The fireplace is often the focal point of a home – a source of great warmth and light. Have you ever considered the fireplace as a metaphor or spiritual symbol of yourself? In this holiday blog, we will share with you many ideas that the fireplace represents!
The Hearth
Many fireplaces have a hearth. In the picture above, it is the place in front of the fire where you can sit and reflect, dream, or just enjoy the warmth of the fire. It is also interesting that the word hearth is very similar to the word heart – a very important part of our physical and spiritual self. Indeed, it does seem like home is where the hearth is!
The Mantel
The shelf-like area above the fireplace opening is called the mantel. Interestingly, the word mantel is also similar to the word mantle and pronounced the same. Spiritually speaking, a mantle is a symbol of authority or responsibility. For instance, you might say that a great musician passes their mantle to their apprentice. In one sense of the word, a mantle is a spiritual office. And with the bestowal of a mantle, there is a great gift of light passed from Teacher to student.
The Keystone
In this picture you can see a stone arch just above the fireplace opening. At the center of the arch is the keystone* or capstone - a wedge-shaped stone at the apex or highest part of the arch. The keystone is the final piece put in place during construction and locks all the stones into position, allowing the arch to bear the overall weight of the fireplace and the mantel.
The Fire
Just above the hearth, is the fire itself - the principal source of a fireplace’s warmth and light. Like the fireplace, each of us exudes our own spiritual heat and light in the form of a spiritual flame which burns inside our heart.
Esoteric tradition reveals that in very ancient times the consciousness of man fell to such a low point that the Earth and its inhabitants were in real serious trouble. The spiritual heart flames of the people had begun to flicker and in some cases had gone out completely. It was at this point that a Cosmic Being, along with an avant-garde of highly evolved souls, came to Earth to help keep the flame until we could get back up on our feet spiritually speaking. Today, in esoteric literature, this Cosmic Being is known as Sanat Kumara. In the bible, Sanat Kumara is referred to as the Ancient of Days. In addition, he is known as Karttikeya in Hindu scripture and as Brahma Sanam-kumara in Buddhism .
This very ancient story also contains the origins of the yule log. Today, the tradition of the yule log is known as a physical log and fire. But in those times, it also represented a spiritual light and fire which helped sustain others until their own spiritual flame could be strengthened or rekindled.
Today, the mantle has again passed from Teacher to student and it is now up to some (soon to be many!) of us to help tend the flame for others. And if you are a regular reader of our blog articles here at Violet Flame World, you will know one of the best ways to tend this flame is through the ongoing use of the violet flame.
In closing, we would like to share the following Christmas video with you. It has a very inspiring message and shows how we can share the Light of our hearts with others we meet along life’s journey. The man who wrote this wonderful song is the one, who along with his mother, experienced the story portrayed in the video.
A very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!
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Attributes and Credits
Yule log photo by Wayne Camlin at www.flickr.com/photos/wcamlin/3128857279