How do you light ritual fires?

Do you strike a match, keep an ever-burning Vestal flame, etc?

Personally, I would prefer to keep a Vestal flame, but that's an impossibility for me. So I bought a Zippo with a flame enamaled in red with a starburst of smaller flames engraved around it. I keep a couple small rocks from the temple of Delphi (which were given to me by a close friend) in the fuel tank, and I used sunlight and a magnifying glass to light the wick for the very first time while reciting the Orphic Hymn to Hestia and a prayer I wrote to Apollo repeatedly until the flame caught. I also recite these while filling the reservoir with new fuel and when transferring fire from the lighter to a tea light candle and back to a new wick when the lighter wick needs to be replaced. When not in use (and it's only used for ritual), I keep it in a sturdy box. This lighter quickly became my most prized possession, as it's really the only ritual item I have on the ship I'm stationed on.

I keep the continuity of the flame by lighting every new set of tapers, as well as the lamps, from the previous set; the continuity goes back at least four or five years now.

I once had a Vestal fire, back when I lived somewhere with more space. However, I keep some pieces of wood that were lit originally from that fire in order to re-light it as soon as I relocate to somewhere with sufficient space.

Erodius wrote:I keep the continuity of the flame by lighting every new set of tapers, as well as the lamps, from the previous set; the continuity goes back at least four or five years now.

I once had a Vestal fire, back when I lived somewhere with more space. However, I keep some pieces of wood that were lit originally from that fire in order to re-light it as soon as I relocate to somewhere with sufficient space.

Unfortunately, candles aren't allowed on ships, or I'd definitely use them. I've seen only one candle onboard, and it stays in the chapel, where it's permanently fixed to the altar used for Catholic mass. However, a Zippo works oby the same principle as a candle, so I'll light it and hold it while I pray.