Healing, Firewalking, and Miracles

Healing, Firewalking, and Miracles

This is a true story about people relating their own real experiences of walking on fire. They range from the humorous to the dramatic to the transformational to the miraculous.

One of the greatest aspects of the firewalk is after the event when everyone is sharing their experiences and stories with the whole group.
When we had gathered in the conference room the next day, a seven-year-old girl, Leslie, who had walked over the hot, burning embers hand-in-hand with her mother, was the first to share her story.
"My mommy didn't want to come. She was so scared, but I told her she had to come because then she would believe me about the Angels that are with me. The Angels told me if my mommy did this with me then she would know I really could see them—I like talking to the Angels because they tell me lots of things. So I begged her to come and take me here and she finally did and now, she doesn't think I'm making up stories anymore."
At this point, Leslie's mother stood up in the audience shouting, "I believe, I believe! I will never doubt my precious child again." Her humorous outburst caused everyone to laugh and feel the sincerity of her words.
"Weren't you afraid for your daughter's safety?" I asked.
"I was terrified, not for her, but for me! I wasn't going to walk on fire. She said the angels told her she had to walk on the fire to prepare herself for her future mission on earth. Leslie insisted we come. Well, this went on for months until I finally relented and thought I'd put this thing to the end and never hear about it again," she explained.
"You were in for a surprise, weren't you?" I asked.
"I just came to watch, never dreaming it would happen. I would never let my child walk on fire, but when she grabbed my hand and pulled me over those hot coals, I knew right then and there how wrong I was and what a gifted and special child I have." She looked at her daughter next to her and reached out both arms to give her a big hug.
Everything changed—from the fun, lively and humorous playfulness, to an immensely emotional moment, as mother and child embraced with tears in their eyes. Leslie's mom whispered, "My child, I will never doubt you again. You are so special! I will never doubt you again."
Then there was the miracle of Paul. He came up on the stage to share his incredible story: "For 15 years, ever since I had an accident when I broke and mangled my foot, I could not place my entire foot flat on the ground." He stopped to demonstrate and then continued to speak. "I couldn't walk properly. I had a limp and could only walk on the side, not the bottom, of my foot." Again, he stopped to demonstrate. "Now, today, after the firewalk, it's a miracle!" He became completely animated on the stage.
"I can do it...I can do it! Look, I can walk without a limp. Look, I can do it. After 15 years, it's a miracle, my whole foot on the ground. My whole foot! It's a miracle, I tell you!" He continued in his boisterous, animated display. Everyone joined in and began to clap and applaud. He left the stage thrilled, repeating, "It's a miracle...after 15 years, it's a miracle."
"Since we're talking about feet, I have a small miracle to share with everyone," said Vera, a stately woman in her late sixties. "For many years, I suffered with warts on my feet. I tried everything. I even had surgery and had them cut out, but they grew back again. Nothing helped. They were always painful and hurting. When I awoke this morning, the first thing I did was look at my feet. I wanted to see if any blisters came up and suddenly, I realized that my warts were gone! A new scientific cure for warts!" she continued to rave about the firewalk, "All my warts are gone!"
The room responded with a round of applause. From the other side of the room, someone jumped up and ran to the stage. He grabbed the microphone from my hand.
"I gotta tell ya quick while my wife is in the toilet. Last night, after the firewalk, we went back to our room and had sex. It was our first sex in months and it was wild! I never lasted so long in my life. We went on for hours. It was wild and hot..." He paused and then concluded, "If that's what firewalking does for you, then I'm going to become an instructor and do it every night!"
He put the microphone back in my hand and ran back to his seat. To this day, I do not know his name. The stories kept coming in. It's amazing the changes people go through. I was humbled to think that I helped facilitate these transformations in people's lives. Finally, the question of blisters came up. Why do some people blister? Why do some people burn?
"The truth of the matter is we don't know," I began. "No one knows why some people blister and some don't. But I have a theory. On the bottom of our feet are reflex points that relate to different parts and organs in our bodies. It's a science known as foot reflexology. As most of you know, I am a doctor, so I am particularly interested in this aspect of health and healing. In fact, it's one of the main reasons I became involved in the firewalk—because of its healing abilities. I believe, based on my personal experience with firewalking and not on anything I have read, that we blister in those areas of our feet which relate to a sickness, disease, or some kind of energy block¬age in the rest of our body. Through the blistering, some process occurs to stimulate, to help heal that area of diseased tissue in the body. Somehow, the transfer of energy from the fire comes into the body and begins a healing process."
"Remember," I continued, "I have never read this, it's just my opinion and I base it on 20 years as a doctor and a firewalker. I believe my observation is correct but needs some tests run to—"
I never finished the sentence as an incredible cry sounded from the back of the room.
"Oh, my God!" someone screamed. "Oh, my God!!!" One lady stood up weeping with an emotional intensity that held everyone riveted to their seats. She had everyone's full attention and focus, including mine. Slowly, she began to make her way to the stage. She was hysterical with tears. I helped her up the steps and handed her the microphone. In the middle of the stage, with all eyes upon her and with much emotional constraint, she began to speak.
"I have cancer," she said bluntly. "I've been told I have cancer of the liver and the lymphatic system and that I will be dead within three months. It's a fact. I am given 90 days, at the most, to live."
She burst into hysterical sobbing again. When she finally regained her composure, she continued. "Before I came here, I began praying and praying, asking the Lord for a sign, something, anything, to give me hope, to give me something to hope for and hang on to. When Dr. Leonardi said what he did about the spot on the foot..."
At this point, she trailed off into tears again, even though she was clearly struggling to keep herself together. "I know about foot reflexology," she explained. "And my blisters are in the areas of my cancers. I know it. I know it is my sign. I know my prayers have been answered. I can feel it. It's not just the blistered area. I can feel it in my bones! It's my sign of hope."
Then, in full view of all, she bowed her head and knelt down on both knees and began to pray: "Thank you, God. I've been healed. Thank you for answering my prayers. From the ashes of the fire, I've been reborn. I will never take my life for granted again. I will love my life. Thank you, God. Amen!"
And people ask me why I lead firewalks. People ask me, "Why firewalking?" What can I say? How can I explain what miracles and transformations can and do occur in the vastness of "reality" and the infinity of life?