I set out from the Valley of the Sun, Arizona on 251112. Camped overnight in The Valley of Fire, where I mediated and received new glyphs for the Order. It was overcast in the Valley when I arrived, but the clouds broke early in the morning and I was able to see the stars before the sun returned from the Night Sea. After photographing the Aztec Sandstone formations, I drove northeast through Mormon Territory to meet FiA Rudtor. After some physical training at Salt Lake City’s bodybuilding Mecca, we traveled through land his ancestors settled to meet two more of The First Men at an undisclosed location, and FiA Rudtor scouted a sunset-facing cave for ritual. 

We climbed up a formidable terrain feature to access the cave. Erosion had pocked its walls and ceilings in a fashion that reminded me of 1970s West German brutalist pottery and organic cement design. There were aeries tucked into nearby crevices, and FiA Rudtor spotted a large nest centered just above the mouth of the cave. 

I drew the Circle of Dreams on the floor of the cave of that Holy Mountain, and we built the Fire Circle according to established tradition. A crow called out as I drew the Order’s vajra on my forehead. Coyotes barked in the distance as I began performing the Invocation. The First Fire was ignited, named, and placed in mythic time—connecting it to all of the sacred fires preceding it. The axis was set, and The First Men were placed in orbit around it through the rite of circumambulation. 

Following the Fire Ritual, the Holy Round was initiated and one round was performed. FiA Budfer and FiA Vektor were given their Sacred Names. 

Ash was collected from The First Fire to be mixed with the ash of The First Fire, whose name is Agni. 

As we packed out, the hot coals in the cave glowed like an eye in the mountain. 

The next morning, I remarked that the air smelled as if it was going to snow. 

As I drove south through the farmland and mountains of Mormon Territory, I encountered snow in several places. After I crossed the Colorado River, I witnessed a single violent crack of lightning. It was followed by a brief but furious torrent of hail. The clouds broke, illuminating red mesas in the distance, and the sun shone briefly before the world was swallowed by the night void. 

I look forward to our annual Spring Fire Ritual in The Valley of Fire.

Iove Fulgente.

Agnitor