...and the fire said...

So last night was my lighting up ceremony. And what a welcome it was! So many emotions in the whole experience, I will try to share a few.

First of all, my dear husband came to watch and was instructed to take video on our camera. Of course, as soon as I started spinning the battery on the camera went out! Oh well. He did get some short videos on his cell phone. He very cutely sent them to a lot of his friends with the caption "This is my wife."

So I was a little nervous about the whole affair. I think for many reasons... fire burning me being one!, but also I think that I've just psyched myself up so much for the whole event that I didn't really even know what to expect anymore. Upon getting to the beach, it seemed like it was taking forever to get to the spinning, so by the time we did I was just ready to do it and so, of course, I went first.

As soon as the fire lit up on the end of my poi, the strangest feeling came over me. It is quite the adrenaline rush! But it also felt very... ok, how do I put this? It was like my heart was very active and alive. Tingly. Primal. And I started spinning, but I was pretty conservative. I didn't want to take too many chances on moves I wasn't 100% on. I was a little tentative. I put the poi out, and then I watched the rest of my class, which was so interesting! I mean, I've been practicing with these people for weeks, but their personalities really came out when they lit up. Valentina, this awesome girl who is probably my best friend there, just took to it like nobody's business. She did all the moves and was completely unafraid. Another girl, Marina, was so cute! She lit up and just started laughing and forgot everything. She did nothing but earth (a basic move) but her face and her smile and the fact that she kind of narrated the whole thing made it so special. Jessica, who is also generally quiet, was instantly addicted and loud and wanted to do it again and again. And Charles, who is not the smoothest of spinners and who I was a fire safety for, was completely not scared at all and just freaked out, doing moves he can't do normally and still couldn't do right, but did them anyway and was fine.

I was inspired by my group, so the second time I lit up I was more relaxed and danced it out more. I did chasing the sun (a move over my head) and even messed up a transition, hitting myself in the back for a second, and it was fine! In other words, I got more comfortable quickly. The fire will not burn you if it touches you for just a second, and I knew that but I had to experience it first hand to really believe it.

Fire can create and destroy. It is such a powerful element. It makes you feel powerful and sexy to be around it, dominating it and dancing with it. I've always been a big fan of bonfires, I love going to Burning Man, etc., but I've never had as close of a relationship to it as I do now. My heart still gets tingly just thinking about the whole thing. And watching all the amazing spinners that went after us in the open spin jam, I cannot wait to learn more moves and define my fiery character more.