The Fire Archetype: A Blazing Bonfire

To understand this archetype just think of a blazing bonfire. When in balance fire people are vibrant, passionate, and dramatic, but when out of balance they can become volatile, short-tempered, and destructive. Like fire, they are bold, daring, and full of energy, with charismatic personalities and an infectious enthusiasm that makes them natural leaders and motivational speakers. However, if they are not careful, they can easily take on too much and burn out. Fire types can connect with others with ease so, like a flame that flickers around, they tend to be social butterflies. However, they can also become scattered and are easily pulled in too many directions. On the one hand, they love to speak and are quite eloquent and expressive, but on the other hand, they tend to get over excited and can talk too much or too quickly. 

 

When in balance, the predominant emotional expression of this archetype is joy, but when imbalanced they can suffer from anxiety, disturbing dreams, and insomnia. Mentally, fire people are analytic and excellent observers, but they tend to think too much and often worry. Physically, their complexion is ruddy, with pointy features, and curly or scanty hair that may be red. They have well-developed muscles of the shoulders, back, and hips but delicate hands and feet. With its abundance of heat, sunshine, activity, and excitement, summer is the season associated with the fire archetype.

 

Like fire, these people run hot so they can get overheated easily or suffer from inflammatory conditions like acne and rheumatoid arthritis. Because the heart is the organ most associated with the fire archetype, they are also prone to circulatory problems. To keep this archetype in balance, it is helpful for them to calm and ground their frenetic fire with relaxing activities like journaling and meditation. To avoid becoming too scattered it helps them to prioritize and plan ahead. In terms of diet, they need to avoid overheating by limiting excesses of alcohol and spicy foods and favoring cooling foods like bitter leafy greens, yogurt, and juicy vegetables like cucumber. Red foods like tomatoes and raspberries are especially nourishing for the fire archetype.