When It’s Held
Anyone visiting the community while considering whether to join, or planning to stay longer than four days, goes through this ceremony first. The visitor sits on the west side of the altar alongside whoever is leading the ceremony, and is invited to share what’s brought them there and what they’re hoping for from their visit — the goal is simply to help them feel genuinely welcomed and get to know the community.
Reading the Fire
The fire keeper walks the visitor through the fire itself, showing them the spindle that will be used to light it and letting them hold it before lighting. If a coal catches, everyone follows outside together to watch it come to life — a welcome from the fire itself. If it won’t come, that’s read as the Lord wanting them to have a pleasant visit, but not to stay — the fire is treated as always being right. When it doesn’t come, the community stops considering the visitor for permanent residence, though the details are kept quiet out of respect, so as not to embarrass them; scribes still record what the fire communicated. If the visitor does get a fire, everyone watches closely for whatever language comes through it.
A visitor who doesn’t get a fire can stay only briefly — no more than four days. A fire that lights across multiple coals is taken very seriously; if it catches on four separate coals, the visitor is expected to leave right after the meeting itself.
Afterward
A potluck usually follows the ceremony, and once it’s finished, everyone comes up to introduce themselves and shake the visitor’s hand.
An Honest Note
In the community’s history, there have been a couple of occasions over thirty-three years where someone was allowed to stay without ever receiving a welcome fire. Both times left lasting harm behind, and remain some of the community’s harder memories.
Where to Read
- Handbook — Welcome Ceremony (p. 411)