Why come to TriFire?

TriFire is all about change, so if you’re interested in the processes of personal or spiritual transformation, you’ll find plenty of inspiration, guidance, and a community of like-minded people at TriFire. We’re not here to tell you what to change, we just want to share tools that have helped us navigate and shape changes in our own lives. If you’ve been looking for a place in the pagan/new-age world that isn’t a wild festival or a stodgy lecture series, we suggest you TriFire. Get it?

If you’ve attended an alchemical fire circle before, coming to TriFire will feel like meeting an old friend. If you’ve never been to an alchemical fire circle, we hope you will find TriFire to be a welcoming, intentional space to do your personal work and a compassionate community to call your own.

Who is TriFire?

TriFire is a collection of people of all ages, genders, abilities, ethnicities, and experiences. All faith backgrounds and spiritual practices are welcome in our laboratory. We play with the planets, the chakras, the elements, the angels, and our ancestors. We sing spirituals and showtunes. We recite poetry from Rumi and Rollins. We twist, two-step, and Time Warp around the fire. We are retail and hospitality staff, therapists, scientists, entrepreneurs, tradespeople, nurses, artists, veterans, students, parents, and accountants. TriFire is YOU. TriFire is US.

The TriFire event planners, known as the collaborators or “co-labs”, have been attending and/or facilitating alchemical fire circles for years. Together, we have spent over 150 nights circling alchemical fire circles across the country. We are alchemy nerds who love this work and view the creation of this event as an act of service to our community. The TriFire co-labs receive no financial benefit from the event. We pay our own registration, lodging, and meal plan fees just like everyone else. We believe in transparency and will post our financial information after settlement with our hosts has taken place. To view the financial information from TriFire 2024, click here.

Our experience helps create a solid foundation for TriFire, but we are not the most important part of TriFire - you are! Each and every attendee who steps into our circle is a fantastic ingredient that deepens and transforms our experiment. Part of the magic of an alchemical fire circle is that no two nights around the fire are ever the same, and that’s because of you and the energy you bring to our circle. 

The History of TriFire

TriFire was created to continue the tradition of alchemical fire circles established on the east coast by Jeff McBride and Abigail Spinner McBride in the 1990s. Prior to TriFire’s creation, many of the co-labs were involved with Fires Rising, a now defunct alchemical fire circle previously held in southwestern Pennsylvania. The inaugural TriFire was held at Gita Nagari in Port Royal, PA in 2019, then relocated to Camp West Mar in Sabillasville, MD in 2022 and has been held there since. We are grateful to our hosts at Camp West Mar for sharing their beautiful facilities with us and seek to repay their hospitality by being respectful guests who leave the land better than we found it.

Alchemical Fire Circle Rules

1. This is a sober event. For more information, please see our sobriety policy.

2. No glass in the fire circle space, other than altar decorations. This helps keep the feet of our dancers safe and happy.

3. No jumping the fire.

4. Do not put anything into the fire without the permission of our Fire Tenders.

5. Only enter and exit the fire circle space (our “laboratory” or “sacred vessel”) through the gate. Do not pass under/over the line of prayer ties.

6. Respect the architecture of the fire circle by observing the following “orbits” of our Solar System:

   • The Sun: the sacred fire at the center of our circle.
   • Mercury track: the orbit closest to the fire where dancers move the fastest.
   • Venus track: the orbit outside of Mercury where dancers move in more flowing ways
   • Earth track: the outermost moving orbit where folks walk, march, stomp, and trudge.
   • Mars line: this line of torches is for standing and bearing witness to the dancers as they orbit the fire. Sing, shake a rattle, make eye contact - hold space while staying in one place.
   • Jupiter orbit: the track where our temples sit, several feet behind the Mars line.
   • Saturn orbit: the outermost orbit inside the prayer ties. This is the space for brief rests and quiet conversation about your work and the processes of the night.
   • The Prayer Ties: this line of prayer ties marks the boundary of our fire circle, also known as the “laboratory” or “sacred vessel.”
   • The Outer Field of Stars: the space beyond the prayer ties where attendees can make their own constellations of chairs, awnings, and “nests.” A place where they can store belongings, rest, and have quiet conversation not pertaining to the work of the circle. This is also home to the Food Altar and bathrooms.
   • The Oort Cloud: the designated smoking area. Smoking, including vaping, will be limited to one designated area, to be determined.

7. Drums and Drummers: Temple Azul is the home within the circle for drums and drummers - unlike many general drum circles, we keep our drummers together in one place so they can play as a cohesive group. Rules for drum & instrument etiquette are as follows:

   • Feel free to bring your own drums and musical instruments to play and share.

   • Drums that are covered or laying on their side are not to be played. Uncovered, upright drums are free to be played.

   • Remove any bracelets, watches, or rings you may be wearing when drumming to avoid damaging the head of the drum.

   • Small percussion instruments like shakers, tambourines, and bells may be taken around the circle and played within the space. Please make sure to return these instruments to Temple Azul when you are finished playing them.

   • Listen and play together! Alchemical Fire Circles function best when the drummers, dancers, and chanters are all feeding off each other’s energy. This means paying attention to each other, making eye contact, and responding to shifts in energy throughout the night.

8. Showing Gratitude - the purpose of our circle is to raise energy to facilitate the personal work we do throughout the long night. When someone does something in the circle that moves you, that you want to celebrate, we ask that instead of offering a round of applause, you find a way of showing gratitude that doesn’t release the energy that has been built up. This can be done through many ways, such as holding a hand to your heart, raising a hand up in the air, bowing, holding out your hand to them. Experiment with how it feels to let the moment and energy linger.

   • To show love to our drummers specifically, we have the Gratitude Zone. This is a designated space in front of Temple Azul where dancers can move out of the normal flow of the orbit around the fire and momentarily dance in one space to show appreciation for whatever delicious beat the drummers and noise-makers are creating.

9. Food Altar Offerings: Offerings left on the Food Altar for communal sharing must be shelf-stable and in single serve packaging. This helps keep us safe and healthy. Multi-serving offerings will be rejected.

10. Listen to your body. This process is designed to be an ordeal but that doesn’t mean that you need to push yourself beyond your means. Stretch often. Rest when you are tired. Eat when you are hungry. Drink water whether you’re thirsty or not. Be kind to yourself.