Symbol Brief — Fire
The evening air is turning cool and soon I’ll be ending my days with a glass of wine in front of an open fire. It’s one of my favorite Fall pleasures, but when I think about fire, I know it’s one of our most ambivalent symbols.
Fire can light our way in the darkness and warm our bodies in the cold. Yet fire can also feed on our flesh, painfully consuming us until we turn to ashes. Fire can stand for sexual passion, creative insight, power and wisdom. Fire can symbolize resurrection, as when the mythical phoenix rose from the ashes. And the ancient story of Prometheus stealing the gods’ fire reminds us that is associated with divine energy; fire is the one element both humans and gods can produce. The condeming and destroying aspect of flames is seen in the fires of hell and the burning of witches at the stake.
Have you ever had a dream or event in your life that gave you some insight into the symbolic significance of fire?
– Writeye
Posted on September 14th, 2008 under Symbol Brief • Tags: fire symbolism. • 
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