I was twenty two years old when I first became aware of how fire sparks
life into the world we live in. I was living on the east coast in April
of 1989. One of the largest wildfire's, ever to consume the east end of
Long Island, was burning over 800 acres of natural pine barrens. People
were thinking the posh resort-like town of East Hampton was going to go
up in flames. This was also the time in my life that I realized I lived
in, and around, one of only twenty ecosystems in the world. The Long Island
pine barren is a very rare and delicate woodland preserve. Most of the pine
trees that make up the pine barren on Long Island, and parts of the New
Jersey Pine Forest, are the Pigmy and Pitch Pine. This type of forest is
found in no other part of the world, but Japan. Another unique element at
work here is that these trees need fire to "crack" open the seeds
they produce for new seedlings to grow. The fire is a catalyst for the birth
of new life.
Many years ago when Native Montauk and
Shinnecock Indians were living with the land on the east end of Long Island,
they would ignite controlled burns to keep brush from building up. These
fires also kept many insect populations in control as well. These fires
also worked to prevent larger out-of-control fires like the one in '89,
and in years past. The Native Americans used fire to herd deer and bison,
and kept grasslands green by burning young trees and dead grass throughout
North America. Not only did these tribes use fire in this manner, they also
used the fire in rituals like Firewalking.
For many cultures, the firewalk is a ritualistic
catalyst for personal and spiritual growth, a new start in life, and a rite
of passage. Firewalking
is one of the oldest transformational rituals known to man. We find Firewalking
in every major cultural and religious organization from the Roman Catholic
Church to tribes in Africa, South America, the South Pacific, and Asia.
In every practice, the ritual of Firewalking is a celebration of transformation,
healing, and rebirth.
Firewalking is used even in today's corporate
settings, the firewalk excites and transforms employees of major global
companies, small businesses, and Educational Institutions around the world.
Firewalking is still being used as a spiritual
awakening tool, in many parts of the world. Today it is also used as a powerful
personal motivational tool. When you partake in a Firewalking experience,
you step into a lineage of Firewalkers that preceded you. You become part
of a greater collective consciousness.
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