ancient pathways school

of

fire walking & ritual arts

September 10~ 14, 2026

The Ancient Pathways School of Firewalking & Ritual Arts is the culmination of over two decades of firewalking and ritual practice. It is not just a school, but an experience steeped in the elemental intelligence of fire and the universal medicine of ritual.

At APSF you will develop and hone your expertise as a ritual facilitator, a holder of sacred space, and an intermediary between the worlds of the seen and unseen. You will learn to be a stable catalyst for change and a grounded witness for transformation. As you learn the skills for facilitating fire walks, arrow breaks, rebar bends, and glass walks you will explore your edges and harness your own personal potential while supporting others to do the same.

Why choose ancient pathways

school of

firewalking & ritual arts?

APSF teaches more than just the mechanics of firewalking, arrow breaks, rebar bends, and glass walks. It is a full ritual immersion supported by relational values. As tenders of fire and ritual arts we must be in right relationship with all of the forces that converge to make these experiences transformative for others. At APSF you will learn to expand into these relationships so your facilitation skills have more breadth, depth, and meaning. Some of the core values of APSF include:

Animistic Framework

Animism is a cross cultural value system that believes everything is imbued with consciousness and that we, as humans, are one small portion of a larger web. With an understanding and foundation in this framework, we are not “go it alone” facilitators. We become part of the community of forces that supports the ritual space for others and we grow into more effective leaders.

Elemental Design

The elements of fire, water, earth, and air are some of the most trusted allies we have when holding ritual. Learning how to have relationships with the elements and drawing on their wisdom during ritual brings depth to your offerings and will speak deeply to your participants. At APSF you will grow lifelong relationships with the elements.

Ancestral Backing

Ancestral connection is a core component for stepping into facilitation skills. Consider a tree without roots. Having a connection to our ancestral root system fosters stability and sustainability as ritualists. APSF will support you to make healthy and benevolent connections with your wise ancestors so your facilitation skills are sourced from ancient wisdom.

Ritual Security

Creating “safe” space for yourself and others to participate in ritual requires healthy boundaries, clarity, and etiquette. AT APSF you will have the opportunity to look at the boundaries you hold in your own life and what habits / stories may obscure your vision while developing a tool kit for establishing a safe and secure ritual space for others.

Reciprocity

Being in “right” relationship with the environment, land, and nature infuses ritual with gratitude and grace. Cultivating right relationship and supporting others to do the same brings a level of ethical and cultural awareness to your role as a ritualist and facilitator.

ABOUT THE TRAINING

The training to become a Certified Fire Walk Facilitator is a comprehensive five day, five night commitment that is offered yearly. During our time together you will experience a balance of community, personal time, learning, practice, and leadership all held within a ritual framework. You will be welcomed to sacred land in New Hampshire that has seen life and death, ceremony and ritual, tending and stewardship. This will be the home of your initiation into the fire.

At the completion of the training you will be APSF and Sundoor Certified with all the tools you will need to host and facilitate fire walks, arrow breaks, rebar bends, and glass walks for your community. You will have the backing of an international firewalking community that speaks the language of ritual, maintains ethical values, and is dedicated to the wisdom of the fire.

You will be a part of the APSF & Sundoor lineage.

facilitator refresher

Are you already a Certified Fire Walk Facilitator who could use a refresher? If you have completed a previous training and would like technical support or practice with any of the rituals, you are welcome to attend the entire APSF training at a reduced rate. If you have questions please CONTACT JEN for more details.

FAQ

Questions??

Set up a complimentary chat session!

sundoor trained & elementally initiated

Twenty five years ago I experienced my first Fire Walk and I’ve been dancing with the flames ever since. Working with the elements is my love language and in 2014 I studied with my long time mentor, Elder Ann Sousa, to become a Certified Sundoor Fire Walk Instructor. Already initiated into the elements as an Elemental Diviner through the Dagara tradition, I began my journey of facilitating this transformative event for others to experience.

A decade later, I have lead countless Fire Walks and created stand alone rituals from the empowerment activities that accompany the Fire Walk experience. In 2024 I answered the call to open the Ancient Pathways School of Fire Walking by becoming a certified instructor to teach others to lead Fire Walks. It is with a humble heart, gratitude for my mentors, and excitement that I offer you this training. Still have questions? CONTACT JEN for more information.

AP Facilitators

New Hampshire, USA:

Amy Cloutier: Sacred Moon Healing

Lilliana Rivera: LillianaRivera.com

Amna Khan: Rivetingrooh.com

Maryland, USA:

Ayanna M. Jaali: divine.diligence@gmail.com

Massachusetts, USA:

Coralee Chase: corachase@hotmail.com

Swan Gates: swanshine77@gmail.com

A refection from Aman Khan 2025 initiate…..

Rivetingrooh.com

I’ve been sitting with this experience for days now, listening for the words that could even begin to touch the immensity of what unfolded.

What does one say after being reshaped at the level of the soul?

After stepping into a lineage of ancient rites that burn away illusions and awaken the deepest truths?

On paper, I can say this: I am now officially a Certified Firewalk Instructor, trained in fire walking, glass walking, and arrow breaking.

But paper cannot hold the magnitude of what truly happened. The real initiation took place in my body, my heart, and my spirit—through the rituals themselves, yes, but also through the people who held me, who walked alongside me, and who opened the way for me to bring my son with me into this container.

Walking as Mother and Firewalker

For five days straight, 13 hours a day, I was immersed in this training. And I did it not as a woman separate from her life, but as a mother with my infant son by my side. Nursing him during breaks, holding him between ceremonies, breathing him into this initiation with me.

This was not just my journey—it was ours. He, too, was part of this sacred passage.

And none of this would have been possible without my teacher, Jen Hudziec.

In a world where most people would have said no, she said yes. She could have turned me away for wanting to bring a baby and carers into a training of this intensity. She could have told me it wasn’t possible. But she didn’t. She leaned in. She made space. She embodied the belief that being a mother and being initiated are not mutually exclusive.

This is the world I want to live in. Not either/or, but both/and. Where women are not forced to choose between motherhood and their own expansion. Where community, teachers, and peers support us to be all that we are called to be.

Jen, I bow to you in gratitude. Your willingness to see me in my fullness allowed me to step more fully into who I am.

The Community Who Held Me

And then there were the two other students who trained beside me. Their presence made this journey richer, deeper, more human. Never once did they treat me as a burden. Instead, they embraced me, made accommodations without hesitation, and celebrated me in the fullness of my path. To be held by peers in this way is rare and holy.

And Hema Karpiah—my sister, my ally. She rearranged her life, moved her work schedule, and showed up for me in the biggest way. She stayed for 3 full days, caring for my baby, holding our little family so I could step fully into this initiation. Without her, it would not have been possible. On her last day, we gathered and sang to her, words that pierced me to my core:

We are an old family,

We are a new family,

We are the same family,

Stronger than before.

And in that moment, I knew: this is the medicine. This is the world I choose.

The Glass

Of all the rituals, the glass walk terrified me the most. The fire made sense to me in some strange way. But glass? Why would anyone in their right mind walk barefoot across sharp shards?

I wrestled with my “why.” I questioned my sanity. And then I chose to step.

The first crunch beneath my foot was deafening. The sound of breaking glass jolted my nervous system, pulling every ounce of presence into that moment. Each step demanded total awareness. I could not think about the past or future. Only this step. This breath. This heartbeat.

And when I reached the other side—completely unscathed, not a scratch or cut—I felt unstoppable. Changed. It wasn’t about the glass at all. It was about shattering the illusions of my own limitations. It was about remembering how powerful the mind and spirit truly are when they are aligned.

The Fire

5 nights in a row, I walked across flames.

I have walked through countless metaphorical fires in my life—grief, loss, heartbreak, struggle—but this was the first fire I chose to walk. That alone was medicine.

Each fire was different. Each one offered its own gifts. And with every step, I felt the flames burning away layers of fear, self-sabotage, and smallness. The flames became mirrors, reflecting back to me all the places I had dimmed my own light, all the ways I had played it safe. And then they devoured those patterns, leaving behind space.

Space for love. For vision. For expansion. For joy.

To walk fire is to walk yourself back home.

The Arrow

My story with arrow breaking began long before this training. My first arrow break happened at a women’s circle, just three weeks postpartum.

I had no intention of participating. I was only there to support a loved one. But as I watched woman after woman place the tip of the arrow against the soft hollow of her throat and shatter it into pieces, something inside me stirred. I felt a pull—not to witness, but to step forward.

I remember the terror. The certainty that the universe had chosen me to be the freak accident. That I’d be the one who ended up on the news: “New mother killed by arrow.” Every cell in my body screamed to step back. But something deeper said trust.

I leaned in, pressed the tip against my throat, and launched myself forward. And just like that, the arrow snapped. Effortlessly. And I was washed in ecstasy. The kind of joy that comes only when you have faced death and found life on the other side.

That moment showed me what lives beyond fear. What happens when we move past the primal survival instinct that says, “Stop here.” On the other side of that barrier are treasures waiting to be claimed.

And in this training, almost a year later, I broke arrows again. And again. And again. This time as both participant and facilitator. To hold the arrow for another, to witness their terror, their surrender, and their breakthrough—it is as powerful as breaking the arrow yourself.

The Offering

This was not just a training. It was a remembrance. A restructuring. A reweaving of who I am and the world I am devoted to co-creating.

And now, it is my honor to offer these experiences to the community.

I facilitate fire walks, glass walks, and arrow breaks with deep reverence. These are not stunts. Not bucket list items. Not entertainment. They are ceremonies. Sacred gateways. Rites of passage that demand presence, humility, and surrender.

If you are ready for a breakthrough—even if you don’t yet know what it is—I am here. I am here for the deep work. For the raw and the real. For the ancient and the sacred.