Why Burn Buddies Exist
“I find my magic not in cauldrons or incantations, but in the delicate art of crafting. Each stitch, each brushstroke, and each carefully chosen material becomes a spell, woven with intention and love.“
Ever been told your anger was "unspiritual"? That good people don't feel envy, rage, or desire? What if those "deadly sins" aren't actually deadly at all? What if they're just human emotions asking to be witnessed?
Fire doesn't judge. Fire transforms.
I've always been drawn to fire—not in a witchy aesthetic way, but in a way that grounds me. There's something primal and honest about watching flames consume what you no longer need. Burning isn't destruction. It's permission to let go.
For years, I kept circling back to one idea: What if people could burn away the parts of themselves they've been taught to hide? Not to erase those feelings. Not to shame them. But to witness them through fire and give them space to transform.
That question led me to the Seven Deadly Sins. Not the religious guilt-trip version, but the truth underneath: these are universal human experiences that every culture has wrestled with for centuries. Wrath, Greed, Envy, Lust, Pride, Gluttony, Sloth—each one is just a human need gone sideways. And each one has a corresponding Heavenly Virtue that offers the transformation: Patience, Charity, Kindness, Chastity, Humility, Temperance, Diligence.
Burn to release what's holding you back. Burn to invite what you want to grow.
I created the first batch of Burn Buddies for Spring 2024 Mystic Fest in Omaha, honestly unsure if anyone would connect with the concept. A man bought Lust that day, saying he needed more love and romance in his life. Other customers commented about the various sins to purge or virtues to invite into their own lives. I wondered if the ritual would actually resonate with people or if I'd just made something weird.
Six months later at Fall Mystic Fest, everything clicked. My first two customers were the new festival organizers who bought the Wrath & Patience bundle as a "helpful hint" for their friend. Charlie, the retiring organizer, offered to share a Facebook post about Burn Buddies to bring attention to my booth.
Then the customer who'd bought Lust in the spring came back—with his mother in tow and a huge grin on his face. After his fire meditation on Lust, he told me, "the universe answered with a very fine, romantic boyfriend." His mother was so excited by the story that she immediately bought Banish and Blessing to work on a family curse—purging her mother-in-law's negative energy and replacing it with positive vibes for their home.
I had other repeat customers from spring who came back excited to purchase more pouches. People weren't just trying this once—they were coming back because the ritual actually worked for them. Vendors from neighboring booths started asking questions. Strangers told me stories about the emotions they'd been carrying for years. That second festival gave me the proof I needed: people were hungry for permission to feel everything they'd been taught to suppress
Each Burn Buddy is a 15-minute fire meditation ritual. You set your intention, light the character tag, and watch the flames transform what you're releasing or cultivating.
The Seven Deadly Sins help you release what's weighing you down. The Seven Heavenly Virtues help you grow what you want to become. It's not about being "good" or "bad." It's about honoring the full spectrum of being human and letting fire do what it does best: transform. Your anger isn't evil. Your desire isn't shameful. Your grief, your jealousy, your exhaustion—they're not proof you're broken. They're asking to be seen.
If you've spent your life being told that parts of you are too much, too dark, too forbidden—welcome. Burn Buddies exists because fire meditation is one of the oldest rituals humans have practiced, and it's time we brought it back without the shame.
Let's burn what needs releasing. Let's invite what wants to grow.
~ Sara Weiss
Founder, Burn Buddies
Pierre, South Dakota