Spirits of Fire: Meet the Salamanders

The Fire Principle

When humans think of fire, we think of power, masculinity, passion, and a blazing inferno sweeping out of control. We think of unlimited resourcefulness, an “I do what I want when I want” mentality, and maybe just a little bit of social dominance sprinkled on top. While these connotations may be meaningful in our third dimension, the realm of the fire spirits is one full of shocking power, yes, but also maturity. It is not gendered, though we can use our individuated personal lenses to project onto it what we want. The heat, active presence, and sense of expansion are immediately obvious, but something that surprised me when first meeting some of the fire spirits was how in control of their energy and entire constitutions they were.

The act of “creation” on earth is a quality we often ascribe to the divine or to beings far more evolved than we are. The truth is that we are all creators, whether consciously or unconsciously, at least on some level. Salamanders are beings who have harnessed the spiritual element of fire, made it a part of who they are in their innermost beings, and have developed an intimate and fully conscious relationship with the frequency of creation. From the smallest substances on earth to the interstellar supergiants we ooh and aah over, the salamanders each have an intimate knowledge of their domains. The intensive study involved in cultivating this level of mastery can span eons, and many of the salamanders started out with rudimentary knowledge of their element, even if they felt a firm tug toward their personal proclivity.

The Power of Potential Meditation

What would you do if you were not afraid of anything? If you could create anything out of what seems like nothing? Go back to a moment in time, perhaps before life disappointed you or squirreled its way out of the design you had for it, and feel what it was like to ride the high of potential. Fire is an intense element for many, so we will gently connect with some of its properties without the heat for now.

In congruence with the ease of the Sea of Love meditation, this exercise is also simple. All you need to do to begin sampling what your most powerful self would do if it had no limitations. What does it feel like to hold the cradle of life in your mind? The vibration of the fire realm often unites opposites (in our world) to realize its wish: Passion and discipline or potential and wisdom. Even with temperance, there is an explosion of pure force when polarities unite and activate each other’s inner cores.

A fire elemental once shared with me a soundbite of what it feels like to hold this ambience in his mind, but he shared that once it is grasped, it is no longer just “potential” but power in action. The path to realization is very quick after someone gets in tune with the power they have as a creator. We are all creators to some extent. Our vibrations are within our orbit, even if other things seem out of our control for now. We can choose what we do with the things that arrive at our doorstep to some degree. As the salamander said:

“For me

Intent is my immediate Reality.

Every moment is like the sun

Using its own essence

To form its lifeblood.

Here, there is

No distance

Between the supposed opposites

Of Will and Satisfaction.”

My Salamander Friend: Itumo

         The first salamander I ever contacted is a spirit mentioned by Franz Bardon in his works, and who is occasionally studied by occultists and spiritual adepts at some point in their practice. The reason why I am placing this salamander first is because he is the Being I have cultivated the most intimate relationship with in the fire world. If a salamander can have empathy (they can), Itumo has come the closest to mastering it. Itumo’s domain is within the realm of lightning, the uniting of “opposites” (from our perspective) to form a highly powerful bolt of intention and will. Within this uniting of opposites comes a knowledge of the magnetic and electric principles, which can take humans many years to master. Water is conductive, and Itumo has spent his fair share of time contemplating some of the mysteries of water, though it is not a part of his inner being in the way it would be for a mermaid. It is more like he extracted the magnetic principle from the fluid and just occasionally uses the fluid when it suits his purposes. Conversely, he has also spent his training understanding the mastery that governs and discerns the pathways of fire.

The following is a summary of one of my interactions with Itumo so that readers can sense parts of his energy without taking any of the risks of magical evocation that some people may not quite feel ready for. (And there is no shame in not being ready to contact any being. Knowing one’s limitations and inner needs is a mark of true maturity.)

Conversations with Itumo

I am sitting on the ground outside in Colorado. It is early afternoon, and the monsoons are rolling in. I have a beach umbrella hovering over me since I am sitting on the edge of the patio just in case it rains. I begin to meditate, hoping to match my frequency to that of one of the “storm” elementals (as I thought of them at the time). I have grounded myself and enlivened each of my senses, stretching each to its full spiritual magnitude within my capabilities so that my senses are attuned to shifts in my field. I have the training at this point to be able to end communication and return my vibration to a more normal human oscillation if something gets too intense for me. I expect to be waiting here for quite some time…

Suddenly, I am not sitting on my patio. I am aware of my physical body, but my mental imagery has taken me to a new place. I am sitting on a solid loose-rocked foundation… black in color. The atmosphere or sky around me is a majestic grey-purple- potential being born as beauty. I love it. I direct my gaze in front of me when he appears. Some masters and teachers would frown on me for being open to experiencing whomever “appears”, but I wanted to invite a being who truly wanted to talk to me… not summon someone and hope that they would want to chat. I trust myself.

The salamander king I will come to know as Itumo appears in front of me. My first thought shocks me: “God, he is hot.” (In both senses of the word.) Right as I am thinking this, I become fully aware of his presence. His stature is lean, but he seems tall and much bigger than me. He is seated as I am with one of his legs folded under him and the other bent upright, his left arm resting on the bent one and the right arm on the “ground” to support his “weight.” Just his posture makes him feel even more real to me as the space we are in seems to physically support us both. I feel a tingling in my entire body and the closest sensation I can relate it to on earth is when your arm starts tingling after it falls asleep, and you do your best to get the blood moving again. Except, instead of discomfort, it feels exhilarating and pleasurable. I feel as if I have never known true warmth until this moment, or such vitality in another living being. Is there anything more engaging than immense power under control? (Note: I am asexual, which means that I do not experience sexual attraction, though I do like sex personally. Whether someone likes sex or not on the ace spectrum is person-specific, since ace is a large umbrella label with a lot of micro-labels underneath it. I am not experiencing actual sexual attraction here, but just as I can usually tell when someone is attractive in the human world even if I don’t want to physically connect, I can sense Itumo’s attractiveness and electromagnetic “wow” factor.) Itumo smirks because he knows what I am thinking. Our energy fields are distinct, but we can fully sense each other. He likes what he feels in my aura because it is permissive to his own energy… Not that it matters, he can do what he wants… but there are no obstacles here. (Itumo does value consent. I am pointing out here that if he wanted to, he could easily outrun me with his element and experience with it, just as a Ph.D. in mathematics will easily outpace a kindergartener who is just learning basic addition.)

I start off with a joke: “Well, clearly my attraction to others is fluid in your world. You are something else.” His laugh is like the first set of sparks in a fire when you are freezing in the woods and would do anything to be able to feel your fingers and toes again. It is like a lifeline or a promise of something you cannot put into words, and I hold onto its tingling magic for just a minute. Mermaids may always feel fully alive, but this is the meaning of life, this all-encompassing sense of potential and accomplishment. I feel both expanded and contracted… everything existing at once, and yet reduced to a singularity of consciousness.

Itumo feels timeless like most elementals do. He appears to me in his translation of a human form, a frequency my mind can understand, and it is pretty, but it is his energy that makes him feel irresistible. I feel simultaneously pulled in and repelled in his presence, almost like I am being rocked or swayed back and forth. My upper body moves a little with the sensation. He is sensing me too, running his mind parallel to the outer edge of my energy. He does not need to get up or move to do this because it all takes place internally. I feel fully seen and we both feel delightfully charmed by each other. Our differences extend beyond mere utility or usefulness to the other. We feel the complementary nature of our energy fields and enjoy letting them gently dance together for a minute. Itumo appreciates and sees difference… He can solve any problem in his sphere or sit in appreciation for how the many pieces of the universe choose to “meet” or diverge from each other. He would be a powerful social healer in our realm. I break the silence when my awe cannot be contained anymore.

“If I could teach another human to engage with my energy like this, I would have no qualms with incarnating on earth again.” He smiles at that and begins to speak.

“When I first began my training, I did not have the strength to light a small flame. I had nothing but my will and the need to create.” His voice is a little gravelly with a warm timbre. It feels familiar… like my inner child can rest for a moment and let the parental figure take over. I don’t always like that feeling with humans because it comes with power complexes and too much ego, but this is not violent or competitive. It is gentle and genuinely enjoyable. Itumo has that kind of capable and trustworthy presence.

I respond: “I am fascinated by origin stories, and I have been inspired by an earthly friend of mine (William Mistele) to become somewhat of a spiritual anthropologist in terms of elemental and extraterrestrial histories. He has met you before too. In your realm, time is not a fixed concept, but could you perhaps tell me how it all began?” He turns his body fully toward mine now, sitting cross-legged. He knows what I want… I am not asking for magical training or secrets about how to control an iteration of the fire element. I just want to hear a little of his story and see his heart for a moment. The following story-poem is what he told me.

How A Salamander Mastered Lightning

When I first began my mission

To foster fire and ambition

I chose to master with precision

The divided nations in my Soul.

I watched a marriage take place

As fire danced across the earth's face

And there was even a cake

With layers in the blazing ocean

I saw how the future union of earth and sky

Collided to become a lunar lullaby

Throwing their child miles high

Creating new light amongst the planets

I became obsessed with the dance of opposites

The possibilities were infinite

But still infants, not initiates....

Unable to spread their wings just yet

I was still too weak to direct my vision

My mind was split into ribbons

Not united, but in scattered prisms

Too undisciplined to command attention

So, I took notes to the side of the stage

Learned that everything has its place

And how to keep my passion engaged

Without it dimming or stretching too far.

I wiped the lava off a mountain's chin

Meditated with the deep-sea vents

Focused on the heat from a distance

And learned from the sky's detached wisdom.

I became a catalyst for potential

Learned to control my own vessel

Made my mind into a temple

Of pure will and intention

I did not become cruel, but sovereign

Made my mind firm, but let my heart soften

Really nurtured the garden

Of power under control

Then an electron whistled past my ear

And a proton became very clear

Positive and negative spheres

Begging to be joined in matrimony

I became the host of a great event

Looked inside my heart and found the contents

I would need to build and cement

The metropolis of art in my vision

I felt an idea start to rage

But controlled it like a sage

Directed and balanced on the edge of a page

Of a new chapter

Then it happened.

I mastered myself completely

And a lightning bolt went ringing

And the atmosphere was singing

With Connection ecstatic and clear!

Pure will arced in the dark like a branch

Became an ark ferrying a chance

For the birth of a new romance

Between licking sky and hungry land.

I was the essence of a receptive space

The lens and path for light to trace

Its body wielded as a naked flame

A singularity striking where I decreed

I became the great Chancellor

Telling the sparks to stay or wander

Made my will the great conductor

Lighting electric chandeliers

Many magicians have come and go

"Masters", leaders, CEO's

Offering gifts and shiny tomes

To equip them with my secrets

First, they wanted to control the fire

But couldn't harness their own desires

Wisdom, patience, and electric choirs

Burnt to oblivion in their minds.

They wanted endless power

But couldn't even spend an hour

Developing the inner, not just the outer

Selves left naked and shivering

But what they fail to understand

Is that the power is already in their hands

To create or destroy entire lands

And they do, like small children.

So when someone asks for my teachings

I incline not to gifts or loud beseeching

But to those who foster the inner weaving

Of Passion and Mastery in their Souls

         When Itumo finishes speaking I sit there for a moment, absorbing what he shared. Our outer auras rest gently against each other. To me, it is no different from sitting next to a friend and having my head on their shoulder as far as being relaxed and vulnerable goes. It is nice to sit and contemplate for a moment. Itumo has a protective quality about him that carries over from the caretaking of his realm (which subsequently protects life on our planet). Since lightning can help create ozone (the good kind), the gas which helps shield us from harmful UV radiation, this capability of his also translates into his energy field. Everything is safe here, even as it feels electrified. Feeling shielded, yet expanded, and creative, but unafraid is a lovely thing to experience. The stillness of our “bodies” is felt even more deeply by the highly charged energy field around us. It is as if we could move position, and a new universe would spawn. He spoke with words when he told me his story, but words aren’t necessary in terms of reacting to what is happening here. We can both sense what the other is feeling. As enlivening as this environment is, it is also incredibly restful. Is there anything more peaceful than simply being seen without having to explain oneself? As an ace, nonbinary (agender), autistic, and asocial person in this world, I feel I am always having to explain myself. I need a break sometimes. This is nice.

         After a while, I interrupt the silence. “I understand that this level of expertise takes many lifetimes to attain. What do you see in terms of the human trajectory?”

         He tilts his head and says, “Humans walk many paths, many laps, around and around until something is uncovered. They do not yet know the power of using their mental prowess to move beyond obstacles and clarify their vision into a fine point made manifest in their world. I began my path without the ability to even warm an ember. I represent what anyone can become when they purify their path of distractions.”

         “That is very inspiring. Thank you for being with me here today. It sounds like you have integrated something I have not, yet my aura also contains something that is attractive to you with its magnetism. How do you feel about working on some future projects together when it suits us?”

         “The union of our energies is pleasing to me. We will meet again.”

After the interaction was over, I experienced something I do not feel when meditating with the mermaids or sylphs. I felt a sense of longing as if the world wasn’t quite complete. Itumo had given me a taste of a vibration I had not fully integrated yet (and still have not fully by any means). As someone with a watery aura, I feel complete myself, but there are times when a meditation with someone who has siddhis different from mine makes me feel more human. I do feel that I need to make something else a part of myself. I can see how necessary the gift is for the human world, and I want to contact it further and draw it down in an accessible way. I understand now how other people feel when they meditate with water or even air, a little addicted to the high, even though the high of the water realm and the high of the fire realm are extremely different. This feeling of longing was foreign to me, but it was not entirely unpleasant because it was inspiring and motivating… almost making me goal oriented in terms of developing more of my spiritual body. The strong sensation lasted for a couple of days, but the memory of that first interaction, though I have had many others since, has stuck with me and served to help me relate to other humans and practitioners who “want” something, but aren’t quite sure how to integrate it immediately. This feeling has informed my work as I do my best to find stepping stones for people without years and years of magical training to be able to at least touch the surface of these vibrations.

The Significance of the Fire Element

I once sat in the presence of a magnificent fire spirit, more ancient than our sun and our galaxy. (They had had other creative pursuits you see… before the earth formed.) At some point in our conversation, I asked what their secret was to manifesting incredible bodies of immeasurable and dazzling power (aside from the scientific aspects that is), and they laughed and said, “Right now, humans can barely figure out what they want to say. They cannot always command their bodies to do as they desire or make their personal spheres sway in step with their will. They are still asking, ‘Who are we?’, which is all well and good… But the only path to that answer is experience. They have not remembered how much they can create, even though they do so without being aware of their great reach. The secret to my realm, you say? There isn’t one, or at least not to me. We all have the same seeds I began with when my soul broke the universe apart at its quantum, and then split atoms with the immensity of its wish. I have opened my heart and let the universe be birthed… I have left diamonds and interstellar nurseries in my wake. Does light ask how far it should go or on whose face it should land? No! It simply exists and leaves the ruminations to others. It may follow the shape of the universe, but it does not ask if it can. There is no end or beginning, truly, just what we choose to make of our space. To not expand is unthinkable to me… I do not think about whether the surrounding scope can handle my heat or qualities. The universe was built this way…. It doesn’t ask permission to be what it is or impute good or bad nomenclatures on its edges like bookends. To be me is to use every moment to your advantage… Every collision and interaction is the moment Life releases its inner essence and radiates Everything without crossing its legs or tucking its feet in. This is how it all Exists, you see, without hesitation or apologetics. I exist because I am, and polarities are simply opportunities for my passion to expand.”