Last night I tried one of my very first burning spells. It was a spell to get someone to forgive me for an argument that I had perhaps initiated. Well I burned the complete sheet of notebook paper in a little glass bowl and the fire got somewhat out of hand. I was able to blow it out, possibly not the best option but I just wasn't going to leave it there. Anyway I wound up accidentally inhaling some of the smoke from the fire. My throat is killing me today but other than that I think I'm fine. My question is how do you contain indoor fires? What bowl would be best to use as a burning bowl? The one that I have or something that's a bit more open? Should I just use a smaller "scrap" piece of paper next time instead of the whole sheet? Oddly enough I know absolutely nothing about fire and yet it's my astrological element. So I should be good at working with it yet I've always felt more closely drawn to water.
The best option for indoor burning is a ceramic bowl or pot filled 1/3 with sand or cat litter. The ceramic is fairly heat resistant and when combined with the sand cushion on the bottom it will prevent the bottom from getting so hot it will scorch hands and tables. If you live near a Chinatown or someplace with an Asian market you can ask if anyone has a joss pot for sale. In traditional Chinese religious practices many things are burned and sent up to heaven in the form of smoke, so a joss pot is exactly what you're looking for. But again, a ceramic bowl will work fine.
It's best to use as small a paper as is useful for the spell (don't use a whole sheet of paper unless you need to burn a big picture or a tone of writing or something). Also try and use the most natural paper available since those tend to burn more evenly (no big flare-ups). That sucky brownish paper we all learned to write on in school is actually a really good choice. This type of paper is called "newsprint paper" and is available in blank sheets both at art stores and at mail shops where it is sold to be crumpled and used as a packing cushion.
Always have water or sand nearby to put out flames - as you discovered, when fire goes wrong it can go wrong pretty fast. By the time you realize you need water it's too late to get some before damage is done.
One safer way to burn paper is by lighting a hooka/incense charcoal and setting the paper on it once it's good and embered. This will slowly eat the paper away with embers, possibly flaring up into a tiny fire briefly, but will prevent the likelihood of flames getting out of control.
... I feel like I did a terrible job explaining things, so totally feel free to ask questions.
You did a wonderful job at explaining everything. Don't put yourself down so much. I do have a question but it doesn't have to do with burning. I read your profile and it said that you know a bit about astrology. My question is if I was suppose to be born on November, which would have made me a Scorpio, and yet my mother's labor was delayed by the doctors for medical reasons which caused me to be born on December, which made me a Sagittarius. Could that have anything to do with why I'm more drawn to water than I am to fire?
That may affect why you feel more drawn toward one element than another, but it's much more likely that you just have other planets in water signs. What we think of as "our sign" is just our sun sign - you've got a dozen or so other planets and calculated points in various signs as well.
I really didn't know that you had other signs besides your sun sign. Well that's not entirely true. I knew about my Chinese zodiac sign which is the tiger, which is also fire. Where would I look to discover my other signs?
Go to a site like astro.com and sign up (they're free, don't worry). If you go with astro.com click on "free horoscopes" at the top, then scroll to the bottom and choose "Chart drawing, Ascendant." At some point you'll be asked to enter profile data. To get an accurate natal chart (a chart of your astrology at birth) you'll need to input your date of birth, approximate location of birth (nearest major city generally works fine) and approximate time of day you were born (the more exact the better).
The weird diagram it gives you is your natal chart and the box on the left will tell you what signs your planets are in.
I always burn things outdoors with a big pitcher of water on hand "just in case". Then I just stand out of the way of the smoke.
But if you prefer burning it indoors, the safest place is in the bathtub with the shower curtain removed if you don't have glass doors. Put a large oven safe ceramic bowl or cast iron pot or a stainless steal one you don't care about (because it will get black spots) in the empty bathtub. Water is at your disposal and you can turn on the facet or shower if it gets wild.
As for inhaling the smoke. If you're sensitive, you can use a damp rag over your nose and mouth. Open a window or most bathrooms have reverse fans in them to remove steam which will also pull out smoke. For your current condition, I recommend hot tea with honey and lemon.
Notebook paper isn't good for burning because of the ink lines (added chemicals). I use white computer/printing paper that is made of recycled material. It burns in a more controlled way and it's cheap in bulk. It doesn't flame up, it burns more like cigarette paper. Which speaking of cigarette paper, that's another good one to use. You can buy small packets of them in tobacco shops. They're smaller, so they burn fast. Although I don't recommend it, when I burn small papers, I roll it up like a cigarette and hold it at one end until it burns down, then put it down and let it burn the rest of the way. Ashes don't fly up when it's rolled unless there is wind. If the flame gets crazy, my trusty pitcher of water is right there. =)
Oh and my first burning container was a large metal coffee tin. They work great and when they're getting too beat up, you can get another one. Just save up your coffee tins and you'll have an unlimited supply. They're deep so a small piece of paper has no chance of escape.
I've got 6 water signs in my chart and five fire signs in my chart. As well as one Earth sign. Yet I'm terrified of fire. But I think I figured out why I love water so much! Thank you!
