The Old Ways: The Spirit Flame

I would like to share some of the Old Hereditary Ways here, and invite others to post their techniques for Ritual or Magic, etc. I know many of you choose to believe that we Hereditary Witches do not exist, but that's O.K., you may still find this info of use (or at least of some interest). This first post is about what we call The Spirit Flame. In the Aridian Tradition, it is the focal point of the altar. A bowl is placed upon the center of the altar, and is filled with a special liquid, which will burn a blue flame. The appearance of the blue flame represents the presence of Divinity, within the ritual setting. The use of fire as a sacred symbol is one of the most ancient of practices.

If you wish to experience the Spirit Flame, you can perform the following, using any high quality perfume, or cologne. Strega Liquore is excellent, and contains all but one of the original ingredients (it is quite expensive, however). Place the bowl in the center of your altar (the bowl must be able to hold fire). Fill the bowl about half full. Set two altar candles, forward of the bowl, off to each side (you are forming a triangle; the bowl is the bottom point of an inverted triangle). Light the candles, and extinguish any other source of light. With a ritual tool such as a wand or blade, trace a crescent over the liquid, and say:

"In the name(s) of ____________
and by this sacred sign
be this the Essence of the Divine"

Then take a lit match and touch it, gently, to the surface of the liquid (do not use any liquid other than perfume or Liquor/ liquore). As you light the bowl say :

"I call upon Thee ___________________
be Thou present at this sacred place "

A beautiful blue flame will appear, and gently dance upon the surface of the liquid. We consider the flame to be sacred, and we use it to bless objects, empower tools, and create our ritual circles/sacred space. Feel free to experiment with it, but please treat it with respect. Allow the flame to go out by itself.

I have altered the wording, and omitted some of the gestures and invocations. You may insert the names of your own deities in the blank space. Even though altered, the technique here is sound, and should enrich whatever you may choose to do with the Spirit Flame.

This ritual has been preserved among the Hereditary Clans, and is still an aspect of all ritual gatherings. It is the oldest of our "laws" that nothing may be removed from the Teachings, so we still keep the Old Ways alive (we can add to our material, but we cannot remove anything). In Italy, Strega Liquore has been used as the Spirit Flame liquid, since it was first distilled in 1873. Originally the recipe was sold to the Alberti family, by some Strega (Italian for witch), with the exception of one certain ingredient. Before this, a liquid made from a mixture of distilled grape wine, and distilled grain, was the basis for the Spirit Flame liquid. It was quite similar to Brandy, which was first distilled around 100 AD

Scenes showing fermentation appear on pottery made in Mesopotamia as early as 4200 BC The earliest forms of Spirit Flame Liquid would have been a fermented substance, followed later by ones which were distilled. I am not at liberty to go into the individual ingredients, unfortunately. However, Strega Liquore is about as close as one can get without being initiated.

If the Spirit Flame was used outside of Italy, I am unaware of it. But I would be happy to know that others had this Tradition as well.

Don't laugh too hard at the following

Raven...I experimented with lighting the Strega in my bowl, in my case a cast-iron chili pot cum cauldron. It does WHOOSH, doesn't it?! (No, I didn't set myself on fire). And the blue is lovely...But everything got so hot that the Strega went into a rolling boil and essentially doused itself. IS this supposed to happen? I think I hear you laughing...SeraLuna

Dear SeraLuna, You can always pick out an Aridian, as they have no eyebrows, eyelashes, or hair!! <VBG> Seriously though, no it isn't supposed to do that. I suspect that you used too much Strega Liquore, and that the pot was too big. A Chili pot full of Strega would...well, it would do exactly what you described! I am glad that you're OK. Next time use only a small bowl, no larger than a cereal bowl, and only use about 2 or 3 oz. of liquid. Many Blessings, Raven

Raven Grimassi