This special fire ritual is a powerfully symbolic gesture that you can perform for the spiritual cleansing of your home at any time of the year. Choose a quiet corner of your garden that is large enough for you to build a small fire in it. You will need a stool that you can sit on while you perform the ritual. You will also need some charcoal, dry bits of wood, oil, and symbolic items that signify things you want to part with.
Consider all the negative things in your life that you want to get rid of, all the grudges you may be holding, all the pain that is still locked inside of you. The fire ritual burns the things that make you unhappy. You can just write down all the things that irritate, frustrate, and annoy you: all the things that happened in the last year that you really want to break free of, the things that went wrong, and the experiences that you don’t want to repeat. Fire burns all your problems and unhappiness, so write them down and put them aside to burn.
Next, buy some black mustard and black sesame seeds – these represent all the bad things and angry words you said, and the gossip you spread, which caused suffering to others. These will allow you to purify yourself of all the things you did during the year that offended or caused someone wrong or unhappiness. Set them aside to throw them on the fire as well.
Finally, draw a small black scorpion, a small black snake, and a small black frog on a piece of paper. These represent all politicking, idle talk or gossip, and harmful or malicious intent sent to you. Cut out the pictures and set them aside. These too will be consumed by fire.
Now dig a hole in the corner of the garden that you have selected for the fire. The best time to do this fire puja is during the evening hours between 5 and 7 PM. Draw the infinity symbol on a piece of paper and place it on the ground in the hole. Pile some charcoal on top of the paper and build a fire. Then place some dry wood on top. Try to make the fire burn strong in a small area. When you are satisfied that the fire burns steadily, sit in front of it and contemplate all the things that you will put on the fire.
First put your drawings of the scorpion, the snake and the frog; while these burn, imagine that all the desecrations and damages to your spirit caused by others gossiping and creating difficulties for you are dissolved, cleansed and purified.
Throw away the paper on which you wrote about people, events and things that offended, upset and upset you. As you watch the fire consume the paper, let go of all those negative emotions and feelings and allow yourself to feel that you are completely released from them. If you feel afraid, think that the fire also consumes all your fears. With this ritual, you can be as self-centered as you want. Do not let the fire go out until you have finished the ritual. Add fuel as needed.
Now collect the black sesame and mustard seeds. Imagine that they represent all your bad thoughts, harmful actions and bad intentions. As the seeds burn, think of these negative aspects of yourself and those around you being cleansed, dissolved and purified. This is the most important part of the ritual, because it is really important to cleanse your environment of all your and others’ negative thoughts and actions, whether they are done voluntarily or inadvertently.
As you throw the seeds into the fire, allow yourself to experience a sense of remorse and regret for having hurt or wronged someone. Make sure you burn all the seeds you bought. Don’t leave anything behind.
When you’re done, let the fire die down, then close the hole. Think that the earth has consumed all the negative things. The idea behind this ritual is to make you feel purified and that your surroundings are purified.