Aug 197 min read

New Fire Ritual: Cleansing for A New Beginning

The ultimate in cleansing rituals is the new fire ceremony. While this was traditionally done right before the beginning of the new year, it is something you can do when you feel a need for a big change in the energy in your home. You can also do it periodically when you feel the need to release old energies.

The Maya believe that everything has energy. All those things you use in your home like plates and cups and sheets and blankets have energy too. This ritual is extensive and really powerful! You are going to do a deep cleaning of your home’s energy this time!

IT CAN BE EMOTIONAL

It is really important to understand the physical part of the New Fire Ceremony, not only the energetic part. This is a time for SPRING CLEANING! Yes, you can do this. I know you can! I know its a lot of work and bring up emotions and feelings of overwhelm. But it is SUPER important. As emotions come up, take a little look at them and then let them go, out with the dust bunnies!

The Maya would clean the entire town! The swept the streets (and still do in some places) and washed the walls. They took everything that was broken or worn out of their homes and out of the town to cleanse the energy of the entire village.

EXTINGUISIHING THE FIRE and the Dangerous Dark

When everything was sparkling, the night before the new year, they would put out all the fires in the villages. Most homes had a fire they kept going all the time. It was mainly used for cooking and was in the center of the home. Our good friend who is a healer, Don Francisco, still has a fire like this in his home today. The photo at the beginning of this post is from his kitchen.

Imagine a small town in Yucatan with no lights at all, only the moon and stars. Imagine how quiet and dark it would be. After sunset everyone would go inside their homes and close both the windows and the doors. It wasn't safe outside. Too many wild energies were swirling around!

LIGHTING THE NEW FIRE

Well, all but the elders and priests would stay inside. The leaders of the community would then climb the sacred hill (or mountain) near the town bringing everything they needed to start a new fire at dawn. Often this was a long and difficult climb. The top of the mountain is the most sacred place (which is part of the reason they built pyramids in the flat lands of the Yucatan!

Everything was dark but the moon and stars and the elders and priests would prepare everything for the new fire and then as the first rays of light spread out over the land, they would ignite the flame, saying blessings and calling in the gods.

SPREADING THE FIRE

As the sun lit the sky, the elders would head back down the mountain carrying the new fire. When they reached to town center, they would relight the fires in the public buildings by using the new fire like you might use a candle to light another candle. From there, they would begin to light the fires of people's homes. They would do this until every hearth was relit with the new fire, thus filling the entire village with the new, fresh energy of the fresh fire.

THE NEW FIRE CEREMONY AND YOU

This is a powerful way to thoroughly cleanse the energy in your home. It is time consuming, but it is so worth the effort! As you go through the steps, you may notice feelings popping up. This is super normal and very helpful to you. Just notice them as they come up and release them.

It can be super cathartic to energetically throw out old stuck emotions and you throw out old items you no longer want in your home. AND it feels so cleansing to wash your things and feel the old energy washing away. You feel like your whole home, all your energy and you mind body and emotions are all being washed.

THE CLEANSING

Several days before you do the ceremony (which you can do any time of year that you feel the need) start doing the physical cleansing. Take your time. Let emotions and memories come up, but don't hold on to them. Cry. Laugh. Remember. Feel angry if you need to. Be sentimental. It is all an important part of the process.

To do the physical part of this ritual take you time to:

Get rid of broken things, things that don't work, things you never use, things you don't like, clothes that don't fit, things that are old, things that hold memories you are ready to let go of. Basically you want to go through your drawers and cupboards with a trash bag at your side and just throw out anything you don't love or use on a regular basis. I know for some of you this could take a year. I remember after my kids left home I could have gotten rid of a trailer truck of stuff! Don't overwhelm yourself, but do get rid of things that you know you don't need or want and things with old energy attached to them that is keeping you stuck.
Dust. Old energy settles as dust all over your home. You can even use a broom to dust big things. Just do a once over and get all the rid of the dust. I suggest opening the windows while you do this. It helps to move the air.
Wash. Do your dishes, wash the sink. Wash the bathroom. Anything you feel needs a good overhaul, wash it. I love to use soap that smells good or even just water with a few drops of lavender in it. It makes everything feel wonderful.
Sweep. This is really important and should be the last part of the physical cleansing. Start with the room farthest from the front door. Move furniture and get rid of the dust bunnies. Don't throw the dirt into the garbage car but rather take it directly outside. You want to get the old energy out of the house. Keep moving through your home until you get to the front door and sweep it all out the door!

INCENSE

Although this is not part of the original traditional process (that I know of), incense is used extensively for cleansing here on Mexico's Yucatan. Copal and palo santo are very popular. Of course you can use any kind you like. I suggest you cleans your home with incense after you do the physical cleaning. it feels wonderful and is easy to do.

Directions:

A. Close all the windows in your home.

B. Light your incense and take it to the room farthest from the front door. Move on a diagonal through each room holding the incense going from the farthest point away from the door to the door of the room. C. When you leave the room, close the door behind you.

D. Continue this process until you reach the front door of your home.

E. If you like, you can say a few words as you do this. I say a simple Maya prayer that our friend Don Francisco uses in his cleansings. It simply calls on the triune god. You can say whatever you like as long as it feels good and resonates with you.

U kaba Dios yumbil, Dios mehenbil, Dios espiritu Santo Amen.

THE FIRE CEREMONY!

After cleansing your home, you are ready for the New Fire Ceremony. How exciting! All the directions are below...take your time. Note how you are feeling. I'm Sending HUGS!!!!!

ITEMS NEEDED FOR THE CEREMONY

You will need 2 white candles, one of which has never been used, and wooden matches.

DIRECTIONS

First you will light a white candle. It is ok if you have already burned this candle some. Use a wooden match to light your candle. Remember, a wooden match has a heart and therefore is more powerful than a lighter.
Now you are going to encourage the candle to draw all the old energy to itself. You will speak both to the candle and to the old energy in your home. Say this, “White Candle, I ask you to kindly receive all the old, stale energy from this house.” Then speak to the old energy, “Energy that has inhabited this house and is tired or bitter or sad or angry (or any other things you have been feeling that you want to get rid of), I ask you to bond yourself to this candle. Yum Botik!”
Then light the candle and allow it to burn all day. If you leave your home or cannot attend the candle, it’s fine to blow it out and relight it when you can attend it.
As you are doing this ritual, below is a lovely song you can sing or chant to any tune or rhythm you like. Spoken words bring things to life. They are the power source of creation! This song (songs are spells and are considered magic) honors the four directions, which are the core of Maya spirituality as they encompass all of creation.
Before you go to bed, BLOW OUT THE CANDLE....this is the extinguishing of the fire. Discard the candle outside your home. You are taking old energy out of the house!
Then as the sun begins to rise in the morning, light a new candle that has never been burned. You can say something like, "Thank you, new candle for bringing new fire and new energy into my home. yum Botik!"
Allow the new candle to burn as long as you can. When you blow it out just say, Thank you!

Cleansing Song (The Mayan is included if you would like to try it)

Notice that the directions move in a counterclockwise circle, East, North, West, South and Center. This is the direction of the rising and setting of the sun. The Center is where the World Tree grows and gives you access to the path to Flower Mountain, the domain of the Gods. This song calls in the winds of the 4 directions so they can help you cleanse your home.

To the 4 Directions and The Center

Tene tin na’atik (I understand)

Ak t’aan ich (I speak)

Yum botik (Thank you)

(say, sing, or chant this 3 times at the beginning)

Chac chel (Red rainbow)

To the East

Great-Fathermother, Moon, Sun