I look at the flame and I notice something, it has a life, it is aware of me. It is aware of all of my thoughts about it and when I pay attention it starts to move to them. I immediately think to myself the flame must be respected, and with a whole new level of meaning. Another idea comes into my mind then, that the flame is made up of the awareness I possess of it. And I know so little. I start to think of ideas of the flame, to see if the flame will match my idea. I look at the flame to practice and it gives me a little bow. So the flame has new life. Did it always have this awareness and I just didn`t see it. Maybe nobody pays attention, at least not in the right way. I notice the flame is now softer, and casting a pink glow. It must be warming up to me! I think to myself that the relationship one has with the flame is like a personal relationship that grows and develops. SNAP! The fire agreed. I start to be aware of every thought I have about it because I see that not only does it hear me, but it can also match those thoughts. I grab a stick and touch the log sending up a barrage of sparks into the night air and my attention is held captivated as all the sparks align to a dance of patterns and artwork. The most dazzling array of fireworks cast in slow motion danced into the patterns I was thinking about. For a long while I rubbed the log and watched until I had brushed the entire fire into the sky. The time in slow motion had a strange effect on my mind mixed with the sudden darkness and I staggered to the ground. The empty smoking fire pit let out a loud hiss. I was quite amazed at my first dance with the fire, and was eager to try again. The next night I lit the fire and tried to remember the thoughts I needed to get the fire to move cool again. I felt overwhelmed and soon gave up. I sat next to the fire in a pout. POP! It sent a little piece of burning wood onto my lap, then another, and another! It was definitely punishing me. I sat up quickly and looked at the fire with new interest. Hmmm I wondered what I could learn next, and so I said to the fire I bet you can`t get that piece over there. And straight away it started shooting flames onto the small piece on the ground, far away from the flame. Like a small fire cannon it shot out little balls of flame to the piece. I could see the personality of the flame clearly, the life was becoming more visible to me. I thought to the flame about how magical it was, and as I watched it took on a new light, literally, it changed its light to mixing colours and flowing motion that showed the perception of true magic. I had the thought then about perception and awareness being a single unit, and any change of awareness entails the same change in perception. I felt bad about leaving the flame to die out and then I heard that the flame lives whenever you light it, and the flame will remember. I really liked the idea of expanding knowledge of the fire by listening to the fire. I reached into my pocket and grabbed my lighter and lit it and sure enough the flame did a little bow for me as if it was always right there in my pocket. I reached my finger to the flame and it moved away. I pulled it back and it repositioned itself. Again, the same thing. It seems the fire didn't want to burn me, and the thought came into my mind to make a fire that wont burn...