1 00:00:00,685 --> 00:00:07,685 This series presents information based in part on theory and conjecture. 2 00:00:07,685 --> 00:00:17,685 The producer's purpose is to suggest some possible explanations, but not necessarily the only ones to the mysteries we will examine. 3 00:00:17,685 --> 00:00:27,685 Rivers of molten rock sieve beneath the Earth's crust and erupt with unmatched awe-inspiring fury. 4 00:00:37,684 --> 00:00:43,684 Legend tells us that primitive man thought volcanoes must surely be the home of angry fire gods. 5 00:00:44,684 --> 00:00:48,684 Man, stealing awe or fire, has learned to tame it. 6 00:00:49,684 --> 00:00:53,684 And yet around the world, a bizarre ritual persists. 7 00:00:57,684 --> 00:01:01,684 Man knowingly and willingly matches himself against the flames. 8 00:01:01,684 --> 00:01:18,684 Practiced in diverse cultures, embodied in several religions, the mysterious and ancient custom of fire walking has intrigued observers for hundreds of years. 9 00:01:18,684 --> 00:01:22,684 Two puzzling questions remain unanswered through the centuries. 10 00:01:22,684 --> 00:01:28,684 How did the custom originate and what protects the fire walkers from being burned? 11 00:01:32,684 --> 00:01:35,684 The World of Fire 12 00:01:39,684 --> 00:01:44,683 With awesome force and brutality, fire destroys all in its way. 13 00:01:53,683 --> 00:02:00,683 But historically, fire has also been a creative force, the bringer of warmth, comfort, security. 14 00:02:02,683 --> 00:02:05,683 The World of Fire 15 00:02:06,683 --> 00:02:11,683 Our early ancestors learned to use fire about 400,000 years ago. 16 00:02:11,683 --> 00:02:19,683 Imagine the first brave soul who approached the forest fire or volcano and captured the fearful awesome giant. 17 00:02:19,683 --> 00:02:27,683 Suddenly, light and warmth were his, and with it, an easier, more settled life. 18 00:02:28,683 --> 00:02:32,683 But it would be many thousands of years before man would learn to make fire at will. 19 00:02:32,683 --> 00:02:37,683 The seemingly simple discovery marked the birth of civilization. 20 00:02:39,683 --> 00:02:46,682 When and where man began to walk on fire, perhaps to demonstrate his mastery over it, is unknown. 21 00:02:46,682 --> 00:02:53,682 In literature, we find fire walking in the Bible and in Hindu records of the 6th century before Christ. 22 00:02:53,682 --> 00:02:57,682 It's likely the custom started far earlier. 23 00:03:00,682 --> 00:03:04,682 In the modern world, fire walking is surprisingly widespread. 24 00:03:04,682 --> 00:03:09,682 It crosses continental boundaries, cultural and religious heritage. 25 00:03:13,682 --> 00:03:19,682 There seems to be at least one common denominator that underlies all fire walking rituals. 26 00:03:19,682 --> 00:03:25,682 A fire walker is considered successful only if he emerges unburned, unscared. 27 00:03:25,682 --> 00:03:31,682 How this is done is a mystery that has puzzled observers for centuries. 28 00:03:36,682 --> 00:03:41,682 I can keep my skin next to this flame for less than a second before I feel pain. 29 00:03:41,682 --> 00:03:45,682 A second or two longer, the skin would turn red and blister. 30 00:03:46,682 --> 00:03:53,681 Yet most fire walkers are in contact with searingly hot coals for much longer than I could possibly keep my finger in this flame. 31 00:03:53,681 --> 00:04:00,681 They seem to be able to turn off the physiological mechanism that causes burning. But how? 32 00:04:00,681 --> 00:04:10,681 Although some skeptics may claim there's a trick involved, a more convincing argument comes from experts investigating the powers of the mind. 33 00:04:10,681 --> 00:04:19,681 I have spent 18 months in India, Burma and parts of Tibet, and I've observed fire walking on two separate occasions. 34 00:04:19,681 --> 00:04:25,681 Psychologist Sydney Walter is president of the California State Hypnosis Association. 35 00:04:25,681 --> 00:04:31,681 And I'm fairly convinced, even though there's arguments pro and con, that's a total state of disassociation. 36 00:04:31,681 --> 00:04:37,681 Disassociation simply means that a person allows himself to feel that he is somewhere else. 37 00:04:37,681 --> 00:04:41,681 Now look to your left there and notice that bowl of ice water with ice cubes floating in it. 38 00:04:41,681 --> 00:04:45,681 Place your left hand in it and tell me if you feel cold or whatever you feel. 39 00:04:45,681 --> 00:04:47,681 It's freezing. 40 00:04:47,681 --> 00:04:52,681 And I know from our talks previously you enjoy the beach at Nice when you spend some time. 41 00:04:52,681 --> 00:04:58,680 You're going to completely disassociate yourself. Disassociate yourself from this place and time. 42 00:04:58,680 --> 00:05:03,680 You're now at Nice on the beach. 43 00:05:03,680 --> 00:05:11,680 Just let go, let go. No responsibilities, no obligations, no demands upon you. Disassociate yourself completely. 44 00:05:11,680 --> 00:05:15,680 No matter what I do, hold your hand and place it in water, whatever it is. 45 00:05:15,680 --> 00:05:20,680 After inducing a life hypnotic state, Dr. Walter helps his subject to disassociate. 46 00:05:20,680 --> 00:05:28,680 Concentrating on the beach scene. Your hand is very limp. Concentrate on the beach scene. Keep concentrating on the beach scene. 47 00:05:28,680 --> 00:05:33,680 You feel very good. 48 00:05:33,680 --> 00:05:38,680 Under normal circumstances, the ice water would be tolerable for merely a few seconds. 49 00:05:38,680 --> 00:05:41,680 Totally disassociate now. You're at the beach. 50 00:05:41,680 --> 00:05:48,680 Gerard feels no discomfort whatsoever. His disassociation has turned off the experience of pain. 51 00:05:48,680 --> 00:05:55,680 To letter E, you could open your eyes feeling very, very relaxed and comfortable. 52 00:05:55,680 --> 00:06:07,679 A, B, you are very comfortable. C, D, and E. You could open your eyes now. 53 00:06:07,679 --> 00:06:11,679 How's the water now, Gerard? 54 00:06:11,679 --> 00:06:15,679 It's cold. Still has ice cubes in it. 55 00:06:15,679 --> 00:06:23,679 I believe strongly that a person could withstand tremendous discomfort and pain if they have absolute relief. 56 00:06:23,679 --> 00:06:29,679 They're comfortable and I believe they could experience tremendous torment and pain if they have absolute relief. 57 00:06:29,679 --> 00:06:37,679 They have it even though it's not present. An absolute belief and questionable belief to me is definitely a state of self-hypnosis. 58 00:06:37,679 --> 00:06:42,679 Can self-hypnosis, however, actually prevent burns and blisters? 59 00:06:42,679 --> 00:06:48,679 The remote village of San Pedro, Monrique lies nestled in the hills of northwestern Spain. 60 00:06:48,679 --> 00:06:56,679 Here, each June, a dramatic nighttime fire walk is the highlight of a festival honoring a Catholic saint. 61 00:06:56,679 --> 00:07:18,678 Tonight, in response to a vow made to the Virgin, many of these young villagers will attempt to cross the blazing coals. 62 00:07:18,678 --> 00:07:33,678 The day-long festivities of St. John's Day are filled with both Christian and pre-Christian symbolism. 63 00:07:33,678 --> 00:07:44,678 The headdresses of bread in the shape of trees remind some anthropologists of the summer solstice fertility rites of pagan Europe. 64 00:07:44,678 --> 00:08:02,678 These ancient rites also included the building of bonfires and leaping through the flames. 65 00:08:02,678 --> 00:08:10,678 With the coming of Christianity to Spain, the name of the solstice celebration here was changed to St. John's Day. 66 00:08:11,678 --> 00:08:20,677 Fire walking occurs nowhere else in Europe except the Basque provinces of Spain and France and in the mountains of Macedonia in Greece. 67 00:08:20,677 --> 00:08:30,677 And then it is night. The fire can now be made ready. 68 00:08:51,677 --> 00:09:01,677 Enthusiastic crowds pour into the plaza. Excitement and anticipation fill the night air. 69 00:09:01,677 --> 00:09:12,677 The fire bed is now searingly hot in excess of a thousand degrees Fahrenheit, five times the heat necessary to boil water. 70 00:09:13,677 --> 00:09:18,677 No one knows who will be the first to walk. 71 00:09:18,677 --> 00:09:28,676 Once he has chosen, a sense of danger, expectancy, grips onlookers and fire walkers alike. 72 00:09:29,676 --> 00:09:40,676 His success raises the spirits of those who will follow, though each faces the same danger. 73 00:09:46,676 --> 00:09:52,676 The Spanish fire walkers believe that the extra weight of a rider helps ensure success. 74 00:09:53,676 --> 00:10:02,676 But these deeply religious people firmly believe it is faith that actually protects them. 75 00:10:02,676 --> 00:10:14,676 If intense belief does induce a state of self-hypnosis, it is possible that this could bring about physiological changes and prevent burning. 76 00:10:15,676 --> 00:10:23,676 But there are those who believe the real answer lies in an even more mysterious realm of the human mind. 77 00:10:29,675 --> 00:10:32,675 India, land of ancient mysticism. 78 00:10:32,675 --> 00:10:48,675 It is to Eastern thought that many feel we must turn to solve the mystery of how man can walk on fire. 79 00:10:52,675 --> 00:10:59,675 In yoga we can very definitely experience the existence of what we call the energy body. 80 00:11:00,675 --> 00:11:04,675 Ghanja White is director of the Los Angeles Center for Yoga. 81 00:11:04,675 --> 00:11:11,675 He has achieved the title, Yogi Raj, King of Yogis, and has personally walked the fire. 82 00:11:19,675 --> 00:11:21,675 We are not just this physical body. 83 00:11:22,675 --> 00:11:30,675 There are subtler and subtler energy forms animating the body, both physiologically speaking and psychically speaking. 84 00:11:30,675 --> 00:11:39,674 And the energy body itself corresponds actually physically to the shape of the physical body. 85 00:11:39,674 --> 00:11:49,674 And when walking on fire, what happens is this energy projects itself beyond the physical body, perhaps an inch, 86 00:11:49,674 --> 00:11:57,674 creating sort of an insulating effect between the body and the hot, burning hot coals. 87 00:11:57,674 --> 00:12:00,674 And this protects one from injury. 88 00:12:00,674 --> 00:12:09,674 A special technique called cullian photography has enabled some investigators to photograph this energy which is invisible to the naked eye. 89 00:12:09,674 --> 00:12:16,674 The aura or glow surrounding the finger is believed to be formed by the energy emitted from the body. 90 00:12:17,674 --> 00:12:23,674 Although the naked eye may be unable to see the energy, it is believed its powers can be easily demonstrated. 91 00:12:23,674 --> 00:12:29,674 Using two fingers each, the four people are unable to lift the 200 pound man. 92 00:12:29,674 --> 00:12:36,674 But according to yogic theory, this placement of the hands will awaken the energy bodies of all five people 93 00:12:36,674 --> 00:12:41,673 and bring them into alignment like a magnet, thereby increasing strength. 94 00:12:47,673 --> 00:12:48,673 That was the best one. 95 00:12:48,673 --> 00:12:50,673 That was really the best one. 96 00:12:50,673 --> 00:12:53,673 I know there's no trick involved. It works. 97 00:12:53,673 --> 00:13:01,673 How exactly it works is something we'll discover as we develop these new sciences. 98 00:13:03,673 --> 00:13:12,673 While western scientists search for answers with special cameras, the Hindu fire walkers are satisfied that the true answer lies in faith. 99 00:13:12,673 --> 00:13:18,673 If one has sufficient faith in the God or Goddess, one will be protected from burning. 100 00:13:19,673 --> 00:13:26,673 To the island of Bali in Indonesia, many elements of Hindu religion were brought by early migrants from India. 101 00:13:29,673 --> 00:13:35,673 In India, this man might be called a yogi. Here he is called a shaman, a priest. 102 00:13:36,673 --> 00:13:45,673 Many similarities exist between fire walking here and in India, except for the coconut husks, which replace wood as the source of the fire. 103 00:13:50,672 --> 00:13:56,672 When illness strikes, the shaman will use his special powers to exercise the disease from the village. 104 00:14:06,672 --> 00:14:18,672 This centuries old right requires that the shaman go into a deep trance. 105 00:14:18,672 --> 00:14:37,672 Trance states are a vital part of Balinese culture and religion. A whole repertoire of animal trances exists. 106 00:14:37,672 --> 00:14:46,672 In this ritual, the shaman carries a symbolic horse. The Balinese believe that the entranced man has literally become the horse. 107 00:14:46,672 --> 00:14:52,671 His own soul has temporarily left his body to be replaced by the soul of the horse. 108 00:15:16,671 --> 00:15:36,671 He has made a vow to the Hindu fire god Brahma. Only if he fulfills his vow to stamp out each blazing coal without being burned will the ritual be a success. 109 00:15:36,671 --> 00:15:47,671 Although after a time his feet become blackened from the charcoal, he remains totally unharmed. 110 00:16:06,670 --> 00:16:13,670 The shaman is a shaman. 111 00:16:13,670 --> 00:16:18,670 He is a shaman. 112 00:16:18,670 --> 00:16:23,670 He is a shaman. 113 00:16:23,670 --> 00:16:28,670 He is a shaman. 114 00:16:28,670 --> 00:16:33,670 He is a shaman. 115 00:16:34,670 --> 00:16:47,670 The last coal has died. His magical powers have prevailed. His vow has been fulfilled. 116 00:16:47,670 --> 00:16:56,670 There has got to be some kind of explanations that have to do with another science, certainly nothing that we know about. 117 00:16:56,670 --> 00:17:01,670 And I think that other science is in the area of parapsychology. 118 00:17:01,670 --> 00:17:13,669 Dr. Gerald Feigen is a well-established San Francisco surgeon. Several years ago, while on a trip to the South Pacific, he participated in a fire walk ceremony. 119 00:17:13,669 --> 00:17:20,669 My feelings prior to the fire walk and during the six hours of preparation were rather kaleidoscopic. 120 00:17:20,669 --> 00:17:34,669 They go in and out into the occult back to science. My background in science naturally would make me cautious and make me want to understand what was going to happen in this thing. 121 00:17:34,669 --> 00:17:44,669 Traditionally, in Polynesia, the rocks are heated for two full days. When ready, the thousand-degree heat can be felt several yards away. 122 00:17:44,669 --> 00:17:55,669 I was standing away from the fire walk about 10 or 15 feet and watching the natives make their walk cross. 123 00:17:55,669 --> 00:18:01,669 It seemed to me that the whole performance was extremely eloquent. 124 00:18:01,669 --> 00:18:08,669 Now, this is where I began to succumb to the entire metaphysical mood. 125 00:18:08,669 --> 00:18:23,668 In that silence, you could almost feel the elements of this dignified act of defiance as if to defy all the great forces that have made man feel somewhat smaller than God. 126 00:18:23,668 --> 00:18:27,668 Things like volcanoes and rivers and mountains and so forth. 127 00:18:28,668 --> 00:18:44,668 And as they walked across, I began to feel that it was possible. I found myself bending down, taking off my socks, walking over to the priest. 128 00:18:44,668 --> 00:18:54,668 And I was conscious of a peculiar paradox. There was an intense heat from my knees upward, but my legs and feet felt cool. 129 00:18:54,668 --> 00:19:14,668 And when I stepped off the bed for that moment, I felt that I had had a brief challenge, not only by the mystic and striking forces of the universe, but also there was a slight tipping of the hat to death. 130 00:19:15,668 --> 00:19:25,667 What compels man to tempt death by braving the savage fire? The answer may well be as old as mankind itself. 131 00:19:27,667 --> 00:19:33,667 According to legend, fire walking in ancient times was practiced even more extensively than it is today. 132 00:19:33,667 --> 00:19:41,667 But no legend reveals the answer to the ultimate mystery. How and when did this bizarre custom begin? 133 00:19:41,667 --> 00:19:50,667 What could have compelled so many people at such far reaches of the world to pit themselves against one of nature's most awesome and terrifying elements? 134 00:19:50,667 --> 00:19:58,667 Although a definitive answer may never be found, there is a startling piece of evidence that points to a radical new explanation. 135 00:20:00,667 --> 00:20:07,667 A careful study of the locations where fire walking is done reveals an amazing correlation to the Earth's volcanic zones. 136 00:20:08,667 --> 00:20:24,666 Perhaps long before recorded history, and so long ago in geologic time that the geologic record has been buried, a cataclysmic eruption covered much of the Earth's surface with molten lava, killing thousands, if not millions of people. 137 00:20:24,666 --> 00:20:34,666 Imagine the awesome panic of our ancestors trying to outrun the advancing fire, watching bodies disappear forever beneath the seething fury. 138 00:20:35,666 --> 00:20:45,666 To those who survived, managing to cross the lava safely, this must have seemed the world's greatest miracle. The gods of the fire mountains had spared them. 139 00:20:45,666 --> 00:20:53,666 In thanks, and as an expression of their devotion, the miracle would be reenacted ceremonially down over the centuries. 140 00:20:54,666 --> 00:21:06,666 The story passed along from parent to child, but a story from so far out of the past that its original meaning has been lost for all time, except in the hearts of men. 141 00:21:11,666 --> 00:21:17,666 Coming up next, FBI The Untold Stories brings you the story of hijacker DB Cooper. 142 00:21:18,666 --> 00:21:24,666 Then history's crimes and trials investigates the assassination of the father of modern India, Mahatma Gandhi. 143 00:21:24,666 --> 00:21:35,665 And later tonight, a museum in a box, startling letters from Mary Todd Lincoln and other fascinating things from the past with a story to tell on history's lost and found. 144 00:21:35,665 --> 00:21:39,665 At 8, here on the History Channel, where the past comes alive. 145 00:21:47,665 --> 00:21:52,665 The Untold Stories