A look at "St Patricks Day" from a "Pagan" outlook

Make green fire and wear a snake for St Patricks day

March 17th is St.Patricks Day.

 I am wishy washy on this one, being of  a Irish background and yet a pagan.

St Patrick was the one who ran the "as they put it" serpents from the land.

Those as they put it "serpents" were Pagans.

Read about who he was and what he did here

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/03/120316-saint-patricks-day-2012-march-17-facts-ireland-irish-nation/

So every year I wear a snake pin and create this for our fire pit. Try to drive me out, I lite this to remind myself of my roots and how some try to take that away.

It's easy to make brilliant green fire. This cool chemistry project  requires only two household chemicals.

Green Fire Materials

• Boric Acid
  Medical grade boric acid can be found in the pharmacy sections of some stores for use as a disinfectant. It is a white powder. It's not the same chemical as borax. I used Enoz Roach Away™, which is 99% boric acid, sold with household insecticides.
• Heet™ Gas Line Antifreeze and Water Remover
  Heet™ is sold with automotive chemicals.
• Metal or Stoneware Container
• Lighter
• Instructions for Making Green Fire
  1. Pour some Heet™ into the container. How much you use will determine how long your fire will burn. I used about a half cup of Heet™ for approximately 10 minutes of fire.
  2. Sprinkle some boric acid into the liquid and swirl it around to mix it up. I used 1-2 teaspoons of powder. It won't all dissolve, so don't worry about some powder at the bottom of the container.
  3. Set the container on a heat-safe surface and ignite it with a lighter.
Green Fire Tips & Safety Information
• Boric acid is a relatively safe household chemical. You can rinse the residue remaining in the container down the drain.
• This is an outdoor project. There isn't a lot of smoke produced, nor is it particularly toxic, but the heat is intense. It will set off your smoke alarm.
• Be sure to set your container on a heat-safe surface. Do not follow my extremely bad example and set it on your glass patio table. Similarly, don't use any container that might shatter dangerously. Use metal or possibly stoneware, not glass, wood, or plastic.
• Heet™ primarily is methanol (methyl alcohol). You could try this project with other types of alcohol. Possibilities include ethanol, such as vodka or Ever-clear, or isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol). You might also try other common household metal salts for different flame colors.
• For example, I substituted rubbing alcohol (isopropyl alcohol) for the Heet™. The result was a fire that alternated from orange to blue to green. It wasn't as spectacular as the Heet™ fire, but it was still pretty cool.
• The green fire could be used as a stunning Halloween decoration in a cauldron or possibly inside a jack-o-lantern.
• Keep the chemicals for this project out of reach of children or pets, since methanol is harmful if swallowed. Read and follow any safety precautions listed on the labels of the specific products you use.