Four large fires burn, waiting to be raked into glowing paths. To some of the three hundred people standing in the circle these paths represent insurmountable obstacles, to others an exhilarating challenge. Still others see those glowing coals as a way to break through fears in order to motivate themselves to go for distant goals or challenges. A small number perceive those gleaming pathways as leading them toward a reality which speaks of transformation and change. For them it is a trail which, if followed, will lead them on an amazing dance of ever deepening awareness. This last group interests me most. It is primarily for them that I have lit those fires, for I believe it is they who are beginning to grasp the true nature of this ancient dance of fire.

I was invited to work with the managers in this company a few months earlier by Rob Rabbin, an organization clarity coach and founder of the Hamsa Institute. This was the first time he had experienced the firewalk. He called the event with the 45 mangers an "unqualified success." He went on to say: "The firewalk is a dynamic experience in which people can learn, practice and apply the principles of empowerment."

The exhilaration that people feel when they actually walk through their fears and perceived limitations easily translates into stronger and more open relationships, more effective communication, and a heightened sense of team spirit and cooperation." Because of the quantitative changes that happened in that group and therefore in the entire company, they created a setting for me to work with the rest of their employees. For the past fourteen years I have worked with thousands of people with the firewalk. In these walks, again and again I have witnessed the remarkably powerful effect the firewalk has on groups and individuals.

Harvard Psychologist Richard Katz went to the Kalahari in 1982 and reports that "as the dance intensifies, n/um, or energy, is activated in those who are healers, most of whom are among the dancing men. As n/um intensifies in the healers, they experience an enhanced consciousness called !Kia, during which they heal all those at the dance." Katz goes on to state:
"...the !Kung work with the fire to help heat up the dancers' n/um. Dancers will go in the fire, walk in it, put their head in it, pick up coals and rub them over their hands and body... When the n/um in their body is boiling and as hot as the fire, they will not be burned."

In Peruvian mythology the path toward personal mastery is symbolized by three animals.
The first is a snake, representing the shedding of our past conditioning. The second animal is the puma depicting physical excellence, and the third is the condor, who soars on great wings to spiritual heights. I believe firewalking is the highest form of puma practice available to us. It teaches us to generate the energy needed to achieve success and to focus that energy with a clear mind.
I feel confident as I watch them that the objective of the firewalk has been met, that many of the barriers this company had been experiencing have melted in the heat of those fires.

Tonight had not been about firewalking. It had been about facing our fears squarely and giving up our patterns of belief... It had been about freeing ourselves to walk on the sun. I wonder once again, looking around at the chatting people, if they grasp the true nature of what we did.

The moon has risen into the sky during the time it has taken to rake the four fires into the glowing rectangles, each one about four feet wide and twelve feet long. The drum beat has intensified, matching the n/um in the group. The energy is palpable as I step away from the pathways and indicate that the fires are ready to be walked. This moment is always one of quiet intensity for me. It is a moment when I, like all the participants, am in disbelief at the audacity, perhaps even foolhardiness, of our undertaking. I glance at the mountain peak above us, a brief connection to that which stands in permanent beauty within all that is, a touch of a prayer for support from the invisible. Then one person approaches the coals and with focused intent walks across them, feet on red-hot coals. He gently steps off the glowing path and an exuberant yell of joy and success emanates from him. It is echoed by the group as more and more people cross the coals. Some walk fast, others slow, some dance, while others walk repeatedly, in total disbelief and delight. The atmosphere around the fire becomes celebratory as people rejoice in their own and their co-workers success.

There is a round of applause for the company for having the courage and far-sightedness to bring something as life altering as the firewalk to its employees. They express a sense of excitement about the challenges facing the company and using the tools learned here tonight to meet those challenges.
The evening ends with a buffet. People sit and stand in clusters continuing to share their experience with lots of excitement and laughter. I feel confident as I watch them that the objective of the firewalk has been met, that many of the barriers this company had been experiencing have melted in the heat of those fires. And I can't help thinking that there is more. As a friend of mine who works in organizational development put it so aptly: "I'm not interested in turning these people into better and better donkeys, who can carry bigger and bigger loads up steeper mountains for their company." I wonder if people grasped what we did here tonight, that it was more than a challenge faced or barrier overcome. For a moment in time we knew our limitless nature, allowing it to carry us beyond our beliefs into an experience which can heal, nurture and rejuvenate. And that experience, when kept alive, can guide, direct and give meaning to our lives.