The Earth
THE NATURAL EARTH
- Chapter 25 -
The nature of fire
This third air region, which rests pure and transparent upon the second region of the air, has a very particular attribute: it ignites very easily at the slightest disturbance. Ignition occurs especially when an object or a body, for example a meteorite, happens to enter into its region and traverse it for a considerable distance. This ignition is of a very particular kind, because no burning takes place; it is an illumination. Before this very particular kind of ignition may be explained, more details must be given regarding the nature of ignition.
What, actually, is ignition? And what is fire, which is in itself ignition? This may no longer be explained from the purely physical point of view, since the notion of fire is already on the threshold of the sphere of the spirit.
There are spirits in all matter. When they are aroused in any manner, they ignite, which means that they enter into a state of increasing excitement whereby their activity and their expenditure of energy constantly increases, and the matter is set into exceedingly fast vibration. Thus solid matter is destroyed, because the great excitement tears the matter apart into the smallest of pieces. The spirits are liberated and the remnants of matter remain as ashes.
Therefore ignition is an excitement of the spiritual in matter, and the continuance of the constantly mightier excitement is the act of burning. The illumination of fire is caused by the extremely strong and fast movements of the spirits. The transmission of the light of this fire is an excitement of all the other spirits in the contiguous vicinity of the air. On Earth, the act of ignition and burning happens usually through excitement of yet impure and unclean spirits. That is why fire usually appears as dirty and reddish, and at the same time raging and incensed.
Another ignition may also occur, namely ignition through the excitement of love. This ignition is not, however, destructive and corruptive. The reflection of sunlight on the surface of water is, t r example, such an ignition. Through this light of love of the sun, the peaceful spirits of the water become very excited, but in his excitement they do not destroy anything. Even though the whole surface of the water be ignited and the rays scintillate far and wide, yet nothing burns.
In the same manner, there is also an ignition in a mirror when a ray falls upon it; but no act of burning takes place, since the excitement which occurs is that of good spirits. If, however, a benign spiritual sunbeam of love be potentized and directed upon bodies that still contain something spiritually impure, the beam will ignite, and this will be an act of burning.
Since we have now explained the process of ignition in an intelligible way, it will now be easy to explain the ignition of the ether contained in the air of the third region of the air, when disturbed by a body from its customary rest.
A meteor that flies through this airy sphere tears apart the air. Because of the fast movement of such bodies, a hollow space is thus produced in the air. This then forms a mirror surface in which the light rays from countless stars instantly concentrate as in a concave mirror. This reflection of rays gives the appearance of fire when seen from the Earth.
The same appearance cannot occur in the lower regions of the air, because the air in this region is too heavy; that is why the air collapses quickly after a body traverses it. The very light air of the third region closes, but very gradually. That is why you may see a long tail behind such a meteor.