E & VP Wedding: Fire Ceremony

Saturday, April 21 at our home on Z-land in Haiku:

This was an Agnihotra or Hindu fire ceremony performed by our dear friend and minister, Dr. Ramdas Lamb, and attended by family and some friends. This ceremony was a spiritual blessing and marked the beginning of our wedding.

After the ceremony we feasted on an array of Indian desserts prepared by Kimana (and other helping hands, especially John!) as well as fresh coconut smoothies made by Dan and Sara. What a treat!

We would like to mention and extend a soulful thank you to Kamala for bringing back all of the Indian pillows we sat on during the ceremony. In January she was in Tiruvannamalai, a very special and sacred mountain in South India (it is also one of Vaughn Paul's favorite places), and the pillows came from there. She also brought back the ghee (clarified butter) and camphor that lit the fire.

This is a description of the fire ceremony that Ramdas wrote for us to share with everyone:

The purpose of this ceremony is to purify the atmosphere, the body, and the mind. Since purity and sanctity go hand in hand, the fire ceremony is seen as integral to bring about a closer relationship between the individuals who participate and the Divine.

Additionally, its enactment symbolizes the offering of the fruits of one's actions to the Divine. Thus, food such as grains, seeds, dried fruits, and clarified butter (ghee) are offered into the fire. The offerings are done in conjunction with prayers - prayers for the protection of the couple and their union, as well as the material, emotional, and spiritual fulfillment in their lives.

Ramdas's talk prior to the fire ceremony
Vaughn Paul's lesson from Ramdas