Fire Alchemy
a SOLSTICE community gathering of elemental transformation
June 17-21, 2026 | Ronora Lodge, Watervliet, MI
ALL bodies welcome to play, flow, experience, and connect!
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transform your life into gold
Join Gaea Lady & The Fire Keepers for 5 days of play, flow, fire, connection & community
COMMUNITY : TRANSFORMATION : CONNECTION : PLAY : RITUAL
Fire Alchemy is a community gathering to remember you to wholeness and transform your life into gold through fire dancing, ritual, connection, & flow arts.
Together, we create safe space for you to be yourself.
Gathering with intention is a healing experience - it brings us to ritual, focus, safety, laughter, play, and transformation. Using the element of fire nightly guides in our self-healing by being a conduit for rapid transformation in whatever way is needed. We ask you to bring your authentic self, and allow others to do so as well. Our community holds consent, inclusivity, mutual acceptance, and radical self-bravery for growth to be tenets that guide our interactions.
Leap from who you WERE to who you DESIRE TO BE by nourishing our connection to nature, to ourselves, to community, to the universe itself.
Fire roots us to the awareness of the present moment.
It asks for our attention to be here now.
In the Ignite Fire Keepers, we seek to co-create modern rituals involving fire & movement to ground and center us, creating impactful collective & individual moments to align us in our relationship with change. Our nightly fire circles encourage us to show up, be seen, dance with our healing in a supportive setting, and learn about how we can enable others to feel safer as we grow in the same. Daily classes help us learn about HOW to work with the fire in practical, spiritual, philosophical, and physical ways. Our immersive and intensive fire safety training is hands on and sets the stage for YOU to continue to learn for a lifetime.
Show up and be seen
Your authenticity shines at Fire Alchemy. Whether you apply to teach a class in your expertise, attend a class and share your magic, showcase your artistry in the Prayerformance Show on Saturday, volunteer to help the event run, or simply be present in whatever way you see fit, YOU are welcomed and YOU are needed to complete our constellation.
You belong here.
Fire Alchemy is a gathering where all are welcome, regardless of any perceived barrier (such as age, experience, gender, culture, language, ability, wealth, race, blood type, etc.) We ask you to show up in the way you wish to be held, & hold others in community. We invite you to bring your whole self, respect all (including you), and honor consent in every interaction.
Intentional
Structure
Collaborative
Energy
Safety &
Fire Dancing
June 17-21, 2026
Loose Schedule:
Arrive after 2p Wednesday. We ground in with dinner, connection, safety, & first fires.
Wednesday & Friday evening are our mandatory fire safety & consent meetings.
Thursday-Saturday hold classes, renegade workshops, community created rituals, and fire jams.
Saturday night Prayerformance Fire Show & Jam ritual - YOU perform, witness, safety!
Sunday Integration Circle & cleanup party. Leave by 1pm.
JOIN US FOR 5 DAYS & 4 NIGHTS OF ELEMENTAL WORKSHOPS AND CELEBRATION.
Bring your friends, bring your partner(s), your parents, your joy, and leave judgement behind. This gathering combines fire, flow arts, play, nature, intention, ritual, and connection to create an elixir for wondrous transformation within ourselves. With focus on the seemingly magical process of alchemy, we collectively (re)remember we’re the gold we seek.
This is a 13+ sober event.
We invite all bodies to play & participate. All levels of experience are gladly welcomed.
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into the Ignite Fire Keepers with our comprehensive hands-on Fire Safety Training
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IT’S THE ATTITUDE! tap into ecstatic flow states in classes and renegade pop-up workshops. Find your curiosity in the trees and skipping down the pathways.
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the Midwest Michigan Forests clear and center your being. Nature is central to this event, so plan to be out in the elements!
Swim in the lake, meditate on a dock amongst lily pads, hike, explore, hammock, and rejuvenate your soul.
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Ronora is on a Nature Preserve with woodlands, meadows, wildlife, pristine pastures with horses. You can pet & feed the horses but they are not for riding.
Dozens of bird species, fields of wildflowers, carpets of moss, and expansive skies are the ever changing landscape are our backdrop. -
Swim at the secluded spring-fed lake for swimming, paddling & fishing. Bring floaties and a way to tether yourself so you don’t float away! Our fire jam is next to a lily pond with a fishing dock- no swimming there but elemental balance :)
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with like-minded humans & forge new deep friendships that will last a lifetime. Many of our attendees have forged deep community bonds that are their primary friendships
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Each ticket includes lodging in one of 10 houses! All with kitchens, common areas, and upgraded bathrooms. Some even have AC! Limited private rooms available. Camping is always an option.
Location
Fire Alchemy will take place at the beautiful Ronora Lodge in Watervliet, Michigan.
Beautiful homes with full kitchens host us amidst tranquil trees & beautiful grounds. The Chadwicke Lodge centers us as a dining hall + marketplace + meetingspace.
Our fire circles are waterfront and deep in nature.
It is a 1.5-2 hour drive from downtown Chicago, on the eastern coast of Michigan.
What to expect
WHAT IS ALCHEMY?
Alchemy is a process of creation, transformation, and collaboration that seems to be magical but is actually real. Here, we turn the ordinary into the extra-ordinary. (adapted from the Oxford Dictionary). Fire Alchemy explores our own self-transformation over the event as it expounds into months, years, lifetimes.
WORKSHOPS : We embrace Play as the frequency of JOY!
Our workshops are rooted in both learning and the essence of lightness. Play is the fountain of youth, it is the foundation of wholeness, and it is wisdom embodied. Our curious natures tap us into curiosity and wonder, which opens to receptivity. It rewires the patterns in our nervous systems and bodies. Through play with ourselves, others, flow toys, and fire we ignite our relationship with the joyful abundance frequency that fuels the universe. Whether diving into deep emotions, crafting, learning flow patterns, dance moves, nature walking, or being photographed, CURIOSITY is at the center.
RITUAL : We co-create each moment as a pathway to the sacred.
At Fire Alchemy we explore co-created modern day rituals to serve the constellation of the community that gathers. Ritual holds space to ground our collective human stories beyond the boundaries of culture, time, & space. Each night, we host a pre-fire jam ritual space hosted by the Fire Alchemy Keepers, and YOU are the most important part as the participant, co-creating with us and making it your own.
COMMUNITY : Stronger together.
Fire Alchemy is rooted in creating long-reaching community. Our 4 pillars are Belonging, Authenticity, Aligned Intention, and Oneness. Safety is the root in order to grow & shine. We ask you to show up in the way you wish to be held, & hold others in community. We invite you to bring your whole self, respect all (including you), and honor consent in all ways. This is sober event, please do not bring intoxicants. We invite kids 13+ with parental guidance. Witness and read the Reflection Blog from past year’s event for a taste!
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Expand with daily fire & flow arts workshops focused towards technique, philosophy, movement, and creativity.
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Spin, dance, witness, safety, and work the fuel stations Wednesday - Saturday.
Limited gear will be available to borrow if you do not have your own. If you have extras, bring to share!
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We co-create ritual to transform the mundane into the sacred. Weave intent into every moment with guided yet individually focused moments to deepen your connection to the soul .
Past rituals have been : First Flames, Altar Creations, Fire safety training, Witnessing ritual, Prayerformance Fire Show, the Fire Prayer, Rest, the Dinner Feast, Summer Solstice Fire, Full Moon Sunrise Meditations, and more.
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all are welcomed to Witness, Safety, Stage Manage, or Perform in Saturday's Show Case! start thinking and rehearsing - ideas are often created before the event and solidified at Fire Alchemy.
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Share your genius and/or passion! Apply to teach a class by April 17 OR host a spur of the moment experience in our afternoon renegade workshops slots.
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When we eat together we connect. Hearty Dinners are included Weds-Sat! and leftovers on Sunday!
Gaea will create a group volunteer cooking experience Weds & Thurs, and we order in locally Fri & Sat - cleanup & volunteer crews still needed these nights;)
Dietary restrictions are accommodated to the best of our abilities.
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Ronora is in Western Michigan, off highway I-94. Best accessible by vehicle, we encourage you drive.
Fly into Chicago Midway & rent a car or inquire for a rideshare.
Rideshares are self-organized once you get your ticket in our whats app group. We make sure everyone has a ride. :)
PRICING 2026
We encourage you to attend the whole event for continuity. All tickets are for Weds - Sun.
limited Friday night - Sunday tickets will be available June 1… but please plan to come for the whole event if you can.
Tiers allow accessibility
4 ticket levels allow accessiblity of mulitiple income levels. We encourage you to purchase at the level you can afford, to help all be able to come.
There will be limited number of all level prices, especially the lowest tier. We look to sell 60 tickets (15 for each level) to cover our costs of rental, production, workshop leader stipends, supplies, and fees.
The same ticket for everything : camp or stay in a house + dinner provided each night. All campers will have access to bathrooms and kitchens in a house. All houses
All breakfasts and lunches are on your own - each house has a full kitchen! Dinners provided weds -sun
no early-bird discounts. once a tier is sold out, it’s sold out.
Scholarships & Donations
Donate to our scholarship fund on the ticketing page
Gift a voucher towards a ticket under “gift certificates” to ask family and friends to help get you there.
Apply for a scholarship (form opens in 2026)
A May FUNDRAISER Fire Keeper Prayerformance Cabaret will help to raise money for scholarships! We need your help to produce, perform, attend, and share the word! more info in 2026.
DIY Ride Shares self-organized on a whatsapp group (after you get your ticket)
QUESTIONS? REACH OUT!
Fire Safety
Fire dance is an artform with roots reaching deep into ancient rituals from humanity’s origin points & spreading today outwards in a blazing flush of innovative expression. Fire Safety is paramount at Fire Alchemy; it is the most important ritual one can partake in. The more intensely you meet fire in safety, the deeper you go with it in your dance, spinning, ritual, and expressive practices.
Please read the document linked below thoroughly with attention and care. This information holds you as a safety net for you to play, laugh, dance, transform, express, and get wild with the fire.
Remember, you are required to attend an in-person fire safety training before spinning fire at Fire Alchemy. Check the schedule, plan accordingly, and arrive on time.
Thank you for your time in attending to your most important ritual of preparation.
With love,
Gaea
Scholarship
Fundraiser
Kindling Community is an invite to you to nourish generosity, in the myriad ways we can offer it. At Fire Alchemy, we believe abundance is beget by gratitude, and our community is rich with everything we need. This event raises funds and energy for our scholarship program, to allow all who desire to come to our June Fire Alchemy Gathering.
April 3, 2026 630-12p
CHICAGO secret southside location
Join us for a night of heartfelt performance, energetic connection, always-needed dancing, and celebration. Community care is needed more than ever now, and co-creation forges bonds of community that are resilient and allow us to create the revolution towards the world we wish to see.
Feel what Fire Alchemy Is
Join the Flow into Fire Alchemy Challenge! Peep Gaea’s blog for the past challenges and join this year’s <3
Learn about the event in our 2024 BLOG, and see the amazing photos from Crispy & Erin Grimm!
photo by Christopher Crispy Moeller
2022 was a great year for change and renewal. A lot shifted, a huge event at the castle brought us together and incited some important changes.
In 2025 we moved to Ronora Lodge over the Solstice and LOVED IT ALL! Read about it HERE
2021 was our first year at the Castle itself, after a small campout during the 2020 pandemic. We expanded, created, and began to formulate what Fire Alchemy is.
You are the gold you seek.