The sacred ritual of Firewalking..

In a cocoon surrounded by love and warmth I can feel the vibration of the drummers, traditional (woodhaka) musicians and the chanting and praising of the Fire Goddess, Draupati, piercing through my heart. My mind is focused on careful and steady steps and pacing my strength to carry the Mothers holy garagum/adornment on my head. Ahead we have a glimpse of the Gopuram/Dome of the temple and my heart pounds with joy, ecstasy and reverence. This is my time that I fully surrender, beg, pray and give thanks to our divine Mother Draupadi for her many gifts and blessings.

Mother Draupadi was the chosen devotee of Lord Krishna to bring to and teach the world of total surrender. The de-robing of Draupati in the courtyard of the Pandavas from the historical text 'The Mahabharatha', brought about a catastrophe that led to; the 18 day Kurukshetra war, the vow to kill the demon Duryodhana, the cleansing and purifying of an entire nation, yuga and the most significant is the creation & reciting of the Sri Bhagavat Gita by Lord Krishna to Arjuna which lead to the birth of a pure, disciplined and God conscious era.

Each day of the 18 day war led to the birth and creation of each of the chapters in the Bhagavat Gita. A ritual from 100 of years ago and today brings significant prayers done daily for the 18 days leading towards the last day of victory, enlightenment, new birth and success. Just as Mother Draupadi vowed after the 18 days of war, she begged all to partake in a fire ritual to cleanse and purify the land and people of this bloodshed. She will bring upon honour, respect, dignity and reverence to all of mankind. From the holy embers, Mother Draupadi had appeared in her true form as Shakti as her gift to the world. No movement or survival can take place without combustion, CO2 and one cannot survive without heat in the physical body.

Firewalking is a journey of purification and realisation that takes place over the 18 days. On the 18th day, the victory of destruction of Duryodhana is the destroying of all the vices of our world, sin, impurity, karma, illness and disease. As we enter the fire we beg for her mercy and protection in ridding our fallen souls from all of these vices and karma. That we leave part of our soul's negative experiences of our journey within her embers.

Fire brings with it desire, attachment and maya (illusion). The understanding of the Jothi (light) allows for our souls elevation beyond maya. One needs to be purified before going back to Godhead and as our traditions and cultures suggest, we respectfully value and appreciate each individual's medium and purpose of their religious responsibilities.

I am proud to be a part of a lineage and legacy of my fore fathers, brought from India 156 years ago, divinely shared to us by our respected, Guru Krishna Naidoo of the Sathie Sanmarka Sungam of South Africa. I cross her embers feeling complete, free, loved, protected and my prayer to Mother Draupadi every year is that I gain just 1% of her Shakti as she accepts this fallen soul.