The House Witch: Your Complete Guide to Creating a Magical Space with Rituals and Spells for Hearth and Home - Arin Murphy-Hiscock 2018

The Hearth Fire
Your Home As a Sacred Space

The home is recognized as being sacred, set apart from the outside world. Within this zone there is a further sacred zone: the hearth, the location of the central fire of a home. In essence, the fireplace functioning as a symbolic center of a home exemplifies the concept of the hearth as a sacred fire.

Fire is seen as sacred in many cultures. Remember, the definition of sacred is something recognized as being touched by the realm of the gods in some way and therefore something worthy of respect or honor. So, the hearth fire as something sacred means it is a place where the spiritual world intersects with the everyday world: it is a place or object through which communication can take place.

Why is fire considered sacred? Fire is a symbol of vitality, for it “lives,” “eats,” and “breathes.” When it burns, it symbolizes the spark of life that animates us. Fire is one of the four physical elements the ancients recognized as the building blocks of the world. It is recognized as being alive more than the other three elements due to its nature: it appears to have a mind of its own, it eats, it sleeps, it dies. Humankind must respect both its useful properties and its destructive properties as well: fire destroys indiscriminately, with rage and a primal fury that we can only attempt to control; however, that destruction very often purifies in preparation for regrowth and new creations.

Fire has played an important role in religion. The symbol of the eternal flame is a common concept in several religions; it has also been used to symbolize the presence of the Divine. In Christian myth, for example, God manifested as a burning bush; the sanctity of the flame was demonstrated by the fact that it did not consume the bush as fuel. Fire is also a method by which offerings are made, as well as a method of divination.

Fire is a symbol of spiritual energy, as is the sun, and indeed shares many traits and energies with the solar luminary. As a spiritual symbol, fire illuminates personal/emotional/spiritual darkness, which may be why so many religions use candles and oil-based flames as part of their tools and accoutrements. Candles are frequently used to symbolize energy of all kinds, activity, illumination, and faith, among other things.