Fire is the one element which links all time and space in the universe because it was present in the Big Bang which created our cosmos, the Earth itself was born in flames and most of the Earth is still molten beneath its surface, erupting occasionally as volcanoes.  Until the Twentieth Century most illumination was provided by candles, lanterns and torches and even in our modern world, the Sun remains a reminder of the eternal nature of fire.  Fire is the One Force in the past, present and future not only on Earth but throughout our universe. All flames everywhere, whether natural or man-made, are a manifestation of The Eternal Flame within which a Pyromancer can divine his or her art. 

The Flame can be used passively, as a portal through which hidden truths from the past, present or future can be glimpsed, or it can be used actively to cast spells. All my spells and talismans are completely safe to use. Most of them work in three ways. They either alter the balance of probabilities in your favour to bring you great fortune in whatever you desire, they protect you from negative influences or they bring out positive qualities within you such as self-confidence, boldness and persuasiveness which help you to achieve your ambitions.  The spells to help you fulfil your highest psychic potential and master exciting powers fall into the third category. I can also create custom spells to enable you to solve any problems or attain aims other than those standard wishes which my clients usually request. 

Many and varied were the secrets of the Pyromancers, that mysterious brotherhood of sorcerers whose magical activities spanned the ages and became the stuff of legends. However most of these legends have become lost in the mists of time, leaving historians under the impression that they were merely powerful seers who rose to prominence in the Roman Empire. This is but a fragment of the truth for the Pyromancers’ versatile mystical abilities brought them similar fame and influence in a wide range of cultures as dissimilar as the ancient Egyptians, Nubians, Chinese and Aztecs.

Although each of these Pyromantic cults evolved independently of each other they shared a common body of arcane wisdom which dates back to Neolithic times, and in particular to societies where burnt offerings were made to the gods. Fire itself was regarded as a god in many of these cultures in which Pyromancers had an important part to play as tribal shamans or priests. At this early point in their development the Pyromancers had not yet learned to divine hidden truths by projecting their astral forms into The Heart of The Eternal Flame. (This dimension of limbo is a nexus where all time and space exists simultaneously so that any knowledge of the past, present or future may be perceived by using a source of Earthly fire as a portal to that realm.) Instead they divined such knowledge from the flames and surrounding phenomena directly. 

Although this early form of primitive Pyromancy was not always reliable, its practice persisted until the last of the Pyromantic cults fell with the Roman Empire in 476 AD.   This “shorthand” form of Pyromancy originally revolved around the seer studying the flames as a sacrifice was made. A clear flame, burning without smoke or sound, was regarded as a good omen. Vegetable offerings made to the gods such as pounded peas and barley flour were supposed to indicate good fortune if they blazed up immediately when they were cast into the fire. Eventually these sacrifices were replaced by burning a range of materials, each of which became a variation on Pyromancy, such as:

Botanomancy: divination by the burning of leaves and branches. When laurel leaves were burned it was known as Daphnomancy. The louder the sound made by the burning, the better the omen. Halomancy: divination by casting salt into a fire. Pyroscopy: divination by burning a sheet of paper on a white surface and examining the resulting stains. Sideromancy: divination by casting an odd number of straws onto iron brought to red heat in a fire and reading the omens in the patterns formed by the straws, their movement as they burned, and the nature of the flames and smoke. 

Causinomancy: divination from other objects thrown into a fire. Capnomancy: divination by smoke. This is one of the earliest variants of Pyromancy whereby the smoke from burned offerings could be interpreted, or the gods’ intentions could be discovered from the smoke produced by burning incense. The appearance and smoke were considered important, as was its smell. The shape of any embers or cinders flying from the fire was also held to be significant. The main method of primitive Pyromantic divination was to interpret shapes that stood out clearly among the burning coals. 

For example, the shape of an eagle would be interpreted as a warning. The silhouette of a castle meant that someone was thinking of you. The shadowy impression of a cat meant happiness at work. The image of a hand meant that somebody needed your help if that hand was outstretched. If the hand was clenched then this indicated a surprise.  The more clearly the fire glowed, the better the omen was said to be. The Pyromancer would concentrate in silence for about ten to fifteen minutes on the flames. If he has seen nothing important by then he would assume that the flames had no message for him and abandon his efforts for at least 24 hours.

There were no true Pyromancers for nearly 1600 years unless you count Nostradamus whose visions of the future were divined from a little flame floating in a bowl of water, which still has scholars debating whether he used Pyromancy or Hydromancy (divination by water).  I discovered the secrets of Fire Magic in some ancient Roman manuscripts which I later adapted into a system of spells.

In the centre of the Eternal Flame, sitting on a vast throne and engulfed in emerald-green fire without ever combusting, is a gigantic immortal armoured being who rules this realm and enables Pyromancy to work.  This Lord of the Pyromancers and the Element of Fire known by many names including Atar to the Iranians, Agni to the Indians, Kagutsuchi to the Japanese, Ogoun to the Haitans, Olifat to the Micronesians and Svarozich to the Slavs. The Vikings called him Surt meaning “soot” and named his dimension of fire Muspell.  The Aztecs called him Xiutecuhtli meaning “Firelord” and called his domain Mictlan. 

This Firelord is not the Devil, nor is his domain Hell.  He is one of a handful of very powerful elemental gods like the deities of Earth, Air and Water who are also known by many names. This perpetually burning armoured colossus is a fierce-looking but just god who represents the element of fire throughout the cosmos, and he grants Pyromancers their status and powers such as the ability to project fire from their hands without burning themselves. We Middle Path Occultists call this Firelord Kakatal, although that name only dates from around the early 1970s. When we were young students of the mystic arts coming from a diverse range of races and magical disciplines, we wanted a modern name to call the Firelord which was not tied to any particular religion or culture. Anyone who has ordinary goals to achieve and does not wish to become a Pyromancer will have no dealings with him at all. 

Middle Path Occultism: Ancient humans knew that they were part of the cosmic energies. They understood that their bodies were merely vehicles in which to inhabit the Earth. Their natural senses were keener and they used all of their primitive minds. Over the millennia as mankind became more “civilised,” these senses became dulled or dormant with materialism and ultimately technology taking over to the exclusion of the spiritual senses.

While belief in magic waned the occult forces remained to be tapped by the few enlightened individuals with the instinct, interest, perseverance and natural abilities to use the cosmic forces which surround us. The majority of the most powerful of these sorcerers formed cadres, a few of which survive to this day. The London Cadre which I chair is devoted to Middle Path Occultism – a group of arcane styles devoted to interaction with beings and forces inhabiting the Parsifal Configuration, a pattern of alternate realities which in trans-dimensional space resembles a vast multi-faceted globe. 

Within each facet exist worlds where all the pantheons of gods known to Earthly cultures (and many other entities unknown to mankind) rule supreme. The realities which these groups of beings inhabit are dimensionally connected not only to each other but to our world aswell, permitting those who dare to make contact with them. These otherworldly denizens benefit from granting the sorcerers power and knowledge for in doing so they strengthen the link between their world and ours, thus increasing the degree of influence which they exert upon our reality. 

The original aim of Middle Path Occultism, apart from guarding our world against mystical threats, was to provide a balanced alternative to both the Right-Hand Path (some of whose mages practiced monotheistic mystical  traditions like Kabbalah) and particularly the Left-Hand Path, a far less popular but much more dangerous path devoted to evil forms of magic like Satanism and Voodoo. 

We mages of the London Cadre are far closer to the Right-Hand Path these days but we still do not accept evil mystics as members because we know that dealing with devilish forces can only end badly.   In contrast, people who are essentially good and able to apply common sense and persistence in developing occult powers can only benefit form their magical labours.  If you possess such qualities then, under my expert tuition. YOU could cultivate the power and enlightenment of a master mage. 

However, most people do not have the time or energy to follow this path so they use the services of a professional mystic like myself to help them improve their lives and achieve their goals.  They may require a Lottery win, enhanced health, help with a love matter, career success, general good fortune or even the removal of a threat – anything from a human enemy or a curse to an evil spirit. Be assured that I am able and willing to help you in any such instance, for there are very few problems which cannot be solved by the amazing power of PYROMANCY!  

Nicholas Darkwood, Pyromancer at: c/o 121 Como Road, Forest Hill, London SE23 2JN

pyromancer@nicholasdarkwood.co.uk