The Flaming Chalice

Perhaps the most significant advance of our ancestors was not the discovery of fire, but the ability to harness its power. Fire provides heat and light. Oil lamps were in use more than 70,000 years ago. Light has long been identified with truth, knowledge, and freedom, while darkness has been associated with the forces of evil. In the Bible (Genesis 1:3), light was the first thing which God created, and in the New Testament (Matthew 5:16) we are instructed to "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, ...". Diogenes carried a lantern when he looked for an honest man, even though his search was conducted in daylight. Ancient sacrificial fires have evolved to eternal flames and candles in many of the world's religious traditions.

The chalice has evolved from the communion cup of Christ, perhaps representing the elusive dream which can never be realized in the quest for the Holy Grail. It is also a remembrance of the true communal sharing of the disciples, and the commandment of Jesus at the Last Supper (John 13:34): "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another."

The unification of the chalice and flame has been attributed to the Austrian artist Hans Deutsch in 1941, and many stylized versions are used by Unitarian Universalists today.