Take a moment and center yourself. Breathe deeply of the air around you,
still and quiet. Watch your breathing for a moment, and focus on the feelings within you. .
.
Now, when you're ready, strike a match. The fire created in that moment of friction is
the first bud of the god Agni, the first of the gods, the one who ministers the sacrifice
to the Kindreds and bestows their gifts to us. You have kindled him and brought him to be
your guest.
Now, reach forth with this flame and feed the god with the first gift, the fuel prepared
for him, the home in which he will dwell. Make Agni a home within this sacred place, that
he may draw forth the Kindreds and bring us blessings and wealth.
Focus now on the fire that is growing before your eyes, feasting hungrily on the fuel
offered. Gaze deeply into the flames, and watch them as they move and spread among the
fuel. Feel the warmth of the flames against your skin, the brightness of the flames as they
light the world.
By kindling this fire which now grows before you, you have made a place for sacrifice
and done a pious thing. Hear the crackle and growl of the fire as it rises up to eat the
fuel, see it as it spreads as an opening mouth to seek the oblation.
With your eyes still on the fire, searching it deeply for just the right place to pour,
take up now the ladle, dripping with ghee, and pour it out onto the fire. Watch as Agni
reaches up, his tongue seeking the taste of the clarified butter, seeking the sacrifice:
watch him devour it, changing it and taking it across the threshold and carrying it on to
where the gods sit on the other side of the Gate. See them as they sit upon the sacrificial
grass and await the oblation, which Agni brings, as priest to the gods.
Watch as he distributes the sacrifice to the gods, maintaining the order of the world.
Watch, too, as he gathers from the gods their blessings, their joy, and their gifts to us,
and brings them back. Feel these blessings in the warmth upon your face: blessings of
wealth, joy, and and every prosperity.
This is the role of Agni, the fire: Priest to the gods, and exemplar of the priesthood
here on earth. Through him we may find reciprocity and joy.
Now, take a moment and, still watching the flames, return to the here-and-now. Remember
Agni and his representation of you to the Kindreds, and remember that he is here in every
flame kindled: a sacrifice to Agni is a sacrifice to the Kindreds. Bring yourself back to
yourself, and, when you are ready, break your gaze with the fire and end the
trance.
This relies on the mythological place of Agni in the Rgveda, working primarily with the
text of RV I.1 for the
basic story, and attempts to help the trancee understand the role of Agni among the Vedic
gods and goddesses.
