Ignite the Spark
Dream big and step into the
life that's calling you
An At Home Retreat from The Way of The Buzzard
Join in via the replay
Ignite the Spark
Dream big and step into the life that's calling you
An At Home Retreat from The Way of The Buzzard
Sunday 1st February 9:30 - 17:00 (UK time)
with the replay ready the next morning
“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everthing better.” Albert Einstein
Many of us can feel it: the old story is no longer convincing. The old ways of living, working, coping, and pushing through are showing their cracks.
As one story falls away, there is another one emerging. We are inside the chrysalis. This is a soupy, gloopy stage where the old story of the caterpillar falls away, and the butterfly's form has yet to take shape. It is a messy, formless time. But amongst the chaos, a new story is emerging, even if we cannot yet see it clearly.
And it is tough to envision the new story: to conjure up visions of a better future for ourselves, or in general. Many people feel like they are just existing, the road ahead foggy and uncertain, living their lives overwhelmed and overstimulated, bombarded with bad news every day, and constantly living with stress in their daily lives through work and difficult relationships.
This is a bumpy place to be. When that happens, it becomes essential to create space to listen for the new story asking to be lived.
This is the purpose of this retreat.
Beginning the new story
We are holding this at the time of the ancient Cletic fire festival Imbolc, the first day of spring and a threshold moment in the Wheel of the Year. It’s also a full moon.
This is the perfect moment energetically to let go of the old and prepare to emerge from the chrysalis into a new way forward.
Imbolc carries the energy of early awakening. The light is returning, the inner world begins to stir, and the year ahead starts to slowly take shape. In this held space, you’ll be invited to turn your attention towards the big dream, not only for the upcoming year, but for the wider arc of your life. It is a space to sit with the deeper questions, to listen for the answers that come from within, and to begin uncovering what you’re truly here for.
We’ll support you in reconnecting with the truth of who you are beneath the layers of coping, surviving, and trying to fit in. From this place, it becomes possible to set a clear intention for the road ahead and to begin moving toward it with confidence and a renewed sense of hope.
At this At Home Retreat experience you'll:
All alongside like-minded folk without needing to travel away from home.
Why we created this for you?
We’re Nicola and Jason Smalley.
We created this online retreat because we know how many people are feeling the strain of the world right now, and because we have felt it too. There are times when the pace, the uncertainty, and the sheer volume of what we are being asked to hold can start to pull us away from ourselves, away from what matters, away from the deeper story.
And yes, if we let it, it can swallow us up again. The world can feel relentless.
But something else is happening at the same time.
More and more people are waking up to the feeling that the old story is not the only story, and that we are being asked to live differently, more consciously, more connected, truer to ourselves. That is why we created our community, so we can come together, step out of the noise, and create the kind of space where what is trying to emerge can actually be heard.
We don’t need to look very far at all for the answers that will help us transform our outlook and our lives. They live in relationship: with the land, with the Otherworld, with the cycles of the Earth, and with the wisdom that our ancestors carried as a natural part of life.
Through years of exploration, we eventually found our way back to those old ways, learning how to reconnect with nature-based practices and ancient spiritual tools that bring clarity, guidance, and real change.
This is what we will be working with throughout this At Home Retreat.
What others say
Here are some reflections from participants who have attended previous At Home Retreats:
I had an amazing time and thoroughly enjoyed every single minute
“Before the online retreat, I felt stuck and unable to move. The weekend sounded really interesting and something that I wanted to do. I had an amazing time and thoroughly enjoyed every single minute, having re-discovered me, thank you!
I have loved learning all about animal and plant medicine, journeying to faraway lands, and exploring my inner creativity, which has now burst forth and wants to be acknowledged at last.”
Hilary
I feel so glad to have a place where I can go to plug in and recharge
“I have been feeling very up and down emotionally, and I wanted some time for me to receive.
After the weekend, I felt peaceful, restored, stronger, grateful, creative and ready to face the week of work again.
Thank you so much. I have been feeling gratitude throughout this week for the special space that you held/hold for so many of us. I feel so glad to have a place where I can go to plug in and recharge”.
Emma
The weekend was magical
"Your online event looked interesting, and I liked the idea of a shamanic approach based on our own traditions, myth and landscape and not one that has been imported from another culture.
I was excited to come along and, at the same time, a little nervous as generally I am used to "going" to events rather than online, and so I was unsure what it would be like.
The weekend was magical, and the space was held well with kindness and care. Despite it being online, it worked and had depth. I am very moved and grateful to have been a part of it."
Rijusiddha
Introducing Ignite the Spark
Ignite the Spark is our early spring At Home Retreat, created to meet you at a point in the cycle when the world begins to turn again, and nature begins to stir herself into being.
Imbolc is a Celtic fire festival and one of the eight festivals on the Wheel of the Year. It marks the return of light and the first stirrings of spring, when the land is still in winter, but life has already begun moving beneath the surface. It's long been held as a threshold for renewal, inspiration, and new beginnings.
This year, Imbolc falls on the Full Moon, adding another layer of depth to the day. The Full Moon is a time of illumination and heightened perception, when it can become easier to see what is true, what is possible, and what is getting in your way.
This retreat is held in that spirit, offering you a day to step out of the noise, reconnect with what matters, and open the space to dream big, not just for this year, but for the wider shape of your life and the future you are here to create.
A retreat held online, without being tied to your screen
This retreat is held on Zoom, using the webinar format, which means you are not spending the day watching rows of faces or feeling as if you need to be “on” in the way online spaces sometimes demand.
Instead, you can settle in, listen, relax entirely, and let the experience meet you wherever you are at, without the pressure to perform or stay visually engaged, and without the slightly exhausting sense of being in a room full of heads on screens.
And although the retreat is online, it is not a day of being tethered to your laptop.
Far from it.
We build in extended time away from the screen, because this work needs space and contact with nature.
One of the most important parts of the day is your relationship with the land where you are. That might be your garden or backyard, a local park, a stretch of nearby countryside, or simply a tree you know well and can return to, but the invitation is the same: step outside, slow down, and reconnect with nature as your teacher.
Throughout the day, there will be guided activities you do away from the screen, time for reflection and creativity, and plenty of breaks so you can integrate what you are receiving rather than trying to consume it all in one long sitting.
Even though we are each in our own homes, there’s a deep sense of shared field in these retreats, because everyone who arrives is there for the same reason. There is something profoundly supportive about spending the day in practice alongside like-minded people, all choosing to create space for what matters.
Introducing Ignite the Spark
Ignite the Spark is our early spring At Home Retreat, created to meet you at a point in the cycle when the world begins to turn again, and nature begins to stir herself into being.
Imbolc is a Celtic fire festival and one of the eight festivals on the Wheel of the Year. It marks the return of light and the first stirrings of spring, when the land is still in winter, but life has already begun moving beneath the surface. It's long been held as a threshold for renewal, inspiration, and new beginnings.
This year, Imbolc falls on the Full Moon, adding another layer of depth to the day. The Full Moon is a time of illumination and heightened perception, when it can become easier to see what is true, what is possible, and what is getting in your way.
This retreat is held in that spirit, offering you a day to step out of the noise, reconnect with what matters, and open the space to dream big, not just for this year, but for the wider shape of your life and the future you are here to create.
A retreat held online, without being tied to your screen
This retreat is held on Zoom, using the webinar format, which means you are not spending the day watching rows of faces or feeling as if you need to be “on” in the way online spaces sometimes demand.
Instead, you can settle in, listen, relax entirely, and let the experience meet you wherever you are at, without the pressure to perform or stay visually engaged, and without the slightly exhausting sense of being in a room full of heads on screens.
And although the retreat is online, it is not a day of being tethered to your laptop.
Far from it.
We build in extended time away from the screen, because this work needs space and contact with nature.
One of the most important parts of the day is your relationship with the land where you are. That might be your garden or backyard, a local park, a stretch of nearby countryside, or simply a tree you know well and can return to, but the invitation is the same: step outside, slow down, and reconnect with nature as your teacher.
Throughout the day, there will be guided activities you do away from the screen, time for reflection and creativity, and plenty of breaks so you can integrate what you are receiving rather than trying to consume it all in one long sitting.
Even though we are each in our own homes, there’s a deep sense of shared field in these retreats, because everyone who arrives is there for the same reason. There is something profoundly supportive about spending the day in practice alongside like-minded people, all choosing to create space for what matters.
Here are some of the words people shared about how they were affected by our previous online retreat:
Lighter, joyful, blown away, happy, uplifted, positive, energised, thankful, blessed, fulfilled, enlightened, elated, creative, relaxed, inspired, revitalised, hopeful, rejuvenated, connected, relaxed, confident, reconnected, focused, whole, balanced, compassionate, peaceful, restored, stronger, grateful, nurtured, belonging, amazing, exhilarated
We have two bonuses for you.
Bonus 1: Three weeks of envisioning prompts
Following the retreat, you’ll receive guided prompts over the next 20 days to support you in continuing the work. These reflections are designed to help you keep dreaming big, widen your horizon, and stay connected to what you opened on the day, so the vision doesn’t fade as life gets busy again. It’s a simple structure you can return to, helping you listen more deeply and give your future vision time to take shape.
Bonus 2: Self-led ceremony for Friday 20th February
You’ll also receive a self-led ceremony for Friday 20th February, created to help you take the next step. If the retreat day is about opening the space and reconnecting with the dream, this ceremony supports you to begin making it real, by reflecting on the questions: Who is the best self I can be? Who is my higher self? What steps can I take to help this dream become real? It is a way of returning to your intention, deepening it, and identifying the actions you are ready to take next.
And why Friday 20th February? Because the widely-acclaimed astrologer Pam Gregory tells us this is a deeply significant day for this intention-setting work. It fits perfectly with the spring energies that will be ramping up between Imbolc and the next turn in the Wheel, the Spring Equinox.
Meet your guides - Nicola and Jason
Ignite the Spark is created and led by us, Nicola & Jason Smalley, through our Mystery School.
We’re shamanic practitioners who live in the northwest of England, in the Arnside and Silverdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Lancashire."
Why we created the Mystery School.
We both grew up in religions that told us what to believe and how to live.
Stepping away brought freedom but also uncertainty, leaving us searching for a path that truly resonated. It was daunting: there were so many options to choose from and so many paths to explore with limited time in our busy lives to get it right.
Independently, we sought teachers, made mistakes, and navigated false starts before finding mentors who guided us without agenda or judgment. Through years of learning, refining, and deepening our practice, we discovered the wisdom of shamanic tools, journeying, and deep nature connection. These practices empowered us to shape a life aligned with our deepest desires.
From this journey, The Mystery School was born. A space where fellow seekers can explore their unique path, supported by a like-minded community. We share what we’ve learned so you, too, can reconnect with ancient wisdom, align with your soul’s calling, and walk a path that is truly yours.
The Mystery School is where we hold most of our deeper work, but every so often, we open the doors and invite the wider community in. This retreat is one of those times. You don’t need to be a member to join us, but there are additional benefits, and there is no fixed time commitment. to stay with us for.
Choose how you'd like to join us for Ignite the Spark
Mystery School members are already included, so there's no need to register. Your Zoom link joining details will arrive by email in the usual way as part of your membership.
Frequently Asked Questions
Click on the question to see our answer
Do I need any shamanic experience?
What are the timings for the day?
Can I attend for just the morning live?
Will the retreat be recorded?
What if I can't get outdoors?
If you would like any point clarifying, or have any questions you'd like answered please don't hesitate to get in touch. Email us at help@thewayofthebuzzard.co.uk
© 2026, The Way of The Buzzard