible sacred fire that burns without consuming. The goal of life beyond wealth, fame and power, concerns nurturing this sacred fire. This fire, then, becomes the power behind the scenes imparting a magical quality to all our other pursuits. To come to that realization demands courage and the determination to never submit to anything that hinders its steady burning.
Photo credit: Awreness
Fire Tracking Website: W.I.S.E. Fire Tracking
Comments
I thought of two things while I was reading this. By my house at the Courthouse there is an eternal flame that burns in memory of veterans. I am absolutely opposed to war but cannot help but be touched when I stand in front of that memorial and know that the fire burns forever so the people it is representing are always remembered. I think it is very powerful.
The second thought I had was images of fire being spread by the winds whipping it up and how that happens to people with their own personal flame. Rain might make the flame smolder or even make the fire go deep underground where it will pop up somewhere else. Same with the human flame.
This is my favorite article so far. Brought many cool images into my head as I read it. Thanks. :)
Posted by: Debby | June 12, 2008 08:01 AM
My pathetic contribution: Cabeza de Vaca means "head of cow". What do you think of this family name? Were they bull headed, or what?
Posted by: Michele | June 14, 2008 12:59 AM
Thanks for your kind words. I think you make a noteworthy point in mentioning the flame as a memorial for veterans. It is a powerful symbol.
But it brings conflicting feelings for you. What I will do when I see something like this is look beyond the immediate purpose of the flame and expand. In this case, it is great to remember the fallen, but there is something more. The second part of your comment can be that expansion. The flame is in honor of the veterans and it also represents our own sacred flame that will never go out even when wind blows it and rain falls on it.
Posted by: Kwami | June 14, 2008 11:09 AM
Thanks for the post, Michele. I went to Wikipedia and I found this interesting story about the name.
"Cabeza de Vaca was son of Pedro de Vera y de Hinojosa (a distant relative of Francisco Pizarro), of Jerez de la Frontera, and wife Teresa Cabeza de Vaca y de Zurita. His name is spelled as Alvar Nuñez Cabeça de Vaca in 16th Century documents. The Cabeza de Vaca means "head of cow". This surname was granted to his family in the 13th century, when his ancestor aided a Christian army attacking Moors by pointing out a secret mountain pass by leaving a cow's head there. In the prologue to his great story relating his shipwreck and wanderings in North America, he refers to his forefather's service to the King, and regrets that his own deeds could not be as great, due to forces beyond his control."
Cabeza de Vaca was son of Pedro de Vera y de Hinojosa
Posted by: Kwami | June 14, 2008 11:13 AM