The magical ritual of walking on hot coals. Walking on coals

Many people believe that walking on coals is the destiny of fakirs. For this, they say, you need special training, and possibly treating your feet with special solutions. In this article we will reveal the secret of coal walking, and also talk about its spiritual and physical benefits.

First of all, you should understand the main thing - no special tricks are used in coal driving. Ordinary people are running over burning coals, and they are no different from those you might meet on the street or at work. To run across coals, you don’t need to have any special gift. And what you need?

Let's take a closer look at the coal mining process.

What is fire energy?

All four elements are present in a person. Water – fluidity, the ability to be flexible. Air – lightness, the ability not to get attached, to calmly relate to the events of your life. Earth is stability, the ability to “stand firmly on your feet” and endure life’s adversities with steadfastness. Fire is the energy of breakthrough, courage and decisiveness of action. If all four elements in a person are in balance, then he himself is in harmony. It is expressed both by success in society and by good health, as well as personal happiness. In our seminars and workshops we place great emphasis on dedication to all four elements. In particular, we consider charcoal walking as a ritual that can give a person a charge of fire energy. As a result, a person experiences a kind of “breakthrough” in his life: new ideas come to mind, he begins to introduce innovations into business, and most importantly, he has something that many lack, the will to change his life for the better.

How to prepare for coal mining?

At our seminars, preparation for coal mining is a whole ritual. The firewood for the fire is piled up, then the instructor sets it on fire, and then everyone comes up and breathes life into the fire. When the fire becomes stable, people sit around and watch it, merging with the flame with their attention. Afterwards, when the flame rises a meter or higher, we get up and dance a ritual dance. His movements are very simple - you need to repeat the bends of the flame, as if briefly becoming fire. After the wood burns out, the ritual comes to an end. The instructor rolls out a track 3-5 meters long and you can start running over the coals.

Is walking on coals scary or not?

Perhaps this will console you, dear reader, running over coals for the first time is scary for almost everyone. Still, our mind very strictly protects its comfort zone and does not allow a person to go beyond it. Fear is a normal phenomenon; it doesn’t matter that it exists. You don’t need to follow his lead, that’s all. The ritual that we perform before walking on coals helps us realize a piece of fire in ourselves. When this is successful, fear disappears, and the person calmly walks over the coals in which potatoes can be baked. It is a great achievement to defeat the fear that is present in us at the genetic level. Victory over fears of this level is the result of some two-week personal growth trainings. The confidence you gain from this victory can be used in society to overcome difficulties that previously frightened you.

What about burns? Doesn't it really happen?

Our Club has been conducting seminars for over 10 years. These are dozens, maybe hundreds, of coal deposits. If this number is multiplied by the number of people in the groups, and then by three (after all, you need to run over the coals three times), the figure turns out to be mind-boggling. Imagine if all these people received burns of varying degrees of severity, then a huge flow of clients would pour into the burn centers of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. However, none of this happens. Or are all the people who attend our seminars in cahoots? Of course not. Every fifteenth, if not twentieth, seminar participant experiences burns. Moreover, the burn itself is a small point that does not interfere with walking or swimming in the sea. But by using the acupuncture atlas of the feet, which our instructor carries with him, you can, by examining the burned area, understand which organs and systems in the human body it is responsible for. The burn shows that this area needs special attention; often people at our seminars used their feet to heal their internal organs with “fire.”

Like a hike in the mountains of Crimea, this is an unforgettable adventure! No matter how much you collect information about coal walking, you will not learn to walk on coals. As in the case of yoga: no matter how much you prepare theoretically, in order to perform asanas correctly, you need practice.

Therefore - forward to adventure!

Walking on coals: miracle or quackery?

For several centuries now, scientists have been unable to unravel the mystery of fire walking (or nestinarism) - a phenomenon that, according to ancient sources, was known in many parts of Central and South Asia as early as the 5th century BC, and in subsequent centuries spread to the Mediterranean countries. In the tribal cults of America and the Pacific Islands, as experts note, nestinar rituals developed on their own.

Without in any way explaining the nature of this phenomenon, Western scientists still cannot help but acknowledge the existence of rituals during which men, women and even children can walk painlessly over scalding stones and searing heat. Because many of the researchers observed nesting with their own eyes.

So, in 1901, Smithsonian Institution professor S.P. Langley was present when priests walked on fire in Tahiti. When one of the stones was rolled out of the brazier to test how hot it was, it was found that it could boil water for more than twenty minutes, from which the professor concluded that its temperature was over 1200 degrees Fahrenheit.

In 1922, a French bishop in Mysore, India, attended the Nestinar walks of an Islamic mystic at the palace of the local maharajah. What shocked him most was the fakir’s ability to transfer his incombustible power to others, for before his eyes the entire Maharajah’s orchestra marched in columns of three through the flames - barefoot, without receiving any damage.

And in the magazine "True" for March 1950, G.B. Wright described the ceremony of walking on hot stones through a 25-foot-long pit that he saw on the island of Viti Levu. In his opinion, the people who walked on the stones were in a state of ecstasy that suppressed pain, but when he examined their feet before and immediately after the ceremony, it turned out that they responded normally to the tingling of a needle or the touch of a burning cigarette.

In addition, in the book “Wonder Hunters,” George Sandwith described in detail how Indians living on the Fiji Islands walked on hot coals. By the way, one day after another performance, Sandwith returned to his hotel with a bank employee who was present at the performance. Admitting that the fire was real because a piece of paper thrown into the pit immediately burst into flames, the bank employee expressed his strong opinion that walking on coals should be prohibited because it was contrary to modern science.

By the way, walking on coals is usually arranged, but there is amazing evidence that some unique people walked on hot plowshares and even on boiling lava.

It is clear that scientists and doctors are still making desperate efforts to find reasonable explanations for this bizarre phenomenon. Some of them refuse to believe in “supernatural nonsense” at all and believe that the solution lies in mass hallucination.

The author of the book "Fifty Years of Physical Research" Harry Prison believed that the secret of the trick lies in the short contact of the soles of the feet with hot coals and the low thermal conductivity of burning wood.

And in 1935, on the initiative of the University of London, one of the first experiments with walking on fire was carried out. The experiment involved a young Muslim man from India, Kuda Bax, who walked through a 20-foot-wide pit of coals four times without being burned. The young Kashmiri subjected to the test did not use any oil or lotion to protect his feet: on the contrary, they were washed and dried by the doctor before the experiment.

The records of this experiment include a number of mutually exclusive opinions expressed by the experts present at the time. One doctor publicly declared that anyone could repeat this trick, since, despite appearances, the temperature in the pit was no higher than the temperature of tea (in fact, a physicist present there confirmed that in the center of the flame the temperature was 1400 degrees Celsius - higher the one at which steel melts). By the way, when the doctor himself was asked to walk on the coals, he avoided it.

Since that experiment, many theories have been put forward to try to explain the phenomenon. Some researchers believe that firewalking is a gymnastic trick: they say that the soles of those walking on coals never come into contact with fire for a time sufficient to damage them. Others are sure that it’s all about the sweat on the feet, which itself produces cooling, creating a protective layer between the nestinar’s skin and the surface on which it walks. However, all these theories remain unproven.

When a group of German scientists from the University of Tübingen tried to join the Greek nestinari in their firewalking at the annual festival in honor of St. Constantine in Landgadhas, they were quickly forced to leave the formation with third-degree burns.

D. Pierce, in his work “A Crack in the Cosmic Egg,” made a fantastic assumption that walking on coals is a classic example of the creation of some new reality in which the fire does not burn as usual. As long as this reality persists, everything goes as it should, but there are known cases of terrible injuries to those whose faith suddenly broke, and they again found themselves in the world where the fire burns.

There are several other interesting versions. One of them says that the phenomenon may be associated with a feature of our skin: the temperature change on its surface occurs almost instantly, and then for several seconds the temperature does not change (a so-called temperature jump is formed on the surface of the skin). This circumstance, according to scientists, can allow a dancer on hot coals not to rush - he feels the same temperature effect both after half a second and after three seconds, so some dancers allow themselves to stand on hot coals for several seconds motionless or walk as if not in a hurry.

But the American anthropologist S. Kane believes that the abilities of coal walkers are a classic example of the predominance of the power of self-hypnosis over nervous irritable processes in which a substance known as “bradykinin” is involved. Fire walkers are probably able to suppress its activity through an effort of will. At the same time, the blood vessels in the legs are compressed, which causes a reduction in blood circulation, in other words, the thermal activity of the skin decreases. In general, according to many modern scientists, the ability to walk on fire is a fusion of physical laws and human abilities.

It is also interesting that the art of walking on fire is known on all continents of the globe. Moreover, everywhere immunity to fire is achieved using a wide variety of methods.

For Indians, for example, an important element of ritual is a state of trance or religious ecstasy. But many others walked on the coals in a completely normal state. Some Nestinarians require complex training, including singing, dancing, and sexual abstinence, while others can walk on coals “just like that.”

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One of the most powerful magical rituals was and remains the ancient practice of walking on coals, a kind of extreme training that helps strengthen the will and mind, this is a powerful force that can awaken the energy potential in every person.
From time immemorial, fire was considered a symbol of purification, the destruction of everything sinful, dark and evil. In the traditions of many peoples, walking on coals gave strength, courage and determination, and was considered the strongest means of healing.
Fire is a living, intelligent substance; it is not for nothing that at all times Fire has been treated as a sacred divine manifestation. The energy of Fire, in comparison with other natural energies of the primary elements, has the most powerful transformative quality.
In the process of practicing charcoal walking, Fire diagnoses and heals the body at the same time. Minor pinpoint burns, which, as a rule, disappear the very next day after practice, indicate problems in one or another organ. Many people are healed of illnesses after walking on coals, although this is not the main goal of the practice. The ancient practice of walking on coals strengthens willpower, psychological endurance, and self-confidence. For many, charcoal walking is a powerful psychophysical push, a step towards new achievements and changes in life. The feeling of joy, delight, and positive charge persists for a long time after practice. Practice makes it possible to realize and feel unity with the elements of Fire, Nature, and the World. Living Fire comes into contact with a person and purifies his thoughts, energy, body and Soul. Human internal reserves are revealed. Fire transforms self-doubt and fear into strength and a desire for self-improvement. It is not for nothing that the ancient sages said: “Everything burns in Fire - except the Truth.” A person who walks over hot coals develops boundless self-confidence and a desire to merge with the forces of nature. The fire of Spirit, Love and Joy is lit inside. A feeling of happiness awakens! All this is nothing more than a return to your real self, your inner “I”, which loves the world around you and is always in harmony.

Walking on coals allows you to diagnose the body. On the feet there are biologically active points of all organs. During fire walking, powerful stimulation occurs, “burning” of these points, which gives a powerful healing effect.
For some people, after walking on coals, vision and sleep improve, and blood pressure normalizes.
Firewalking leads to a powerful activation of the immune system, the body itself “knows” where it is out of order - and there is an impetus for self-healing due to its internal forces.
At the subtle level, there is a powerful cleansing of all the subtle bodies of a person (astral, etheric, mental, etc.), restoration of the integrity of his aura, opening and balancing of energy centers (chakras).
Walking over coals without feeling unity with nature and harmony within yourself is difficult and pointless. Therefore, before walking, you need to tune in. The method of tuning can be either group or individual. According to experienced fire walkers, walking on coals is a sacrament. A vivid, incomparable experience allows you to look differently at yourself and others, at your capabilities. Walking along the fiery path means taking responsibility for yourself, trusting, trusting and loving.
Another important effect that firewalking provides is therapeutic. On the soles of the feet there are reflexogenic zones of all organs. Impact on these zones leads to a powerful activation of the immune system, and the body itself “knows” where it is out of order - a “fiery transmutation” begins, as a result of which a person is cleansed, rejuvenated and healed. The impressions and effects of firewalking can be described endlessly. But still, it’s better to go through it once than to hear it many times.
Why is “charcoal” therapy needed? Firstly, this method is a good anti-stress; secondly, it will teach you to relax and restore strength; thirdly, it will teach you to be free, but most importantly, fire, in its essence, has a healing effect. Fire diagnoses and heals at the same time, and the results can be observed at the level of the physical body. With the help of fire, you can restore the properties of the body that were once lost.
Based on available descriptions, the following conditions for walking on coals have been compiled:
1. When walking on coals, the skin should be clean and dry and free from defects. Any part of the skin can come into contact with a hot surface: the skin of the feet, legs, palms of the hands (there are hands walking on coals).
2. When firewalking, you should walk at a normal pace (step per second), you cannot stop.
3. The type of hot surface does not matter, the main thing is that there are no sharp irregularities that could injure the skin.
4. The typical temperature of coals is 650–800C, the maximum recorded temperature reaches 1200C.
5. Typical walking time is 5–10 seconds (path 3–7 m), maximum recorded time is about 100 seconds.
6. Heating the skin to a temperature of 650C under normal conditions for 1–2 s. leads to 3rd degree burns and full-thickness charring of the skin with blackening.
7. Walking on coals requires entering a special mental state characterized by relaxation of the skin.
8. After walking through the fire, an “electric” tingling sensation is felt in the legs for 3–4 hours, sometimes minor burns are observed that disappear after a few hours.
The paradox is that walking on a hot surface without injury turns out to be a normal reaction of a healthy body, and only our erroneous psychological attitudes and the fear that follows them forces us to command the nervous system to convulsively compress the blood vessels and block the correct action of the body. And almost any person is able to move into the desired state, sometimes very quickly, especially if there is a shaman teacher nearby - a special person who knows how to influence our consciousness, shifting our “assemblage point”.

Tantum possumus, quantum scimus -

We can do as much as we know.

“By fire or dry land” - Nestinar world history

It turns out that walking on hot coals is just as natural for a person as on ordinary soil - the ancient art of walking on burning coals has become a common activity in recent years, and can often be seen on television. Already in several large cities of Russia there are centers where everyone, after special training, can take the risk of walking on a carpet of sparkling coals.

The famous folklorist Andrew Lang was one of the first to note that the art of fire walking is known on all continents of the globe. He collected many examples indicating that it is widespread in various countries of the world. Walking on fire was already known in the times of Plato, Virgil and Strabo. Mircea Eliade attributed his appearance to the time of the birth of shamanism. He described shamans Lolo tribe who walked on hot plowshares, and compared this rite with the medieval Christian rite of “testing by the judgment of God.”

The art of walking on fire in various forms is practiced by many peoples, from the Wawajo Indians of North America dancing on coals to the Indians. In the East, for example, demonstrations of superhuman abilities are quite common among Buddhists, Christians and Muslims. Hindu temple festivals with actions of this kind are known. Coal burning is known even to Christian Europeans; there is a lot of evidence of immunity to fire in the era of the birth of Christianity.

According to reliable chronicles, when around 155 A.D. e. St. Polycarp of Smyrna was tied to a stake to be burned at the stake, the flames curved around him, and he remained unharmed until a soldier pierced him with a spear. As is known, among the Protestants there were also people who mastered this art.

In the 18th century in France During the Huguenot uprising, the leader of the Camisards, Clary, was sentenced to be burned at the stake. Despite the fact that the flames engulfed him from all sides, he remained unharmed. When the fire went out, not only on him, but also on his dress there was no damage. General of the Camisard army Jean Cavalier and other eyewitnesses of this event, later sent to England, confirmed this.

Marie Saunay, who lived in Paris in the 50s of the 18th century, suffered from attacks of St. Medara, received the nickname fireproof. Wrapped in a sheet, she could lie over the fire for a long time, resting her head and legs on the chairs. She would stick her stockinged and slippered feet into a brazier of coals and hold them there until the stockings burned to ashes. In this regard, the question arises why the stockings and shoes burned, but the sheet did not. By the way, this is not the only such example.

Similar phenomena of mass walking on fire occur quite regularly in India, China (mainly in Tibet), Japan, the Philippines, Fiji, Mauritania, Polynesia, North America and a number of European countries.

Corny noted that when he worked for Fiji Islands, then five times I witnessed mass walking on hot stones, and not once did any of the walkers receive burns. Residents of the island of Mabinga, part of the Fiji archipelago, clear a flat area several meters in diameter, fill it with cobblestones the size of a soccer ball, cover it with firewood and brushwood, and set it on fire. The fire burns all night. When the hot stones begin to crumble and burst like soap bubbles, a shrill signal is heard, announcing that it is time for the dancers to take the stage.

Participants in the ritual spend the night in a separate hut, where outsiders are prohibited from entering. There they have a leisurely conversation with the “spirit of fire.” And, having received an invitation to go out, they put on special clothes made from fresh leaves of various plants.

Without a shadow of fear or doubt, without looking around, they enter the very heart of the smoldering fire and, shifting from foot to foot, repeat the words of the sacred hymn. After some time, the tribesmen begin to throw green leaves onto the hot stones. Everything is enveloped in clouds of smoke, sounds similar to the hissing of snakes are heard. This is the signal for the start of the main action - the brave firebenders join hands and begin to perform such steps on the hot stones that it takes the spectators’ breath away.

At the end of the ritual dance, the stones are poured with a special drink made from the leaves and fruits of exotic plants and covered with earth. Until the next "disco".

The Englishman Max Freedom Long, a researcher of the secrets of Polynesian magic, visited in 1917 in Hawaii, where he met Dr. Brigham, who lived on the island for more than 40 years and had friends among the kahuns - local sorcerers. Brigham once told the story of his walk on hot lava, which Long remembered and talked about in his book published in 1949 . Long also describes walk on hot stones on one of islands of the Tahiti archipelago with the participation of one European.

Mithraic Romans. Evidence has been preserved of torture for the glory of Mithra, of mystical burnings. There are traces of the cult of Mithras during the time of Emperor Constantine the Great, who preferred Christianity to paganism, assembled the Council of Nicea, but left “dies solis” - “day of the Sun” as a public holiday.

Thracian heritage. Worshiping the sun god - Sabazius - the Thracians celebrated the summer solstice, burned ritual bonfires, jumped over them and danced in ecstasy among the bonfires - perhaps even on coals...

Fire-worshipping Persians. The cult of Mithra spread throughout the Roman Empire from Asia Minor, and Manichaeism came from there. Both cults were characterized by fiery cleansing rites.

The art of walking on hot coals is still world famous today. In Bulgaria, where nestinar people walk “on fire as if on dry land.”

Origin of the word "nestin" considered Greek. Philologists elevate it to "estia", the hearth. In this case, this art was brought to Bulgaria by the Greeks, who founded the colonies of Ahtopol and Vasiliko. Perhaps this is a Mediterranean cult that came here either from Southern Cappadocia, where fire-worshipping priestesses glorified Artemis-Perasia, or from Etruria, where in honor of the ancient Italian deity Veiovisa, priests trampled flaming logs with their bare feet...

By the 19th century, a nestinar ritual had developed in Bulgaria, held on May 21, when the Christian holiday of Saints Constantine and Helen is celebrated. According to tradition, a fire is lit in village squares from dry wood, prepared in advance. While the fire is burning, people go around all the houses in the village, cleansing them of sins and thereby driving away diseases. After that, everyone goes to the square to the fire, walks around it several times, uttering funny exclamations of “wa-wa-wa.” Then lay out the smoldering coals in a large circle.

When the wood of a large fire burns out, the attendant levels the coals so that they form a circle about five meters in diameter, and benches for spectators are placed in a semicircle around this luminous arena. At an invisible signal, the musicians switch to a mournful monotonous melody and...mysterious fire dancers - “nestinars” - appear. Dancing to the sound of special drums, falling into a kind of trance, they begin to move around the circle of coals, shining with a bright living fiery light. Snakes of pink flame run across the small firebrands, and sweat appears on the faces of the spectators sitting just three meters from the fire. And then the first of the nestinars steps onto the fire. While one performs his pirouettes, the others, without stopping for a moment, move around the fire, knocking down the firebrands scattered by the soloist’s dance with their bare feet back into the circle. Then one by one they walk over the coals. Finally, everyone enters the arena together in a single impulse, slowly walks through it, holds hands and leaves the circle, disappearing into the darkness...

It’s hard to believe that there is a red-hot brazier under the dancers’ feet; only the stars of small coals sticking to their feet and flaring up in the air clearly prove this.

It is believed that the spirit of St. Constantine can enter the nestinari, desperately dancing on the coals, and they can prophesy, read in souls, communicate with the dead...

Sometimes during the dance they predict the future of the village. Bulgarians believe that the more girls dance on the coals, the more fertile the year will be. The same holiday, also with dancing on coals, is celebrated in Greece.

Greece. Every year on the feast of St. Constantine on May 21, in a small place called Langada, not far from Tressaloniki in Greece, a small group of anasthenares and a fairly large crowd of people - curious and visiting - gather in a small chapel to watch the unusual ceremony of the feast of St. Constantine, leading its beginning from time immemorial.

Suddenly everything in the chapel becomes quiet, the head of the Anastenares slowly opens the censer and pours burning coals onto his bare hands... He holds them motionless for a while and then carefully and slowly transfers them to the censer. Then he raises his palms up so that all the parishioners are convinced that the spirit of St. Constantine is among them and performed a miracle, protecting the hands of the anasthenares from burns.

The faces of the parishioners glow with joy, because now they know that this year the feast of St. Constantine will be held in his invisible presence, with his protection and help. And with the enthusiasm of those around, with the general singing of prayers, the entire crowd of believers leaves the chapel and goes down to the main square, which a huge amount of burnt wood has turned into a continuous field of burning coals.

Crowds of people, curious people, journalists, doctors and tourists have been standing around the square for a long time. Everyone is eagerly awaiting the arrival of the procession.

Walking ahead of everyone, dancing slightly, is the head of the Anastenares with an icon of St. Constantine and a lit candle in his hands. Slowly and calmly, he climbs barefoot onto the burning coals of the fire, steps with his bare feet on the hot coals and slowly crosses to the other side of the burning field. Other companions follow him, also slowly walking barefoot on hot coals, holding icons and candles in their hands. Sometimes a flame bursts out from the middle of the burning coals, instantly hiding the person crossing from those present, and neither his clothes nor his hair catches fire from the fire.

Women and girls in wide skirts and young people also pass by. Some people experience the pleasure of lingering for a while among the hot coals or, having crossed to the other side of the coal carpet, again returning to its very heat. Each one remains there for quite a long time to show what perfection he has achieved and how great the power sent down by St. Constantine protects him from fire. This stay can be quite long. It is officially recorded that the anasthenares remained in the middle of the fire for more than 30 minutes.

In 1952, a commission of Greek doctors, chaired by Dr. Tanagra and Professor Panachristadoulou, was present at this walk on burning coals and then carefully examined the legs of the anasthenares who participated in this procession. Not the slightest trace of burns was found either immediately, after passing through the fire, or after several days. Being among the flames also did not result in any burns on the body or charring of the dress, hair, mustache or eyelashes.

All these phenomena were recorded by scientists and doctors who were present when the procession passed through the fire, and many photographs were taken of the procession and in different stages of its participants being among the hot coals.

A similar process of walking on fire also occurs in other areas of Greece: in Marolevki, in Melikia and St. Helena, a small village in the Seres district. And if the processions in these areas are slightly different from the fire walking in Langanda, then the general impression remains the same.

In Japan Thousands of Buddhists flock to the Mount Takao Festival every year to enjoy fire walking. At the festival, believers pray for the safety of family, body and soul, and then follow the priest (yamabushi) across the burning coals. Spectators can also participate in a barefoot walk after the fire is extinguished. By then the heat will subside, they will walk on slightly warm ground and not worry about burning their feet.

The practice of walking on hot coals, which dates back 3 thousand years, originated in India, where ascetics achieved internal purification in this way. This procedure is now very popular in Japan, where tens of thousands of people gather for events like this every year. There are different opinions about the process itself. “Walking on fire is the purification and rebirth of man,”- said Yamabushi leader Gisei Kato. In turn, David Willey, a professor of physics at the University of Pittsburgh, states: “There is nothing supernatural about this, and anyone can walk on coals with a few minutes of practice. The main thing is to correctly calculate the thermal conductivity of the materials at hand.” The scientist knows what he is talking about, since he holds the record for walking on coals at a distance of 50 m.

Quite a few Europeans was present at such processions, and they also managed not only to film them, but also to conduct a thorough examination of the feet of the participants in this firewalk at the end of the procession. This is evidenced, for example, by the missionary priest Father Yvon, who in 1938 was in the country of Biel, in the Sayana region, in India, and was present at the procession of walking through the fire, organized on the occasion of the Holi holiday.

This missionary had the opportunity to examine the participants' feet after the process and make sure that there were no burns.

The famous American professor Rhine, founder of the department of parapsychology at Duke University, while he and his wife were in Japan in 1937, was also present at the fire-walking ceremony and even had the opportunity to personally take part in it, walking on hot coals without the slightest harm to himself. Similar cases of Europeans and Americans walking on fire have been recorded more than once, and when they took part in such processions, the organizers usually demanded that they place themselves under the unconditional guidance of Buddhist clergy, who indicated to them the exact moment when they had to pass through the fire without fear. The slightest deviation from these instructions threatened the European with burns and even death.

Among the many superhuman abilities, the resistance to fire is especially difficult for our minds to cope with. Ancient sources show that the practice of walking on fire (or nesting) was something quite legal in many parts Central and South Asia as early as the 5th century BC . In subsequent centuries it spread to Mediterranean countries, and in tribal cults of America And Pacific Islands nestinar rituals developed on their own.

In 1901, Smithsonian Institution professor S.P. Langley was lucky enough to personally observe how they practiced fire walking priests in Tahiti. When one of the stones was rolled out of the brazier to test how hot it was, it was found that it could boil water for more than twenty minutes, from which the professor concluded that its temperature was over 1200 degrees Fahrenheit.

In 1922, the French bishop in Mysore, India, was present during the Nestinar walks of the Islamic mystic near the palace of the local Maharaja. The Maharaja's brass band musicians were also forced to walk through the flames. They were so thrilled with their success that they repeated the walk, blowing trumpets and hitting cymbals - it was a sight not seen every day. According to the bishop, rising flames licked instruments and faces, but their boots, uniforms and even sheet music remained untouched.

British psychologist Harry Price announced that he intended to conduct extensive research into this phenomenon, the news aroused increased interest. In early September, a gigantic brazier composed of seven tons of oak logs, a ton of kindling wood, ten gallons of paraffin, a fair amount of coal and fifty copies of The Times was erected in the garden of Society for Psychical Research member Alex Dribella. Price's research subject was a young Hindu from Kashmir named Kuda Bux, who was rumored to regularly perform similar feats in his own country. Captured on film for posterity, under the gaze of a whole crowd of venerable pundits from the University of London, the barefoot Kuda Bux calmly and fearlessly walked along the entire length of the site, blazing with heat and flames, several times. A physicist present confirmed that the temperature at the center of the flames was 1,400 degrees Celsius - above that at which steel melts - and a careful examination of the Indian's legs by three doctors revealed no signs of burn blisters. When the two researchers themselves stuck their feet to the very edge of the brazier, where it was colder, they were forced to immediately pull them back, instantly developing bleeding blisters.

In California (USA) Since 1980, a non-profit institute for research and training in fire walking has been operating. Tolly Burken, the head of the institute, organized an international fire-walking movement in the 70s, within which more than two million people have already learned the art of fire-walking.

Walking on coals becomes a kind of training for businessmen, athletes and those who simply want to test their willpower. Even one of the US presidents successfully walked across the coals.

In Soviet Union The artist Valery Avdeev mastered the art of walking on fire. He also believes that the main importance is a special mood, a state of elation, and self-confidence, which he acquires in the process of mental preparation for walking on coals. Eyewitnesses have preserved memories that during the Great Patriotic War in Stalingrad, after one of the bombings, people saw a crying three-year-old child walking along the smoldering beams of a destroyed house. When he was brought to the doctor, he was surprised to note that there were no traces of burns on the child’s body. This child was Valery Avdeev. Perhaps the individuality of V. Avdeev’s psyche manifested itself even in childhood: under the influence of a strong nervous shock, the child’s thermal activity of the skin spontaneously changed.

In the late 70s V. Avdeev decided to master the art of walking on fire. As the artist recalls, he was overcome by a great desire to overcome his fear of fire: “I decided: whatever the consequences of my experiment, let my legs burn, let me go to the hospital, but I’ll go... I’ll go! I have to!” To obtain coals, a fire was lit, then the coals were leveled in the form of a path 10 meters long. And Valery Avdeev walked this distance.

In Rus' from time immemorial there has also been a special relationship with fire. Cleansing and healing properties were attributed to fire. On all holidays associated with the winter and summer solstice, with the days of the spring and autumn solstice, ritual bonfires were lit on the street. Fire in the hearth was a symbol of happiness and wealth (it’s not for nothing that Russians call burning coals “bogatye”, “rich man”). In ancient times, when in the villages there were no matches or flint, and the fire was maintained by leaving smoldering coals in the stove, which had to be fanned in the morning, peasants were reluctant to lend coals or burning brands, believing that good luck could leave the house with them. prosperity. It was considered especially dangerous to give fire to someone at the beginning of plowing, sowing, harvesting, on the birthdays of children and the birth of livestock.

Everyone knows how our ancestors celebrated the holidays of Ivan Kupala and the thunder god Perun: young people jumped over fire, ran over coals, and young spouses also joined them on the second wedding day in order to ensure wealth and offspring, to achieve joy and health in life .

The main feature of the Kupala night is the cleansing bonfires. They danced around them, jumped over them: whoever is more successful and taller will be happier. “Fire cleanses from all filth of the flesh and spirit,” wrote one of the 19th century ethnographers, “and all the Russian hillbillies jump over it on Ivan Kupala.” In some places, livestock was driven through the Kupala fire to protect it from pestilence. In the Kupala bonfires, mothers burned the shirts taken from sick children, so that the illnesses themselves would be burned along with this linen. Young people, teenagers, children, jumping over the fires, organized noisy fun games, fights, and races. We definitely played burners.

Russia. Heads of leading Russian electronic distribution companies gathered in 2001 near Kaluga and on the coal path they became convinced of the strength of their strong-willed qualities.

Our ancestors, and some contemporaries in various parts of the world, do not know any theories, they just do it according to national tradition. In this way, people intensively cleanse themselves and burn off all unnecessary energies.

After studying Shemshuk’s works, very interesting information came to me. Just think about it: the Russians have always been a very powerful nation, why? There are, of course, many factors, but I would like to draw your attention to the fact that on religious holidays, all of Russia ran across the coals on one day: the holiday of Ivan Kupala, God Perun - the Thunderer. In this practice, our ancestors annealed karmic attachments.

There are many versions that claim to solve the phenomenon of fire walking. None of them fully explains it. Comprehensive research involving biologists, physiologists, doctors, and psychologists is still far from complete.

The artists themselves say that they simply do not think about fiery heat, do not believe in fire and burns. Indeed, the faces of the dancers are calm and serene, through the masks of impenetrability a calm strength peeks through, which has nothing to do with overcoming pain... But how they achieve this, how the circle of fire appears in their imagination and what their burning legs feel - no one has yet explained.

When you yourself become a witness to something that you always considered impossible, you begin to doubt that you know anything about this world and about yourself.

“Sprinkle salt on your head” - myths about walking on coals

Although fire walking has been known since ancient times, there is still no generally accepted explanation for this phenomenon. Most people don't even have a definite point of view on this phenomenon. Below are the myths we have collected about walking on coals:

• This is a lie. A special ointment (oil, lotion) is used to protect the skin from burns. British scientists who attended a demonstration of coal walking in Carshalton, Surrey, were amazed and dumbfounded by the logical contradictions that arose from the entire experiment. Of course, the young Kashmiri who was put to the test was not trickster and deceiver, he didn't use either oil or lotion to protect your feet. On the contrary, they were washed and dried by the doctor before the experiment.
• It's just painted foam plastic. People are put into a trance, they say that these are coals and they walk on them.
• You need to sprinkle your head with salt. Literary critic E.G. Stephenson, who attended a ceremony at a Shinto shrine in Tokyo to walk on hot stones laid in a 90-foot-long pit, wrote that he felt the urge to walk on them. The head of the ceremony the priest made him prepare and took him to a neighboring temple, where another the priest sprinkled salt on his head. As he walked slowly over the hot stones, he only felt a slight tingling sensation in his feet. Stephenson noticed one interesting detail: when he was walking, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in one foot. He later discovered a small cut apparently made by a sharp stone.
• Gymnastic trick. Nestinarstvo represents gymnastic trick, and not something supernatural, believing that the soles of those walking on coals are simply never come into contact with fire long enough to cause damage.
• It's just a trick; in fact, the coals don't burn at all. One doctor publicly stated that it's just a trick and it's can be repeated by anyone, because, despite appearances, the temperature in the pit where coal burning took place was no higher than the temperature of tea (in fact, a physicist present right there confirmed that in the center of the flame the temperature was 1400 degrees Celsius - higher than that at which steel melts). By the way, when the doctor himself was asked to walk on the coals, he avoided it.
• These people have hardened skin on the soles of their feet, and their feet are covered with unusually thick skin to protect them from heat. The researchers were also very interested in the fact that, despite all the many previous fire walks, Kuda Bux's feet were not particularly hardened or covered with unusually thick skin to protect against heat. In this case there was no sign of divine ecstasy or any other special mental state, which is usually so noticeable in participants in religious ceremonies throughout the world.
• It's all about sweaty on my feet- allegedly he himself produces cooling, creating a protective layer between the skin of the nestinar and the surface on which he walks. However, all these theories, no matter how good they are in the abstract, remain completely unproven in practice. And when a group of German scientists from the University of Tübingen tried to join the Greek nestinari in their firewalking at the annual festival in honor of St. Constantine in Landgadhas, they were quickly forced to leave the formation with third-degree burns.
• Unknown salts. They are talking about some unknown salts, with which the anastenaris supposedly soak the soles of their feet before the procession. These ointments, these salts cause the formation of steam cushions that supposedly protect the epidermis from burns. But not a single scientist has yet found the formula for this ointment, which has such a wonderfully fabulous effect on living tissue, and not a single one of them has been able to experimentally prove the correctness of their theories.
• Mass hallucination. However, many who have never seen anything like this themselves refuse to believe that it is possible and instead believe that The root of the whole mystery is mass hallucination.
• A figment of the imagination of an impressionable witness to the incident. As for the cases of people passing through flames, then, most likely, they were the figment of the imagination of an impressionable witness to the incident. In any case, short-term contact with open fire is possible, for example, during ritual jumping over a fire among various peoples. But there are no reliable, from a scientific point of view, facts about people staying in flames for a long time.
• State of trance or religious ecstasy, complex preparation, singing, dancing, sexual abstinence, touches of a magician or clergyman. Among the Indians, an important element of the ritual is state of trance or religious ecstasy. But many others walked on the coals in a completely normal state. For some nestinarians complex training is required, including singing, dancing, sexual abstinence (!!!), and others can walk on coals "just".
• The personal power of a coal burner, capable of pacifying fire. The only possible conclusion was that the man walking on the coals has some personal subdue the fire by force and his influence, with his calm attitude towards him, gives him confidence for a leisurely walk around the fire of unimaginable heat.
• Fast healing. Damaged tissues heal so quickly that no traces remain at all (a similar phenomenon is sometimes observed among dervishes, residents of the island of Bali and other initiates who master the art of piercing their bodies.
• Magic, shamanism, witchcraft. When some researchers asked people they knew: "What do you think about the explanation for the possibility of walking on fire", - they received answers like: this is magic, shamanism, witchcraft.
• Faith should be strong enough for this kind of feat, a strange faith for us.
• God's protection. Max Freedom Langer described in detail how his mentor, British Museum employee Dr. W.T. Brigham, accompanied by three kahunas - local magicians - walked on hot lava on the Kone volcano. The magicians told him to take off his shoes, because the god Kahuna's protection did not extend to his boots, but he refused. Brigham watched as one of his companions slowly walked along the lava flow, at which time two others suddenly pushed him, and he, finding himself on the hot lava, was forced to run to the opposite edge of the flow. While he ran 150 feet along it, his boots and socks were burned. The three kahunas, who continued to walk barefoot on the lava, laughed, showing pieces of burning skin trailing behind him.

The fact still remains that the art of fire walking is known on all continents of the globe. Every year, many people, in many countries around the world, ritually or through a wide variety of means, place their feet on red coals and travel through the hot ashes. Therefore, in our century, academics and doctors have to desperately make efforts to find reasonable explanations for this bizarre phenomenon. Modern scientists are trying to explain the ability to walk on fire by physical laws and special human abilities.

Theories of modern scientific minds

Walking on fire stubbornly remains beyond the understanding of 20th century scientists. It contradicts all known medical laws and seems to occur in an area beyond the threshold of pain sensitivity and the like. Records of experiments often contain a range of mutually exclusive opinions expressed by the experts present. We have collected attempts to explain what is happening by modern scientific minds.

Let us present the main theories that have arisen throughout the history of the study of the phenomenon.

Brief touch

In September 1935, when British psychologist Harry Pryson announced that he intended to conduct extensive research into this phenomenon, the news aroused increased interest. After conducting several studies, Price eventually came to the conclusion that anyone can walk through the fire, the secret of the trick is short contact of the soles of the feet with hot coals and low thermal conductivity of burning wood.

Theory of low thermal conductivity of coal

There is another physical theory based on the idea of ​​low thermal conductivity of coal. We encounter this kind of mechanism when we take a hot cake out of a hot oven with our hands and do not get burned, although the air inside the oven has the same temperature as the metal baking sheet. If we touch the baking sheet even for a second, we will immediately get burned. The reason for this is that air is a poor conductor of heat, while metal is a very good one. Physicists have suggested that coal is a poor conductor of heat, so someone walking quickly across a fire does not have time to receive much heat and therefore does not get burned, regardless of the temperature of the coal.

In 1994, physicist Bernard Leykind visited the Firewalking Research Institute and tried to effectively illustrate this theory. He tied two sirloin steaks to his legs and walked along the coal floor. The Discovery TV channel filmed this demonstration for subsequent broadcast on television. The steaks looked almost untouched by the fire. He then placed the metal grill on the coals and when it turned red, he placed the same steaks on the grill. The metal instantly fried the meat. He considered this quite convincing evidence that the mental state of a person has nothing to do with fire walking. He emphasized that it would be impossible for a person to walk on red-hot metal without getting burned. As soon as he said this, several Institute employees walked across the grill without receiving any damage. The grill was so hot that under the influence of the weight of passing people, the soft metal bent and footprints were imprinted on it. Now this grill with imprinted marks is kept as physical evidence refuting the theory of low thermal conductivity of coal.

However, this experience did not convince Leykind. Then they asked him to blindfold him and lead him in different directions near the coals so that he would not have the opportunity to prepare for the moment he actually began walking on hot coals. He refused. He also refused to walk on a hot metal grill, because at some level he already understood that he was dealing with a complex phenomenon that could not be explained by the thermal conductivity of coal and elementary physics. However, he then insisted for a number of years that walking on coals was safe due to the low thermal conductivity of coal, although it was at an inappropriate temperature. Finally, on May 9, 2000, Leikind signed a statement in which he noted that "Any claim that coal temperature is not important is simply absurd" and added, “In my opinion, firewalking is an unusually dangerous or even extremely dangerous activity.”

Special types of stones

The American scientist Robert MacMillan, who studied the phenomenon of coal mining for many years, believed that the answer lay in the stones that the aborigines used. In his opinion, firebenders walk only on special rocks that instantly cool down on the outside, while remaining hot on the inside. However, upon verification, it turned out that this version is completely unfounded.

Skin temperature jump

The phenomenon may be associated with the peculiarity of our skin: the temperature change on its surface occurs almost instantly, and then for several seconds the temperature does not change ( a so-called temperature jump is formed on the surface of the skin).

This circumstance, according to scientists, can allow someone dancing on hot coals not to rush - he feels the same temperature impact both after half a second and after three seconds, which is why some dancers allow themselves to stand motionless on hot coals for several seconds or walk as if slowly.

Vapor cushion theory

One of the first physical theories to explain the phenomenon of fire walking was a theory based on the Leidenfrost effect. Several physicists have suggested that moisture on the sole of the foot, as it evaporates, creates a kind of vapor barrier that prevents actual contact with coal. This effect is encountered by anyone who checks the readiness of a hot iron for ironing clothes by briefly touching it with a wet finger. Leidenfrost was the first to describe this phenomenon in detail. The Leidenfrost effect is also observed when drops of water fall on a very hot frying pan and do not evaporate instantly, but dance over it for a long time on the resulting steam cushion, which appears due to intense evaporation as the drop approaches the hot surface.

Physicist Jearl Walker was so convinced of the correctness of this theory that he actually believed that it was impossible to get burned while walking on coals and one day simply walked on a coal floor without prior preparation. However, he immediately received severe burns, which turned out to be so serious that they forever killed his faith in this theory.

Some new reality

The theory is based on ideas about another reality, which is created by a shaman, dervish or sorcerer, and in which ordinary physical laws do not apply, in particular, fire in this reality does not have “hotness”.

Peirce believes that walking on coals is a classic example of the creation of some new reality (albeit only temporary and on a local scale), in which the fire does not burn as usual.

Everything goes fine as long as this reality is preserved, but in the history of walking on fire there are cases of monstrous sacrifices and terrible injuries of those whose faith suddenly broke, and they again found themselves in the world where the fire burns. The magical state in which a person becomes immune to fire is apparently created by the person presiding over the firewalking ceremony.

The predominance of the power of suggestion over nervous and excitatory processes. Release of the substance "bradykinin"

American famous anthropologist Stephen Kane believes that the abilities of coal walkers are a classic example the predominance of the power of self-hypnosis over nervous irritable processes, which involves a substance known as bradykinin.

In his opinion, during many hours of meditation and self-hypnosis, participants in the ritual tune themselves to the positive, and therefore do not feel pain. During the ritual, the blood vessels in the legs are compressed, which causes a reduction in blood circulation, in other words, the thermal activity of the skin decreases. In other words, the daredevil's vascular system "shrinks," which reduces blood flow and suppresses the activity of a substance known as bradykinin. It is its deficiency, as Kane suggests, that makes a person less susceptible to external stimuli.

Preliminary setting

The preliminary setting increases the thermal activity of the skin to the required value (1500 units). Trying to repeat his successful coal mining experience, artist Valery Avdeev “did not get into the right state” and... received burns. Perhaps, as a result of a preliminary psychological mood, the thermal activity of the skin increases to the required value (1500 units). If this does not happen, then the person gets burned.

From conversations with fire walkers, it became known that before taking part in the next ritual dance on the coals, they tune in in a special way. A person repeats phrases for several hours in a row, the meaning of which boils down to the fact that everything will be fine, avoiding definitions with the particle “not”: “it doesn’t hurt”, “it’s not scary”. Then he begins to create visual images: he imagines either cool moss or a fast mountain river washing his feet. Modern scientists have come to the conclusion that such a mood before the ritual is a kind of self-hypnosis, thanks to which the left hemisphere of the brain becomes immune to external stimuli and blocks feelings of anxiety and fear.

A state of ecstasy that suppresses pain

This is how an outside observer describes the ritual of walking on coals in honor of the fire god Agni, which he observed in the town of Kataragama in Sri Lanka. “About twelve, they lit a fire. The priest threw several handfuls of incense into the fire and sprinkled it with holy water. Excitement ran through the rows of spectators, a cry was heard: “Haro-Hara!” In place of the burning fire, a strip of eight to ten meters long and a meter formed, bursting with heat three wide The group, who decided to subject themselves to voluntary torture, turned to the god of fire Agni, asking them to strengthen them and give them strength to withstand the test.

The brave men were led by the experienced fire walker Muttukuda. He moved slowly and sedately. The rest followed him - some running, some at a calm pace. The Aborigines fell ankle-deep into hot coals. Their eyes, fixed on one point, shone with a fanatical brilliance, their lips were covered with foam, their bodies were shiny with sweat. Religious ecstasy was the inner force that dulled the feeling of pain among the participants in the ritual action. The only surprising thing was that the soles of their feet were absolutely undamaged by the flames."

Wright described the ceremony of walking on hot stones through a 25-foot-long pit that he saw on the island of Viti Levu. In his opinion, the people who walked on the stones were in a state of ecstasy that suppressed pain, but when he examined their feet before and immediately after the ceremony, it turned out that they responded normally to the tingling of a needle or the touch of a burning cigarette.

According to Dr. White, who adheres to the widely accepted view, the walker is in an exalted state in which pain is suppressed, as, for example, during hypnosis.

The influence of the leader (priest, shaman, trainer) conducting the ceremony

Rosita Forbes described how in Suriname, the descendants of African slaves who mixed with the local population danced in fire under the guidance of a virgin priestess. While dancing, the priestess was in a state of trance. If she suddenly came out of it, the dancers would lose their immunity to fire.

What shocked the eyewitness most was the fakir’s ability to transfer his non-flammable power to others - the director of the ceremony was one Muslim who conveyed immunity to fire to everyone who had to pass through the flame, and he himself never came close to the fire. Some went into the fire voluntarily, others he literally pushed, and, as the bishop wrote, the expression of horror on their faces was replaced by an amazed smile. In front of the amazed crowd, the entire orchestra of the Maharaja walked in columns of three through the flames - barefoot, without receiving any damage.

The magical state in which a person becomes immune to fire is apparently created by the person presiding over the firewalking ceremony. The Muslim fell to the ground and began to writhe in pain as soon as the Maharaja closed the ceremony. It was explained to the bishop that this Muslim took all the burns on himself.

Although the pit was so hot that the skin on his face peeled off, his leather boots were completely undamaged by the fire. The shaman who organized this demonstration (walking on hot stones) claimed that he possesses the magic of controlling fire, the power of which extends to shoes.

Almost any person is able to move into the desired state, especially if there is a shaman teacher nearby - a special person who knows how to influence our consciousness, shifting our “assemblage point”. How does a shaman convey this state to a student? My mind has become familiar with the physics of the phenomenon, it knows that it can be quite safe, but my body does not accept this knowledge, and I will not walk across the fire on my own for the first time, but will wait for the shaman. And he will help me change in minutes, without math and even without words. This is truly a miracle that physics cannot explain.

The spiritual principle subjugates matter

Research by Prof. Raina in America, de Cressac in France, etc. about the influence of the spiritual power of thought on matter led them to an interesting statement.

Strength of spirit, willpower man, the spiritual principle of everything spiritual in the world is that incredible force that can completely subjugate matter and be the basis of those phenomena that our modern materialistic science can never explain. Advanced human thought must direct its efforts towards understanding the deep truths of the spiritual foundations of the world and man, as their indisputable exponent.

Bourquin's theory: thought in matter

Bourquin based his theory of thought in matter on two experiments.

First is a simple demonstration known from school. The teacher fills a paper cup with water and puts it on the fire. The water boils, but the glass remains intact. The reason is that the temperature of the water cannot exceed 100?C as it turns into steam, and since the paper is in contact with the water, it also does not heat above 100?C. In order to set fire to paper, it must be heated much higher than 100? C.

Another experiment was conducted by the US government at the time of the beginning of space flight research. When the spacecraft returns to the atmosphere, friction with the air heats it to a very high temperature. It was necessary to find out whether the crew could function if it became very hot inside. To simulate this situation, a special thermal chamber was created. Volunteers entered the chamber and the temperature rose. It was found that although even an egg became boiled in this atmosphere, the human body was not damaged. Even the air temperature in the nose turned out to be much lower than in the chamber.

According to Bourquin, the reason why Dr. Lakind's steaks were cooked on the hot metal, but his legs remained unharmed, is that human legs are connected to a living, conscious being that is something more than inert matter. The human body has a self-cooling mechanism. Breathing, evaporation and circulation all play a role in this process and are all connected to the brain, which is obviously influenced by thought. Watch a person chewing a lemon or play with sexual fantasies and you will instantly see how a thought can change the electrochemical state of the brain and then the central nervous system transmits these changes to the systems and elements of your body.

When the firewalker's thinking is in the appropriate state, the blood flowing in his body is like water in a paper cup. The blood temperature is 37? C. As it flows through the soles of the feet, it continuously cools the tissues and prevents them from reaching the "flash point" in the same way that water maintains a temperature of 100 degrees. When a person walks on 1200 degree coals without getting burned, he is able to do so because the body has the ability to cool and protect itself to some extent.

When a person's mental state is not adjusted to achieve maximum capabilities, the capillaries are reduced and do not allow blood to flow freely through the tissues of the sole of the foot. In this case, the blood will not be able to remove heat from the sole and will not be able to maintain a temperature sufficient to protect against burns. The result may be a blister or charring of the skin. Of the 2,000,000 participants in firewalking by 2000, only 50 received burns because they were unable to maintain the correct mental state and became “trapped.”

At the Bourquin Institute, the criterion for readiness for firewalking is the degree of relaxation of the body, and until the body relaxes, the participant has no right to go out onto the coal path. The body is an excellent reflection of the mental state. If the body is tense, this means that thinking processes are taking place in it, which will affect the physical defense mechanisms. Thus, firewalking becomes an exercise to test the connection between the body and mentality.

High temperature protection with thin film cooled on one side by liquid

You can check the effectiveness of cooling a thin film with liquid in simple experience. Take two thin plastic bags and a gas cutter or turbo lighter - it produces a very hot torch. Inflate one bag with air, pour water into the second. Apply a flame to the first bag - after a second a melted hole will form in it. The second package can be heated for a very long time - it does not melt. You can use a hot soldering iron instead of a gas flame - the effect will be the same. After prolonged heating with a soldering iron, the surface of the polyethylene will become noticeably cloudy, and the thicker the material, the more noticeable the damage. If you make sure that water flows along the surface, the heat resistance will increase even more.

This experiment simulates the main features of the firewalking phenomenon - the possibility of protection from high temperatures using a thin film cooled on one side by a liquid.

The figure shows a diagram of the structure of the skin.

You can distinguish a thin layer of the epidermis and the main layer of skin. The epidermis is also divided into a superficial layer of permanently keratinized epithelium and a germinal layer. The skin is penetrated by a network of capillaries, with the smallest capillaries located in the germinal layer, the density of the capillary network here is maximum and the blood supply to the tissue is also maximum.

With this skin structure, the cooling system can work as follows. When in contact with a hot surface, a thin surface layer of skin ensures heat transfer to the capillary system of the germinal layer. Due to its small thickness and high degree of blood filling, this process occurs very quickly and efficiently, preventing the stratum corneum from overheating (as in the experiment with film). The heated blood then cools in the main layer of skin, which as a result begins to warm up, but much more slowly than the epidermis. The main layer of skin can cool primarily through diffusion in the intercellular fluid and lymph, which is a much slower process compared to heat transfer through the bloodstream.

To check the plausibility of the cooling system model under consideration, we will carry out some quantitative estimates. Need assessment:

• is the blood flow in the epidermis capable of providing the necessary heat removal so that the temperature of the upper layer of the skin does not exceed the permissible value (about 45-50 degrees);
• How does the rate of heating of the base layer of skin compare with the time of actual contact of the skin with the hot surface? Let the capillaries provide blood flow into the epidermal layer at a certain speed wb. The blood heats up and its temperature increases by a certain amount ? T. Amount of heat Q b, which the blood will transfer in time t from a unit of skin surface area, is

Q b = c p w t ? T, (1),

where p, cb are the density and specific heat of blood.

During the same time, the amount of heat per unit area of ​​the hot surface with temperature Tf will be transferred Q f equal

Qf = 1 (T f— Tb) t/?, (2)

where is 1,? - average thermal conductivity coefficient and thickness of the epidermal layer between the hot surface and the capillary layer, Tb - blood temperature.

In order for the blood to cool the epidermis, the outflow of heat must be no less than the inflow, that is Q b> Q f.

Let's estimate the speed. In terms of thermal parameters, blood is close to water (cb = 4200 J/kg/degree, p = 1000 kg/m3), its usual temperature is Tb = 37? C. Let us accept the maximum permissible short-term increase in blood temperature?T = 5?C (up to 42?C). Let us take the thermal conductivity coefficient of the epidermis to be the same as for industrial dry skin (0.15 W/m/deg), its thickness is 0.15 mm (3-4 hair thicknesses). For a record surface temperature Tf = 1200?C, we obtain a minimum blood velocity of 5.5 cm/s. This speed value is an order of magnitude lower than the speed of blood movement in the aortas and approximately corresponds to the available information about the maximum flow speed in the capillaries.

Skin structure diagram

In reality, the average thermal conductivity coefficient may be several times lower, and then the minimum blood velocity may also be lower.

The fact is that the surface of the skin is not smooth, but has microscopic tubercles. Therefore, even a flat heater will contact the skin only at certain points, and there will be an air gap on a large part of the surface. The thermal conductivity coefficient of air is 0.025 W/m/deg. (6 times less than the value taken above). The average thermal conductivity will be between these extreme values ​​depending on the ratio of layer thicknesses. The presence of a layer with low thermal conductivity (high thermal resistance) provides a sharp jump in temperature on it, which reduces the possibility of destruction of the most superficial layers of the stratum corneum. So, our simplest estimates show that the circulatory system is quite capable of effectively cooling the surface of the skin.

Let us now estimate the heating time constant of the main layer of skin. We will consider the skin as a flat plate of thickness h, with a thermal conductivity coefficient of 10, specific heat c0 and density p, placed between the epidermis and internal tissues. For such a one-dimensional model, the solution to the heat equation is known.

The inner layers of the skin are close to water in thermal parameters (p = 1000 kg/m3, c0 = 4200 J/kg/deg., 10 = 0.6 W/m/deg.), then with a skin thickness of 1.0-1.5 mm we obtain from (3) t = 0.8-1.5 s. This means that the contact time with the hot surface should be on the order of 1 second, and the skin temperature will reach 1-1/e = 63% of the epidermal temperature. The duration of contact of the foot with the surface is determined by the pace of walking. For a pedestrian speed of 3 km/h and a step width of 0.5 m, the contact time of the foot with the surface is 0.5 s, which is less than the calculated time constant. The time constant of the skin cooling process is apparently slightly larger than t due to the presence of a less thermally conductive fatty subcutaneous layer, but is approximately the same order of magnitude. The cooling process is also facilitated by walking itself, during which the pressure on the skin changes sharply and this leads to additional movement of blood and other fluids. Therefore, the firewalker must walk at a pace no slower than about one step per second, and not walk for too long, or take breaks so that the slow mechanism of cooling through the lungs and sweating has time to work.

So, the estimates show that walking on fire does not require any unusual physical conditions in the body. The main condition is that blood should flow freely to the surface of the skin, like water to the film in a plastic bag in the described experiment. In this case, the skin should be dry, sufficiently thin and not have poorly cooled anatomical defects.

Very fast movement

English physicist Harry Prison hypothesized that when walking on hot stones, people move so fast that they simply do not have time to properly feel the heat and get burned. However, representatives of some tribes not only dance on stones for several minutes, but also stand in one place for a long time.

Anesthetic

Following McMillan, the Australian magazine "Walk About" suggested that before stepping on hot stones, the aborigines lubricate their soles with a strong anesthetic and therefore do not feel pain. However, an anesthetic may relieve pain for a while, but it cannot protect the skin from burns. In addition, firebenders not only walk on hot coals, but also apply them to various parts of the body, some even bite off pieces of burning wood.

Dr. Karger's experiment - he is unable to explain the phenomenon of coal mining from a scientific point of view

The famous German physicist, an employee of the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics Friedbert Karger, considered Dr. Kane’s arguments not entirely convincing and in 1974 personally went to the island of Mabinga to see with his own eyes the strange ritual and explain the phenomenon of coal mining from the point of view of physics.

To begin with, Karger and his medical assistants carefully examined the dancers, who were to demonstrate their art in the morning. However, no changes in the skin of their feet were found. And the doctors themselves were jealous of the psycho-emotional state of the “extreme athletes”.

Before the ceremony began, Karger applied a layer of indicator paint to the dancers’ feet, which changes color when a certain temperature is reached. Thanks to this, the scientist proved the incredible - the temperature of the stones on which the aborigines danced reached 330 degrees Celsius. The islanders' feet were not damaged at all. Moreover, their temperature at the time of the dance did not exceed eighty-three degrees.

Immediately after the ritual, Karger placed a piece of hardened skin cut from the sole of an aboriginal dancer on one of the hot stones, and it almost instantly charred. After this, the physicist admitted that he was unable to explain the phenomenon of coal mining from a scientific point of view.

conclusions

All of the above theories only confirm that walking on a hot surface without injury is a normal reaction of a healthy body, and only our erroneous psychological attitudes and the fear that follows them forces us to command the nervous system to convulsively compress the blood vessels and block the correct action of the body.

As Bourquin says, "new firewalkers are amazed when they discover that they themselves are such amazing creatures. Firewalkers discover that, being just people, there is nothing simple about them. Our thoughts are a new fortress, and firewalking is simply the beginning of the process of discovering ourselves. Involving "thoughts in matter" truly inspires and gives new hope to people with serious illnesses, as well as to those who seek to overcome the limitations imposed by old beliefs: salespeople, students, athletes - the list goes on and includes yourself!"

For scientists hearing about such ceremonies for the first time, it takes a certain amount of credulity to admit that men, women and even children can walk painlessly across scalding stones and searing heat. Spiritual or psychological reasons alone cannot explain the ability to walk on fire. It is obvious that here we are talking about a certain physical phenomenon that is not yet understood and has not found its explanation.

The cases described above and throughout the book below are so numerous that it is worth taking a closer look at them, or even better, trying them yourself. Let's try to understand this issue using the methodology presented to your attention below.

Andrew Lang. Forge and crucible.

Thurston G. Physical manifestations of mysticism. 1952

Olivier Leroy Salamander People. 1931

Gaddis. Mysterious fire and light.

Dingualla E.D. "Amazing cases with people." 1947

Roots B.G. "Notes on the Doubtful." 1914

Adaridi B. “Russian Thought”, N 584, 08/28/1953

Leroy V. "People of the salamander."

Long M.F. The Secret Science Behind Miracles - 1949. (Translation: Long M.F. The Magic of Miracles. Kyiv: Nika-Center, 1998).

Tolly Burkan. Firewalking Institute of Research and Education

Popova S.H. "Walking on coals is complete immunity." 1988.

1. Gavrilov D.A., Nagovitsyn A.E. - Gods of the Slavs. Paganism. Tradition., M.: "Refl-book", 2002.
2. Rybakov B.A. - Paganism of the Ancient Slavs, M.: "Science", 1981.
3. Galkovsky N.M. — The struggle of Christianity against the remnants of paganism in Ancient Rus' (2 volumes), Reprint, 1913-1916.
4. Myths of the peoples of the world. Encyclopedia. M., 1991-92. In 2 volumes. T.2. 307 p.
5. Holy Russian Vedas. Book of Kolyada, M.: "FAIR-Press", 2007.
6. Asov A. Russian Vedas. (Songs of the Bird Gamayun, Veles' book). - M.: Science and religion, 1992. - 366 p.
7. Chronicler Nestor - The Tale of Bygone Years (translation by D.S. Likhachev), M.: "Nauka", 1996.
8. Magus Veleslav - Perun, M.: Institute of General Humanitarian Research, 2004.
9. Ivanov V.V., Toporov V.N. — Research in the field of Slavic antiquities. M.: "Science", 1974

Shemshuk V.A. "Our ancestors. The life and death of the last four civilizations." M.: World Fund for Planet Earth, 2000.-144 p.

Shemshuk V.A. Borean Rus'. History, culture and causes of the tragedy. Perm.: Publishing house "Veda" Ural Roerich Fund, 1995. - 192 p.

Shemshuk V.A. Solar cult. Russian-Borean Pantheon. M.: Publishing house "Veda". 1998. - 278 p.

Perun (Belarus - Pärun, lit. - Perknas, Latvian - Prkons) - in East Slavic mythology, the God who commands thunder and lightning, the patron of warriors and the princely squad (God of War), the giver of male strength, one of the main Gods of the Slavic pantheon. The god of thunder and lightning, like heavenly fire, is mentioned in the chronicles in the treaties between the Rus and Slavs with the Romans.

How to safely walk on burning coals April 4th, 2016

Just a few years ago, I would never have believed that I would decide on such an unusual experience. But recently I received an invitation from my friend Dmitry shri_boomer take part in the ceremony of walking on hot coals! This happened as part of the “Breakthrough Technology” training from a very well-known comrade in this field, Nikolai Smirnov.

I’ll be honest and frank - since childhood I can’t stand all these numerous trainings, seminars and educational symposiums. I believe that they are aimed at brainwashing, pumping out money and in general openly resemble sects. However, I am not dissuading or condemning anyone; whoever wants to, let him have fun. I was only interested in the experiment of walking on coals. When will you try this again? I love to discover new and unknown things, so I gladly agreed to Dima’s invitation.

1. The training itself took place at the Ershovo boarding house for three days, but I only arrived for a couple of hours on Saturday. Immediately before the start of coal mining, Nikolai Smirnov gave a lecture to the “cadets” on the topic of why all this was needed. And really... Why?

2. If you believe the words of Nikolai, walking on coals frees up the internal reserves of the body and almost cures hidden ailments and other problems in the body. I will not comment on this; a separate post will be required to refute or confirm this theory.

3. Personally, it was important for me to listen to the usual instructions - what to do, and most importantly, what not to do, so that walking over hot coals would not be the last in my experience of walking upright.

4. Well, we figured it out and even signed papers saying that no one pulled your ears, and if you burn out, it’s your own fault. The company is not responsible. And after all this we came to the site where the execution was to take place.

5. Here is such a platform. The weather is still bad, but most likely it’s even for the better. Do you understand why?

6. The very section through which the “disciples” will have to go is highlighted in black. Meanwhile, the “teacher” personally throws coals onto the path in order to maintain the temperature.

7. Really a sect. See how they listen carefully to the guru. Well, life.

8. Well, this is actually a paragraph! Before coal walking, you should warm up, for this the whole group begins to stomp, clap, repeating the exclamation “I AM CONFIDENT IN MYSELF!” like a mantra.

9. I AM CONFIDENT IN MYSELF! Nikolai Smirnov himself is the first to enter the arena, and only then the rest of the flock.

10. Here. Like Jesus walked on water and didn’t even wince.

11. And now the first client has matured. Congratulations, dear comrade! And how do they do it?

12. Here our main esotericist arrived in time, an expert in miraculous practices and simply a good person, Dmitry Evsyutkin, popularly known as shri_boomer .

13. Dima, don’t let me down! Skandha from dharmas into your karma and eight feet under your keel!

14. Well, just look. Didn't even sob, let alone burn. By the way, Dimon later admitted that this was either his fifth or sixth journey through torment and it turned out not to be ideal. All this is due to the fact that experienced coal miners are no longer preparing so carefully and carefully. But neophytes, on the contrary, are lucky.

15. At the other end, the walker is received by “Little Red Riding Hood” and embraced. So that the citizen does not burst right there from an overabundance of emotions.

16. Auntie, don’t cry, you will succeed!

17. That’s how it should be, with a smile and rubbing your hands.

18. Finally it was my turn. I'm nervous.

19. Away, fears and complexes, get up and go, dear comrade!

20. Well, I went. It’s somehow inconvenient where to go.

21. Ahhh!

22. And only in the arms of Little Red Riding Hood did I begin to realize what it was.

I can only say one thing for sure. It didn't hurt at all! Moreover, I didn’t even feel any hint of the hotness of these very coals. And they, just for a second, are about 600 degrees. And why? Because I AM CONFIDENT IN MYSELF! Here.