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Fire Walking Is Liberation!
The first time I participated in a fire walk I did not actually walk on the fire. Get this – my father was a firefighter and although fire was fascinating, the sobering reality to me was that when my father went to work he risked his life. It made me afraid.My first fire walk began after dark with a detailed explanation of how to actually do it. Every one of us had participated in building and lighting the fire so we all knew it was real. Chunks of split hardwood were the fuel. The fire had been stoked and tended for several hours and then the time came for the coals to be raked out.
We circled the perimeter, walking at a steadfast pace and softly singing, “Release your mind…see what you find…bring it on home to your people.” The coals were spread out to form a rectangular area about 4 ft. by 10 ft. There were no visible flames but it glowed brightly. A red-hot carpet of coals. It smelled like smoke and heat. I shivered with anticipation. The crisp autumn air touched my back, contrasting with the hot blast that rolled across my face.
The signal was given that it was ready. I saw a man walk across. My mind went blank. Then a woman walked went across. My jaw fell. Then person after person began to take turns walking across the coals. I was expecting screams of agony but all I heard from the crowd was excited whooping and joyful cheers.
I began to weep. We had been instructed to keep singing but I couldn't get the words to the song past my weeping. I sensed something inside my brain beginning to crumble. Since early childhood I had believed that fire burned. For the first time in my life it dawned on me that not everything I had accepted about life was true.
I did not walk the fire that night. It was enough for me to witness others doing it, but I since then I have walked the fires many times in workshops offered at a retreat center in Ohio. It is a joyous, liberating experience.