Ep 19 - The Fire Element
Flambeau River State Forest, Wisconsin, October 27, 2014
<Naran is having her first class in the Arena. Need to catch up? Find the previous chapters here: Table of Contents>
“I guess I have accepted the challenge, indeed.” I say and smile at Kai.
My frustration has lessened. I have to admit that this conversation is very different from anything I have known. I really enjoy my communication with Kai. I feel I am slowly opening up to this man and feel less and less intimidated by his reputation. Kai is a really gentle and warm person. Moreover, he is extremely intelligent, and seems devoted to teaching me things, which is an unexpected honor. At the same time, his overpowering beauty is still quite the distraction, and I’m trying hard to remain professional, whatever that might mean.
Kai reaches into the left pocket of his suede pants. From it he produces a small candle and wedges it into the sand floor right next to his knee. He reaches into his pocket a second time and finds two small rocks and strikes them together. The wick of the candle flames up instantly.
“So here is a question for you,” Kai says after he takes the candle from the floor and secures it between his feet. “What is fire for you?”
I look down at the flame. I wonder if there is a right answer to this question.
“Naran, trust your intuition. And from now on, consider being incorrect as a good option. The same goes for me, of course.”
Confused, I look up.
“Here is a little piece of truth. There is no truth. Truth is an illusion. There is only perception, and I’d like you to share your perception with me, not the so-called truth.”
Puzzled, I stare at the candle. My eyes follow the graceful movements of the flame going back and forth.
“Go for it,” Kai encourages.
“Okay… Well, I guess fire burns, it is very powerful, and scary at times,” I whisper softly.
“Good.” Kai nods his head gently. He lifts the torch out of the silver bowl next to him and holds it to the candle. A huge flame ignites and dances in the subtle wind of the Arena. He holds the torch in front of me and I can feel the heat on my face. We both stare at it for a while, and the orange glow makes our facial features move unpredictably in the shadows.
Kai takes the torch and brushes it over his left underarm. His tiny arm hairs melt away with the heat of the flame, and I hear a sizzling sound. A red glow appears on his skin. Perplexed, I look at him and hesitate to show any reaction. That must have hurt. Why did he do that?
“What?” he asks me with a smart expression on his face.
“So you like burning your arm?” I still don’t understand what he is trying to show me.
“Not really, but I just affirmed your beliefs about fire.”
Assuming he had answered my question satisfactorily, Kai holds the torch between our faces again. He looks at the flame with an incredible focus and softly whispers words in Didelian that sound like a tender love poem. Suddenly, he sticks his hand into the fire.
Completely shocked, I bounce backward, but Kai doesn’t flinch. He remains motionless and keeps his hand in the heat of the flame. I remember him doing something similar during the show, but now it is happening right in front of my eyes, and I have to restrain myself from pulling his arm back. I stare at the flames, but nothing bad is happening to his hand. Driven by curiosity, I move closer. Finally, Kai pulls back his hand and holds it up into the air; he turns it a few times and allows me to observe what has happened.
His slender masculine hand with long fingers looks immaculate and untouched. I smell nothing, no burnt hair, skin, or nails.
I’m speechless.
Kai laughs while he extinguishes the flame with his jacket. “How is that for breaking an absolute?” He smirks.
“It’s the same as during the show, with the tornado! How did you do that? How can I scientifically explain that?” The scientist in me just cannot let go.
“You would need to direct your measurements toward my thoughts, not the visible result you see on my hand. Can you measure my thoughts with the tools you scientists work with?”
“I don’t know… I don’t think so.”
“Fire is the element on this planet with the highest vibration. Fire has the power of absolute transformation. Fire is universally known as the source of ultimate power. Once elements are touched by fire, their vibration rises, and the elements transform. Fire needs those elements to exist. It needs oxygen; it needs fuel to burn. Fire consumes in order to exist, just like us. It is a living organism. When there is nothing to consume, it dies. And fire has to be treated with respect. Especially when you don’t fully understand it or have a long and deep relationship with this living element. Fire that is out of control transforms everything in its path into ashes and dust. Fire is alive, and when given full power, it does what it wants. Even in our bodies fire can be out of control. In the body, digestion is the fire and transformation. Digestion, when out of control, can end up in perspiration, rashes, diarrhea, inflammation, and turn our feelings into irritability, anger, impatience, and judgment. You see, fire is a tricky element that demands understanding. But what most don’t know: fire has to be given the power of destructive transformation…”
Kai stops for a moment and looks at the small candle. He waves his hand over it.
“We often forget that fire is also the source of light, warmth, growth, fertility, and development. Light has a very positive transformational power. It shows us what is hidden. The darker side of humanity, our dimmest and shadiest thoughts and actions can be exposed with fire. We can expose things while feeling nurtured and supported by the warmth of it. In that case, the transformational power of fire burns away the darkness. So, you see, as with everything in our universe, there are two sides to the coin. We call it polarity. When we are aware of the possibility to choose either side, we can change the power of the element and, therefore, choose the outcome.”
“But fire does not choose what it burns! I know this for a fact. I have to rely on it for my job,” I interrupt Kai. I feel slightly dizzy.
“You are the one determining what fire can and cannot do. That is where your belief system comes in. Once you control your beliefs, you control reality. If you project your fear onto fire, fire feeds on that fear and will burn everything to ashes. Fire fed with love nurtures, enables growth, and transforms darkness. When you heat elements for your work you use the power of transformation as a creative tool. But you still fear the fire. So, it can still burn you and the building you work in.”
I huff with disbelief.
“I understand this is new to you, Naran. This type of control hasn’t been practiced for millennia, except by us. You have to take my word when I say that humans are capable of bending truths and creating new ones. No real truth of yours is an absolute.”
“You are saying I can do this?”
“You can if that is what you believe. Drop the rigid ‘truths’ you accepted. Drop the habits and patterns you were taught. If you don’t, it’s like living on autopilot. Not knowing that true duality comes with choices. Humans have forgotten how everything is connected and that their minds determine the outcome. Didelians call it ‘separation.’ Humans feel separated from each other, from nature, and the elements. True choice eliminates the separation and connects everything. You can choose what type of transformation fire gives you.”
I stare at Kai with hesitation. It feels like he is making sense, yet my brain has a hard time “getting it.”
“Look, Naran,” Kai continues, “you’ll get a chance to experience what I’m teaching you with the use of practical examples. Theories are one thing, seeing things with your own eyes is another. Today, just remember that viewing something as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ is a personal, and sometimes a collective, choice. Things are not good or bad; this is perception. You have the option to choose what works for you. It is the power of discernment. Perspective creates reality. Everything you see in this world starts with a thought, a choice. This also applies to everything you see in nature. Do you understand?”
“Eh… I think so.” I scratch my head. I move my legs slightly; they feel stiff.
“Remember your body warming up? That was fire. It was me projecting the emotion of fire on you. I visualized fire in our chests, and I moved its nurturing characteristic through your body. This is an advanced level of discernment. It might take some time before you are able to do the same. I can’t predict how fast this will go. It depends on you.”
“I’m not sure I am the right person to do this.”
“That is your insecurity speaking. Rule number one: believe in yourself. Without that you will get absolutely nowhere. When you believe in yourself, you will receive everything exactly at the right time. Remember how I spoke to the torch? Words, Naran, have true power of transformation. So be careful with your words. During the show we speak to the elements. What you didn’t see during the show was that I spoke to the waterfall before entering the water. It was not the umbrella that moved the water, but it was my belief system, expressing itself in a vibration through my voice.”
“So, is it all up to my belief system?”
“Exactly. Our belief systems are really not that different. We both can see the creative and the destructive nature of fire. But unlike you, Didelians believe fire is alive. When dealing with fire, I believe I have a choice in how we interact with it. I can choose what force of fire I’d like to experience.”
“So I too can hold my hand in the flame and not be burned by it?”
“In theory, yes. However, your fear is so deeply rooted in your existence that it might be better to wait a bit.”
“How long is a bit?”
“That depends on you. As soon as you believe in yourself, things will progress quite quickly. We will guide you well. And you need to understand the usefulness of belief systems. For our life on earth to make sense, we need some sort of belief system, since it creates our story. It is the way our life is set up. Material life demands stories. Rules, habits, and beliefs make survival possible. Our power as earthlings, however, lies in the ability to choose and change a belief system. We can change stories. This is what Didelians do. But changing a belief often takes time. How much time depends on how deeply the belief system is rooted in the psyche. Didelians grow up in a place where truth doesn’t exist. We are taught that reality is limitless and that beliefs are specific to each person. But humans have a tendency to have deeply fixed belief systems. It brings predictability and safety to their lives. For them, to change a belief can take years, or sometimes even lifetimes. It depends. We hope that with our guidance, and your willingness to participate, we’ll get you to see other realities fast.
“So I won’t take a lifetime?”
“I don’t have that answer. You do. I’d advise you, though, to be open-minded. We do not have endless amounts of time available.”
“What do you mean?”
Kai doesn’t answer my question.
“I think we have done enough for today.” He ends the conversation abruptly, and I hear a faint hint of mystery in his voice. “You’ll talk to Deeri tomorrow morning. I think I’m already giving away too much.”
“We don’t have endless amounts of time? For what?” I am extremely curious now.
“You’ll understand more in the upcoming weeks…” Kai answers.
I glance up at him and see that his expression is serious. I am feeling a pressure on my heart and lungs. I don’t know what it means.
Kai holds out his arm and shows me that the burn has completely vanished.
“Impressive,” I whisper.
< Ep 18 | Table of Contents | Ep 20 >
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❅ This chapter is an exploration of belief systems, the power of perception, and the potential to transform reality through shifting one’s mindset.
⤞ Guided Reading Questions:
Kai speaks about the transformative power of fire and how belief systems shape our interaction with it. Can you think of a time when changing a belief led to a different outcome?
Naran struggles with the idea that truth is an illusion and that reality is shaped by perception. How do you relate to the concept that 'truth' is subjective?
Kai demonstrates the ability to interact with fire without being harmed, suggesting that it’s his belief system that allows him to do so. Do you think it’s possible to change physical outcomes through belief alone? Why or why not?
⤞ Interactive Exercise:
Experiment with the power of words and thoughts as Kai describes. Choose a small, manageable challenge in your life—such as feeling more confident in a particular situation—and consciously shift your internal dialogue around it for an entire day. Move from negative, complaining, and disbelieving, to positive, empowering, and being grateful. Track how this change influences your feelings and actions, and share your experience in the comments below.