There are quite a lot of books about Firewalking as well as books written by Firewalk Instructors. The latter often draw on the experience of the Firewalk Instructor and are often part of their Firewalking Seminars and Events.
Today we are going to look at…
7 books about Firewalking
How to make your life work or why aren’t you happy?
This popular little book was written by Tolly Burkan and Ken Keyes in 1970’s. The book is available to purchase on Amazon or you can download it with the link below.
‘How to make your life work’ is littered with cartoons that illustrate the points being made, making it very easy reading. This book features the 7 centres of consciousness and the 12 pathways to unconditional love. How to make your life work or why aren’t you happy is a quick, easy read with lots of nuggets of wisdom.
Download your free copy here: http://tollyburkan.com/life-work.php
The Burning Saints: Cognition and Culture in the Firewalking Rituals of the Anastenaria
This fantastic book is a must read for Firewalk Instructors and those fascinated by Firewalking and Rituals.
The Anastenaria are Orthodox Christians in Northern Greece who observe a unique annual ritual cycle focused on two festivals, dedicated to Saint Constantine and Saint Helen. The festivals involve processions, music, dancing, animal sacrifices, and culminate in an electrifying Firewalking ritual. Carrying the sacred icons of the saints, participants dance over hot coals as the saint moves them.
‘The Burning Saints’ presents an analysis of these rituals and the psychology behind them. Based on long-term fieldwork, ‘The Burning Saints’ traces the historical development and sociocultural context of the Greek fire-walking rituals. As a cognitive ethnography, the book aims to identify the social, psychological, and neurobiological factors which may be involved and to explore the role of emotional and physiological arousal in the performance of such ritual. A study of participation, experience and meaning, ‘The Burning Saints’ presents a highly original analysis of how mental processes can shape social and religious behaviour.
If you don’t have a copy already you can order yours here.
Fire: From spark to flame
OK, this book breaks the rules. It isn’t about Firewalking nor is it written by a Firewalk Instructor, but it is such a wonderful book we had to mention it.
Øivind Berg traces the historical use of fire as a heat source, a stove, and a social gathering point right up to the present day. With beautiful illustrations and text, he reveals the types of fire, the art of kindling, the characteristics of different woods, and the secrets of Norwegian live-fire cooking. With this book you can chop wood, send sparks flying and plan a feast. You will gain a newfound respect for fire’s creative and destructive powers and its ancient rituals.
Fire: From spark to flame can be purchased by clicking here.
Firewalking and Religious Healing
Another book looking at the Anastenaria Firewalking Tradition in Greece. This time comparing it with the Modern-Day Firewalking Movement in the USA.
Loring Danforth analyses these rituals considering the most recent work in medical and symbolic anthropology. He also describes in detail the lives of individual Firewalkers, involving the reader personally in their experiences. He views ritual therapy as a process of transformation and empowerment through which people are metaphorically moved from a state of illness to a state of health.
Danforth shows that the Anastenaria and the songs accompanying it allow people to express and resolve conflict-laden family relationships that may lead to certain kinds of illnesses. He also demonstrates how women use the ritual to gain a sense of power and control over their lives without challenging the ideology of male dominance that pervades Greek culture.
Comparing the Anastenaria with American firewalking, Danforth includes a gripping account of his own participation in a Firewalk in rural Maine. Finally, he examines the place of anthropology in a postmodern world in which the boundaries between cultures are becoming increasingly blurred.
Firewalking and Religious Healing is available on Amazon
Ignite the Secret: 19 Lessons for Business and Life
Another book by a leader within the Firewalking Industry. Entrepreneur, motivational speaker and CEO of FIRE, Charles Horton shares vital lessons he has learned in business and life. As well as from Firewalking, Glass Walking, mingling with lions, and building multiple businesses.
Ignite your business and your life with these powerful strategies for confronting any challenge, acting decisively in any situation, and achieving everything you’ve ever dreamed of.
Ignite the Secret will inspire you to see opportunities, not obstacles; triumph over self-doubt; focus on your goals; create your own reality; shift your perspective; stoke your internal fire; overcome any challenge; and accomplish your dreams. The hardest part of changing your life is knowing how to start. Ignite the Secret empowers you to take that first step – and all the steps that follow.
Ignite the Secret: 19 Lessons for Business and Life is a joy to read and available on Amazon.
Blockbuster or 21 chapters about your brain
Jiri Vokac Cmolik is a Master Firewalk Instructor and the author of Blockbuster or 21 chapters about your brain. This best-selling book, with free video commentary, joins three spheres of Jiri’s work together: applied neuroscience, quantum physics, and shamanism.
Thanks to a balanced coupling of theory and practice, you will gain valuable knowledge and skills that will lead you toward positive transformation in the areas most important to you (health, relationships, family, sex, children, work, business, money, etc.).
‘Blockbuster’ contains practical exercises of positive affirmation which, during the 21 days, will dramatically increase the neuroplasticity of your brain.
Blockbuster or 21 chapters about your brain is currently only available on Kindle.
Extreme Spirituality
Another riveting read from Tolly Burkan, the man credited with starting the modern Firewalking movement in the 1970’s.
Extreme Spirituality is any experience – Firewalking, piercing our skin, or humbly serving others – that shows how our egos mask, limit, distort, or diminish our knowledge of a greater reality. Over twenty extreme spiritual practices are highlighted, showing how even unpleasant or dangerous situations can help us experience how love, wisdom, compassion, and interconnection reveal aspects of our divine nature and provide a clear distinction between our egos and our “higher-selves.”
Using many different extreme spiritual practices as examples, this book logically and enthusiastically teaches people how to assume a spiritual perspective in any situation. As a result, even sorrowful or frustrating situations don’t have to cause as much suffering, because we can choose our reactions to them and use them as insights for spiritual growth.
Extreme Spirituality is available on Amazon and it’s a great read.
More Books About Firewalking
There are many more books about Firewalking and we will share them in the not too distant future. These are just some of our favourites. We also have an extensive library on books specialising in Fire, Rituals and Customs, Meditation and Mindfulness, Leadership and Teams, NLP, and Professional Speaking. So, we will probably share some of our favourites in the future too.
In the meantime, if you know other books about Firewalking and feel we should have mentioned them, let us know and we will do so next time.