Fire Scrying

Pyromancy, an Ancient Art of Vision and Insight.

Fire scrying or pyromancy is a divinatory practice in which the viewer gazes into a flame to receive symbolic impressions, intuitive messages, visions, or energetic information. The flame acts as a focal point. Often the gazer feels the hypnotic effect of the flame which helps one to enter a meditative state allowing the individual deeper insight. By quieting the analytical mind, the scryer is opening their intuitive senses. Rather than forcing meaning into the experience, the practitioner allows images, movements, sensations, or impressions to arise naturally. Fire is considered a living element. Many traditions and cultures view it as a messenger - capable of revealing truth, illuminating patterns, and offering guidance.

A History of Fire Scrying.

Fire scrying is one of the oldest known forms of divination. Evidence of the flame-gazing practices appear across many ancient civilizations. Spanning continents, belief systems, and eras; each culture has contributed its own interpretations and ritual to the language.

Ancient Persia (Zoroastrian & Magi)

In ancient Persia, fire occupied the highest spiritual embodiment of Asha. Asha being the central concept which represents truth, cosmic order, righteousness, and the natural divinely aligned pattern of the universe. Fire, therefore, is tied to Asha because it symbolizes purity, clarity, illumination, and the presence of divine truth. Zoroastrian fire temples were tended to by Magi priests who maintained eternal flames. Here, pyromancy was not seen as magic, but as sacred communication. The Magi priests interpreted characteristics such as the steadiness or wavering of flames as approval or disapproval. Sudden flares as confirmation or warnings and shifts in color or heat as indications of spiritual purity or presence.

Ancient Greece

In ancient Greece, fire played a central role in temples, rites, and oracular practices. Flames burned in shrines to Apollo, Hestia, and Hephaestus acting as channels for divine clarity and transformation. Greek seers practiced fire scrying in two forms. Observing sacrificial fires for signs from the Gods and using steady flames to enter transcendental states for intuitive visions. At temples such as Delphi, priestesses incorporated flame behavior into their broader interpretive work. Even domestic hearth fires were believed to possess oracular qualities - linking everyday life with sacred insight.

Babylon and Mesopotamia

Among the earliest of recorded fire diviners were the Baru priests of Mesopotamia. Clay Tablets from Babylonian libraries describe an elaborate and highly structured pyromantic system. Priests would interpret how quickly flame caught on ritual offerings, the direction, intensity or rhythm of sparks and ember patterns forming symbolic shapes. For them, fire divination guided decisions related to warfare, justice, agriculture, and political alliances. Flame was viewed as a direct line of communication with deities. These early 'manuals' show that fire scrying was not mystical guesswork; it was treated as a disciplined and respected science of signs.

Celtic and Druid Traditions

For the Celts, fire was a sacred boundary-crosser. A link between the physical and spiritual realms. Here, I shall briefly outline two of the sabbats most closely tied to fire - Beltane and Samhain. Communal bonfires at Beltane and Samhain were not only celebratory but also deeply divinatory in nature. They provided our ancestors a ritualistic opportunity to observe omens for the coming season in the ways the flames leapt or bowed. Shadows cast on participants were seen as symbolic messages. Flame shapes that appeared revealed ancestral or otherworldly guidance. Samhain fires were particularly important, as this liminal time is when the veil is thinnest between the worlds. At Beltane two fires were lit for purification and protection. The Druids would again observe flame behavior for guidance on health, fertility, and ominous signs, symbolic visions, and warnings or blessings.

Medieval Europe

During the Medieval era, fire scrying appeared in both folk and scholarly traditions. In households, people read hearth flames to forecast weather, prosperity and the health of loved ones. Alternately, in monastic and occult circles practitioners would use candle flames for angelic and spirit communication, insight during alchemical work and symbol interpretation during ritual magic. Grimoires from the period describe candle-based scrying as an accessible way to enter altered states. Although occasionally suppressed by ecclesiastical authorities, fire scrying endured because it required nothing more than a flame and one's focused attention.

How to Perform Fire Scrying.

Before I begin the 'how to' I would like to take a moment to emphasize the fact that each person's practice is entirely their own! What I am writing absolutely does not mean this is the one and only way to practice fire scrying. We are each unique individuals with unique practices unto ourselves. What feels right to one person might feel wrong or not work for another...and that is okay! As with all thigs in life, with practice, you will find your own rhythm and flow. If you are new to this form of divination or have never tried, this section of the article is meant to serve as a jumping off point to make it your own. Or maybe you are reading this purely out of curiosity. Either way, this is a generalization of a complex practice.

1. Prepare your space.

Use a candle, small, controlled flame, or a safely contained outdoor fire. Be smart here, it's a flame. Do not set out to begin scrying only to start a larger unintentional fire and NEVER leave your flame unattended.

You may also choose to create a sacred space using crystals such as obsidian, or light incense or resin such as sandalwood or frankincense. Dim the lights or work in the darkness to allow the flame to become your sole focal point. Sit comfortably at eye level with the flame.

2. Ground and center.

Take slow, even breaths. Feel your body settle. Release all surface thoughts - quiet your mind. Set a clear intention - clarity, insight, guidance, or a specific question.

3. Begin the gaze.

Look at the flame with soft, unfocused eyes. Allow your peripheral vision and intuitive senses to open. Don't strain your eyes on the flame; let your gaze rest gently upon it.

4. Shift into receptive awareness.

Let your thoughts drift naturally without attaching to them. Notice impressions: images, colors, emotions, memories, or symbolism. Allow your intuition (not logic) to guide you and your interpretation.

How to Interpret What You're Seeing.

1. Flame Behavior

Strong, tall flame: momentum, clarity, alignment

Low or struggling flame: Stagnation, obstacles, the need for grounding

Sudden flickers or pops: emotional shifts, presence, or an important point of attention

Shifting direction: movement of energy, either inward or outward.

2. Color Perceptions

Blue or white: purity, spiritual guidance, protection

Gold or orange: creativity, confidence, self-expression

Red tones: passion, urgency, strong emotion

3. Symbolic Imagery

Images may appear in your mind's eye or subtly within the flame.

Animals

Shapes

People or faces

Landscapes

Abstract patterns

Interpret first through your personal associations. Universal symbolism can support the meaning if needed, but your intuition should always lead.

4. Emotional Messages

Fire often mirrors internal states. Emotional shifts - calm, release, tension, warmth - these can be messages unto themselves

5. Reflection After the Session

Write down everything immediately. Look for repeating themes rather than literal events. Interpret with openness and curiosity rather than rigidity. Insight often becomes clear in the hours or days that follow.

Fire scrying is not about seeing literal pictures in the flame; it's about receiving symbolic and intuitive impressions while your mind enters a quiet, altered, and receptive state. It is a practice as old as humanity's relationship with flame. From ancient Persia to Celtic bonfires, from the medieval hearths of Europe to the ceremonial Indigenous fires across nations, people have turned to flame for guidance, clarity, communication, and connection. To gaze into a fire is to participate in a lineage of seekers who understood that wisdom does not always come through logic. It often arrives through symbol, intuition, and the subtle language of the living and inner worlds. With patience, presence, and respect, fire scrying can open a doorway to deeper self-understanding and a renewed sense of connection to the mystery that surrounds us all.