Ring of Fire

Ever since we moved in here at our home on the edge of the woods we lovingly call Aelfheim, we've wanted to build a fire ring.  We knew a fire ring would be the perfect addition for full moon nights, sabbats, and also just for drinking some wine and beer with friends and making s'mores.  A few weeks ago (yep, I got behind again) my daughter Brittany and her family came to visit, so we enlisted her and her husband, veteran rock hauler and stacker PJ to assist us.

Dan got the wagon hooked up to the back of the garden tractor and we headed down to the back of the pasture where we've been eyeing a really nice pile of big rocks for this project.  Our little grands couldn't resist riding with their PeePaw!

Once we got the tractor down there, Brittany, PJ and Dan carried the biggest rocks and put them on the tractor. I'm still healing up from the tendonitis I ended up with back in January, and struggling with adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder) which probably was due to disuse of my arm when I had the worst of the tendinitis. So I have some arm pain and can't lift my arm very high. I was only allowed to carry little rocks that I could lift with my left hand. The little kids and I got all the little rocks. 

Thank goodness my daughter is no shrinking violet, we raise them tough in my family!  And PJ dug right into the project both literally and figuratively, prying up and lugging some of the bigger ones!

Dan hauled them all up to the clearing outside of the back yard that we had chosen as the perfect spot!  It took several trips to get all the rocks we needed.

The guys got to work plotting and planning. PJ fitted the rocks together like he was building New Grange or Stonehenge.

In the end, Dan's vision of a fire ring with a keyhole was complete.  We're going to build a grate to put over the keyhole section. We can have a big fire, then rake hot coals into the keyhole, put the grate on and grill! I thought it was a really cool idea. I also love the keyhole shape on a spiritual level, it's a passageway between the realms, so great for sending wishes off to manifest, or scrying in fire and smoke.  In proper Kitchen Witch fashion, it's magical and practical at the same time.

The guys immediately broke it in with the first fire.  An outside hearth created by family from nothing but stones from the land, dedicated to love, fellowship, and magic!  Our meal that evening was hot dogs cooked on long forks over the fire, beer, wine, music, and laughter.  Of course hot dogs and marshmallows were properly sacrificed to the Fire Gods!

We've used our new fire ring several times so far, the kids are excited about having a vigil fire for Yule. It's become a lovely addition to the magical land of Aelfheim.

Blessings,
Mickie