The Firewalk

This is not how it started, nor how the night ended.

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Before we could walk, we had to build.

A number of us were invited to gather at a private residence in rural Pennsylvania on June 23^rd, 2012, to share with friends old and new. We were given an opportunity to remember times past, to heal, and to reawaken the spirit of a special place we had in common long ago.

Working together, we built the structure one log at a time. Each was presented to a person stacking the logs along with a word, a name, a memory, a wish, or a resolution. A small number of logs were presented in silence with only the bearer knowing what thoughts were included.

The finished structure had to be inspected for stability, so it would collapse in on itself as it burned and there would not be an unpleasant surprise of flaming logs rolling off into our pre-walk activities.

The firewalk, as it has been taught to us, is an act of sharing the Spirit which is common to all life. It is an act of surrender, of facing one’s fears and, if so inspired, to set them aside and walk forward knowing we are protected at that moment and always.

The firewalk experience is not about power; it is about accepting and sharing and, quite often, it’s about love.

There are lectures and exercises that bring the prospective firewalkers closer together.

We practice trusting each other, sharing our hurts, our fears, and sometimes private memories. Healing may occur spontaneously. Healings may also be offered – to be received as a gift to a injured or repressed soul.

Throughout the afternoon many wonder if they will be able to set aside the natural fear of fire or, perhaps, if they will feel the call to walk.

It is not unusual for people think the firewalk is a challenge, a thing to be conquered, an act of power. While  a firewalk may be approached in that manner, our training focuses on another way. A way of peace, growth, and personal responsibility.

We share meals and life stories with our friends. More than one has reminded me of an experience I had with them but which I have not thought about in years.

Each task in the preparation is a conscious act. The firewalk is not a religious event. Participants share a number of common beliefs allowing the whole group to develop an understanding – there is protection, healing, and responsibility.

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The lighting of the fire evokes emotion. Everyone wants the fire to spread evenly and burn completely to produce the best coals.

The fire takes on shapes as it consumes its supply of fuel. No two fires are the same. Here I see an eagle’s wings.

 Below, while being maintained by the head of the fire tending team, the flames assume the shape of a man with a broad-brimmed hat.

With the night drawn around us, people see other shapes – a phoenix, a dragon, or a serpent moving in and out of the of the tunnels made by the collapsing pyre. Many of these are captured on digital cameras.

It’s not unusual for digital pictures to contain artifacts – tricks of light and motion the camera dutifully records, but which did not exist in the world of our physical reality. The next picture, taken while the fire was in its last stages of life, shows such an artifact just above the finger of flame pointing skyward.

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Two small jets of flame remain.

It’s time to rake the mound into a level path. This takes a long time. The unburnt logs in the foreground and on the far edge are pulled into two lines to form our path. The center is just a little out of reach for more than one of the fire tenders. And the remains are HOT!

Our classmates, not working the fire, watch those of us serving as fire tenders flitting around the edges. Because of the intense heat, only two or three of the tenders are able to work in close for any length of time adding to the complex emotions running through the air and the bodies of each participant as they wonder. And there is wonder.

The bonfire was large, so is the coalbed and it remains HOT. This is one of the hottest and longest beds I’ve seen, though I’ve heard some can be twenty feet long.

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Finally the coals are declared to be ready. We begin circling and chanting the Alleluia Chorus.

One of the novice walkers is worried about how long it is. She was told it might be four to six steps. We’re all told to walk, not run. She does walk and, with a loveable combination of triumph and irritation, she announces to the people welcoming her on the far side, “It was NINE steps! It might be six for some of you taller people, but it was NINE for me!” I see her aura glisten like the moon, brighter than the glowing coals.

ConiAnn and I do walk. She went first and alone. Later we crossed together holding hands.

I do not have any photographs of people on the coals.  We usually are not allowed to take any pictures at all, but were given special permission this time – I am busy helping people, too deep in the experience to take additional pictures. I retain memories and feelings which no camera can record

A new practice has been added since we began attending firewalks. A table is set up off to the side with unlit candles. When a person walks across the coals, they may choose to light a candle to signify their accomplishment and reinforce the memory of the act.

To be honest, a small number of these candles represent multiple crossings by individuals so enraptured they celebrated by lighting extra candles.

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The next morning we join the group at breakfast.

Here’s Sierra and Mato who led the firewalk activities.
Almost everyone who attended the firewalk and a few who couldn’t are here. Everyone has conversations with those seated near them.

So many conversations brake out around the table, there is a constant, almost musical quality added to our meal.

Of course there is more to the firewalk than I have revealed here. Some experiences can not be described in words. To learn what it’s like, you’ll have to attend one and find out first hand.

The first step on this journey is to search.

You find you are sitting in front of a computer connected to the Internet. The world surrounding you drops away leaving you alone with the computer and a feeling that something is missing. There is something to be gained. You feel a yearning — for what, you do not know. Almost unaware, you open a web browser pointing to your favorite search engine and type the first query ….

– Jeffrey A. Limpert

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Image Information:

All pictures in this post were
taken by Jeffrey A. Limpert

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