Fire Walkers #2

Written by Robert Bruce Baird


Continued from page 1

I was wearing on my right ankle--the one I had sprained at Angkor-- an Ace bandage, which it took me a while to undo. This made merepparttar last onrepparttar 146068 line, butrepparttar 146069 flames were still leaping up high betweenrepparttar 146070 logs-- say, some eight or ten inches. The two youngsters just in front of me dashed across as fast as they could, but I decided to take my time and see what it really was like to walk on a wizard's fire. My first step, with my right foot, was a bit timid, and a bit off torepparttar 146071 side, where there were no leaping flames. But then I thought, 'Well now, come on!' and seeing a nice fat flame right in front, I put my left foot down on top of it, squarely. Crackle! The hairs onrepparttar 146072 lower part of my leg were singed and a pleasant smell of singed hair went up all around me, but to my skinrepparttar 146073 flame was cool--actually cool. This gave me great courage, and I calmly completed my walk, strolling slowly and calmly right downrepparttar 146074 center ofrepparttar 146075 road. Three more steps brought me torepparttar 146076 end, andrepparttar 146077 hands of several Yamabushi helped me off. I went back to our seats, andrepparttar 146078 two ladies in our group were gasping at what I had done. I went out to one ofrepparttar 146079 water tubs to wash my feet and get into my socks and shoes- -and it was only when I was putting on my right shoe that I noticed thatrepparttar 146080 swelling in my ankle had gone down {The day might come when we see healers at work with sports personnel.}: allrepparttar 146081 pain had disappeared too. Aroundrepparttar 146082 remains ofrepparttar 146083 fire inrepparttar 146084 center ofrepparttar 146085 area a lot of little old women were standing who had gone overrepparttar 146086 fire, holding their hands out torepparttar 146087 burning cinders and then rubbing their poor, aching backs--dear souls. It had certainly been a great and wonderful event. The courteous gentleman was greatly pleased that I had participated and invited us all to come back someday. We gathered our things and presently strolled away.

{The notes say he was told a month later thatrepparttar 146088 layout ofrepparttar 146089 fire had much to do with whyrepparttar 146090 smoke behaved as it did. The authors ask a good question. Why make believe it was magic and not tell people? This isrepparttar 146091 way of power and manipulation butrepparttar 146092 fire work they did was already most impressive, so one might allow they simply thoughtrepparttar 146093 smoke was a part ofrepparttar 146094 ritual and notrepparttar 146095 real point anyway.}

Two days later Joseph wrote to Jean aboutrepparttar 146096 event: 'When you come to Tokyo I'll show you three cute little fire holes inrepparttar 146097 suit, which I shall wear henceforth with secret knowledge.--The next day (22nd) I walked some eight or ten miles at Nara and Horinji--andrepparttar 146098 ankle is still good.'

Shortly after Jean had received her letter, she got a phone call from Aldous Huxley, who wanted to speak to Joseph. Jean, still full ofrepparttar 146099 excitement ofrepparttar 146100 account, told Huxleyrepparttar 146101 whole story, how Joe was in Japan and had just firewalked. Huxley became excited and told his friend Gerald Heard, also interested in magic andrepparttar 146102 paranormal, who later contacted Campbell to get his firsthand account ofrepparttar 146103 experience.

Campbell later learned that Fu-do Myo-o,repparttar 146104 name ofrepparttar 146105 patron deity ofrepparttar 146106 temple where he had seenrepparttar 146107 'Ceremony, means 'very still, even in fire,' Sometimesrepparttar 146108 god is depicted as a red figure sitting in a fire, with one eye open and one eye closed, likerepparttar 146109 Norse deity Odin. Japan had already shown Campbell its artful surfaces, now she showed her mythic depths.” (12)

What a bunch of weirdos believing in such trash! No wonder Huxley and Campbell arerepparttar 146110 epitome ofrepparttar 146111 New Age that wishes to get back to what Australian aboriginal adepthoods or nature-worshippers alloverrepparttar 146112 world remind us is our true roots. Here in places where no journalists or empire builders have pollutedrepparttar 146113 human environment we find talent and discipline that took hundreds of thousands of years to refine and yet science today has no explanation.

Doesrepparttar 146114 consciousness withinrepparttar 146115 atoms ofrepparttar 146116 body choose to be there? Bucky Fuller writes thatrepparttar 146117 finely crafted wood in an artisan's sculpture or furniture is there because it chooses this in some manner that involves us or our design leaderrepparttar 146118 soul. The ability of these atomic level consciousnesses to be worked with inrepparttar 146119 case ofrepparttar 146120 healing fire is greater than most firewalkers and indicates a cross matter communication. It is one thing for affinity to exist inrepparttar 146121 muons separated atrepparttar 146122 old Inco nickel mines in Sudbury, to communicate. When one is energized,repparttar 146123 other moves; it was reported inrepparttar 146124 last year or so. It is another level entirely when these atomic and conscious forces do so almost independently with other bodies and kinds of matter they have no apparent innate similarity to. As inrepparttar 146125 case of de-materializationrepparttar 146126 atoms ofrepparttar 146127 body are released fromrepparttar 146128 intellectual and other bonds we place upon them through whatever holds us and keeps us from knowingrepparttar 146129 beauty ofrepparttar 146130 next realms; or what we are part of (inrepparttar 146131 multi-dimensional soul, or as reported in past lives). If we really try to find explanations they are there! The conscious specialness humanity carved out for itself through ego and ignorance is not so great as those materially focused people would like it to be; and that begsrepparttar 146132 question ofrepparttar 146133 great bard himself! 'To be or not, to be?' And where you placerepparttar 146134 punctuation allows a lot of different points of view in this question especially when you placerepparttar 146135 concept of righteousness afterrepparttar 146136 last word by saying 'To be or not to be, Divine?'

Author of Diverse Druids Columnist for The ES Press Magazine Guest 'expert' at World-Mysteries.com


Fire Walkers # 1

Written by Robert Bruce Baird


Continued from page 1

Pearce's theory of fire-immunity as a product of a state of temporary reality invoked by a magician explains whyrepparttar fire-walk has so shocked and offended those who depend on usingrepparttar 146067 reality they have grown accustomed to as a bulwark againstrepparttar 146068 apparition which Freud {Whose student Jung, said Freud was unable to contemplaterepparttar 146069 metaphysical real world due to his fears and insecurities.} called 'the black tide of occult mud'. In recent years, however, fire-walking has been used inrepparttar 146070 West as a motivational tool inrepparttar 146071 more extreme types of leadership training as well as in courses for personal growth and development. The successful fire-walker achieves a 'natural high' throughrepparttar 146072 conquest of his or her rational fear, a triumph of 'mind over matter' that sets them apart as a kind of shaman and enables them to believe that they are capable of achieving anything." (11)

The de-materialization entry has some application in another approach to 'possibility-thinking' for what might be going on here. In bi-location a body may de-materialize and send itself throughrepparttar 146073 cosmos to another place like teleportation. Thus appearing to be in two places almost simultaneously. OK! If you have a better explanation for actual occurrences, I'm listening! Let us give yourepparttar 146074 experience of Joseph Campbell of a trip to Japan, first; and then all of us can 'think' about what is really going on. The key thing in this story that adds torepparttar 146075 Brigham or other experiences isrepparttar 146076 'healing use' ofrepparttar 146077 energy inrepparttar 146078 fire.

"On May 21,repparttar 146079 Buddhist saint Shinren's birthday,repparttar 146080 streets ofrepparttar 146081 neighborhood were hung with colorful streamers and lanterns. Airplanes flew overhead strewing paper lotus petals, and enormous crowds surged everywhere inrepparttar 146082 streets of Kyoto. Campbell and his companions watched a few minutes ofrepparttar 146083 Noh-play taking place onrepparttar 146084 Nishi Honganji temple grounds, and then were whisked rather urgently away torepparttar 146085 ninth-century Fu-do Myo-o-in temple. As they arrived, so did an important-looking Shinto priest in full regalia, and then a small group of Buddhist monks. 'One cannot tell whererepparttar 146086 Buddhism ends andrepparttar 146087 Shinto begins,' wrote Campbell.

They were early and were given seats inrepparttar 146088 front row facingrepparttar 146089 altar. Butrepparttar 146090 ceremony due shortly to unfold would be conducted by neither traditional Buddhist nor Shinto priests, but officiants more akin to shamans:repparttar 146091 Yamabushi,repparttar 146092 independent mountain-dwelling ascetics of Japan.

'There was a large, square, roped-off area before us, with a big, square pyre inrepparttar 146093 middle, covered with evergreen boughs. Beyond that was an altar,repparttar 146094 length of one side ofrepparttar 146095 area, set with offerings: cakes, oranges, etc., all neatly stacked. At each comer ofrepparttar 146096 area was a large wooden tub of water with a long-handled scoop--to be used onrepparttar 146097 fire. And inrepparttar 146098 comer at our right was a large bell-gong set on a table. At about 4:30 p.m.repparttar 146099 Yamabushi arrived - in their fantastic costumes. They had been on a procession through certain parts ofrepparttar 146100 town. (Biblio and notes bring us important historical insight: 'This curious order of monk-magicians,' Campbell wrote in his journal, 'is said to have appeared inrepparttar 146101 8th century, as a protest againstrepparttar 146102 governmental control ofrepparttar 146103 Buddhist religion comparable in a way, I should say, torepparttar 146104 hermit movement in Christendom afterrepparttar 146105 moment of Constantine. Refusingrepparttar 146106 usual ordinations byrepparttar 146107 government, they retired torepparttar 146108 mountains and lived as holy hermits, and likerepparttar 146109 friars of later Europe, were responsible for spreadingrepparttar 146110 religion amongrepparttar 146111 common people. Buddhism in Japan before their time had been largely an aristocratic affair. Moreover, they were strongly influenced byrepparttar 146112 7th century Tantric lore and principles.')



Author of Diverse Druids Columnist for The ES Press Magazine Guest 'expert' at World-Mysteries.com


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