The Way of Fire
An initiation journey with fire, nature and community
Across cultures and throughout human history, Fire has sat at the heart of community life — a place where people gathered to share stories, mark important moments and seek wisdom.
Yet in modern life, many of us have lost our relationship with this powerful element.
The Way of Fire is an invitation to reconnect with fire as teacher, mirror and ally.
Through a powerful guided process, nature connection, ceremony, solitude and community, this journey offers an opportunity to deepen your relationship with yourself, the land and the more-than-human world.
At the heart of this journey is The Fire Quest — an overnight initiation with fire, held within a wider community of support.
What is a Fire Quest?
A Fire Quest is an initiation with fire.
Throughout human history, people have stepped away from everyday life at times of change, uncertainty, grief or important decision-making to seek deeper guidance through solitude and relationship with the natural world.
Sitting alone with a fire through the night creates space to listen — to the fire, the land and the deeper wisdom within yourself.
This is not a fixed rite of passage, although for some people it may mark a significant threshold in their lives.
Rather, it is an opportunity to step beyond the familiar, meet yourself in a different way and discover what emerges through relationship with this ancient element.
The Way of Fire journey
For first-time questers, this journey unfolds through three stages:
Preparation → Fire Quest Ceremony → Integration
Each stage has its own purpose, creating a supported process that allows the experience to continue unfolding long after the fire goes out.
Stage One: Preparation and Training Weekend
Building relationship with fire
18th–20th September 2026 A woodland venue near Hebden Bridge (venue TBC)
The journey begins with a three-day training weekend where we build relationship with fire, the land and each other.
Through fire tending, nature connection practices, song, ceremony and council, we prepare ourselves and the community for the quest itself.
We explore traditional ways of working with fire, develop our awareness and cultivate the qualities needed to enter the ceremony with presence and intention.
The weekend is held by Leona, supported by a small team of experienced assistants who have undertaken their own leadership journeys and training through Connected Leadership and related pathways.
You will also receive personal preparation and support from Leona, helping you explore what you are bringing to the fire and how you are being called into this experience.
Investment: £555
Includes:
Training weekend
Food throughout the weekend
1:1 preparation session with Leona
Three group calls between the training and the quest
Integration Day following the quest
Payment plans are available.
Stage Two: The Fire Quest Ceremony
A night with fire
8th–11th October 2026 Woodsworth Exploring, Oakworth, Keighley
The heart of the journey.
Questers spend a full night — from sunset to sunrise — alone with their own fire, awake in solitude and fasting from food and sleep for approximately 24 hours.
This is a time to listen deeply: to the fire, to the land and to the questions, intentions or thresholds you bring with you.
Although the experience is personal, it is held within a wider community.
Throughout the night, questers are held by the Village — people who have completed Fire Quest before and return to support the next group of questers.
The Village offers presence, continuity and belonging, reminding each person that although the journey is deeply personal, it is not walked alone.
At dawn, questers are welcomed home by the Village.
Ceremony exchange
The Fire Quest ceremony itself is offered at cost only.
Everyone contributes towards the practical expenses of:
Camping
Food
Firewood
Shared ceremonial materials
The typical contribution is approximately £150 per person (this may vary slightly depending on numbers).
Any surplus is offered in reciprocity to the reservation community in the United States from which the teachings that inspired this work originated.
Stage Three: Integration Day
Bringing the lessons home
8th November 2026
The journey does not end when the fire goes out.
Approximately one month after the quest, we gather again to reflect, share and deepen into what has been revealed.
This is a time to explore how the lessons of the initiation can become part of everyday life — moving from a powerful experience into an embodied practice.
We also honour reciprocity by gathering around the fire and sharing food with the Village who supported the ceremony.
The integration is where the experience continues to unfold.
Included in the training.
Who is this for?
The Way of Fire may be for you if you feel called to:
Deepen your relationship with nature and yourself
Spend meaningful time in solitude and reflection
Mark a transition or threshold in your life
Explore initiation, leadership and community
Develop a deeper relationship with the elements
Become part of a living community rooted in connection and reciprocity
No previous experience is required.
You do not need to know exactly why you are being called.
Sometimes the question only becomes clear once we sit beside the fire.
The lineage
The Way of Fire is inspired by teachings carried through the Eight Shields community and by a lineage of Indigenous peoples of North America.
We approach this work with respect, reciprocity and humility, honouring the origins and relationships from which these teachings have emerged.
This offering has also been shaped by this land, this community and many years of practice, training and relationship.
About Leona
Leona Johnson is a transformational life coach, ecopsychology practitioner and ceremonial facilitator with a background in social work, Forest School, nature connection and community building.
Her work weaves together the Eight Shields model, Connected Leadership, initiation practices, coaching and deep relationship with the living world.
She creates spaces where people can reconnect with themselves, each other and the living world.
Supporting team
Leona will be supported in the training by a small dedicated team of initiated and experienced fire tenders and facilitators.
Register your interest
If something in you is stirred by this invitation — whether it arrives as curiosity, excitement or a quiet sense of recognition — we would love to hear from you.
You are welcome to register your interest or book a discovery call with Leona if you have questions before committing.
Our Services
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Meet the Team
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Monet Goode
FOUNDER
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