Fire Horse:  A Ceremonial Retreat with Horses

(Feb 13-16) In Westport MA and Warren RI

A ceremonial threshold into movement, truth, and embodied freedom

This weekend retreat marks a sacred transition—from the inward shedding of the Year of the Snake into the heart-led movement of the Year of the Fire Horse.

Through ceremony, breathwork, shamanic ritual and practice as well as time in the presence of horses, participants are invited into a deeper listening—one that happens through the body, the breath, and the relational field.

The horses are not here to perform or be ridden.
They are here as teachers—mirrors of coherence, authenticity, and presence.

This is a weekend for those standing at a threshold—ready to move, but unwilling to abandon depth. For those who value personal growth that translates into the community/herd. 

No prior experience with horses is required.
Only a willingness to listen.

Essence of the Retreat

This weekend is a rite of passage—a closing of the Year of the Snake and an initiation into the Year of the Fire Horse.

Snake teaches us shedding, deep listening, and inner alchemy. Growing from the inside out. Venom/pain is medicine and possibility.  Horse carries us forward—into movement, truth, sovereignty, and heart-led action we carry into our herd.  Outward growth ready to be shared with others. They also remind us of our unbridled wildness and play as well as gentleness and softness. 

The retreat/initiation/ignition weaves together:

• Ceremony

• Breathwork

• Meditation & movement

• Somatic & energetic initiation

• Time in the presence of horses as teachers and mirrors

• Shamanic practices

Not performance.
Not riding instruction.
Presence.. Listening. Connection. Communion.

Horse Sessions

• Multiple short, spacious engagements rather than one long session

• Emphasis on observation as much as interaction

• Reflection woven in gently

Weekend Flow (Preliminary)

 Friday, February 13th - Arrival Late Afternoon 

Orientation to shared space

Opening circle and Year of the Snake Closure Ceremony 

 Saturday, Feb 14th

Morning practice/ritual at house

Midday Horse Connection Sessions w/ intention

• Time with horses (ground-based, relational, consent-led)

• Somatic awareness + nervous system attunement

• Witnessing how horses reflect truth, coherence, and presence

• Earth/land attunement

Afternoon - Communion

• Reflection, journaling

• Group sharing

• Instructions for Ceremony

Evening - Year of the Fire Horse Initiation Ceremony

Sunday, Feb 15th

Morning Practice and Ritual

Lunch in town as a herd

Afternoon - Horse Connection Session w/intention and darkness

Evening- Communion

• Reflection, journaling

• Group sharing

• Cacao

Monday, Feb 16th

Closing Circle Ceremony

Departure time - 11am

This retreat IS for you if:

• You are at a threshold or transition moment

• You are craving embodiment after a period of deep inner work or grief

• You are drawn to animal wisdom, ritual and nervous-system-safe depth

• You want meaningful connection

• You are ready to let go of what no longer serves you

• You are ready to remember your wild, grounded self

• You are ready to re-ignite your inner fire

This retreat is NOT for you if:

• You are a spectator, this retreat is participatory, but gentle

• You want a quick fix or a recipe 

• You want riding lessons, we will not ride the horses

What Makes This Unique

• Horses are not a backdrop—they are co-facilitators

• Breathwork is micro-dose and regulating, not cathartic overwhelm

• Ceremony is woven throughout rather than confined to a single moment

• Focus on initiation, not self-improvement

Total Retreat Investment: $1,133 USD

This includes a retreat investment covering shared room lodging (beachfront), nourishing meals (three breakfasts, one lunch, and three dinners (one lunch in town not included), ceremony, instruction and facilitation, and materials, plus a horse stewardship contribution to the barn in support of the care, time, and presence of the horses and land.

About the Facilitators

This retreat is guided by River Star (Emily Peterson) and Jessica Dawe, two shamanic practitioners and ceremonial guides trained in the Way of the Heart Shamanism, each walking the path as Mistresses of the Craft. Together, they hold a shared devotion to healing through embodied presence, relational integrity, and deep listening with the seen and unseen worlds.

Both facilitators work with ancient shamanic practices, conscious breath, meditation, energy healing, and ceremony to support remembrance, restoration, and return to wholeness. Their approaches are trauma-aware, consent-based, and grounded in respect for the nervous system, the land, and the beings who co-create the field.

RiverStar (Emily Peterson) gently guides others into states of coherence and deep remembering through embodied ceremonial breathwork and movement, rooted in ancient shamanic and oracle lineages, weaving voice, soul retrieval, frequency healing, compassionate spirit release, Water Spirit healing, sacred witnessing, and relational partnership with horses and land. Jessica Dawe carries a strong lineage of oracle and ancestral work, offering shamanic journeys, soul retrieval, and channeled meditations and rituals that support deep soul remembrance and clarity.

Together, they weave complementary expressions of the same medicine—ceremony and journey, embodiment and oracle, land and lineage—creating a container that is both grounded and mythic, spacious and precise, ancient and alive.