Imagine that fear was suddenly no longer a factor in your life. What would you do? What would you change, be, give or do? Those who create an extraordinary life and achieve their highest vision share one fundamental power: the capacity to turn their fears and limitations into positive focussed action.
One such person is the inspirational Oona McFarlane, a lady whose passion for self-development and growth motivated her to do a firewalk and go on to become a firewalk instructor and a trainer for firewalk instructors.
“When we choose to walk on fire, we give ourselves an opportunity to affirm our trust in our own power and our ability to use our fear for transformation,” Oona says. “We rekindle our passion for our visions of what could be and make a physical commitment to our chosen path and take that first courageous step forward towards it, knowing that – like anything in life – there are risks involved in making our dreams come true.”
Oona has been making magic with fire and feet for over a decade, at festivals and gatherings all over the world, as well as from Tir na nOg, her own holistic centre in Scotland, UK. We were excited to find out how firewalking has changed her life and how she combines it with her skills as a Master Practitioner of NLP (Neuro-linguistic programming), Ericksonian Hypnotherapy and Reiki to make the experience so incredibly meaningful and transformative for others.
1. How are you doing what you love?
I get up every day and come to work in a beautiful space, with kind, supportive colleagues, and our purpose is to create opportunities for people to heal, grow and embrace life. I feel incredibly lucky that this is my actual ‘work’, and particularly that I have such a great team of people helping me here, and meet so many fascinating people who either visit the centre, or come along to firewalks, glasswalks or other workshops at festivals or events I attend.
2. Tell us about your background…
I have always been something of an idealist, and have been interested in self-development since I was a student and was focussed on succeeding in my degree course, but after I had my oldest son, I discovered Reiki healing, which opened up lots of new avenues for me to explore. It also connected me with the good friend that I co-founded the centre with back in 2004 – we were both working on academic research in very different areas (French Literature and Medical Physics!), and we both took a big chance and left the careers we had started on to create a space where more people could explore alternative approaches to personal and spiritual development, and also simply have time in a restorative environment.
Reiki is a gentle, non-invasive energy therapy that boosts and replenishes your natural energy levels and restores the flow of chi through the body.
3. Did you dream of taking an alternative path when you grew up?
I grew up out in the countryside, and spent a lot of time by myself, and a lot of that was spent reading and thinking, so I suppose I began to ask big questions and come to my own conclusions quite early on. I’m a bit of a ‘campaigner’, so I became vegetarian and was very passionate about doing as little harm and as much good as possible from quite an early age. I didn’t think of this as ‘spiritual’ back then, as it wasn’t a word or concept that featured in my upbringing, but my family were very political/ideological so I think that what grew into what is now perhaps best described as a spiritual approach to life stemmed from all of that time spent in nature and the core values of justice, compassion and equality that I was raised with.
4. What can people expect from a visit to Tir na nOg?
The idea behind Tir na nOg was to create a space that gave people an opportunity to explore holistic approaches to life in a very relaxed, open way. You don’t need an appointment to visit, and we aren’t a retreat centre. Our buildings are a converted stables with a lovely central courtyard, and the centre houses our own shop (full of crystals, candles, fairies and incense), as well as our therapy rooms for massage and other treatments, and our workshop space where we have everything from yoga and Pilates classes to Crystal Healing courses, and of course firewalking.
Tir na nOg holistic centre, Drymen
We also have other businesses based here, including an aromatherapy shop, an outdoor nature skills company, and a wonderful café. People from all sorts of backgrounds visit here for lots of different reasons – some for help with physical healing, some for emotional support, some to take the next step on a big life change or spiritual adventure, and some just for a coffee and a walk through the woods. Some people even come here to get married!
Beautiful gardens at Tir na nOg
5. When did you discover your passion for firewalking and what inspired you to go on to become an instructor?
I first heard about firewalking at a meditation class I used to attend, and I was curious to understand how and why it was done, so I signed up to go to a firewalk. I have tried many times to remember my first firewalk clearly, but for some reason I can’t, although I do remember being amazed at how I felt afterwards! I fell in love with that process, the vibrant flames, the twinkling, glowing coals, the rush of nervous energy, the elation on the far side of the coals… and most of all, the magic that unfolds afterwards, as all that energy begins to move towards those goals and dreams.
Becoming an instructor, and then much later a trainer of instructors, were barely even choices I had to consciously make – I think I knew very early on in the process that this was simply what I was meant to do, and that Fire wasn’t going to let me ignore that either! I am grateful, though, that in return for me doing the work, I do see and feel that the element of Fire has been ever-present for me, supporting me in all sorts of ways, from practical changes to the people I have met through it.
For me the firewalk is holistic, offering an embodied experience of release, healing and empowerment, providing an undeniable shift in what we perceive to be ‘real’ and ‘true’, opening up possibilities for change and growth that are invaluable to anyone who experiences it.
Oona raking coals at Wilderness, 2015
6. What benefits does firewalking bring and how would you describe it as a metaphor for life?
Each participant has a unique experience with the firewalk so the benefits range from a sense of peace and release of the past, to sensations of intense physical energy, and renewed enthusiasm, confidence and inspiration. Some people that I speak to years after their firewalk still cite it as one of the most memorable or life-changing experiences they have had.
I love the very physical metaphor of the firewalk – that we give to the fire any old energy/patterns/traumas that are not serving us well, and that as we create a new vision of how we choose to experience life, the fire transforms into a pathway of energy to the future, a glowing red carpet leading to your dreams and goals. When we set out on any new adventure in life then we don’t know how it will unfold, and there is always a risk that it will be scary or dangerous, that we will get hurt or things won’t be as we expected. The firewalk is exactly the same. But when you are really committed to that future, you summon all of your courage and take that first step, scary and full of risk, towards it, regardless.
7. Can you tell us about your firewalking workshops; what do they involve?
The evening begins with the group lighting the fire together – for me, it is important that they connect to the fire, and actively engage with it as they begin to create their own meaning for their personal firewalk. We then spend about 90 minutes getting clear and focused on what the goal or vision on the other side of the fire is for each participant, and also in breaking through any old beliefs or patterns that may still be holding us back. For this, we often use an arrow break ceremony, where the arrow represents the barriers of fear, doubt or negative experiences that have come before, and the act of breaking it shatters the illusion that those old limitations are permanent or insurmountable. For many people, this experience is as powerful, sometimes even more powerful, than the firewalk.
I am trained and experienced in NLP, hypnosis and other therapies, which are all blended in to how I present the firewalk, but ultimately I work through trusting that everyone has within them tremendous capacity for healing themselves and growing into whatever they choose to be, and that the fire, when we approach it with respect, is more than willing to show us just what our potential can be.
8. You’ve been on an incredible journey with fire. Are there any walks that really stand out for you?
There are so many beautiful, deep, huge, and life-changing experiences that I have been privileged to receive and to witness over the years that it is a real challenge to choose just one. I am frequently in awe of the courage and openness that participants show, and also of the power of Fire as an elemental force. It offers up transformation in so many forms, and not only in the dramatic moments of courage and elation.
One of the most powerful experiences I personally have had with fire was actually one of its gentle, healing potential. When I first began training as an instructor, I was pregnant with my daughter, and later in that pregnancy I broke my ankle badly, and was very incapacitated while it healed, nearly missing the opportunity for the home birth I’d planned, and feeling quite helpless at times. It was very challenging for my independent Aries nature, and also a struggle as a mother, feeling that my role was to protect and care for my baby, but struggling to even dress myself! In the end, I was mobile enough to have the birth at home, and all went well, but for the first time in my life I had a strong awareness of my physical limitations and vulnerability. When I completed the final stage of training, my daughter was 8 months old and she came to the training with a friend as babysitter. On the final night we walked a 40ft long firewalk, and suddenly felt the need to walk the fire holding my child, as a way of reaffirming my capacity to protect her, to release the sense of vulnerability, and to share a really powerful moment with her. It makes me laugh a little when I see it written down, but carrying my baby barefoot over an expanse of hot coals really did feel like a healing experience, and an affirmation of my capacity to be a good, strong mother to her.
Oona embracing the natural healing power of fire
9. What would you say to anyone who is fearful about firewalking or nervous about taking that first step onto the coals?
That fear is a natural, healthy response to the situation, but that it is also an energy that we can work with to create change. Fear is meant to help us move, not to stay still, and the moment of committing to that first step in the direction of our dreams allows the fear to transform into movement, progress and exhilaration. Fear can be the fuel for our first step, and that first step transforms the fear into action.
10. Having seen witnessed hundreds of people firewalk for the first time, have you witnessed anything that really touched your heart?
Every time, over and over again. People are incredible.
11. Why is healing and community so important to you?
We all need to heal. Everyone has something they would like to make peace with, something they need to release, something they need to allow in, something they want to share or give to others. And we all need people to do that with, a community that we can be part of, whether they are next door, across the country, or scattered round the world.
12. What are your current passion projects?
This year I am really enjoying adding even more to the instructor training syllabus, so that we can go even further and deeper with the fire over the training.
13. What does the future hold for you?
I very much hope it holds more fire, more magic, and more adventures. I’m also enjoying the rather gentler time that life is offering me, with more family time and more creative space.
Oona’s snapshot
Happy place: Tir na nOg
Quickest way to find clarity: Oh, I generally set fire to something!
Most inspiring book you’ve read recently: I am currently enjoying Liz Gilbert’s Big Magic.
Crystal you’re using right now: I have a lovely carnelian heart living in my handbag.
Mantra of the moment: We are all doing the best we can.
New skill to learn in 2016: This year is mostly about honing my existing skills, but I am hoping to make time to start a regular yoga practice.
Experience you’d most like to have: I’m looking for a new challenge this year. I think a parachute jump would be an interesting way to experience the element of air.
Quote you live by: “Tell me, what will you do with your one wild and precious life?” ~ Mary Oliver
Wish for the world: Compassion and imagination – if everyone cultivated these two qualities the world would benefit immeasurably.
For more information about Oona visit tirnanog.co.uk
