Fire Walking in Stettler,  Alberta

Picture of me walking across ten feet of glowing hot coals.

You can visit the Fire Walking site and Thomas Chadwick at www.firewalking.ca

It was mostly be chance that I happened to read the article. I had a few minutes to kill in front of my computer and was browsing through the online version of our local newspaper when I happened to click on the Lifestyles section and came across an article on fire walking. It contained a photo of a man calmly walking down a long bed of glowing coals accompanied by a short explanation of what, and why, he was doing it. At the bottom of the article was a time and location of the next Fire Walking Seminar. I had seen this done several times on television and while mildly interested never had a burning (pardon the pun) desire to perform the task myself. But, something in the words caught my attention. I can't even articulate exactly what it was only that within ten minutes I had called up the organizer and registered for the event. There was something deep inside me that had compelled me to go. There was never any question in my mind. It was something I wanted to (had to) do.

As the day grew closer the anticipation inside me continued to grow. Interestingly enough I didn't feel nervous or even once question what I was about to do. A calmness seemed to flow through me as I thought about the event and the personal experience I was about to undertake.

The day of the event arrived and I prepared for my journey. I left in plenty of time as I wanted to be early rather than late. I also wanted the opportunity to speak with the man (Thomas was his name) before the event started. As the miles clicked by I occasionally had flashes of burn victims I had seen on news reports in the past and wondered offhand if I would be walking or hobbling at work the next day.

You know how our mind can often be in many places at once? Take for instance right now. You may be reading this but at the same time being aware of an appointment you may have later today, or the grocery list in your pocket you have to pick up on the way home, or a concern that you have had or an upcoming car repair bill that you hope isn't to exorbitant. I can tell you that for me, on way to the arena where the event was being held, my world began to shrink until there wasn't a yesterday or tomorrow. There weren't any schedules or appointments. No bills to be paid. My attention was focusing more and more on the next few hours and what they would entail. Oddly enough, still no fear, only a quite anticipation. Like this was something I was supposed to do.

As I drove into the parking lot I was greeting by the "Firewagon". I recognized it from the photo on Thomas' website. It was a metal cage that appeared to be about 4' wide and 10' long. It had a solid metal pan on the bottom and steel mesh on the three sides and top.  It was filled with about 3 feet of split wood. I walked over to it and spent a short bit of time taking the scene in. In a strange way it was almost like an introduction to someone I was soon to share a very intimate experience with. I was pretty sure that there would be an abundance of hooping and hollering and excitement and encouragement going on during the actual walk but something inside me knew that this was going to be something between me and the fire alone.

I entered the building where a group of people were gathering. There was everyone from young boys to older adults. An interesting mix. In some cases not typically what you would expect to see at an event like this. Not that this event was typical. Not by a long shot. I recognized Thomas immediately. He was casually dressed with a clean white shirt covered with a black vest, dark pants and cowboy boots. He warmly greeted me as I walked over and introduced myself. We chatted for a while and I was quickly impressed by his down to earth demeanor under which lay a determination and confidence that was almost tangible.

The session began with Thomas' teaching style being similar to his dress. The teaching felt more like a discussion with him talking a bit about his history and how he became a fire-walking instructor. He touched on a variety of interesting and provocative topics about reality, and energy, and how much of an effect we had on our environment and those around us.

He told us we each were very powerful people. As I listened I heard him tell me how fear is not to be shunned but to be welcomed. It's not fear but how we react to it that makes the difference between paralyzation and motivation. He told me how I could "re-program" my mind and  my body and therefore my reality proactively. He showed me how to change some of the recorded messages my mind would play over and over. I say that's what he told me. Not necessarily the words he spoke. I've discovered in the past that there are always two channels of communication taking place whenever I'm in a teaching environment. The first is the words that are spoken and the discussions entered into. The other, and frankly often the more profound, is an actual transfer of energy between teacher and student. In his graciousness he was offering a bit of himself to me.



All the while in the back of my mind I could hear the Firewagon calling me with a still, calm, almost serene voice.

The night was going on and the time to light the fire had arrived. We all trouped out to where the Firewagon was waiting for us each holding a piece of paper with our fears listed on it. Early in the evening he had passed around small pieces of paper and asked us to write down our fears we had on it. He had explained that the fire walk was a metaphor for our lives and the belief systems and fears that held us back. Most, if not all, created in our minds. Once everyone had cast his or her slips of paper onto the pile of wood he set it ablaze. The fire burnt hot and the flames and smoke rose high in the air. The stage was set.

Back into the meeting room we went to prepare for the fire walk. He spoke of teamwork and that each one of us played a part in the other's success. We performed a variety of meditations to help us prepare our minds and bodies for what lie ahead. The air in the room was changing. You could feel it. It's as thou a fierce determination and cohesiveness settled down upon the room. At the same time a profound stillness rose up and encompassed each one. The people were starting to change. I had first noticed it when we were all grouped around the Firewagon after throwing our pieces of paper. An air of expectation and anticipation began to engulf us. Each one was there for their own personal reason. Each one unique, and yet none more or less important than the other.

Thomas had been glancing out the window and announced that the time was right and we were ready to walk through fire.

Out we walked each one with a determination and resolution that for many may have been quite new. My companion on this journey had been calling me stronger and stronger. Inviting me. My friend - the fire. As I left the building my world was totally focused and encompassed by what lay ahead of me. No hesitation. No nervousness. No wondering. Just a deep respect for the fire and a gratitude for what it was offering to teach me. Time began to loose its grip on my awareness. All that was before me were my fellow firewalkers, the cloud of energy that surrounded us, Thomas, and the fire.

By now the fire had burnt down to a bed of glowing embers. Thomas took a rake and began to methodically smooth out the coals with a care and consideration that displayed a reverence for what he was preparing and who he was preparing it for. And why. You can't know exactly what it's like until you walk it. All the head knowledge cannot even begin to detail the experience of participating. And walking the fire. Thomas knew. He had done it many times before. Each time being unique. He knew the dangers. And he knew the rewards. And the freedoms that lay within the glowing coals.

The stage was set. Before us lay a bed of coals four feet wide that stretched our ten feet in front of us. The anticipation grew and grew reaching a crescendo. He instructed us to remove our footwear down to bare feet. This is it. Now is the time.

Thomas went first. He stopped briefly at the edge of the fire bed. Out of respect. Honoring the fire. And then with shouting and chanting filling the air walked slowly and with immense determination across the coals jubilantly exiting the other side. With feet unscathed I might add.
 

Blackened with ash and soot but no burns

One by one we crossed. Some alone. Some hand in hand. Some crossed once. Some crossed twice. Some, when released from the fear that bound them, crossed back and forth. I saw two ladies meet at the precipice and hand in hand take the first step onto the coals. Step by step. The look of amazement followed by the glow of empowerment filling their faces and beings.  I watched them one by one. And saw the expression on their faces. And saw the power that descended upon them. And saw the beliefs, and chains, and burdens that so many had carried for so long break and fall away consumed by the fire.


And then it was my turn. I stood and looked at the fire. It was still there. To everyone around me they saw the fire bed carpeted with glowing embers but for me the flames reached high up above. I remembered our first meeting. How long ago I have no idea. Not that time really meant anything at that point. Not that it means much at all. A human construct built on a timeless existence. I honored the fire. And the fire honored me. And I stepped out on the bed of coals. In that instance the horizons of my entire world were the edges of the fire bed. The people were gone. Yesterday was a distance memory. Tomorrow would never happen. Because at that point there was no time. Only me and the fire. Step by step I walked. Till I reached the end. I turned and walked back across the bed to the beginning. I would like to describe the sensation I felt in my feet and my body but using mere words to paint the picture would be a great injustice to the experience. When my feet touched the gra
ss that bordered the fire bed I began to become conscious once again of my surroundings. I began to hear the cheering and shouting. I heard the encouraging words offered to those about to walk and the congratulatory high-fives of those who walked.

For me, I felt an unusual quietness and exhilaration all at the same time. The walk was over and people started trickling back to the meeting room to look at the assortment of books and t-shirts available. Some went home. I hesitated for a little while. Looking at the now, only slightly warm, bed of coals. Not wanting to leave them. Not wanting to leave the fire. It had taught me so much in those brief few second we spent together. I was changed. How, I frankly had no real idea. The true ramifications of what had transpired were still yet to come. I walked slowly back to my car leaving the Firewagon and the fire behind. My feet crunched on the graveled parking lot. Blackened with soot and ash and completely unscathed. I began to realize that this evening was not an end but really a beginning.

I was thankful to Thomas for taking the time and effort to offer this adventure. I�m already waiting and watching for his next event that I might take this journey again.

As I write this a few days have passed since the journey. I'm back in my everyday surroundings. But things don't seem so everyday anymore. There's something different in me. I've changed. I'm catching the briefest glimpses of a future that looks much different. Fear once paralyzed me. Now I understand that it can be my greatest friend and can empower and motivate me like nothing else can. I was thankful to Thomas for this experience and his teachings. But it was not Thomas that did the teaching. He set up the environment. He prepared each one of us. He made us ready. He encouraged us. He led by his example. But he didn't teach us. At least not me. I'll be forever grateful for what he did and shared. But he was not the teacher. For me, the teaching, and releasing, and empowering, happened in that brief moment in timelessness when it was only the fire and me. And fear. And the three of us established a new and powerful bond that will propel me towards the future that once could have been and now will be.

You can visit Thomas Chadwick's websites at www.firewalking.ca and mindshifters.com for more information on Firewalking and the many other valuable services he offers.
 

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