The Invitation
Fire & Feminine is a gentle invitation for women who feel the call of sisterhood and the pull of a new chapter — an opportunity to step into yourself with intention and self-love. Over the weekend, you’ll be held in a warm, nurturing space as you explore ancient practices that awaken your feminine essence and honour your body, heart, and spirit.
This is not a retreat to escape.
It is a rite of passage.
The retreat is especially supportive for women navigating menstrual, peri-menopausal, menopausal, or postpartum phases, as well as those simply feeling the quiet pull toward ritual, and feminine wisdom.
With all that you bring, and all that you are,
you are welcome.
The Experience
Over the weekend, you’ll move through a sequence of embodied practices and rituals designed to support transition, reconnection, and remembrance.
You’ll explore ancient womb wisdom through yoni steaming and yoni stool crafting — an ancestral ritual that invites softening, release, and a renewed relationship with the womb, pelvic and hormonal body.
You’ll cross the coals in a guided firewalk ceremony, working with the alchemy of fear, fire, and feminine courage as you meet yourself at a threshold.
And you’ll enter the world of menstruality, learning to understand your inner seasons and reclaim the cyclical intelligence that often goes untended in modern life.
All of this is held through reflection, sharing, and integration so the weekend doesn’t end when you leave — it ripples into your everyday life with calm, clarity, and confidence.
See FAQs for more information.
Holding, honouring, witnessing the wisdom held in women’s bodies
Meet your Fire & Feminine facilitators
Graina Pedersen
I believe deeply in our natural capacity to heal, transform, and return to wholeness. My background spans the arts, education, SEN support, and therapeutic work, which has shaped a holistic approach that weaves mind–body awareness, empowerment, and trauma-informed care. I’m a biodynamic craniosacral therapist, firewalk instructor, and empowerment coach, with fire as a teacher in my own practice. My work honours the body’s innate intelligence and invites safety, curiosity, and slowing down. I support people through life transitions with compassion and trust in what is already within, encouraging resilience and reconnection with a sense of wholeness.
Bettina von Kameke
I am Merliness – photographer, shaman, and guide for sacred rituals, journeys, and life’s transitions. Through many initiations, Merlin, the mighty Celtic wizard, chose me as his messenger, working lovingly through me. I accompany people with rituals, the elements, herbs, nature, and intuition, holding space for transformation, initiations, and renewal. My heart is devoted to women’s circles, sisterhood, and sharing yoni steaming, helping women reconnect with their bodies, cycles, and inner wisdom. Through photography, I capture fleeting moments of truth, presence, and essence. We are larger, deeper, and wilder than we’ve ever allowed ourselves to be. www.merliness.de
Nikki Berridge
Having worked in the wellness sector most of my adult life- the last three years I have co-founded Howami.co - a menstrual cycle awareness startup focused around the emotional and psychological rhythms of the cycle for young people- inspired by nature’s wisdom. I have had the privilege to deliver workshops in schools, women’s circles, and one-to-one settings, and hold evolving and inclusive heartfelt spaces for reflection and integration. I am honoured to have Trained with various international menstruality foundations, these past 8 years- including Red School. I work across the full life arc of the female body. I am deeply passionate about re-awakening menstrual and feminine wisdom as a vital cultural force — one that restores agency, visibility, and collective power, and reshapes how we understand and live in female bodies.
Food & Nourishment
The vegetarian meals are created onsite, and are utterly exquisite. Food is woven into the retreat with intention, supporting the body as the weekend unfolds. We eat together in community, letting meals become part of the experience.
All meals from Friday dinner through Sunday lunch are included, with dietary needs accommodated.
The Farmhouse
The retreat takes place in a 450-year-old farmhouse in the Devon countryside — a space of rustic charm, antiques, and warmth that instantly feels like home. It's here that presence, sisterhood, and magic naturally unfold.
The Accommodation
There are 7 bedrooms in the farmhouse with single and sharing options available.
We will send further information, pricing tiers, and booking details upon request.
Come as you are. Leave nourished, empowered and deeply connected.
🌿 General Retreat FAQs
Is this retreat only for peri-menopausal women? No. While the retreat is especially supportive for women in peri-menopause and menopause, it is equally relevant for women who are cycling, postpartum, or simply sensing a transition in their identity or feminine expression. What if I don’t feel “spiritual” or “woo”? No specific belief system is required. Ritual here is experiential, embodied, and grounded, not performative. Do I need to identify as “feminine” to attend? This retreat centers the experience of women and those who feel called to womb-based, cyclical, and feminine rites of passage. What is included in the price? All ceremonies, steaming sessions, workshop materials, meals, lodging (or camping), and a handcrafted yoni stool to take home. How many women will be there? We keep the group intentionally small for intimacy, depth, and personal support.
🔥 Firewalking FAQs
Is firewalking safe? Yes. Firewalking is facilitated by a trained and certified instructor with proper safety protocols, briefings, and support. Participants are guided step-by-step and no one is ever pressured to walk. Do I have to firewalk? No. Firewalking is an invitation, not a requirement. Many women experience transformation simply by witnessing, tending the fire, or taking part in the surrounding ritual. Do you need experience to firewalk? No. Most women at the retreat will be walking for the first time. Curiosity and openness are enough. Why fire? Why not something less intense? Fire has been used across cultures as an element of initiation and transformation. It clarifies, burns away what is ready to be released, and marks thresholds. For many women, firewalking becomes a turning point — a moment of deep clarity and courage. What if I’m scared? Fear is natural, welcome, and part of the rite itself. Firewalking teaches that courage is not the absence of fear, but the choice to meet it. Is it performative or “woo”? Firewalking is not performance or spectacle. It is a grounded, embodied ritual that is held with respect, safety, and trauma-informed care.
🍃 Yoni Steaming FAQs
What is yoni steaming? Yoni steaming is the ancient practice of gently warming the pelvic and womb space with herbal steam. It invites softening, circulation, and reconnection with the feminine body. Do I need experience with steaming? No. Everything is guided and explained with care so you feel informed, safe, and comfortable. Is steaming safe? Yes, when practiced correctly with attention to temperature, timing, herbal blends, and individual needs. We use safe steaming protocols and high-quality herbs, and you are always in choice. Who is yoni steaming for? Steaming can support women who are cycling, peri-menopausal, menopausal, postpartum, or navigating hormonal and emotional transitions. How can yoni steaming support wellbeing? Steaming may support menstrual and cycle balance, peri-menopausal and menopausal transitions, postpartum recovery, pelvic healing, hormonal and emotional wellbeing, reconnection with pleasure, self-love and ritualised self-care. What about medical conditions or IUDs? We cover contraindications gently and clearly. You’ll be able to ask questions and we will support you to make choices that honour your health and comfort.
🌙 Menstruality FAQs
What is menstruality? Menstruality is a subtle, embodied practice rather than a single activity. It invites you to open the inner channels of listening and reconnect with the biological, emotional, and intuitive intelligence of living in a female body. In a culture that rarely teaches inward listening, menstruality restores the forgotten, cyclical wisdom of the womb and menstrual cycle. Do I need prior knowledge or experience? No. This work requires no previous experience or understanding of the menstrual cycle. For some women, it may be the first time they have been invited to acknowledge their womb or inner rhythms. What if my relationship with my cycle or womb feels difficult or tender? You are welcome exactly as you are. This work can gently hold all experiences. Nothing is forced, and you are always supported to stay within what feels safe for you. What will we be doing? Menstruality is explored through guided visualisations, deep listening, journalling, gentle movement, creative making, and circle time. These practices support reflection and reconnection. Is this about healing or fixing something? No. There is nothing to fix or achieve. This is an experience of remembering and listening. Do I have to share or take part in everything? No. All practices are optional. Listening to your yes, no, or maybe is central to this work and is the foundation of self-sovereignty.