SOLAR IDEALISM
The Order of Fire is the manifestation of Solar Idealism, a mythic philosophy for men proposed by Jack Donovan in Fire in the Dark.
Solar Idealism begins with two things that are meaningful to every man — the Sun, and Fire, our recreation of the Sun at human scale.
Men have been build fires to make it through night for hundreds of thousands of years, and we are still doing it today.
The Sun and Fire both help bring clarity and Order to the chaotic world around us.
We use them both symbolically as starting points to create Order in our own lives and in the world around us — a world which seems increasingly chaotic and meaningless.
It is the work of men to create meaning in the world, and Order from Chaos.
THE GOD ARCHETYPES
We live in a time when we have access to more information about different cultures than any men at any time. We can see the way that one religion morphed into another.
Rather than pretending that the god or gods worshipped by any one people at one time are somehow the only right, real, and true gods — we look for patterns in the way that men have idealized themselves into gods. These patterns tell us about men and about ourselves.
What is your most perfect idea of a king or a warrior or a hero?
Who would you be if you were a better husband or father, businessman or craftsman?
THE FATHER
The Father creates and oversees Order
The Father is the ideal father — the father beyond fathers.
“The primary function of The Father is to contend with conceptual chaos. Characterized by logos, he uses reason to put the world in order, and to maintain that order. The Father orients the world around the fire. He is not the fire, but conceptually, he is closest to it. He creates the point of reference and defines the perimeter. Within that perimeter, he is the final authority, although the earthbound father defers to the cosmic father to his own highest ideal of what it means to be a father. He acts as a representative of the sun, or of all that the sun represents to men.”
— Fire in the Dark: Men and Gods (p. 81)
In dealing with conceptual chaos, The Father must deal with darkness and disorientation, and overcome it to create his order from the raw materials offered by the void. When The Father is moving through chaos, as the sun moves through the night, he is The Father in Darkness. When he emerges from the void to create order, he is The Father in Light.
For more about The Father, read Fire in the Dark.
THE STRIKER
The Striker champions Order
The Striker is the archetypal hero and warrior — the idealized hero, the hero beyond heroes. His virtues are the first virtues associated with the role of every man, the virtues that make survival and security possible — Strength, Courage, Mastery, and Honor.
“The primary function of The Striker is to contend with physical chaos. Characterized by thumos, he uses physical force to put the world in order, and to maintain that order. To become what he is, The Striker must take and remain on a path of areté. But what characterizes him emotionally is the spur of thumos.
— Fire in the Dark: Men and Gods (p. 122).
The Striker fights monsters — forces of chaos and disorder — and to become what he is, he must become a force that creates chaos. In some sense, he must become a monster himself. He must become terrifying, and in this state, he can be seen as The Striker in Darkness. His challenge is to avoid becoming darkness permanently. He transforms himself in the service of light and the Father’s order.
For more, read Fire in the Dark.
THE LORD OF THE EARTH
The Lord of the Earth perpetuates Order
“The Lord of the Earth manages and shapes the material and social chaos of everyday life to perpetuate life and order and promote prosperity. He is an intermediary between earth and sky who brings natural and human resources into the harmonious service of The Father’s cosmic order and human flourishing. The Lord of the Earth is a patron of the tribe and the people, representing the spirit of the working man from shepherds and stock-breeders to farmers, artisans, and merchants. He represents all of the work that must be done to satisfy our basic animal needs and wants and, in exceeding them, bring joy into the world around us.”
— Fire in the Dark
For more about The Lord of the Earth, read Fire in the Dark.
ABOUT THE SOLAR SYMBOLS – USAGE RIGHTS
There is a fine line between wanting to inspire a thriving culture, and protecting one’s creations from being perverted or repurposed in a way that is in conflict with the creator’s original intent.
I encourage men to use the three solar symbols below (for The Father, The Striker, and The Lord of the Earth) in individual works of art and craft (which can be sold as individual works of art and craft by the artist or craftsman), and for use in tattoos. However, I (Jack Donovan) retain the copyright for these symbols for the purposes of merchandising, and they may not be used in merchandise (such as t-shirts, stickers, patches, or other mass-produced products) without my written permission. They also may not be used in the logos of businesses or organizations.
FOUNDATIONAL ESSAYS
