Matching The Energy Of The Fire! (Part 5 of 7)
You might think holding a Sacred Marriage ceremony was enough for one day, but that was only the first half of the day!
The evening activities were a secret. Jeremy Pajer, Stephanie Urbina Jones of Freedom Folk and Soul, and I were setting up for the evening as quietly as we could while the group went to the nearest city, San Juan, for some shopping.
I am so excited! Firewalk tonight! So many first-timers!
My first firewalk was in January of this year, and I took my fear of anger to the fire. I walked to the middle of the coals, stopped, reached for the sky with my fists, and screamed with all of my energy,
“I am allowed to be angry!”
While everyone repeated it back to me with the same level of intensity, I walked over the rest of the coals. I didn’t burn my feet when I stopped in the middle; it was transformative! Holy shit! I just did that!
My relationship with anger changed with that firewalk!
This will be my third firewalk, so I’m not nervous about it, and I will have to get my energy up. What excites me is witnessing all the other women who will be doing it for the first time!
As Jeremy prepared the wood for the fire, it was obvious to everyone that there would be a fire, and it would be a big one!
It wasn’t until we stepped back into our circle, and took some time to share, then Jeremy went into teaching about firewalking, and everyone got what we were doing, and they became nervous about it!
We were given two pieces of paper, one to write down all the fears that had come up for us this week that we wanted to release into the fire and a second, more sturdy piece to create a vision board. We spent some time on both, and it was fun because I loved seeing how my vision board had changed from just eight months ago when I last created one.
We gather around the neatly-stacked, crisscrossed pine wood four levels high. It is impressive. Jeremy is a master firewalk facilitator, and he also trains firewalk facilitators.
Dang! He knows how to build a fire! I’m so excited! I’m so happy!
“Ok, everyone, take a deep breath, and let’s connect with the fire.”
“We are going to light the fire together as a community, and those fears you want to release will be used to start the fire. I will light the first few papers; then you can light each other’s paper.”
Jeremy lights the paper for two people, then they light their neighbor’s paper, and it goes down the line. I light my paper and place it between two pieces of wood, which immediately starts burning bright.
The fire, now raging, is so hot! The circle is widening further and further. Stephanie grabs a hand drum and leads us in the sacred fire song. We sing it over and over and over.
“Fire, sacred fire
Burning through the night
Come to me in the dream time
Bring me visions of light
Circle round, spiral down
To this heart open wide
Healing light burning bright
Dry these tears I cry”
It takes a little while for the fire to be ready, so we head back inside to receive a complete introduction to firewalking!
“Are you ready to walk on 1500-degree coals?” Jeremy asks, with a big smile on his face.
I hear some gasps from the group.
As he went through the introduction to firewalking, he encouraged us to refrain from trying and figuring out why it works, why we can walk on 1500-degree coals and not burn our feet. Accept the mystery for what it is.
He told us that it’s vital to get our energy to equal the energy of the fire!
He warned us that we might get “kisses” on the bottom of our feet, and they typically end up on a reflexology point where we may need attention.
Jeremy finishes with a bit more logistics, and we head back out to the fire!
As Jeremy starts to arrange the coals, Stephanie pulls us to the side, we circle up, and we are invited to yell out our fears of fire walking, and as we do, everyone yells it back to us:
I WON’T DO IT
I WILL BURN MY FEET
I WILL TRIP AND FALL
I WILL FREEZE IN THE MIDDLE
I WILL LOOK STUPID
We are going to walk 108 times. Why 108? It appears that in many traditions, 108 is a significant, sacred number. According to HimalayanYogaInstitute.com, “When the number 108 appears in our life, it may mean that we are about to attain a long-desired goal or achievement. The number 108 consists of the individual numbers 1, 0, and 8. The number 1 represents authority and leadership. It also represents new beginnings, taking initiative, and embarking on a new path of progress.” It goes much deeper, so check out the link above if you want to learn more.
The coals are ready!
I grab a drum, and Jeremy cranks up high-energy music. We drum, chant, yell, dance, and the energy rises!
Jeremy, Stephanie, and I were the first to walk across the coals to demonstrate… Yes, this can be done!
I stand at the end of the coals, drumming, and one by one; each person pulls up their energy, bravery, and conviction. They purposefully walk across the coals, eyes wide, hearts open. I cheer for them and greet them with a celebratory hug!
As each person crosses the coals, we count! We continue crossing the coals with high energy, releasing our fears until we reach 108! Each person crossed the coals many times.
It was fun, awesome, powerful, exhilarating, and profound!
Over the week, I’ve been working on my fear of having my voice be heard in difficult or uncomfortable situations, and this firewalk definitely moved that energy.
If you ever get the opportunity to participate in a firewalk, do it!
If you missed them, here are the previous blog posts in this series, documenting my spiritual journey to Teotihuacan:
When We Become Aware, We Regain the Freedom To Choose
The Distorted Stories Of Our Sacred Rebel
Looking Within and Learning To Love It All
Tina Green is the “Self-Love Queen,” and she is the Founder, Owner, and Transformational Coach at Exposing The Roots.
Through her coaching, Toltec Sacred Journey Breathwork, sacred rituals, women’s circles, and retreats, Tina partners with women to increase their self-love. She is especially passionate about women loving their bodies!
Tina believes that when a woman learns to love herself, everything changes, and anything is possible.
Tina is an ordained Minister of the Healing Arts, Toltec Sacred Journey Breathwork Facilitator, #1 Best-Selling Author, trained Life Coach, and Chef.
Tina brings her vital mother energy and lived experience to everyone she serves.
She also has 20 years of experience as an executive in non-profit and financial services.
Tina lives with her husband and two teenage daughters in Northern California. She is a personal transformation enthusiast, life-long student, foodie, outdoor adventurer, music and theatre lover, and traveler.
