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THE BEST EVENTS, TALKS AND SPORT
3|! Your Sound Networking event for unsigned bands. See preview, page 29. King Tuts, Glasgow. Sun 4 Feb.
ll: Edinburgh International Festival of Middle Eastern Spirituality and Peace 2007 The city-wide festival of workshops, discussions, music events, cinema. food tastings, services, arts and poetry evenings and religious services manages to pack well over 100 events in this year. An impressive selection of international guests participate in the spiritual and cultural exchange. See www.mesp.org.uk for full listings. Various venues, Edinburgh, Wed 7 Feb—Sun 17 Mar.
* Six Nations: Scotland v Wales Important sporting fixture in which 30 men (pictured) converge on Corstorphine. Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh, Sat 10 Feb.
3|: StOp the War Coalition Conference Almost thirty speakers, including Rose Gentle and former Guantanamo prisoner Moazam Begg, assemble for the coalition’s conference. See preview, page 28. Glasgow University, Sat 10 Feb.
Blazin' quad
Kirstin Innes discovers a new way of putting some fire in your heart
(and under your feet) this Valentine’s Day.
artin Sterling is a very enthusiastic man with a very dark sense ol‘ humour. “There are two types ol‘ mad. aren‘t there'.’ (iood mad and bad mad.‘ He assures me that he is the former. and not just because he‘s coming up to (ilasgow on Valentine‘s Day to encourage people to walk on hot coals in the middle ol‘ George Square. The event is being run as a sponsored walk to raise funds for learning disability charity linable. and Martin conlidently predicts revenue of" at least £5()()()—£l(l.()()(). You aren‘t expected to turn up. whip your shoes off. and walk. though: participants are eased in with a 90—minute training session.
‘()l‘licially it‘s called the liear Buster. but in the office we call it “Learn or Burn“ — because il‘ you don‘t listen. you will!‘ says Martin. cackling. ‘We don‘t prepare people for a spiritual experience — there‘s no chanting or meditation involved. Fire-walking is essentially based in physics. just like abseiling or bungee jumping. and the biggest secret is that it‘s simply a case of mind over matter. We teach people that fear isn‘t a word. it‘s an acronym. lialse lividence Appearing Real. The mind creates all sorts of pictures — projections of~ possible l‘utures — and then begins to engage with them as though they‘re reality. So. you‘re standing at the beginning of‘ the fire walk and you‘re imagining pain. burning yoursell‘. and it holds you back. We teach people to overcome that state of mind.‘
That fire. by the way. burns at 1236 ii. and participants are expected to take 6-8 steps across it. Martin has been teaching lire-walking since 1984. and nobody has ever backed out. “Obviously you won‘t be able to overcome l‘ear il‘ you feel you‘ve got no choice
but to go through with something. so we make a rule that anyone who can‘t do it gets just as big a round of applause. l‘ll walk for them — the charity still gets the sponsorship money. But nobody‘s ever taken me up on it.
'You really have to ask yoursell‘: what am I afraid of"? It‘s not burning my feet. It‘s. you know. my parents. losing my job. the future. Something like that. And what people come away with is a skill that they can use throughout life. The ability to overcome those natural impulses and deliberately control their own minds.‘
He‘s so excited about the inherent possibilities that I feel a little crass asking my next question: does it actually hurt‘.’ Martin laughs for a very long time. 'Ah. Well. Most people find it feels similar to walking on warm sand. It‘s quite a crunchy l‘eeling. Like new snow. Or maybe Weetabix. Walking on Weetabix.‘ He likes the idea. But —— pain‘.’ ‘Well. il‘ you stand at the head ol‘ the fire thinking ‘oh bloody hell. this is going to llUR'l‘.‘ then of‘ course it will. Agony. But we teach people to take the attitude that it‘s going to feel great. and it really does.‘
Martin‘s company. the appropriately-named Blaze. organise this sort of event for charities all over the country. ‘l‘m always amazed that there are charities who haven‘t discovered us yet. It‘s much easier to organise. and hundreds of times more protitable than a barbecue party.‘ Oh dear. I‘ve walked into this one. ‘Which. of course. it sort oi is!‘
To take part contact Christina Harcus on christina.harcus@enable.org.uk
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