FIREWALKING

Saturday, April 28, 2007


The fire did not "kiss" me.
The fire did empower me.
I feel braver.
Ready to risk.
Ready to reach and stretch.

So many moments to capture.
My yoga teacher was there.
Her yoga teacher was there.
A chain of women.

Our mentor brought his family with him.
We witnessed their interactions of love.
We watched them encourage each other to grow and to try new things.

Words like love, peace, friendship, freedom, and hummingbird became our mantras for the night.

I arrived early.
In time to help build the fire by stacking the wood and stuffing the holes with wads of newspaper. The split wood was laid carefully in stacked towers five layers high. Three towers across and seven down. Twenty one.
Later, the people who came "on time" would each lay one more log on the formation. Each log was to be laid with intentionality and joy.

Then Andrew gathered us into a circle. We passed a gallon container of cooking oil from one and other. We were each to pour some oil on the dry wood in front of us. It represented the slough of our lives, all the things that clogged and slowed us....tonight we would burn it up.
We began singing.
The first song was to the tune "I have decided to follow Jesus".
Andrew said it was an African song....I have decided to follow the FIRE!!
We all lit the fire with torches of newspaper.
It flamed up immediately. Hot. Roaring. Bright.
We were given seeds and told we could throw them on the fire with our prayers.

Then we moved up to the farmhouse.
Where we all signed releases!
Releases which held everyone exempt from any burn or injury we might get.

Andrew Steed is English and has a Celtic spirituality.
He first walked fire in Ireland. He studied in LA and in France to teach/lead firewalks.
He’s walked fire in Australia and India and here, on the Cameron’s property on Tollgate Road near the Cab Frye restaurant.

Andrew was a hoot. With his accent and enthusiasm.
He had just been given a t shirt that had the word
IMPOSSIBLE stenciled on it.
No. Not impossible.
There was an apostrophe between the I and the M.
It read

I’ M POSSIBLE.

He addressed our fears...of getting burnt, of not being ready to walk the fire, of doing it and finding we’d changed.
He addressed the things that held us back...ego, competition, phobias, addictions.
What are you walking away from?
And...
What are you walking toward?

There were three distinct stages.
Standing before the fire. There we were to name for ourselves what we were leaving behind.
On the other end of the fire....past the coals...that’s where our dreams beckoned.

In Celtic spirituality the question is asked, is there a horizon beyond the horizon?
He encouraged us to dream big dreams. And to walk toward them.
Between where we stood and our dreams was the barrier of the fire.
Walk the fire.
All is possible.

Then Andrew led us back outside. The fire with leaping flames was in sight. We sang some more. Andrew said we had to get up num, our energy up. We had to match the heat of the fire which he said was 800 to 1000 degrees.

He and his son demonstrated breaking arrows on soft spot of your neck.
Others did it.
He and his wife demonstrated bending a rebar (!) on the soft spot of your neck.
Others did it.

Then it was time to go down to the field.
The fire was ready to be raked.
There were still flames.
The burning logs were pulled to the sides.
Coals were raked out into the center.
Andrew tamped them down with a shovel and opened the fire.

We sang. The big drum kept time.
Slowly first one and then a second person went.
We sang. The big drum kept time.
Then a third person went.
Singing. Drumming.

My yoga teacher’s teacher went.
My yoga teacher went.
I stepped up.
And stepped onto the coals.
And walked across.
And never looked down or back.

Now we just walked.
Some danced.
Andrew and his son did this warrior step.
Some others held hands.
A few hurried, almost straight legged.
Others slowed down and seemed to drift.
Sparks caught on feet and were carried to the grass.

Twice Andrew "closed" the fire so that new coals could be raked unto the path.
For awhile the drums were stilled and we went silently offering prayers for peace and healing and our loved ones.
Then we circled the fire to sing, pray and end with the exchange of hugs.

We drifted up to the farmhouse where there was coffee and muffins.
Some people looked up the message of healing from their "kisses" which are places were the fire burnt your sole. The reflexology chart would tell you what part of the body had received some healing.

Throughout the night, a reporter and a photographer from the York newspaper (Andrew’s home town) were present. Over muffins they wanted to interview people and take down our names.
I declined. Most people talked to them. The photos and article will be on the newspaper website in a week or two.

I’m energized.
And glad that Loni suggested I write this all down.
Must get some sleep now.
Tomorrow is Sunday.