Update: Tonight, I watched Oprah Winfrey fire walk. She was taught by Tony Robbins and it was amazing to watch her go through that experience. Every one has fear and you can learn strategies to overcome it. Here is my original post about doing my own personal fire walk.
In 1995, I had the privilege of attending a fire walk led by Mr. Ivan Kos, in Edmonton, Alberta. I did it because I was at a turning point in my life and needed to face my fears.
A load of wood greeted us outside of the community hall and we watched, mesmerized, as the fire was lit. It burned for hours, flames leaping to the dark night of the sky, as we prepped ourselves mentally for walking on a hot bed of coals.
As the moon rose and the night deepened, you could feel the electric energy slipping across the room as the embers glowed with tiny tendrils of flame leaping up through the dark bed.
Did we just walk across the flames with no preparation? No…..we spent hours doing visualization exercises, allowing ourselves to go into a trance of sorts that would allow us to cross safely. There were beliefs that needed to be deleted and new beliefs installed…….we tested those beliefs on wooden boards that we tried to break (this was before I had any martial arts training at all and I failed at it, miserably!).
Approaching a Fire Walk
- We eliminated negative beliefs
- We installed new, empowering beliefs
- We visualized a safe, ecological outcome (we would cross the coals with intact, burn free feet!)
- We tested our beliefs system in a safe manner
Then, when we were ready and not a moment before, we stood there, on the edge of the bed of coals, excitement and fear a tangible force in the night. Ivan told us to go when we felt the undeniable urge to cross the coals safely. I felt a stirring in my chest and looked around at the others, waiting for someone to go first….and then, to my surprise, I found myself making the first move, my feet carrying me safely across the coals. The exhilaration as I reached the other side was indescribable.
I understand that there may be scientific reasons why your feet don’t burn. All I know is this….the fear of fire is real, it is a primal fear. In order to ALLOW yourself to cross, you must overcome that fear and once you have made those steps and embarked on that journey, my friends, you will know “I have walked on fire. I can do anything”.
Most people will not have the opportunity to fire walk on a bed of coals. You might, however, have had your own “bed of coals”, such as an abusive relationship,illness, a death of a child, physical limitations, loss, bankruptcy (money and/or soul). The list is endless for beds of burning coals in life.
My friend, whatever you have survived, walked past, moved on from….congratulate yourself for the accomplishment. The world is your oyster and you CAN have the life you want to create.
Warning: Do not attempt fire walking without the proper supervision of someone certified to teach it. It can be dangerous!
“Drive your own life…you deserve to, don’t you?” Sherie Venner
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Sherie
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Great post!
Your descriptions paint a vivid picture. I really like how you talk about overcoming the primal fear of fire with preparation and determination!
Thank you!! I appreciate your comment!! : D