This article is an extract from The Rosicrucian #82 (Nov 2020).

True guardianship of a sacred flame has been likened to the peace that surrounds a sleeping, new-born child; there is an aura of gentleness enveloping everyone present. Likewise, when all is quiet within us…, physically, mentally, and spiritually…, we feel a deep peace emanating from the aura around a candle flame, especially when it is truly gazed upon as a sacred flame. For a mystic, the beauty of this flame does not come from its size, its brightness or even the warmth it radiates; the real beauty lies in a growing awareness of our guardianship of an inner spiritual fire, and of being agents of the Divine Light.​

A Gentle Flame

Mystics have alluded to the mastery of gentleness over the centuries. Guardianship of a sacred flame symbolises the attitude needed to develop certain qualities of soul, as if beholding an inner mystical flame and learning to walk in its light. This experience grows from within when our outer gaze turns inwards. With utmost reverence and awe, it is as if witnessing the peace of an underlying but invisible eternal light, which suddenly springs to life with great brilliance out of the profoundly restful, still quiet of a cosmic night.

Beholding such a moment is a whole living journey, indeed a journey that can be traced through worldwide mythological stories about humankind’s long relationship with fire. As with all good stories, there is something seemingly enigmatic to learn and there are ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ paths to take. However, it is the altruistic goal born anew, as each new vantage point of greater awareness is reached, that symbolises a person’s inner fire being transformed into a steady, harmonious flame, and to walk in its light.

Why do we associate a candle flame with tenderness and the need to be protected? Isn’t a candle flame just a practical means of safely carrying a small quantity of fire between one place and another, or to be able to see in the dark? The light of a candle comes from the releasing of energies. There is a constancy of emanation because of a perfect balance between the wick, the wax, and the air in which the candle can ignite and sustain itself. It can ignite through a spark or through the sharing of fire from another source. Once ignited, the air is constantly drawn towards the manifested flame, sustaining its life. A wick without wax would cause the fire to burn out in a few seconds. Wax without a wick would cause no fire to be kindled at all. A well-made candle is the perfect balance of wick and wax-fuel needed to ignite and then maintain with ease the light and warmth which emanates from a candle flame.

Moving away now from a physical candle and flame, what do we need to do to metaphorically ‘ignite’ within ourselves an ‘inner flame’ and to bring it into perfect balance with our inner and outer landscape whereby the flame steadily releases energies that radiate from us our true inner light and warmth towards all others? This is sometimes described as someone having an ‘inner glow.’ Furthermore, the releasing of new inner energies heralds new phases of creativity. How are these creative energies, the creative fire going to be released in a balanced way without exhausting us too quickly, or never getting anything created at all?

Protecting the Flame

Even if that inner flame is finely tuned to our ‘inner landscape’, external influences can still threaten to extinguish it. A flame needs to be protected against too many or too great external forces. Rain can quench it, wind can blow it out, and enclosing it too tightly may cause it to suffocate. We therefore need to be proactive in tending our flame, though our innate sense of human nurture actually loves to protect an inner flame, whether ours or that of someone else. This natural feeling of the sacred reflected in it, compels us to protect it ever more inwardly. Metaphorically speaking, we yearn to protect it from the storm, like the lantern of a light house, or to shield it from profanity like the sanctuaries of a temple. We yearn to increasingly carry it ever deeper within, into the innermost dwelling place, wherein it is very pleased to reside!

As the physical substances of a candle are transformed into ash and gases, the flame releases energies of light and warmth that express the workings of cosmic laws through nature.So too does our soul-consciousness release spiritual energies as we increasingly become agents of the Divine, each of us being a flame burning ever more brightly as bearers of Divine Light. The more the unrefined parts of our outer nature are transformed, the more brightly we radiate soul qualities as if a gentle flame were residing in a very personal inner temple of our soul, illuminating our world and that immediately around us.

The limits of light emanating from a candle flame are governed by natural laws. The light touches and enlightens all within its range to some extent. When the candle flame is carried away, the limits of this light it radiates move with it. So what then are the limits of our inner light? Furthermore, how did we kindle our inner spiritual fire? Was it always there ready to grow, or was it ignited at a certain moment on our spiritual path? These sorts of lingering questions beckon mystics to go on a journey of pondering the significance of the symbolism of fire, a flame, and the light it radiates.

The Fire of the Gods

Since ancient times, fire has been of deep significance for people to experience the relationship between humanity, nature and the universe. Sitting around a campfire under a clear, twinkling night sky, connects us with our ancient ancestors who were in awe of this relationship, and whose stories were evocatively recalled around a crackling fire. Today, traversing thousands of years from continent to continent, we find a great mythological heritage of questions about the nature of fire. In particular, the guardianship of fire**.** For this seemingly unpredictable and enigmatic substance could be experienced as being either beneficent or destructive in human affairs. It could be delivered from the Gods as a flash out of the skies to become the red, flaming flower of a forest fire…, or it could be captured on a stick to push back the dark uncertainties of the night. And it could appear to have an elemental life-form of its own, both beautiful and feared, that could be demanding or needing to be appeased.

Because fire must have appeared to early humans as having a life of its own, it could even represent life itself. Furthermore, it’s qualities were felt as having many outer appearances in the workings of the natural world, such as in the warming, vitalising rays of the sun, a warmth that matured seeds in Autumn and beckoned spring shoots to rise. Yet, it also had numerous appearances in the inner nature of humanity, such as in creativity, imagination and wilfulness. Such ideas about fire struck a chord of natural awe in ancient people who revered the unity of humanity, nature and the universe. Ritual was their space of actively maintaining this relationship, but stories were their primary repositories and vessels of wisdom.

Many such stories are played out in the sagas of deities and heroes. After all, it seemed fitting that fire might somehow originate in the lofty cosmic world. It might originate from an unknown, unseen divine fire, believed to be the fire of the gods. And eventually they would have wondered how the fire they found on earth was linked with their inner fire. Physical fire transformed the material world; it could be used to forge metals together or to purify substances. Exquisite craftsmanship of fire-forged objects represented something of this fire of the Gods just as much as it represented the poetic, artistic imagination. Crafting brought together nature’s gifts to be transformed by the fire of will and creative emotions. Forged together with divine inspiration, gifted craftspeople had the possibility of creating higher, more sacred forms of material objects for use in rituals. Indeed, emotions could easily be represented by fire because fire could enflame or be steady; just as emotions could be passionate or calm. And just like fire, emotions were qualities that needed to be harnessed and brought into useful service, like and agent unlocking the portals of the Gods.

The First Fire

The receiving of the first fire out of the cosmic spiritual world by humanity is found in many ancient mythologies, such as the Greek Prometheus story in which Prometheus defies the other gods by stealing the Divine Fire and giving it humankind. The gods, however, did not consider humans to be worthy of being entrusted with something as valuable and powerful as the Divine Fire and this act causes Prometheus to be sentenced to much suffering. This act symbolises the risks and consequences of overreaching if a person is not prepared.

The capture of the first fire are echoed in some of the Indigenous Australian Alcheringa (dreamtime) stories.1 The first fire could be given to a person by an ancestor, or it might just be discovered; but either way, they needed to make a decision whether to keep it for themself, or share it with others**.** The allure of the golden treasure of warmth can tempt selfish desires, and the symbolism of this is that humans need to be well prepared to be Guardians of the Divine Fire, or suffering will occur. If selfishness occurs, someone, in this case a dreamtime guardian, must retrieve the fire from the deceitful individual. An important lesson is that if the divine fire has arrived in the human sphere of existence, it must be cared for only by those who are worthy of it and used only for the good of all. Anything representing fire, including divine inspiration, if held onto egotistically, was viewed as destructive.

Qualities of Guardianship

We find themes of this symbolised in the Norse and Germanic sagas of Brynhildr and Nibelungel, woven into Richard Wagner’s epic Ring Cycle, and J.R Tolkien’s The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. Both authors had a deep interest in the symbolism of ancient mythologies. The symbolism of a ring of fire, or a ring of fired gold, perhaps portray lessons about the type of qualities needed to win power for the good when being guardian of spiritual fire. There are balancing qualities needed to avoid pitfalls as increasing psychic energies grow.

In Tolkien’s stories, the One Ring of Power is made within the fiery mountain and gives its owner power over life and all beings. Anyone wearing the ring, must have certain balancingqualities to avoid the corrupting possibilities of selfish urges such as non-attachment and humility. Only the Hobbit Frodo Baggins can bear the corrupting powers of the ring for any length of time because he is childlike and more-or-less naïve and free of egotistical desires.

In Wagner’s Ring Cycle, the gold used to make the ring was initially kept under the special protection of the Rhine maidens in the waters of the river, until it was stolen by the dwarf Alberich who favoured the measureless power that would belong to him from forging a ring out of this special gold, instead of choosing the love of the Rhine maidens. This is symbolic because the Rhine maidens lived naively in an innocent form of love that permitted them their rightful guardianship. The commonality of these stories is the revealing of the voice of conscience. It also represents a higher spiritual choice of standing in a circle of trust and of unity with one’s fellow humans, rather than standing outside of it, in isolation; even if some people think they can do the very highest good all by themselves. Safely using one’s inner spiritual fire is a test of conscience, but the other is the love of humanity.

Humility and Love of Humanity

In the early 20th Century, the Swedish Nobel Prize Laureate Selma Lagerlof wrote a story called The Sacred Flame 2 adapted as children’s play.3 It depicts the journey a young Florentine man, Raniero di Raniero during the Crusades. Raniero is a character with lots of unrefined, unruly, selfish traits, and an impulsive personality. He becomes a soldier on a Crusader’s conquests to the Holy Lands. Before leaving Florence, Raniero vows to the image of the Madonna in the cathedral that he will bring back to her the best and rarest item that he has won in battle, thinking only of treasures and honours. The Crusaders capture Jerusalem, and Raniero celebrates with arrogant excesses.

Soon, however, he is taught a great spiritual lesson. He rushes to be the first to light his candle from the Holy Sepulchre in the Temple, and thereby inadvertently becomes the new guardian of the Sacred Flame. The other knights mock him for having a little candle propped with stones whilst they have useful, blazing torches. They challenge him to deliver, as promised, the most precious thing he has won. With pride at stake, he begins a long journey home. Protecting the flame from being extinguished while at the same time helping others, teaches him a big lesson in humility, gentleness and love. Throughout the journey he completely recreates his outer nature by becoming a true Guardian of the Sacred Flame. Through his humble service to humanity he begins to master his unruly side, conquer his bad habits and to finally deliver the precious flame to the Duomo singing, “Verily this flame has recreated me, gentleness and love for humanity.”

Sacred Flame, Sacred Light

Another important tradition of guardianship of fire is the feminine quality of tending to a sanctified fire in a consecrated space. The holy fire in ancient Rome, which burned in the vesta’s circular temple was tended to by the Vestal Virgins who served for thirty years. The sacred fire which burned in Kildare, Ireland in pre-Christian times was continued within the Celtic Christianity of St Bridgit. In 480 CE she built her monastery and it is said the fire kept burning for 900 years. Worldwide there are still many religious and cultural traditions which include the maintenance of a sanctified fire within a sacred enclosure, such as in the Zoroastrian tradition, or symbolised in mystical tradition.

The light of the mystic’s flame has been beautifully depicted in the paintings of Nicholas Roerich. Sometimes depicted as a jewel in nature, a shining light throughout all of nature’s kingdoms, be they mineral, plant, animal or human kingdoms, one can imagine that all encounters with it are an unfolding event of consciousness wherein inner and outer perception co-mingles, fructifies, and births a new level of perception. Perhaps even an encounter with a sacred eternal light that is pervading everything.

For the mystic, whether individually or collectively, being in relationship with the sacred light, places more and more responsibility on every thought, word and deed as more spiritual wisdom is illumined. This challenge is no mean feat. No wonder then that mystics have their own hidden stories of trials and tribulations. For to quietly take up responsibility for being agents of Divine Light is a journey that must include the love of humanity and of all life on earth. A watershed moment on the journey is quite possibly a sudden realisation of standing with ‘two feet in’, simply trusting in a gentle, guiding divinity, and becoming in the process a steady flame radiating Light for all to receive.

Endnotes

1. “Echoes of the Dreamtime”, “Capture of the First Fire” - Ainslie Roberts,.
2. “The Christ legend”, “The Sacred Flame” - Selma Lagerloff.
3. "The Sacred Flame” - Waldorf teacher resources William Ward.