The Art ofFire

E.K. Wisner

Contents:Introduction .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 3I) Preparations: .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 4Earth: the hearthstone .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 4Water: the antidote .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 5Iron: the tools .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 6II) Makings: .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 10Wood: the fuel .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 10Heat: the spark .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 12Air: the flow .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 14The Fire Triangle .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 14III) Forms: .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 15Grid, candle, V, tipi, lights, smokersIV) Functions: .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 21Heating, air flow, cooking, fireplacesIV) Spirit and Practice: .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 33

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The Art of Fireby E K WisnerIntroduction:

This book is intended as a very basic introduction to the ancient art of burningstuff. It might be useful to a family moving to the country, or extending their campingskills. A scouting troup might get a great deal of pleasure from the techniques in thisbook. Owners who rent any ski cabin or building with a fireplace may find this bookvery useful to leave on the mantle (perhaps with a bookmark noting the damperposition on your particular fireplace). And of course it could make good outhousereading for those aspiring to an elegant primitive lifestyle.

A book can give you ideas, but it can't start a fire by itself. (This one's too smallfor spontaneous combustion.) You have the full and awesome responsibility for youractions. Fire is dangerous. Please take care.

Our goal is to offer solid, general information for folks who are re­discoveringfire as adults. Children raised around fire can develop solid skills with supervisionfrom about age 6 or 7, but may not be able to handle full responsibility for a fire untilthey have many years' experience (age 12­25 depending on the person). Braindevelopment for sound decision­making continues well into adult life, building on pastexperience. Keep elders handy for backup.

Those with long­standing fire skills may enjoy the way we've highlightedcommon skills and connected them with historic practices. We hope this book may beuseful to you in sharing your skills with others. Feel free to make notes in the margins.

The material for this book has been collected over many years of personalexperience, and some of it handed down over many generations. Many thanks to ourparents, mentors, and colleagues, including:­ Scouts, Navy, fire crews, OMSI, Hampshire College, OSU, Cob Cottage Co;­ Personal mentors and colleagues Ianto Evans, Herb Bernstein, Deanne Bednar, CalebLarson, Kiko Denzer, Dale, Jaimie, Thaddeus, numerous students, clients, andworkshop participants;­ books by Vrest Orton, Ianto Evans, and David Lyle among others;­ online resources such as www.woodheat.org, www.permies.com, andwww.chimneysweeponline.com.

Thank you for reading. Warmly yours,Erica K Wisner Tonasket, WA 2012

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EARTH: The hearthstoneThe hearth is a fire­safe area.

Your first job is to clear away anythingthat could burn by accident, creating asafe hearth.

How large a hearth do you need?Indoor fireplaces have a space for

the fire, plus 18” of heatproof hearth tocatch popping sparks and embers.

A good bare­earth firepit might besix feet across, or bigger, and 50 feet ormore from nearby structures. Clear awayeverything that might burn ­ grass, roots,topsoil. A big flat space lets people sharethe fire without tripping in the dark.

The earliest hearths were oftensimple flat pits. A pirate kitchen might be

a big sand­pan, or portable iron brasier.Deep beds of dry dirt, sand, or ashinsulate the fire, keeping the embers hotand the surroundings cool.

In early permanent dwellings, a'fire back' or flat stone shelters the embersand draws smoke up like a chimney.Over time, firebacks evolved into fullmasonry fireplaces, ovens, and kilns.

DANGERS: Boiling Oil! Asphalt,tarmac, and oiled roads are not fire­safe.Tar fires are nasty and hard to put out.

Wildfire! Respect 'burn bans' andfire season warnings. Clear away loosefuel near homes and firepits.

Steam explosions! Avoid wetrocks, slate, shale, closed water canteens,and unpierced potatoes.

I:PreparationsThe first duty of the fire­keeper is preparing the fire's home.

Fire Rings: Rings are tidy, but they block air, heat, and light. Feel free to arrange thestones to suit your needs. They can reflect heat toward friends and food, and helpcontrol fuel, cookpots, smoke, and air flow. Experiment and see what works for you.

WATER: The AntidoteBe ready to put out a fire several

times bigger than you plan to make. (Younever plan to make trouble, right?)

Fire extinguishers, and someoneready to use them, are required at alltimes around an open fire.

Water and CO2 are common fireextinguishers. If you happen to know thatthese are exhaust products of most naturalfires, you suddenly see many options forfire extinguishers everywhere.

Placing a lid over a fire, or a jarover a candle, 'drowns' the fire in its ownexhaust. A damp blanket or stone cansmother a fire. A shovel and bucket canbeat out a fire, smother it in severalways, carry water, or simply removehot ash and debris.

Baking soda can smothersurface fires, especially grease fires.Oil and grease float on water, sowater can spread the fire. Boilingsteam spits hot oil everywhere. Usedry extinguishers for oil fires, andaround electricity.

As a splash of water hits afire, that familiar 'hissing' sound is

water expanding 1700 times its originalvolume, into steam. The water cools thefire, the expanding steam pushes away theair and airborne fuels, and the evaporationrobs even more heat. (This heat is laterdeposited when the steam condenses ­sometimes with scalding effects.)

Even boiling steam is "cold" to afire. Water boils at 212° F, but cleanflames are over 1200° F.

This explains why damp fuelburns so poorly. Green plant matter, wetwood, and sometimes natural gas andalcohol fuels, all contain dissolvedmoisture. If they burn at all, they make adamp and dirty exhaust. Keep wateraway from fuel.

Minutes matter when a fire isspreading. Don't fret. Grab anythinghandy, and get it under control.

Better yet, prepare ahead, so itdoesn't happen again.

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IRON: The toolsWhen I say 'fireplace tools' most

people think of pokers and tongs. Yet youcan do most of their jobs with a stick.

A good ax or hatchet is hard toreplace. A stout knife does in a pinch.

We've already mentioned themany uses for buckets and shovels.

Indoor fireplaces usually include abroom to tidy up debris. Some folks liketongs, bellows or air pipe, and screens ordoors. Various pots, pans, kettles, andutensils may also live near the hearth.

Out in the wood lot, you may seemauls, splitters, saws and chainsaws.These are not needed if you burn smallfuels or buy your firewood already cut.TOOL CARE AND SAFETY:

Bad habits are accidents waiting tohappen. Good habits are priceless.

Keep hearth tools handy in a standor fireproof spot: they get hot. Keepoutdoor tools oiled and dry.

Treat all cutting tools with respect:people are softer than wood. Keep sharpedges sharp. A dull tool takes more force.Sharp tools work better, faster, easier, andsafer.

Keep work areas clear. Consideryour 'blood circle,' the entire area theblade could reach by accident. Stop ifanyone enters this area.

Watch for 'lines of force': Wheredoes the tool usually go? Where could itfly if I slip, or if it breaks?

Keep body parts and breakablesclear of these lines of force. Wearappropriate clothing that fits, includingstout shoes or boots. Consider gloves,eye protection, and finger­substitutes: agood chopping block, clamps or propsticks.

Don't do heavy work when you'retired or distracted. There is no glory inpushing a routine chore to the point whereit becomes dangerous. The first 'closecall' means it's time for a break, re­think,or rest.

Practice a little bit each day.Choose good mentors ­ never go into thewoods with anyone you don't trust.

The best tool for the job is the onethat fits you.

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Axes:Chopping wood is great

exercise, and most ax injuries arepreventable. But they are seriousenough to be worth avoiding.

Loose ax heads are likezombies: they move in straight linesand want to eat your brains.

Replace cracked or brokenhandles. Never soak loose handlesin water or motor oil. Repeatedswelling and shrinking crushesfibers and makes the problemworse. Linseed oil works well topreserve tool handles. It evenswells slightly as ithardens.

If an ax­head does connectwith a skull, treatfor concussion.One survivorwarned us: nomatter howbloody, don'tblow yournose.

Set up a good, steady choppingblock at a convenient height.(Clean wood ­ no gravel or nails.Masonry hearths are generally notdesigned for chopping wood; theycan crack or chip.)

Set your firewood upright. Aimfor a point near the middle of thewood. (Set the ax head where youwant to strike, and adjust yourposition so it's easy.) Strikedownward; let gravity help. Yourarms end up horizontal, in line withthe handle.

Guide the follow­through. Don'tlet knots or fatigue deflect the blade.When the blade sticks in the wood, Isometimes raise the whole mess andthump it down again. Stronger peopleprefer to remove the blade and take a

second strike.If you are lucky you can

almost­split the woodseveral different directionsbefore it gives, makingquick­release kindling for

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later.Keep refining your technique ­ your toesare worth it. Many people use skills fromother hobbies. Consider the martial artiststrick of 'relieving' a blow. Instead ofcrunching all your force downward,envision a down­then­away strike that justtouches the block. Some people find ithelps to lay a finger or thumb straightalong the handle, for aim.

Try striking along a check (crack),or along the growth rings.

Firewood bouncing away is agood thing. Don't let it distract you fromcontrolling the ax.

Try different tools, and see whatworks for you. If axes and hatchets makeyou nervous, we've had good results witha heavy cane­knife, froe, or splitting ring(kinda like an apple­corer). These can betapped down into the firewood withoutany fingers nearby.

The safest tool may be no tool atall. Accidental gashes from a big nastytool are all the more embarrassing whenyou could have snapped the target stickwith bare hands.

Most North American forests arecurrently overloaded with small fuels.Brittle dead branches, or even weed­strawbundles, make good kindling if well dried.It's hard to justify the cost and risk offelling live trees when deadwood isabundant.

If you do need a chainsaw, chooseone you can start and handle easily. A16" bar works faster and safer for mostpeople than a 40­inch logger's bar. Yourlocal dealer can show you how to use andcare for your saw.

Avoid surprises, and don't rush.Felling trees is an advanced art; start withdowned logs. Consider the chain itself asa major line of force. Where might it thesaw or chain go if it breaks?

Stand in the safest place possible.Avoid cutting near dirt, rocks, or metal(damages the chain). Plan ahead to avoidrolling logs onto yourself, or pinching thesaw blade in sagging wood.

Cut square, and to fit your stove.

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A decent woodshed is essential. Drystorage can be very basic, and save tonsof fuel per year.

If you need a temporarywoodshed, or chopping space, you canstretch a large tarp over poles to make arainfly. Ventilation is key; a woodpilewrapped entirely in plastic will neverfully dry.

Build your main woodshed bigenough for a couple of years' supply.

Minimum seasoning times vary byclimate and type of wood. Standing deadpine, stacked in a drylands summer, mightbe ready to burn in three months. Butwillow stored in a damp climate can sendout leafy shoots many years later. Checkwith local foresters or the universityextension service for local info. Buyahead, or harvest ahead.

Room to swing an ax is a definiteplus. Consider tool storage space.Overhangs should prevent ice or waterfrom dripping inside. Sides shouldprotect from blown rain, but allowventilation.

Racks or poles hold wood off thedamp ground, with air flow underneath.A center divider can keep seasoned woodaccessible while loading fresh wood in todry.

If wood does become damp,especially the end grain, the drying timeeffectively starts over. It's only slightlyfaster than the original curing time. Keep

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end grain exposed to air flow for thefastest drying time.

In mild climates, most peoplebuild their woodsheds a little distancefrom the house, to reduce the chance oftermites or carpenter ants moving indoors.In severe climates, a covered walkwaymay be important.

In areas with misty or humidwinters, many people keep a few days'supply of firewood indoors. Heating theair lowers its relative humidity, helping todry the wood faster than outdoors.

Take a look at neighbors' sheds,and see what seems to work best in yourarea. Do what works for you and yourfamily.

If you see mushrooms, white rot,ice, greenery, or anything slimy growingfrom/on the wood, it's not dry.

Wood 'seasoning' under a tarp canrot before it dries. Ground damp and sapmoisture steam up, condense inside thetarp, and trickle back down into smallpools. Rain and snowmelt percolatethrough any holes. If you must use a tarp,hang it up like a rainfly with good airflow, draining away from the wood.

When buying seasoned wood,look for well­ventilated stacks or piles,protected from weather by wide eaves orlofty rainflies. Buy well ahead.

In forests, the driest wood is'standing dead,' up off the ground: brittletwigs under evergreen's skirts, dry limbsthat snap when broken.

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WOOD: The FuelPlants harvest sunlight, air, and

water, and store the energy in solid form.We eat the 'good bits' and use wastes forfuel. Straw, dung, peat, even bone and fatcan burn, but wood is our most commonheating and cooking fuel.

All fuels must be dry. Dry fuelmakes fire easier, cleaner, and safer.

Dry fuel saves effort. Not only isdry wood lighter to lift and easier to split,you don't need as much of it. Heatingwith dry, seasoned wood takes half thefuel compared with damp or green wood.

Dry fuel burns without smoke.Even pitchy wood can burn clean if dryand seasoned. Green wood doesn'texactly burn ­ it leaks sap, steam, andsmoke as it slowly smolders.

Unpredictable fires are dangerous.Punky rotten wood can hold a coal evenwhen the outside feels cool to the touch.Damp wood burns cool, and the unburnedsmoke condenses as creosote inside thecool chimney. Chimney fires suck.

It is amazing how many peopleknow about dry wood, yet don't keep it.

If you ask your Kamp Host howdry is their bundled firewood, and theysay 'It hasn't rained in over a week,' thewood is not dry.

II: MakingsThe second duty of the fire­keeper is attending the fire's needs.

track back up the oily stream and explodeyour container. Using gasoline or anyother explosive fuels, at any stage, willget you institutionalized or dead.

The modern reader will most likelyuse paper scraps for tinder. Look forrough brown paper or newsprint. Brightprinting paper contains clay, an inertmineral that dampens young fires andproduces huge drifts of ash.

Plastic windows and varnished,painted, or glued materials are toorich and noxious for starting fires.Our preferred tinder is brown paperbags from the grocery store, or anywaxed or greasy paper.

Good kindling has spunk.Dry twigs snap; dry cordwood splitswith a crack and bounce. Kindling'sjob is to catch before the tinderburns up. Finely split cordwood ofany kind works fine. Bundles ofvery dry twigs can work if the bark

The main differencebetween tinder, kindling,and firewood is the surfacearea by weight. Moresurface area burns faster;bigger chunks burn longerand slower.

Tinder should bedryer than bone, finer thanhair, and prepared withdelicate care. It serves asthe first fuel, and may also help protectand insulate the spark until the firecatches.

The traditional fire­keeper collectsscraps of tinder from any daily activities.This might be scraps of birchbark orshredded cedar; trimmings from naturalrope, thread, or cloth; planer­curls of firand pine; cardboard and butter wrappers.There's something intensely satisfyingabout feeding the fire little mementos ofyour day.

Oils and fats hold a lot of energy."Fatwood" is pitch­streaked woodthat can hold a flame like a candlefor lighting other tinder. Greasedpaper, wax­and­sawdust firelighters,and even oily tortilla chips give firesa similar boost.

DANGER: Explosives:Never squirt volatiles into the fireafter it 'failed' to start, even officiallighter fluid. The fire could easily

Fuel and tinder:

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is resinous (cherry, hemlock, spruce; I'veeven used ivy and bramble canes).

Play with your firewood – trywhittling it; compare different locallyavailable woods; save out some of lastseason's firewood to compare with thenew load. The better you appreciate thewood, the better fires you can make, andthe greater you will feel the sacrifice ifburning poor, wet, or exceptionallyvaluable wood.

Good firewood is dry and dense.Dense hardwoods hold more fuel

per stick, but all wood is about the sameper pound. Resin or pitch can make fuelricher, sometimes too rich to manage.Soft 'punk' or rotten wood may feel dry,but actually contain a lot of moisture.Lumber may contain weird salts that candamage chimneys. Plywood, chip­board,and other wood/sawdust products shouldnot be burned unless they are designed forthe purpose.

If your firewood is actually dry ­under 20% moisture ­ the fuel value ispretty consistent with the weight. Weigha few pieces, force­dry in a warm oven,then weigh again to find the moisturecontent of your wood.

HEAT: The SparkIt takes heat to break down the

fuel; once started, a fire produces morethan enough heat to keep itself going.

There are many ways to start fires.Friction fire methods use easily­foundmaterials like wood and cord: bow drill,fire piston, bamboo fire slide. Travelersmight carry special fire starter materials:flint and steel, magnifying glasses,magnesium, matches. Modern materialswork too: clear plastic can hold a waterlens. Batteries can make a spark or red­hot wire.

One of the oldest methods ofstarting a fire is from a live coal. This is

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great practice for any traditional method,since most of them only generate a tinyember or spark. Get your tinder ready,then scratch the ashes for a hearth coal, orborrow a live ember from anothercampfire. There's nothing quite likeholding a tiny ember in a nest of tinder,blowing it into life.

Many people religiously keepcoals alive at all times; ancient calendarsinclude annual re­lighting of new fires.Nomadic people might carry embers fromcamp to camp in fire­mushrooms, fire­horns, portable clay pots. Try itsometime. Keep a coal alive overnight inyour firepit, in any weather, using onlymaterials at hand.

Whatever your preferred methodof starting a fire, practice and perfect it.

Can you build reliable one­matchfires? How will you waterproof yoursurvival matches? Try nail polish, wax,containers ­ test and compare the results.

Do you refuel your own lighters?Ever catch a spark from the lighter afterthe fuel is exhausted? Keep your sparelighter dry and handy.

Fire is a survival essential. Evenwith plenty of shelter, water, and food,fire lets me purify food and water; keepgear dry; drive away pests; signal forhelp; or live comfortably alone. If youdepend on modern tools for your fire,make sure to keep them with you.

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AIR: The FlowAll fires require air, as animals do,

to survive. (Both animals and fire take incarbohydrates and oxygen, and produceenergy, carbon dioxide, and water.)

A healthy flame circulates its ownair by convection. Cool air enters nearthe bottom of the fire, mixes with fuelgases, burns, and rises up and away on thebuoyant current of warmed air.

Fresh air is about 21% oxygen.It's mostly nitrogen; other gases add up toonly 1%. It's important to maintain goodfresh­air supplies for people, animals, andfire, or the oxygen can become depleted.Fires burn poorly in thin mountain air.

Pure oxygen makes fires burn withincredible intensity. Avoid fire aroundsupplemental oxygen, and chemicaloxidizers like chlorine.

In a perfect fire all the productsare completely consumed, and warmed air

carries off the spent fumes with less odorthan a healthy animal's breath.

In an imperfect fire, stinging bluesmoke soon obscures the surroundings. Avery sick fire may produce yellow or evenblack smoke. All smoke is unburned fuel;all smoke is noxious to breathe.

'Airtight' stoves deliberatelydeprive fires of air, slowing the burn.These are now illegal in many areasbecause of their incredibly dirty smoke.

Too much air can cool a fire untilit blows out, or fan flames into wildfire.

FIRE TRIANGLE:The interaction between air, heat,

and fuel is what makes fires work. Theseare called the 'Fire Triangle.' Remove anyone, and the fire dies.

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III: FormsThe shape of the fire fits its purpose.

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GRID FIRE:A big punch of heat is delivered by a grid of sticks, laidslightly apart for air (about half the sticks' width).

The first way I learned tobuild a grid fire is to work upfrom smaller to larger pieces.Fire burns up, right?

'Rails' make room fortinder on the bottom.Kindling crosses the rails,bigger wood goes higher up.

This layout is quickand reliable. A grid of 1"sticks quickly burns down tocoals for campfire cooking.

But this grid is notclean. The larger logssmolder before they burn.Smoke from the log­endsescapes the flames. And ofcourse, the logs fall down asthe kindling burns away.

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CANDLE or UPSIDE­DOWN FIRE:Look at a candle flame. See the space around

the wick? This is where melted wax evaporates fromthe wick as a flammable gas. This gas is what burns.

The same is true of wood: hot wood releasesvolatile gases. These gases can burn as flames, or driftaway as smoke.

Smoke is wasted fuel:unburned wood gas,partially burned tar,soot, and exhaustgases.

For a smokelessfire, we need a flameat the top of the fire tocatch all this rising,smoky fuel.

This is so counter­intuitive for most people,that we call it the "UPSIDE­DOWN FIRE."

The kindling goes on top, and the tinderon top of that. A bright flame burns up the

fuel gases as they rise. The wood below isheated by radiant heat and fallingembers, until the whole stack is hot

enough to burn. It really doescatch just fine: Gravity works.

This is the fire used inmasonry heaters, to burnefficiently with less soot

and creosote.It works

pretty well forcampfires too, but inopen air some smoke stillescape from the log ends.

I've shown the V­firelayout in detail, one stick at atime, because it's easy to confusea simpler drawing with the 'TipiFire'.

The V­fire may be theoriginal tipi fire. Certainly the V­fire has been used in tipis. Andit's easy to confuse the two basedon brief illustrations.

V­FIRE:For focused, cleanfire, my currentfavorite layoutresembles a split­railfence corner.

With yourback to the wind, laythe sticks with theirtips crossing (likedrumsticks).

The crossedtips make a tallcorner to protect andfocus the flame. Light thefire in this corner.

More wood can beadded the same way, on eachside. Push unburned endsinto the flame as the tipsburn. In a big fire circle,long logs can be burnedfrugally this way by heatingonly the tips.

The V or split­raillayout works brilliantly inmost fireplaces, ovens, andstoves.

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'TIPI' TROUBLE:There's a popular idea that you can

start a campfire by balancing stickstogether in the shape of a tipi. This showsup in Scouting manuals and comics.

Vertical sticks do burn cleaner ­the smoke from the log­ends stays rightnear the flame. A half­tipi against afireplace wall, log, or rock works great.But anyone who's tried to balance sticksagainst each other, on end, in a campfirecircle, knows it's not easy.

After lightingtinder under thecarefully­balanced sticks,the fire burns until one ofthe sticks shifts from theheat. All the sticks falldown crosswise, the hottips in different places,and the fire self­dowses.

The whole thinghas to be started overagain several times withmuch scorching offingers and replacing ofkindling.

The mostpractical use of thislayout may be to keepthe Scouts busy while theleaders handle otherduties. Starting a tipifire, including thearguments and falsestarts, can buy the leaderan hour or more of near­privacy.

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...

UPRIGHT 'WOOD STOVE'With well­cutfirewood thatstands straight,you can build a"wood stove" orfireplaceentirely fromwood.

Do woodenfireplaces sounddangerous?

They should. These fires get intenselyhot, so use a big, level, outdoor firepitwith plenty of water handy.

Choose three split logs the sameheight. Set them facing inward, in a tightcircle with one opening. Light a small V­fire in the center using kindling. Feedmore sticks in through the opening ifneeded, until the faces of the logs catchon fire.

To movethe logs after theyare burning, useheavy weldinggloves. Pitchywood can becomean inferno.

This fireoften wins friendlycontests, boiling aliter of water inabout 6 minutes.

LIGHTFirelight is

beautiful, but not asbright as modernlighting. It takesover 180 candles toequal a 100­wattlightbulb.

Reflectors andwhite walls can

nearly double the light from a fewcandles. Lantern­shades shield the eyesfrom direct glare.

Big logs don't put out much light,so add pine­cones ortwigs for a brighter show.

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SMOKE:Smoke is

unburned fuel. It's alsotoxic. Smokeless fire isboth safer and moreefficient.

However, thereare times you may wantsmoke: for signals, curingfood, for camoflage scent,or for producing sootystains and inks.

Insect­Repellent:Blood­sucking insectsoften follow carbondioxide and heat. Wecan't help making thesetraces every time webreathe. But they shyaway from smoke: amosquito can't last long ina forest fire.

There's no need toburn a smoky fire orcitronella all night; a brief

'smoke bath' or smoke­scented lotion can giveseveral hours' protection.

Smoked foods arean art. You can findrecipes online for hot­smoking, cold­smoking,jerking, curing, anddrying. Green twigs orchips are chosen forflavor: hickory, alder,mesquite, applewood,and other fruit and nutwoods. Pitchy wood hasa nasty flavor.

Clean, non­treatedwood is essential whencooking. Fumes frompaint, varnish, or orchardspray can taint the food.

Like many arts,smoking food comes withrich private traditions.Local favorites may beclosely guarded.

If you want to learnsomeone's secrets, useyour best manners. Offergifts, compliments, skillswaps, or plain chorelabor. Respect their rightto set terms, and to say'no.'

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HEAT TRANSFER:Fire serves many purposes, but the maingoal is usually to heat something. Watchfor heat transfer through conduction,radiation, and convection.

Conduction is heat movingthrough solid stuff by contact ­ like warmbath­water, or the hot handle of a skillet.Conduction is efficient and invisible.Watch for direct contact, dense materials,and shapes that fit the task or body.

Radiation is heat moving likelight. Rays go straight until they hitsomething. Solid objects make coolershadows. Hot and warm thingsre­radiate heat. Watch forround shapes that focus, shed,or reflect radiation evenly, andfor directional reflectors.

Convection is how heatrises in warm air or fluids. It isleast efficient, but easy to use.Watch for chimneys, funnels,dome traps, and ducts that riseor fall. Cool air flows downlike water; warmer air rises up.

CAVE HEARTHS:While primitive methods may not

be safe or wise, we can learn a lot fromhow early people survived. A trainedmind can find comfort with deceptivelysimple tools and materials.

Early masonry homes have beencalled ovens that people lived inside. Onesimple trick from cave­dwelling days wasthe practice of sweeping aside the embers

IV: FunctionsThe fire's surroundings help it do its job.

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from daily cooking fires to sleep directlyon the hearth stone at night, like breadrising in an oven.

FIRE BERM: An earthen wall or bermcan reflect the heat of a fire toward peopleor tents nearby. If you can see the light,the heat can reach you too. (Note: heatalso reaches the flammable tent material.)SMOKE HOLES:The more windproof and weatherproofthe house, the more important it becomesto let the smoke escape.

Thatched stone or earthen cottageshave thick walls that soak up and store thefire's heat. Most allow the smoke outthrough either the loose thatch itself, orthrough a hole in the roof.TIPI FIRE / KIVA FIRE:

If one hole is good, two holes ­one for smoke and one for incoming air ­is even better.

Tipis (cone­shaped tents) arenatural chimneys. The door openingserves as a natural air intake.

Tipis are primarily a warm­

weather tent or travel shelter. Sometimesan under­floor air inlet and liner are usedfor cool weather camping. Historically,many tribes used tipis for summer only,and returned to earth­bermed or earth­sealed winter houses for winter.

A special air channel wastraditionally built into kivas, a sunkenearthen room from American Southwest

architecture. These rooms were accessedthrough a single opening in the top thatserved as both door and smoke­hole.Fresh air from a second shaft helps tokeep the fire burning sweetly.

Note that the air shaft is well awayfrom the fire, and lower than the roofhole. It will not accidentally start drawingbackwards.

Note that a modern, synthetic yurt,with a vented skylight and a short side­wall chimney for its woodstove, looks abit like this picture, too. Except theoccupants expect the smoke to flow theopposite direction. Which do you thinkworks better?

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A proper yurt from thesnowy high steppes of Mongoliatraditionally has a framed­insmoke hole located at the top ofthe structure.

Any warm structure willdraw air upward by naturalconvection. Hot air rises,generally seeking the highestpoint just as water seeks its ownlevel.CHIMNEYS:

A good chimney is hot,vertical, sealed, and taller thancompeting structures.

Vertical or near­verticalchimneys provide strong draft.There is no reason for a horizontalchimney to draw at all. Angles of about45 degrees or steeper draw OK. Verticaldraws best.

Warm chimneys work better thansmoke­holes because room air doesn'tdisturb or mix with the upward­flowinghot smoky air. A cold chimney canchannel cold air downward just asquickly, especially in a warm house.

If wind or shade chill the chimney,or the house has negative pressure, achimney can easily reverse flow. A coldchimney flue next to a warm one maysuck smoke back into the house.

Exposed chimneys must beinsulated to above the ridgeline. Since

insulated sections are costly, stuck­on­the­side chimneys becomeexpensive quickly.

We prefer build chimneyscentrally inside the house, exitingnear the roof peak. More of thechimney's valuable heat is sharedwith the home; the chimney worksmore reliably in odd weather; andthe proper materials may cost less.Why do we willingly sacrifice heatup the chimney?

Breathing clean, safe air is the firstreason. Combustion exhaustcontains less oxygen and morecarbon dioxide. Carbon monoxide(CO) is formed in low­temperaturefires: it's an invisible gas that can

displace vital oxygen in the bloodstream.When starving peasants or Detroit

squatters resort to burning indoor fireswithout a chimney, they are choosing aslow poison. Smoke exposure causesfamiliar symptoms like irritated eyes,nose, throat, and lungs. CO poisoning,excess CO2, and depleted oxygen maycause symptoms too subtle to notice:lethargy, weakness, headaches, irritibility,and finally fainting. Entire families canpass out and die in their sleep.

Chimneys draft even if they arejust warm, but we want them hot ­ above350° F ­ for another reason.

Smoke contains unburned fuel.

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common cooking task in the world. Ashort, hot chimney can make this taskquick, efficient, and nearly smokeless.FOX STOVE / DAKOTA FIREPIT:The fox stove, badger stove, or tunnelstove is found on at least five continents.Examples dated to 5,000 years ago havebeen reported from India/Pakistan.

Why a 'fox' stove? An existingburrow offers a good slope and taper forthe air feed. After digging straight downto meet the horizontal burrow, we pile thedirt around the hole to create a shortchimney. The pot goes atop this chimney,on small stones with air gaps between.

The Dakota firepit is a NorthAmerican tunnel­stove variation,sometimes shown without the chimney.Why would someone move dirt further tomake the fire less effective? Readers,please enlighten me.

Tunnel stoves are nearly invisible,

This fuel can condense on the sides of acool chimney, making a sticky, flammablemess we call 'creosote.' If the chimney ishot enough, there tends to be less creosotein the first place (because the heat iscoming from a good hot fire below), andthe remaining creosote stays evaporatedand doesn't coat the chimney. A nice hotchimney, weirdly enough, helps preventchimney fires.

Properly sized chimneys wasteless heat, and experience fewer smokeand creosote problems. Creosote buildupcan also be prevented by burning cleanfires with little or no smoke.

Hot chimneys can help reduce thesmoke from fires, on many scales.CHARCOAL­CHIMNEY:

A steel canwith a handle makesa great starterchimney forbarbecue coals.Light a kindling fireat the base of thecoffee can. Addclean fuel. Let the fire burn until thecoals are hot enough. With tongs or anoven mit, lift the can off, and spread thecoals out for grilling.DIRT CHIMNEYS:

Boiling water may be the most

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nearly smokeless, cook effectively withlittle fuel, and are easily dowsed andhidden. Wickedly effective for traversingenemy territory, especially where flatplains make any light or smoke visible formiles.

The main weaknesses are floodingor damp, and a few rare soil types that areunsuitably loose or flammable.JUG STOVE / TERMITE TEA STOVE

I am told that among the Masai,there is a tradition of making teawhenever and wherever a pair of warrior­herdsmen happen to meet. This courtesyshares clean water in a thirsty land, andallows time to establish mutual respect.

The 'jug stove,' or Masai tea­stove,can be dug into atermite mound or

convenient hillside. The jug­shapedhollow holds fuel and fire, and the teapotsits (on rocks if needed) above thebottleneck chimney. The dry earthinsulates so well that it takes only a fewtwigs to boil water.

Imitations dug into frozen piles offill dirt may need more fuel.

ROCKETSTOVESOur 'tea stump' hasa jug­shaped firechamber inside,carved fromrefractoryinsulation andlined with hardermaterials. A widerange of insulated

'chimney cookers' are being advocated asan alternative to smoky open hearths.

Displaced people seem to defaultto an open hearth with three brickspropping the pot over the flames. Similarbaseline conditions are reported on everycontinent, wherever people don't knowany better or have lost access to theiraccustomed kitchens. A dry hearth withthree bricks would be an air qualityimprovement over the common NorthAmerican campfire circles full of dampcharcoal.

Problems from cooking over anopen hearth include

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­inefficient use of fuel,­toddlers falling into the fire while motheris cooking,­ and in indoor settings, cooks sufferingfrom smoke inhalation equivalent to a400­pack­a­day cigarette habit.Scrap metal projects: aROCKET COOKSTOVE (left) orPOCKET ROCKET (right).Narrow channels concentrate heat from asmall load of fuel. Hot fuel and air mix,producing a clean hot fire.Metals conduct more heat thanthey reflect, so insulation is keyto concentrating the heat.

Clean fire starts around1200 F, and wood fire can getwell over 2000 F with goodinsulation. So we need inert,high­temperature minerals. Drywood ash insulates pretty well ifyou have a container for it; sodoes dry dirt.

Super­insulative adobe can bemade by mixing clay slurry with sawdustor charcoal dust. The dust burns outleaving a foamy ceramic. These'Vernacular insulative ceramics' can workwonders: Rocket cookstoves lined withVIC in one Uganda experiment usedabout half the fuel compared with an openhearth.THE GOOD STOVE: This two­burneradobe stove was made and decorated byits owner, a villager in rural India. Thethick bricks protect toddlers fromstumbling into the fire. The secondburner allows cooking a full meal at once.Local culinary arts can be a biggeracceptance factor than efficiency.

Image courtesy Dr. N. Sai Bhaskar Reddy,http://goodstove.com

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BRICK STOVES, OVENS, andFIREPLACES:

Speaking of traditional cuisine, youcan't have bread without an oven.

Brick or clay are easy to workwith, and hold heat beautifully for evenbaking. The dense masonry does takehuge amounts of heat to warm up. Acentral bakery is more efficient thanhobby ovens, since long, daily bakingcycles take full advantage of stored heat.EARTH OVENA traditional earthenoven can be builtover a sand mold orwicker frame.

Every village from Italy to Chinahas its own special oven shape to suit thelocal cuisine. Some are durable: built onstout foundations with a good roof, madewith carefully chosen aggregates, clays,and decorative plasters or mosaics.

Others are re­built with straw andmud every year, the charred remainsbroken up into the fields. This 'careless'process can improve clay­heavy soils withporous drainage material and nutrients.

MASONRY HEATERS:Masonry can also store heat for

homes and people. Quick, hot daytimefires charge up the masonry thermalbattery, which releases steady warmth allnight and takes days to fully cool.

Roman hypocausts, 'Turkish'baths, Chinese Kang stoves, Russianfireplaces, Finnish and Swedishcontraflow heaters, German kachelhofen(tile ovens/stoves) and steinoven (earlierstone­ovens or stone­stoves), Afghaniclay stoves, Korean ondol... many namesfor civilized comfort.

Most masonry heaters include afloor, bench, or bed for directly enjoyingthe gentle warmth. Modern column

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Some 'Rumford' masons prefer tointroduce a slight inward slant to the back,to gather smoke along the surface.

We now know that all colors ofmasonry re­radiate heat about equally

well, so white vs. colored isoptional. Of course, whitedoes reflect more light.

The key to the Rumford'sheating efficiency is that it isshallow and tall, with angledwalls that reflect heatoutward, and a narrow throatthat doesn't draw too muchroom air.

Prior to Rumford, shallowfireplaces often smoked. Hisintuitive insistence on thecurve of the throat solved thisproblem: laminar flowsmoothly rolls smoke up thechimney behind a thin'curtain' of room air, and thesmoke shelf keeps it fromreturning back down if thechimney is cold. Keep thissmoke shelf clean for bestresults.

An existing,oversized fireplace canoften be remodeled quitecheaply into a shallower,better­performingRumford.

fireplaces and novelty tile stoves fromVersailles are notable exceptions. Perhapsowners of luxury apartments can affordmore fuel?RUMFORD FIREPLACE:Fireplaces are far morecommon than masonryheaters, despite their lowerefficiency. They're simpleto build and operate, andgive great entertainmentwatching the flames. Butopen fireplaces with bigchimneys can draw a lot ofheat out of the house.

If you want an elegantfireplace that offers showyflames and puts out moreheat than it sucks up, youcan't beat a Rumford.There are many variationson the 'authentic' Rumfordfireplace. They all seem towork better than the deep­box alternatives.Rumford preferred his

fireplace with a 'straightback and a roundedbreast,' insulative, andbrightly whitewashed orplastered. To make thesmooth curved throat,behind the lintel, hisworkmen used plaster.

Straight­backed Rumford Vrest Orton's 'Rumford'© 2012 EK WISNER ART OF FIRE P. 28 OF 38

Deep box fireplaces are essentially anoutdoor firepit that you tend from indoors.Even though a glass door blocks most ofthe radiant heat, it will also cut the heatloss due to excess draft.

Because the deep overhang makes it hardto see the flames, some fireplaces have araised hearth. But raised hearths blockradiant heat from reaching the floor. Colddrafts of replacement air pool below thehearth level. Feet stay cold unlesspropped directly on the hearth.

A big, turbulent chimneydraws huge volumes of airthrough the house. Cold airflows in along the floor.

Square walls reflect most of the heatinward. This works for an oven orcooking fire, especially if you don't wantthe kitchen too hot in summer.But in winter, all that heat still goesstraight up the chimney. So does a lot ofthe smoke ­ unburned fuel from the edgesof the fire, that gets cooled by excess air.

A poorfireplace willsmoke. Thisleads to deeperfireplaces withlower lintels totrap the smokeunder thechimney.

Ox­Cooker(non­heating)Fireplace

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The shallow Rumford fireplace drawsminimal air for its needs, and heats bestwhen wide open. Glass and screensblock radiant heat, so we only use them ifwe need to leave the fire unattended.

The flames burn completelyagainst the tall, hot fireback.Only a small amount of roomair is needed to wash anyremaining smoke past thecurved throat.Cool air feeds the fire below.

Shallow, angled walls reflect heat out intothe room. (The angle is about 135°; notethat the heat from the back corners willclear the front corners.)A V or half­tipi fire is laid right againstthe fireback. The hot back wall draws theflames up. With the logs pointing inward,most of the smoke burns too.

Air fans the glowing embers forextra radiant heat.

A flush hearth (at floor level) putsthe radiant heat where it's most wanted:down low. Warm floors help counteractconvective drafts, and keep toes warmtoo.

The main chimneyis an ordinary size,but the throat is likea smooth, narrownozzle ­ as little as4" wide. Smokeflows up past thesmoke shelf, behinda thin curtain ofroom air.

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WOOD BURNINGSTOVES:

Wood stoves are themost popular wood heatoption in North Americatoday. They are lightweightand affordable, lab­testedfor air quality and safety,and can be installed withbasic clearances in almostany structure.

Since Americans onaverage live only 5 years ineach home, low cost andportability are big sellingpoints. So are flame­viewing windows, flat cook­tops, and built­in aircontrols.

You can use almost any fire layoutin a box woodstove. Some stoves haveboth front and side loading options, ormay be burned open, like a fireplace.

Every model is slightly different.Your home, chimney, wood choices, andweather also affect performance.

To get the most out of awoodstove, it helps to play prairie dog.Any stove is burning at its mostefficient when there is no visible smoke.Early steam engineers calibrated theirengines by mounting a mirror so theycould watch for smoke from the controls.

Without a periscope, your simplestoption is to build a fire, then go outside

and look at the chimney.Adjust the damper, gocheck again. When there isno visible smoke outside,come back in and listen tothe fire for a while. Makenotes. Check again in 30minutes, or an hour. Overtime, you will learn toachieve your longestsmokeless burn, and tohear and interpret the fire'ssubtle updates.This no­smoke trainingmethod can even help youclean up the performanceof older or antique stoves,and avoid chimney fires.

Some local air quality laws arestarting to limit visible smoke to 20minutes. This is a reasonable response tosmoke pollution, especially comparedwith arbitrary rules like 'only one woodburning appliance per property / per acre,'or banning new installations whileallowing the use of existing (older,smokier) stoves.

Why do people burn smokystoves? Many operators don't knowbetter; but a few deliberately smolder fuelfor overnight heat.

A responsive stove is quick to heatup, quick to cool down. For overnightheating, we want a steady, stable, mildtemperature.

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How do you get fire to stand still,or burn in slow motion?

Don't be tempted to repeat thedirty trick we learned from the old'Airtight' stoves: cutting off the air to'bank' the coals. This makes loads ofblack smoke, and causes chimney fires.

Efficient fire is smokeless fire.Air­starved fires waste fuel, coatingchimneys and lungs with flammablecreosote. This can cause chimney fires,rattling and explosive flashbacks, asthmaand black lung, CO poisoning, andrecurring maintenance nightmares. And itmakes regulators gnash their teeth andthink up more laws.Can you sleep peacefully through all this?

Modern woodstoves are designedto prevent this type of unsafe operation.They supply adequate air for cleancombustion even at their slowest testedburn rates. Chimney temperatures remainabove 350 F for safe draft, preventingcreosote deposits. Even the smallestversions can offer a 6­ to 8­hour 'longburn' operating by the book.

The problem is when an operatorwho likes 'the airtight level of control', heor she can work around the clean airdesign with thick beds of ash,unauthorized chimney dampers, or even asteamy pile of green wood. Back to thedark ages of creosote, smoke and smog.

CLEAN overnight heat takesthinking outside the box.

Remember how one of the sellingpoints is the building doesn't matter?Well, it does. Everything counts.

Heavy materials store heat. Oncethat lightweight stove is in place, back itup with brick. Firebrick liners orsoapstone tiles can store a couple hours'heat, extending that 6­8 hour burn into 8­10 hours of heat. A masonry hearth,concrete floor, or even loose rocks on thestove can store heat.

Give the stove a central place ofhonor. Radiant heat is line­of­sight, soplace the stove near where you like to sitand keep an eye on the fire. Heated airrises, so upstairs bedrooms stay toasty.Distant rooms may need their own heat.

Energy audits can help pinpointmajor heat loss areas, and suggest whereto add insulation, storm windows, drapesor gap­sealing.

With R­60 insulation around bothyou and your water pipes, you couldpractically heat with a candle. Build aclean fire at your convenience, and sleepsoundly.

© 2012 EK WISNER ART OF FIRE P. 32 OF 38

those who rise first every morning towarm the food and house, and put theembers safely to bed before sleep.

Fire's symbolic meanings oftenreflect its practical roles. Some of theoldest references offer importantreminders.

Stories about how humans learnedto make fire often involve angry gods,theft, or terrible storms. Lightning strikesare unpredictable, with a reputation for

Physical, practical fire iscaptivating enough.

Fire also connects us with ancienthuman cultural and spiritual traditions.Careful tending of fire is a sacred trust.

Fire keepers maintain livingtraditions like sauna, hangi, luau,meditation or prayer with incense, fire­dancing and fire­walking, sweat lodges,candle­lit vigils, annual bonfires. Firekeeping is also the unsung dedication of

V: Spirit and Practice: Fire in the Soul

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striking the tallest orproudest individual.Lightning is morepowerful than kings:the wrath of God,celestial war­hammers, mad

science, uncanny power beyond mortalcontrol. Wildfires and volcanoesrepresent Hell, torment, punishment.

Fire is pain, death, and fear. It ispower like a god's. Animals panic at it.Even plants and insects show aversion tosmoke.

The most horrible wars, sacrifices,and tortures involve fire precisely becauseit causes extreme pain and devastation.Only humans have deliberately courtedfire despite its terrible dangers.

How can this terrible thing alsorepresent warmth, love, and peace?

Once the ember is tamed, keepingit alive calls for steadfast care anddevotion. Kitchen fires show a mother'scare. A light in the window welcomes thetraveler home. Yule logs bring summer'sbright cheer to the dark of winter. In fairytales and literature, a hearth without a firesuggests something very wrong at home.

A temple or church can be a 'largerhome' for the community, a refuge and acentral hearth. Eternal flames:reassurance that you could always borrowa light? Sometimes in India, sacred

groves are opened as an emergencysupply of fuel and fodder when droughtdevastates ordinary sources.

Fire also asserts power anddefiance. Balefires, bonfires, andpyrotechnics mark special events,seasonal festivals, coming­of­age,marriage, mourning, and celebration.Modern fireworks are big, bright, defiantbouquets of sparks. Like many festivalgestures, they show off the wealth andpower of some local elite organizer, byinviting everyone to join the celebration.

A steady, bright flame like the suncan comfort babies and germinate seeds.When the sun hides, we sit by the fire toswap stories, share inspiration, write, andteach.

When the temple is gone,Hannukah and Sabbath candles showsteadfast faith.

An Irish teen may call itsuperstitious nonsense to carry fire afterdark on Samhain yetlight his pipe for theevening walk home.

Candles are aluxurious, reliableflame that bridge thegap between honoringtradition and modernconvenience.

Candlelit

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Boiled over a fire, water becomesclean, pure, and safe. Burned in afire, the contagious rags of sicknessbecome harmless ashes. Fire canalso purge unwanted things:rubbish, noxious weeds, badmemories.Fire also transforms materials for

art, agriculture, and industry, givingus the power to change ourlifestyles and surroundings.Cooks, smiths, potters, brewers

and distillers, textile workers andtanners, welders and glassblowers,

even painters use fire. Fire smelts ore,shapes metal, makes engines anddynamos roar.

"Inner fires" keep an artist orinventor working passionately; outer firesbring these inventions into reality.Any art can serve both peace and war.Fire changes swords into plowshares, orhardens sticks into spears.

In wartime, fire serves as weapon,message, tool, and symbol of hate.Torches, signal lights, and bale­fires blazeout warnings. Blacksmiths forge weaponsand armor. Greek fire, fire­arms, androckets hurl devastation among enemies.'Friendly fire' haunts armies. Burningbridges, boats, cottages, or capitolbuildings declares ruthless resolve.

Fire's destructive power associatesit with passions: love and hate. Even

dinners are romantic; 'carrying atorch' is a lover's burden. Unitycandles celebrate the joining oftwo families at a wedding. AChristening candle welcomes anew soul into a churchcommunity, and serves as amemento of that reciprocalcommitment.

Candles and pyrescommemorate the soul's passingaway from the body. Candles orincense at the shrine honor thedeparted.

Candles become part of the mostunlikely traditions: pinned to the greenbranches of a Christmas tree, floatinguntended down rivers during a moonlitfestival.

Incense and fragrant smokesanctify prayer and meditation. Scentsevoke memory very strongly. Scentedsmoke can create a unique association thathelps people slip back into the samecontemplative state. Smoke can also driveaway pests, helping to minimize diseasetransmission in crowded gatherings.Smoky fires were used in early Irishhousekeeping to fumigate vermin out ofthatch. Where fleas and mosquitoes carrydeadly plagues, smoke can 'purify' in aliteral as well as spiritual sense.

Fire purifies and transforms manythings. Cooking makes 'stuff' into food.

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Strangely colored orsmoky fires, on the other hand,feed superstitions about unholypowers. Eerie flickering swamp­lights deceive travelers. Auroradance madly in the snowboundArctic night. St. Elmo's fire(electrical phosphorescence)crawls across ship's rigging andsailor's skins, an uncannydistraction in stormy seas. Eventhe local trash­burning groundsof Tophet are woven intowarnings of torment for wicked

or faithless souls.Fire in short represents both holy

and unholy, love and hate, peace and war.Is there any common meaning here?

All these are parts of our humaneffort to find meaning ­ and to definewhat we expect from ourselves and eachother. A human trying to understand themeaning of fire is something like a fishknowing water.

Fire is an ancient, unique part ofhuman experience. No other creatures onEarth use fire. Signs of cooking helparchaeologists define early human sites,as distinct from animal or wildfire sign.

Mastery of fire allows people tolive in every climate; protect our food,water, and comforts; control othercreatures, even be flexible about day andnight. We don't owe our current

before it causes pain, warmthbrings blood to the skin. The flushmimics passionate emotions. Andfire's powerful potential for bothgood and ill makes an aptmetaphor for strong feelings.

Some people get verypersonal with fire: markingthemselves with body art, ormaking a walk or leap through fireas a rite of passage.

Staring into the flames hasa strange power for soothing griefand easing emotional transitions.

In the wake of fire comes peace.It's a paradoxical peace: as accessible tothe warrior as to the priest, to the dancinggirl as to the grandmother. This peacedoes not imply absence of pain orviolence, does not require being sated orloved. It concerns the inner self: aninward rightness, truth, or acceptance thatouter troubles can't touch.

Gazing into the embers, watchingfor 'fire fish' in the flickering flames,offers a timeless connection withsomething metaphysical, beautiful,something beyond the ordinary.

Tongues of flame, pillars of fire,halos of light, a face or garments thatshine with radiance, fires that burnwithout consuming: glowing 'glories'mark miraculous moments and divinerevelation.

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the journey can guide you around manypitfalls.

Fire offers both good and evil.Please use your powers for good.

Sometimes people 'catch the firebug', and rush out to save the world byburning things. Cookstoves, biochar,space rockets, book burning. It's easy torationalize that because you feelpowerfully compelled, the action itself isright, good, or important.

There's a time and place for allthings. Mind the context: Good for what?For whom? In what season? Against whatexcess? A fire that's good for biscuits isbad for fingers. Fire earns its place byserving a specific purpose.

Your desire to learn about fire is avalid purpose. The price is that youbecome responsible to do no harm, and

manage the consequences.If you want to justify your

work by service to others, makesure you accept feedback abouttheir specific needs.

Fire is never stagnant: it ischange made visible. Workingwith fire teaches us to beadaptable, alert, and alwayslearning.

worldwide dominance to thumbs, tools,language, clever brains, or uprightwalking; many other creatures share thesespecialties. Our willingness to use firemakes our physical limitations irrelevant.It brings us terrible power, and terrifyingresponsibility over life and death.

This ancient relationship with firetouches our deepest fears and securities.Practicing with fire may trigger intenseemotional and spiritual experiences.

Many terrible cults have arisenfrom worshiping fire, rather thanaccepting responsibility for it. Don'tmistake the part for the whole.

People are complicated. Firereflects that complexity in a controllableform. Fire is a powerful tool forprocessing emotions, practicing skills, andsatisfying instinctive cravings.

Don't let this toolbecome a substitute forexisting relationships orresponsibilities. A pleasurebecomes addiction when itinterferes with your health,family, or duties.

None of this is new.Don't imagine you are the firstperson to struggle with aparticular challenge or goal.Seek experienced mentors, andguidance from older traditions.Those who already survived Image courtesy Kiko Denzer,

www.handprintpress.com

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A well­made fire is alive. There is a world of difference between afire which is a pile of burning logs, and a fire which is made bysomeone who really understands fire. He places each log exactlyto make the air between the logs just right. He doesn't stir thelogs with a poker, but while they are burning, grasps each one,and places it again, perhaps only an inch from where it wasbefore. The logs are so exactly placed that they form channels forthe draft. Waves of liquid yellow flame run up the logs when thedraft blows. The fire, watched, burns so intensely and so steadily,that when it dies, finally, it burns to nothing; when the last glowdies, there is nothing but a little dust left in the fireplace.

­ Christopher Alexander, The Timeless Way of Building