Anybody here breathe fire?

[J.J.]

OK this may be a stupid question... or I may just know it by another name.

What is a fire wheel?

[BrokenPaw]

A fire wheel is part of the Litha (midsummer) celebration in some Earth-based spiritual paths.  Because midsummer is the longest day of the year, that day is a festival of the sun, but it is also a recognition that for the rest of the year, the sun will be in decline.

As a symbol of this, at our Grove we construct a fire wheel of thin Oak branches, and attach to it small tokens symbolic of the things we wish to banish from ourselves into the purifying fire.  The wheel is set alight and rolled down a hill into a river or creek (in our case, a creek).  This symbolizes the departure of the sun as the year wanes.

Namaste,
-BP

[J.J.]

Ok thanks for the explanation.  If I had equated the words fire wheel to religious/spiritual beliefs I might not have had to ask the question. (another words if i had watched and payed more attention to the phrase "Grove member") But my mind was more on a contraption like a water wheel...that used fire... I had delusions of grandeur.  The little kid in me was thinking wow the possibilities&.But that sure sounds like it would make the kiddies happy to watch for more than just the spiritual significance.

[BrokenPaw]

But my mind was more on a contraption like a water wheel...that used fire... I had delusions of grandeur.

Don't you dare say anything like that near any of my Grove members; they'd take it as a challenge, nay, a mandate to build one.

The last project of this nature, a pumpkin-heaving 9-foot-tall trebuchet from last Samhain, is still living on my deck. 

I can't help but notice that your avatar is a pic of (presumably) you.  With a cat in your mouth.  Purest idle curiosity requires me to ask:  why?

-BP

[J.J.]

Yes it is me in the pic.....
If I remember correctly I had just finished eating a turkey sandwich.  Next thing I knew I had a kitten crawl up my pants leg and up my shirt and nose her head into my mouth. For the rest of the day if I opened my mouth really wide and breathed on the cat when she was on my lap she would crawl up and investigate... 

---
sorry to hijack the fire breathing thread...... but look the other posts were about fire.. and this one is about breathing?

[RevDisk]

Oh, for the love of Pete...  If you're going to tell embarrassing stories about me in a public forum, do try to make them accurate.   

Keep in mind, my memory WAS a bit tainted by drinking as much 151 as I was igniting. 

I didn't set my hair on fire while lighting the fire wheel.  I set my gloves on fire while lighting the fire wheel.  Also I very nearly set one of the Grove members on fire with it, too, but he was rather more agile than I expected, so he got out of the way. 

I set my face and hair on fire later that evening, using Bacardi 151 to blow fireballs.  Some of it had gotten into my beard, and when the back-flash occurred, it set that on fire.  When I pulled back, a thick strand of my hair wrapped around my face and caught.  I had the presence of mind to cover all of the burning parts with my (thankfully rum-free) hands, and it all immediately went out.  But I had a blistered area near my chin, and a streak of burn-scar leading up my cheek (from where the strand of hair had burned) for a week or so.  It gave be a fetchingly-raffish look, I like to think. 

See?  Considering how much alcohol I had, I think I portraited you very well.  I won't even bring up the dollar bill you so greatly earned.   

Just curious, but who DID manage to convince you to handle the fire wheel the next year? 

On another note, I don't know that my hair can  be described as "viking-ish".  Whether I like it or not, the nature of my hair and the constantly-furrowed state of my brow (from shouting at kidsh to get off my lawn) has caused people to tell me that I should go trick-or-treating as a Klingon.  ("You wouldn't even need any makeup!" they say, the insufferable whippershnappersh.)

-BP

Uh huh.  I think we need to bring your hairstyle to a popular vote, a la American Idol.  Anyone else agree?

Don't you dare say anything like that near any of my Grove members; they'd take it as a challenge, nay, a mandate to build one.

BWAHAHAHA

Clickty click click

[J.J.]

But my mind was more on a contraption like a water wheel...that used fire... I had delusions of grandeur.

say a tiny self contained water source with "oil" floating on top and a metal water wheel.... it could be interesting.... on a dark night to watch....

[RevDisk]

But my mind was more on a contraption like a water wheel...that used fire... I had delusions of grandeur.

say a tiny self contained water source with "oil" floating on top and a metal water wheel.... it could be interesting.... on a dark night to watch....

I was thinking avgas with a nice thickening agent.  With a hint of phophorous, just for taste.

If you wanted pretty colours, mix in powdered metals.

[J.J.]

Ok I was not getting into details because well It will not be my fault when if BrokenPaw or a member of The Grove burns themselves when trying this. Pictures or Video would be nice though...... (of the fire wheel not the serious injuries inflected due to the stunt.)

[Strings]

I think RevDisk is right: we need to vote on BP's hairstyle. Of course, that means pics! >