When I was growing up, my mother used to lead Solstice celebrations for both the summer and the winter at friends' houses. These were elaborate all-day events, and the attendance could sometimes top 60 or 70 people at their peak. As a choral composer, one cannot help but feel an obvious pull to set sacred music, since so much of the great tradition of choral singing comes from a sincere expression of spiritual beliefs. Yet I felt a certain reluctance to add yet another "Ave Maria" or "Magnificat" to the canon, because those texts originate from a religious tradition that is not my own. Finally, I hit upon the idea of setting the Summer Solstice prayers that my mother would recite every year at our friends' houses. The "fire" referred to in this particular prayer is made possible by the collection of nine sacred woods, which my Mom passes around to the gathered participants while explaining the significance of each one. Each of those present then gets to add the sticks or branches given to them (and their energies, if one so believes) into the fire.