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Writer's pictureShirley Riga

I made a commitment

Updated: Jun 25, 2020


In the mid 90’s I was curious about

Firewalking, learning about it in a brochure

of a local event

with a certified firewalking teacher

With a potluck meal in hand

We gathered in a field

And joined in a circle around

A large pile of logs

About 30 people, men and women

Participated in exercises to break the ice

Get to know each other

And relax

The logs were lit about an hour

Into the process

With the fire tenders on task

As we sang and shared and witnessed

The burning, the heat, the hours

Passing by as the logs diminished in the heat

With more being added as we erected and

Lifted our energy with intention

We joined for a sharing of the potluck

At dusk in anticipation of the evening

Knowing the ultimate goal

Everyone had in mind

I was there with one friend

Who carried courage for me

And I for her as we met

Each other’s eyes across the circle

Into the evening after dinner was shared

The intensity of the singing increased

With the embers glowing and the

Heat rising in warping waves of light

Rakes were used to smooth out

The embers of red as they became

A carpet of glowing rocks

Within the circle of onlookers

All afternoon and evening we listened

And sang and affirmed our ability to

Alter our sense of reality

Of what our brains told us was real

We experienced a raising of the energy

Both in our minds and our bodies

To a height that allowed us each

To know anything was possible

It was about 9pm as the embers

Glowed and the firewalking began

With the first experienced walker

Strolling over the coals

Without burning of flesh.

We kept singing knowing the

Energy was high and the

Intentions clear

We all had a choice whether to

Walk or not

We would know when we were ready

To begin the path across the embers

I waited and watched

In amazement as those before me

Walked and were delighted

As they reached the other side of the circle

And then I knew it was my time

I signaled to my friend I was going to go

And met her eyes fiercely

And walked believing my success

And I didn’t run nor did I dally

I strolled across the embers

That felt like a warm carpet

And reached the other side

I was amazed and shocked

With my brain screaming I should be in pain

And my feet fine with no charring

I walked on fire. I walked on fire

My brain was confused

I walked on fire and I did not burn

Anything is possible

I just proved it.

I have never forgotten the experience

Of walking on fire stretching

My brain into having to acknowledge

Anything is possible

We are energy and we do have

The ability to raise our energy

In ways that defy our understanding

Of our expectations

I made a commitment

I believed anything is possible

I trusted the process

And I walked on fire!

Participants’ Reflections:

  • I loved being reminded of a similar incredible experience of firewalking. Thinking about it is stepping out of my realm of safety. It takes a lot of courage to trust what I see that doesn’t make sense.

  • While meditating, the birds were really talking. I was thinking it’s nice to trust birds will always be there. All of a sudden their noise stopped. I thought, no -- trust is about me always being able to trust myself to do the right thing, not that everything else will be there. And we always learn from everything we experience.

  • I hadn’t thought about firewalking for a long time. I did it in my 20’s. My youngest daughter was named for fire. Each of my four children were named after different elements. My fire daughter has the heart holding the family together. She’s the peacekeeper. Thank you for reminding me of the embers in my life and in appreciation for the surrender to my daughter.

  • Wow, that is a great experience I’ve never had. I have tender feet and it’s hard to walk on just the ground. In my recent experience dealing with my divorce, I reached out to my family. My sister has experienced divorce and shared insights. When panic and grieving take over, she suggested I say “I see you” and “I release you”. I practice that with the people I am distancing from. I practice this affirmation releasing them from my heart.

  • That in a sense is a firewalk. You’re walking through step by step with awareness. Firewalking can be used as a metaphor. We all have to do something to raise our energy, align ourselves, set intentions and believe in our selves through it. And we do it with support.

  • So grateful for the support of this group. It’s so valuable to my sense of security through my divorce.

  • Last Sunday I participated in a ritual for world peace day. We had a fire. As part of the ritual we were asked to do some deep breathing. With every breath think of something we wanted to release into the fire. At that time the fire was embers. So powerful to experience.

  • Fire ceremonies no matter what they are, are about releasing, surrendering and facing fear, burning them up.

  • I did several firewalks in the early 90’s. We did exercises before the firewalk like falling back in another’s arms trusting they would catch us – letting go and trusting. The instructor taught us to listen to ourselves, trusting when we can walk through it if we choose to. I had gotten sober not too long before that. Firewalking gave me strength that it was possible to walk my path.

  • “I trust the process” has been a mantra for a while because I like to control the process. We don’t know what’s going to happen a lot of times and we have to surrender to the process. I was reminded yesterday and today with John O’Donoghue’s poem Fluent: “I would like to live like a river flows carried by the surprise of its own unfolding.”

  • Like living in expectancy instead of controlling my expectations.

  • I was late signing in. I wanted to share my experience of endurance. I remember the group has a boundary we’re not going to let people in late. I couldn’t get in on the computer. The sign comes up I’m in the waiting room. Do I give up? or do I chill out and use this time in the waiting room? Whether I’m let in or not I decided I can still meditate. I let go and trusted, rode the wave. It’s all good. Lo and Behold I was being let in which was a beautiful gift.

  • I have a lot of stuff in my life I have to face that I have very little control over. I need my higher power to deal with those things.

  • The key to every moment, sitting in traffic or dealing with stuff we don’t want to deal with is all about remembering to surrender.

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