Our soul, our spirit within, to me is best represented by a fire, sometimes blazing, sometimes glowing embers. But, just like a campfire outdoors, if a fire isn’t fed, it eventually will go out.
So it is with our souls. If we do not feed the spirit within, with whatever it is that stirs our soul the most- music, family, love, justice, compassion- then the flame goes out. To me, when the flame goes out, that represents the ultimate feeling of hopelessness. Where there is no hope, there is not even an ember remaining.
Many of us do have those embers within; the part of our spirit that we know is still there, but maybe we haven’t fed it in awhile. Maybe we haven’t tried to get it going with that which will help it catch; if what feeds that fire is justice, and we have participated in activities that really don’t serve that, it is like putting wet wood on a fire; it may catch eventually, but it isn’t what we need to be blazing. To best feed that fire within, we need to use tinder, dry wood that is aged and ready to burn, and to allow the flames to last once it catches.
It also doesn’t work well for our souls, if what we feed them with is newspaper on a fire. Sure, the flame flares at first, high and warm. But, it goes out quickly; there is no substance to it. To feed our souls properly, we need to use that which has lasting power, and that which has substance to it. Those pursuits that we have in terms of money, prestige, and notoriety don’t always last, and sometimes ring quite hollow in our souls, compared to those values and concepts that really feed us.
Now, even if we are able to feed our souls properly, and get that flame blazing with a lot of embers within it, storms will come. The rain will fall. Rain is never good for a fire; it is bound to dampen it somewhat. Sometimes, it can even just about put our fire out. Tragedy, setbacks, adversity, and hardship fall upon all of us. But, even the most dampened of fires still smoulder a bit; still have within them a bit of heat, a small, determined ember to keep it alive enough until we are able to nourish it back to full flame once again.
This visual is one of the most powerful for me when it comes to thinking about what matters to me the most, what feeds me best in terms of what I feel and need within my soul, my spirit, my core. The flame within me is best represented by love. And what feeds that the most in terms of tinder is family, friends, justice, compassion, truth, the world……… When I deny myself that which I need to feed the flame, I feel it dying down within myself. I grow cold inside. I long for the warmth of the flames once again.
I believe that we all have that within, and that we deserve to step back, go deep within, and see the condition of your soul. Sort through the coals, and find the ember that lies there.
And don’t forget to feed it.
Pink Haze and the Star Cluster 
Wow… what an incredible post. We all need to feed and find our own inner flames. Its amazing how we let them flicker and smolder nearly to the point of extinction. We lose our “spark” our “sparkle” our heat. Fanning our flame makes us bolder, brighter and shows the world who we are from the inside out.
Magnificent!
Peace, you leave us with hope here.
Im with Amber, she stole the words out of my mouth!!! Incredible post huns!
Amber: Yes, when we almost let them go out, I really see that in my mind as being hopeless, like we have no light left…….. that is when we need to get into our “Survivor” mode and get that flame blazing again!!!!
Glad you like……
Surface Earth: Thank you so much….. that is what I was looking to do!!! Glad to see you!!!
SF: Thank you my love!!!! MWAH!!!!!
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Beautiful post, and I so agree.
May we all strive to look for the tiniest of embers.. in ourselves and in each other!
~Little embers can evolve, into a mighty fire~ 🙂
You, my dear…are a light!
Thank you for BEing!
I submitted a comment and something happened..so forgive me if this is redundant. :O
Beautiful post, and I so agree!
May we strive to see the tiniest of embers..in ourselves and each other.
Little embers can evolve into a mighty fire. 🙂
You my dear, are a light!
Thank you for BEing.
Thanks for stopping and leaving me a comment on my blog. I’ve been spending a lot of my morning reading your blog. It’s great! You say so many things that I am thinking and feeling. I’m looking forward to frequenting this blog more often. 😀
http://www.leahomar.wordpress.com
This was/is beautiful to read. Thank-you. Sometimes all we need to get the ember fully aflame again is a single word of encouragement. A single hand, held out for us to take. This post of yours makes my heart feel lighter and my smile brighter…
gypsy-heart: whatever happened when you tried to post your comment, I am grateful, because I got to read your kind words TWICE!!!!! Thank you so much for being here, and being you……
bojinx: you are so right; the simplest of gestures can set our souls aflame once more……. an ember still has so much energy to it, it just needs to not be forgotten…..
hey leah: Thank you so much for stopping by!!! I so enjoy meeting kindred spirits, and your youth can only serve to inspire my “older” generation!!!! Peace, Vanessa
What a beautiful article! Don’t forget that every good fire also needs air to survive. Don’t smother the fire – it also needs to breath to keep it from going out!
As always, Peace, light and love. . .
CordieB!
Hi darling V,
Well said! Especially the bits on newspaper flare and the rain dampness.
And sometimes a fire needs a bit of rain to keep it from turning in an all consuming forest fire. Or to leave something for the other fires. Or to let the plants and trees grow.
Burning intensely can be quite exhausting to the soul! Trust that if the dampness comes close to your heart, it will recede again, too.
Big bear hug, furry dry paws sheltering some,
from Tink
Cordie: thanks for that reminder…… yes, we cannot smother our flame either, it does need air…. as always, thank you for your light and love…..
Tink: thank you so much for the big bear hug….. yes I agree, just like we cannot smother the flame, nor can we let it burn out of control, for then, it takes over all that we need to keep alive and vital in addition to our internal fire…… you rock girl!!!! V.