Fire Goddess

Big news ladies and gents: I lit up for the first time!! No, not drugs you silly rabbits. Fire poi! I spun fire last night!!! OMG it is so freaking cool!




We congregated in the alley behind where the Temple of Poi school is. As we were walking out there, there was a cop who was walking his beat. He stopped and was far too interested in watching us. You mean 12 people carrying kerosene, buckets and poi is something to be concerned about? The first thing we did was practice extinguishing our lit poi. We had two duvetyne blankets for this. Two people would light their poi while two safeties each held one of the blankets. Everyone had to go through extinguishing someone else's poi.

About half-way through this exercise, a cop car pulls up and the cop asks what we were doing. Our instructor handled it really well and told the guy we have the permission of the Fire Marshall. We were on hold while the cop wanted to call the Fire Marshall and were getting ready to pack up and go to a beach. About this time a fire truck shows up. Hellllllllllo firemen! Sparky (our instructor) chatted with them as well. One of them was HOT! I wondered whether offering to bear the hot fireman's children would help the cause, but that damn Sparky had already talked them into letting us continue.

It was time to perform! After soaking my poi in kerosene for a few minutes, I did the spinoff (removes excess fuel) and waited my turn. We had two people performing at a time. Next thing I know someone is lighting my poi and the music starts. The first spin you do you hear this incredible "WHOOSH" as the fire goes around. Let me tell you, the feeling that sounds gives you is indescribable - fear, excitement, the feeling of *this* is the moment you've been waiting for....just amazing. Absolutely brilliant! Here you have these burning balls at the end of a chain that you are manipulating and turning into a dance. Makes you feel like a goddess!

Unfortunately, due to the hot fireman episode, we only had a chance to do one burn each. They even came back at the end to watch! Next week we will get to do a couple burns each. I may even try and hit the beach this weekend to burn a couple times.

Anyway, it was an amazing moment for me. Such a rush! I was on cloud 9 for most of the evening. Does it ever make you wonder - if Cloud 9 is so great, what's Cloud 10 like? I digress. Someone was videoing so I will see if I can get a copy and maybe upload it somewhere. I'll keep you posted.

This moment of fire gushing was brought to you by the letter F and the number 1.