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Summer Solstice Poetry Contest 2024

sunset

The Order of Fire’s First Men group has been running an internal poetry contest.

The most recent theme was “Summer Solstice,” and the two winning poems were “Revive” and “Under the Glory.”

Our members vote for the winners, but all of the poems will be included in Volume 02 of PH2T3R: The Journal of Solar Culture. 

You can purchase Volume 01 via this Amazon affiliate link, or buy a copy signed by Jack Donovan from our store. 

"Under The Glory" - Theo

Under the Sun’s radiant glory, I recall,
I came down to burn bright, never to stall
And so I breathe, I rise and soar,
Slowly wisdom in whispers pour.

Father that crowns the azure sea, 
May I mirror your majesty
May I nourish your sacred flame,
My might and hope in this world’s game.
Where twilight meets the dawn’s first gleam, 
Few braves still guard the solar dream.

New men of old, they stand,
Oathed to the Father’s only command.
Rise, man of the Sun! Stand tall and bright,
You bear a weight given to few,
This realm’s order relies on you,
On your heightened silence and stormy light.

Rejoice, Brother! For I see the old way awaken
Omens are here, gods have spoken
A tribe of fire shall bond once more
A golden age relit within man’s core.

"Revive" - Dan

Block out the noise and clear your mind.
Leave the modern world behind.

Face the eastern sky, embrace dawns early light.
More time for thought.
More time for action.
Solar waves engulf and revive.

The sun — our wheel, our guiding star
Giving us purpose and clarity from afar.
Lessons we learned from a thousand years ago
Having deeper meaning, becoming status quo.
Man cannot thrive without hardship and strife
so we must challenge ourselves throughout life.
Virtues and Myths our ancestors told became 
the foundation for the brothers in gold. 

The first men keep the fire burning bright.
Primal and ancient, our weapon against the night.

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Spring Equinox 2024

Fire Ritual

This past March, a group of about 15 members of the Order of Fire met on a Thursday in Phoenix, Arizona, for our annual Spring Equinox event. Several members flew in from different parts of the U.S., some drove in, and a few were local to the greater Phoenix area. Most of the afternoon and evening were spent touching base, waiting for guys to arrive, while Jack and Dustin recorded a podcast with CB Robertson on the topic of ritual. 

Friday morning, with energy drinks in hand, we hit a local gym for a workout. It was a gym geared towards serious lifters who create content and one of the coolest gyms I’ve been to. It was a great way to start the weekend.

We moved on to Jack’s BJJ gym, where we met his professor, who was going to guide us through some basics. Some of the guys are regular practitioners of BJJ, while others have limited or no experience. It was the perfect opportunity to try something new and challenging, learn from the expert guys, or simply watch them roll through rounds.

Friday night everybody got together for dinner at a local restaurant. When the Bvlls get together there is always great conversation. Topics like myth, philosophy, art, martial arts, firearms and tactical skills. It gets interesting when you’ve got a bunch of guys from different backgrounds and skill sets around a table. When it comes to politics there is an understanding that we are all basically on the same page so it rarely comes up. It’s an excellent vibe.

Saturday we convened at 7am for the drive out to the Superstition Mountains area where we would hike to our chosen spot and set up camp for our Fire Ritual. The Superstition Mountains are one of the most strikingly beautiful places in the United States. A surprisingly green desert space full of tall and majestic saguaro cacti. And then there is Superstition Mountain itself, towering in the near distance like a great god.

The hike was a little over two hours and the weather was perfect. Full sunlight and just hot enough. We split up into small groups that would change as the hike went on, talking life and Solar Idealism, or just taking in the scene. Once at the spot we took a break and then each man went to find a place to set up his tent or, as a few chose to do, simply lay out a sleeping pad. There were a lot of rocks, desert grasses, prickly pears, and many other native plants that made this an interesting challenge.

After we claimed our space and refueled, we gathered to attend a workshop led by one of our members, Vic, a fitness and self-defense instructor. He gave us hands-on instruction in techniques to deflect a knife attack in various scenarios both armed and unarmed. We paired up for practice and it was a blast.

it was time to start preparing for ritual. The Fire ritual takes place at the golden hour and we needed to make good use of the time. We foraged the area for large pieces of dried wood suitable to make a torch for each Bvll and then gathered kindling. We made our torches and then it was time to build the fire altar. Jack was leading the ritual and after he demarcated a space, we gathered rocks and created the perimeter. We then took some time to prepare ourselves mentally.

Ritual began at the golden hour. The performance combines words and actions and with torches lit we affirm our purpose and light the fire. We give this fire a name and it becomes the sacred fire. At the completion of ritual, we do what we call the Holy Round. It is like a toast with each guy taking some time to speak. We raise our cups and drink. One of our members brews Sumerian beer based on an ancient recipe and he brings it on the hike for the ritual. It has become a Holy Round tradition.

The Fire is kept burning all night with the kindling, each man taking an hour for fire watch to keep it going. It rained heavily overnight yet the guys were able to keep the fire going. In the morning we performed a solemn ritual for the dousing of the fire, symbolically taking it with us.

We packed up and made the hike back. A few guys were traveling back home that afternoon and some of us were staying on with flights out the next morning. We had a solid time closing out the equinox weekend with few drinks and some good food.

Stay Solar

— recorded by Ed Hamann of the First Men

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Winter Solstice with The First Men in Georgia

Jack Donovan performs a Fire Ritual with The First Men in Georgia

In December 2023, Jack Donovan traveled to Georgia (USA) to perform a fire ritual recognizing Winter Solstice and celebrating the concept of Sol Invictus — The Unconquerable Sun. This was the first ritual employing firearms — clearing the perimeter with sidearms and offering a salute with rifles in honor of The Unconquerable Sun.

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The First Men in Ireland

In late October, Jack Donovan joined some European members of The Order of Fire’s First Men to visit the megalithic passage tombs at the ancient Brú na Bóinne ritual complex — a UNESCO World Heritage site in Ireland.

Many of these monuments are over 5,000 years old and contain evidence of use by several different cultures over the millennia since. The site at Knowth was more beautiful and less “reinterpreted” in its design, but we were able to enter the tomb at Newgrange, where light from the rising sun flows all the way to the end of the passage on winter solstice. Visiting this prehistoric ritual site with a solar orientation was the perfect overture to our afternoon hike out into the Irish backcountry, past crumbling estates, moss-covered rock walls, foaming Guinness-colored creeks, and fields of deer and livestock.

After setting up camp, The Order performed a brief fire ritual in the Irish weather and conducted our Holy Round.

Our visit to the monuments was a reminder that nothing is permanent, and meaning can be lost, but it is up to men of every generation to bring Order to Chaos and shine a light that — even for a moment, drives darkness to a distance.

Stay Solar ऋत

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Fall Equinox 2023 – Nevada

Order of Fire Fire Ritual

The Order of Fire Autumn Equinox event of 2023 was our first large-scale event and provided an opportunity for members from around the U.S. to meet in person for the first time, as well as a chance for guys who already know each other to meet again. The event took place in Las Vegas, with members driving and flying in from places such as California, Washington state, various places on the East Coast, and the greater Southwest, to name a few.

Group Shot of The First Men of The Order of Fire

We started by visiting the famous Dragon’s Lair gym to work out. Then, in the early evening, we all got together for dinner and to walk the old strip. It’s a wild scene and a lot of fun.

The following morning, we packed up supplies and drove out to the chosen place for our fire ritual and other scheduled events. The designated site was in the desert on BLM land and a little over an hour outside of Vegas. The spot was perfect. Big desert sky with rock formations of different sizes and color shades, many adorned with petroglyphs left by men in some distant past.

We set up camp, put up tents, and then joined C.B. Robertson for a walking philosophical lecture on the topic of Solar Phenomenology. It was thought-provoking and a highlight of the event. 

This lecture eventually became the essay “Descending Odin’s Throne,” published in PH2t3R 01. 

After lunch, we gathered for a unique rock-throwing workshop with self-defense and fitness instructor, Vic Verdier. The focus was on mobility and reflexes. We split up into groups of two and three and threw large rocks back and forth in different ways and from different angles. It was a hardcore way to play catch. It seemed simple at the outset, but it was challenging, humbling, and fun.

By now the golden hour was approaching and it was time to prepare for ritual. We made our torches and built the fire altar and as the Sun descended in the sky, we performed our fire ritual. This was followed by the Holy Round- a toast where each man speaks his mind – imbibing the Sumerian beer made by our member, Mark.

After ritual we grilled meats and had drinks along with excellent conversation. The desert night sky with full view of the Milky Way was awe-inspiring.

First thing the next morning we attended another workshop with Vic, this time focusing on expanding awareness and peripheral vision. We packed and cleaned things up then a podcast on the topic of goodness was recorded featuring discussion between Jack, C.B. Robertson and one of our Florida guys, Dustin.

We then drove to the Valley of Fire, an otherworldly landscape of red rocks reaching to sky. It’s a place I had always wanted to visit and achieving that in the company of fellow members of the Order of Fire was a peak experience. Here, I gave a walking lecture on Rig Veda with an introduction to its primary gods and themes and diving into its aspect of masculine imagination, creativity, and aspiration.

Once back in Vegas we met up on the strip for an indulgent dinner at one of those great steakhouses and then spent evening walking, talking, taking in the sights, and simply enjoy the vibe.

– Event record written by Ed Hamann.

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Invocation of the Storm

Jack Donovan performing ritual

Jack Donovan told a mythic story about The Father calling down the gods of the storm — his Strikers — to drive back the darkness and nihilism of the Dragon, Negation. 

Invocation is an original Order of Fire collaboration between Jack Donovan (USA) and Fredrik Hedjenberg of Temple Trible (Sweden), who produced the epic soundtrack to realize Donovan’s vision. 

Invocation was inspired by the ideas in Fire in the Dark, and riffs on lines from Rig Veda — especially lines about the storm gods known as Maruts. However, the end product is syncretic — invoking the sun, referencing Sol Invictus, and tracking the god-archetype of The Father across the sky as he observes what is good. 

“But then…”

The Dragon known as Negation, who represents death and non-differentiation, appears, and The Father “pull the clouds across the sky to shield the heavens from his fury” and calls in his warriors to do battle against the dragon.

He reminds his Bulls — and the men who are listening — that we are alive now and no matter what the future holds, NOW is our time to burn like the sun!

Read more about the Dragon of Negation on this site. 

Add Invocation of the Storm to your workout playlists on Spotify, iMusic, and other streaming services.

PH2T3R on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/artist/6nsrV…

Support the project and buy the track (and remixes)  on Bandcamp. 

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Into The Light

Order of Fire original members Paul Begadon (Ireland) and Fredrik of Temple Tribe (Sweden) collaborated to produce the powerful single “Into The Light,” which is now available on all of the major streaming services as part of Temple Tribe’s Acropolis of the Ascended release. 

This rousing tribute to legendary men can also be found on Spotify and other streaming services. 

 

 

Fredrik’s music production here is powerful and cinematic — look for a similar collaboration with me in the future. 

In addition to being a strong argument for reading classic literature, Paul’s words convey the spirit of Solar Idealism and the culture we’re trying to create with the PH2T3R project and the Order of Fire.

Take inspiration from the great stories of the past and use them to inform your actions in the present and your vision for the future. 

The words for Into the Light also seem to evoke a Platonic world of the forms — a parallel world of perfection above and beyond us that peeks through the clouds in god rays and inspires greatness in men. 

I was so moved by this effort that I wanted to help spread the word, so I cut a lyric video for it. 

–  Jack Donovan

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Solar Wind Meditation

Fredrik Hedjenberg from Temple Tribe worked with sounds from NASA’s sun sonification project to develop this 10-minute solar meditation soundscape. This was a PH2T3R solar culture project that is a product of the Order of Fire. Temple Tribe and PH2T3R are both on Bandcamp, Spotify, and all of the large streaming services.

 

We created a video loop of the sun and posted it to our YouTube channel.

 

For more about Solar Meditation, watch this video explanation. 

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Crossing the Night Sea

The aim of the PH2T3R project has been to inspire and create new solar culture, so a few months ago I commissioned tattoo artist and musician Tod Janeczek to develop music for solar meditations. 

The end result is a three-movement ambient meditation soundtrack, titled “Crossing the Night Sea.”  You can listen to it and purchase it on the PH2T3R Bandcamp site. 

This project explores the psychological space of The Father in Darkness, as explained in Fire in the Dark. It was inspired by the mythic theme of the sun traveling through darkness and chaos when it is invisible at night — typified by the nocturnal journey of Ra, the ancient Egyptian sun god who crosses the night sea on a solar barge. 

I see it as a metaphor for confusion and chaos that The Father, as leader of himself and others, has to sort out behind closed doors, so that he can lead with decisively and with confidence. It applies to meditation in the sense of exploring the darkness and chaos of the unconscious inner world, and bringing the whole self into order and congruity. 

Each of us, as we meditate, becomes something of a solar “avatar.” 

The first track is meant to induce a meditative headspace, and it is titled “Golden Hour” — that hour of golden light before sunset. 

Here are the notes I gave to Todd to set the scene:

During the Golden Hour, the Avatar of the Solar Father proceeds across the beach toward the dead sea and the setting sun, hauling his Solar Barge, followed by his attendant priests. The priests chant *sóh₂wl̥, (PIE: sun) in low voices. One carries the solar sphere, while the other plays a monotonous beat on a primal skin drum. They are accompanied by otherworldly drones from unseen sources above and beyond the clouds. When the procession reaches the water, the priests paint the Avatar with solar symbols from across time to protect him during his journey across the dead sea into darkness and the void. As the sun sets, the Avatar prepares to board the solar barge and mounts the solar sphere on its bow. Incense is burned, and they whisper the prayer that invokes the Solar Father:

Pátér, Dyéus Pátér (Father, Shining Father)

Egoh hésmi wihrósyo séhwōl, (I am a man of the Sun)

gwem hésmi ménjos woghós. (Be my charioteer)

The Avatar climbs aboard the barge and the attendant priests assist him as he pushes off and begins his night journey, slipping off as a silhouette into the darkness. 

I performed the solar prayer, and hired James R. Basterd, a professional throat singer, to chant *sóh₂wl̥, and Clinton J. McMillan, my occasional ritual collaborator and the new owner of the Waldgang ritual space in the Pacific Northwest, provided additional chanting and throat singing in Proto-Indo-European. 

The second track, titled “The Solar Barge,” was the first track that Todd produced, and is meant to capture the idea of the solar barge floating on the night sea, as the solar avatar moves deeper into darkness and the chaos of the inner world. 

The third track is titled “Blue Hour and Ascension,” and it is meant to evoke the continuation of the solar journey, the “blue hour” before dawn, and ultimately the emergence of the unconquerable sun. 

I hope to create more collaborative projects based on solar themes in the future, and hope you all enjoy this work. 

For more of Todd Janeczek’s work, visit https://witheringoflight.com/


For more about Solar Meditation, watch this video from our YouTube Channel. 

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