Welcome to my latest mindful writing prompt, which is fiery! To read the full thing and access other writing prompts and craft development essays, become a paid subscriber. 💙
“It is one thing to touch a flame and know it is hot, but quite another to jump into that flame and be consumed by it.” — Adyashanti
Hi friends,
In this latest mindful writing prompt, we’re going to use one of the five elements from qigong and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)1 to write a new story draft, or a scene in a story you’re already working on.
Fire is a fundamental part of human life and mythology. It is a symbol of purification and destruction, of creation and divinity. It has played a major role in myths, religions, and stories throughout the ages. In ancient Egypt, Ra was the fire god of the sun, light, warmth, and growth. In Japanese philosophy, Konohanasakuya-hime, the Goddess of volcanoes, is also the symbol of delicate earthly life. In contrast, fire-breathing mythical beasts such as dragons have dual personalities — European dragons are destructive and vicious, creatures to be feared. But Chinese dragons are revered — they have spiritual significance, are wise and benevolent.
In the natural world, wildfire spreads and consumes everything in its path, leaving a trail of devastation that it can initially seem impossible to recover from. But this is also a beginning as well as an ending. New life will begin to form once the ashes have cooled.
In TCM fire is the summer element, bringing light, growth and movement. In our human experience it is linked to passion, joy, empathy, and the ability to connect with others. As would be expected with the fire element it's all about heat and change. The fire burns hot and transforms what was there before.
In relation to the human lifecycle, the fire stage is adolescence and young adulthood. A time of transformation in our lives physically, mentally, and emotionally, and usually when we leave the family home and start to make our own way in the world. The relationships we form at this time — both friendships and our first romances — tend to be intense, fiery, and a catalyst for finding ourselves and gaining our independence. It’s a time of life that many stories focus on and the coming of age story seems to be timeless. Catcher In The Rye by J. D. Salinger, The Goldfinch by Donna Tarrt and A Prayer For Owen Meany by John Irving, being just a few examples.
Each element in TCM has a set of correspondences too, and these are the fire element’s, which I have separated out into story parts of character or setting so we can think about how we use them in our stories.
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