A crisis is upon us – it is time to rise up
31st August at sunset, on a hilltop or beacon hill near you.
Fire alerts to danger – Fire clears the way – Fire is a call to action

Lighting a beacon to warn of imminent danger has been a custom that runs back through our history. The call is to every XR group to light beacons up and down the country and to call to all humans: multiple crises are upon us, in particular the climate and ecological breakdown! It is time to rise up!

We invite every XR group to get involved in this action and join us by lighting a beacon in your local area. What a great way to complete your local rebellion. There could just be two or three of you or a larger ‘Covid-safe’ group. (See current XR Covid guidelines). You may wish to look up traditional beacon sites in your area and also adhere to regulations re fires on the land.

The fire

You may wish to light your fire as a message and do no more. Others may want to make a ceremony of it and maybe bring drums or sing. The main purpose is to have as many fires lit as possible throughout the land. How long you keep it going is up to you.

Be safe and responsible in holding these beacon fires

The easiest way is to light a fire in a container – a fire wok or such. In many places the original braziers on poles that are used for beacons are still there.
If you are going to light your fire on grass, it would be good to take a small knife and carefully cut away some square pieces of grass including the roots and a bit of soil and pile them to one side.

When your fire is totally out and the land is cold again, then you can put the grass clumps back and they will continue to grow.

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOUR FIRE IS TOTALLY OUT BEFORE YOU LEAVE

So take some water with you. It is too easy for fire to smoulder and move on. We do not want that. Any smouldering logs need to be separated as well as soaked with water. Ideally, you would leave the land (even if you have to return the next morning) looking as it did when you arrived.

You may want to notify your local fire service that you are holding this event as a ‘controlled burn.’

In your information, be clear to mention that people attend the gathering at their own risk and that parents are to be responsible for their children at all times. We are all crew.

Spreading the word

If you plan to light a beacon please join the Facebook event group on this page and click ‘Going.’

Let us know your plans and send us a video or a photo or two during or after the event. If possible, get something into your local news with a few words telling of the multiple crises that are upon us including the climate and ecological crisis. And that fires are being lit across the globe to send a strong message to our governments that the time to act is NOW.
Share widely on all social media platforms.

A joint action held by the XR Eldership Circle, Sacred Earth Activism and XR Regenerative Cultures.