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Horizons Magazine

More about Andrea

APRIL 2000
Firewalking, life begins outside your comfort zone

Hello and welcome to the April 2000 edition of Horizons Magazine.
Being an Aries times 5, April is a favorite month for me and, with 6 planets out of 10
 in fire signs, fire is also a favorite element of mine. I light a candle twice a day when
 I meditate, and burn incense as well. I light a candle at my desk each morning as I
begin work, when I set my intention for the day's project. At evening's end, I light candles for my bath, to help me relax. I often burn sage to regenerate a room's energy after a busy day. I have fire ceremonies at the firepit in my woods, and burning bowl rituals with friends and clients.

When Shannon Burnett telephoned me about Kevin Hooey's firewalk in Central Florida on April 29, I was nearing my final layout with the April issue and her ad made it in just under the wire. Shannon is a friend from Unity Church of Melbourne and she sounded so enthusiastic about Kevin's work that I asked her to email me any writing Kevin had describing what he does. Kevin emailed me back and we spoke by phone, Shannon and I spoke a few more times, and I felt a discernible surge of energy from the two of them. I ended up essentially tearing this issue apart and recreating it at the last minute, so I could include the firewalking experiences of the two of them, and put Kevin on the cover.

Firewalking is about changing beliefs, recognizing personal power, overcoming limitations and going beyond present boundaries. I appreciate any practice that has the power to transform me completely within a few short hours. Kevin writes, "in preparing for a firewalk, you are dealing with fear, growing beyond self-imposed limitations or the creative power of mind and intention. The firewalk takes your limiting beliefs and shreds them... A person's sense of the wonderful possibilities... expands beyond its current limitations." In Shannon's personal experience, she writes, " How is walking on fire possible? There is no known scientific explanation - there is simply a greater reality." A greater reality indeed.

I was glad for the opportunity to ruminate a little on the symbolism of fire. Fire indeed transforms everything it touches. Remember the fires we had the summer of 98 and how so many lamented the loss of so much Florida scrubwoods? Those same areas right now are lush with new growth and the underlying deadfall has long been burned to ash.

We often must leave behind the world we know in order to live the life we want. If we allow our lives to become stagnant, all the while wishing for more, we can be sure a cosmic two by four will be upside our head in no time. I'm reminded of the man whose world was turned upside down and he cried out asking for help from all the chaos, and then he realized that it was God Himself shaking his world for him. When you allow yourself to settle for less than you really want, be sure that God will give you quite a few opportunities to rethink your position and make some changes.

Dr. Humbert mentions a Greek general who landed his troops on an enemy shore, then burned his ships, making it very clear: retreat and failure were not an option. He suggests leaving no room for failure. It's not easy to leave the past behind and jump into the fire of the present moment and trust that it will take you where you hope to go.

William Lovelady reminds us that life begins just outside our comfort zone. "If all we are and all we will be," he writes, "are a known quantity now, we are on the short road to being unfulfilled and miserable." He talks of gamblers who risk all they have for a chance at all they want. How many of us are willing to do that? (I'm trying to talk William into attending the firewalk on April 29, we'll see if it happens.)

Life begins just outside our comfort zone. Hmmmm... something to be said for that. I'll let you in on a secret. My own personal fear is being close to big bodies of water ~ pretty funny, huh, for someone who lives in Florida? I go to the beach often but keep my distance from the shore and if I'm there at night, I'm up on the duneline. My fear of water is completely unfounded and illogical. In 1997, a friend and I went to the Florida Keys for a week and I spent much time floating close to shore while my braver partner snorkeled 1/4 mile offshore where the grass and reefs hid lots of underwater treasures.

Sounds enticing, doesn't it? The problem is I can't make myself venture out over the grassy areas or get close to anything submerged. No logic to it at all. Floating buoyantly in the salt water, ever watchful of the ocean floor beneath me, as I near the grassy areas a foreboding sense comes upon me, and a heavy darkness seems to roll out of nowhere. The panic rises in my chest and makes me feel as though something will bite me in half at the waist, taking my lower half with it. I look out over the broad expanse of the Atlantic and see its gentle swells and remind myself that nothing exists that is not part of God. I breathe deeply to relax myself and I try to recall every time I felt connected to God's presence. I try to regenerate that feeling in the Now to dispel my panic. When the fear overwhelms me, I get out. When the fear passes, I get back in and try again. I did my best each day in the ocean to conquer my fear of it so I could go snorkeling too, but it didn't happen on that trip. A handful of times in my life I've managed to feel centered enough to actually swim and play in the ocean with a friend, but invariably the secure feeling passes and I'm up on the shore again. Each time it happens, though, I know I am closer to overcoming my fear completely, so there's a feeling of growth and movement forward. Although in the moment it may not feel like much fun, I always appreciate later having gone through it.

In January, a friend suggested a walk after dinner and we ended up on New Smyrna Beach about 10pm on new moon night. The beach was firm sand and easy to walk on, but it was pitch dark and that took getting used to. I was kinda nervous because I'd not been to that beach before and wasn't sure of how far away the ocean was from the shore, etc. The roar of the surf was loud and the beach looked eerily like we were walking on the water. Shadows danced in the dark. Not knowing the beach, I didn't know what was where. My old fears came up right away. The dark reinforced them and made them come alive. Even in the moment of anxiety, I knew there was nothing logical to be afraid of. Knowing that didn't ease my fear one iota.

My friend was blithely ignoring my panic but I wasn't making it clear how I really felt. He was joking and dancing around on the beach and his attitude made me feel less anxious. He didn't know about my fear, so he wasn't buying into it, much less addressing it. That helped me not feed it. That also helped ease tension and distract me, giving me time to adjust to my surroundings, to settle into my new level of awareness. After awhile, I relaxed and the fear left.

When we're afraid, we are wide open and observing everything. We are alert and aware to an extraordinary degree. Our physical chemistry alters as our consciousness alters. If during this time of being open and alert and aware we are shown that things we formerly thought impossible are indeed possible, our world can change in an instant. I've seen it happen time and time again: people suddenly waking up to who they really are and what they are truly capable of. And as that happens, our lives become fuller and we become conscious of our co-creator status with God. We find more answers and more peace than we've ever experienced. We become more attuned to inner guidance. Our lives begin to come together in more harmony than ever before.
Isn't that something we all aspire to? I do. I welcome every opportunity to expand my familiar band of perception and come to greater understanding. I welcome every chance to reinforce in my mind that I am indeed a powerful individual. As a friend recently said, anything is possible and anyone can do it. I hope to see you at the firewalk on April 29 ~ come find me and say hello.

Enjoy our offering this month. Hari Om.