Entering the Cave: The Sacred Knowledge Behind Ash Wednesday & The 40-Day Fire of Transformation

The Universe is Queer is about breaking binaries and reclaiming sacred traditions in a way that is inclusive and expansive.

Throughout history, spiritual seekers, mystics, and initiates have entered the cave—not as an escape, but as a rite of passage. The cave is where one sheds the old skin, listens deeply, and emerges transformed. It is both a womb and a tomb, a place of dissolution and rebirth.

On March 5th, we step into this sacred space together with Entering the Cave, a 40-day commitment to deep listening, purification, and transformation through fire, dreamwork, and stillness. But what is the deeper, hidden knowledge behind this time of year?

The Hidden History of Ash Wednesday: Fire, Ash, and Purification

In the Christian tradition, Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, a 40-day period of fasting, reflection, and preparation for renewal. But before Christianity, fire and ash were ancient tools of alchemy, purification, and spiritual initiation across cultures.

Fire as Alchemy & Transformation

Long before the Catholic Church institutionalized this ritual, fire was understood as the ultimate purifier—a force that burns away illusion, stagnation, and fear so that only truth remains. Fire was used in:

• Ancient Egypt – The goddess Sekhmet wielded fire as a tool of both destruction and healing.

• Indigenous American traditions – Sacred fire ceremonies burned away the past to open the path forward.

• Hinduism – Agni, the fire god, carried prayers from Earth to the divine.

• Celtic traditions – Beltane and Samhain fire festivals cleansed and renewed the soul’s journey.

Ash as Remembrance & Wisdom

Once fire has done its work, ash remains—a symbol of what has been transmuted and the wisdom gained from the process. Many ancient traditions anointed themselves with ash to honor the cycle of death and rebirth:

• Hindu ascetics covered themselves in ash to signify their detachment from material illusions.

• Norse mythology placed the great World Tree, Yggdrasil, at the center of existence—an ash tree, symbolizing the connection between realms.

• The Mayans and Aztecs saw volcanic ash as sacred—carrying the wisdom of the gods and fertilizing the future.

The Cave as a Place of Initiation

The cave is where transformation happens. It is the inner sanctum, the threshold between death and rebirth, where wisdom is received. Across cultures, the cave has been a portal for seekers, mystics, and shamans:

• Greek & Roman mystery schools used caves for rites of passage, dream incubation, and revelation.

• Indigenous shamans entered caves for fasting, vision quests, and spirit communication.

• The Dead Sea Scrolls reveal that the Essenes—an ancient Jewish mystical group—retreated to caves for spiritual purification and sacred knowledge.

Why Now? The Power of This Moment

The energy of March 5th calls us into the cave—not to hide, but to prepare for what’s coming next. 2025 is a year of intensity, a year where the queer community, spiritual seekers, and wisdom keepers must reclaim their power without losing themselves in the noise.

In a world that demands constant action, this is a call to PAUSE. To strip down to essence. To stand fiercely in humility, knowing that surrender is its own kind of power.

The 40-Day Practice: Entering the Cave with Fierce Humility

This journey is not about restriction—it is about devotion. For 40 days, we dedicate ourselves to a sacred practice of purification and listening:

✨ Sound Healing – Vibrate with the unseen, attune to your truth
🔥 Ceremonial Fires – Burn what no longer serves, sit with the embers of transformation
🌙 Dream Work – Open the portals, listen to spirit, receive messages
🖐🏾 Anointing with Ash – Marking the body as a sacred vessel, honoring both destruction and rebirth

Who is This For?

This is for the ones walking between worlds.
For those who have felt cast out and yet remain unbreakable.
For the seekers, the wisdom keepers, the ones who are done shrinking.

This is a reclamation of ancient knowledge—not just as history, but as living technology. These practices were left for us not to worship, but to use. They are keys to unlocking resilience, clarity, and transformation in a time when we need them most.

We begin March 5th. Will you enter the cave?

The Sacred Cave:

You step forward, the air thick with the scent of burning embers and ancient wisdom. The walls of the cave pulse with stories etched in stone, symbols glowing softly under the flickering light of the sacred fire. Each carving feels alive—whispers of ancestors, echoes of those who have walked this path before.

The fire in the center is more than flame; it is a portal, a purifier, a keeper of secrets. It crackles with an ancient knowing, inviting you to let go, to surrender, to become weightless in its heat. The golden glow dances along the walls, casting moving shadows that seem to bow in reverence to something unseen.

Mist rises from the ground, cool against your skin, balancing the intensity of the flames. This is a place where time does not exist, where the body dissolves, and only essence remains. The cave does not ask for anything but truth. It does not beg for performance, only presence.

You close your eyes, and for the first time in a long time, you listen.

Here, you are not broken.
Here, you are not too much.
Here, you are becoming.

This is the moment of initiation.
The embers are waiting.
The shadows are watching.
The fire is calling.

Will you step in?