Help Us Carry the Flame: Support Fire As Medicine
Fire As Medicine was born during the uncertainty of the COVID era.
In 2020, Angela Alfieri—an entrepreneur, integrative body healer, and former Director of Wellness Programming at A+E Networks in New York City—found herself at a crossroads. Within a short period of time, she lost both her corporate position and much of the private practice she had spent years building.
When her brother invited her to St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, to spend time in nature and regroup, she agreed to what was supposed to be a two-week trip.
Instead, it changed the course of her life.
While on St. Croix, Angela was introduced to the local fire community led by Kiki Mason—occupational therapist, fire artist, teacher, and community builder. Through weekly gatherings, trainings, performances, and time spent around the flame, Angela found herself stepping into a world that felt both completely new and strangely familiar.
What began as a way to navigate uncertainty became a practice of presence.
Curiosity became devotion.
Strangers became family.
As the months and years unfolded, Angela rebuilt her life throughout the Virgin Islands. She reestablished her massage therapy practice on St. John, where she had previously lived from 2007–2012, while planting new roots on St. Croix. Through retreats, workshops, performances, and countless conversations under Caribbean skies, she began to experience something she had not felt in a long time: hope.
Together, Angela and Kiki discovered that fire offered something far beyond entertainment. It invited people to step beyond their comfort zones, trust themselves more deeply, and remember the strength that already lived within them.
From that shared understanding, Fire As Medicine emerged.
Between 2020 and 2023, Angela and Kiki co-created trainings, retreats, workshops, performances, and community experiences throughout St. Croix, weaving together their backgrounds in yoga therapy, massage therapy, occupational therapy, meditation, shamanic breathwork, NeuroSomatic Flow™, and the flow arts.
Today, Kiki continues her work in St. Croix while Angela carries the flame forward alongside her elemental team in Long Island City, Queens.
Fire As Medicine was never created simply to teach people how to spin fire. It was created to offer a place where people can gather, challenge themselves, express who they are, and discover what becomes possible when they are witnessed and supported by others.
A season of uncertainty revealed an unexpected path of purpose.
What began as a single spark has grown into a thriving community.
Today, Fire As Medicine gathers regularly in Long Island City, offering safety trainings, classes, rituals, community gatherings, and public performances. What started on a small Caribbean island has become a living community—one that continues to bring people together through courage, creativity, healing, and shared experience.
Our Roots
The land that gave birth to Fire As Medicine carries deep history.
In 1878, St. Croix was the site of the Fireburn Rebellion — a labor uprising led by three remarkable women: Queen Mary, Queen Agnes, and Queen Mathilda. Though slavery had been abolished, plantation conditions remained brutal. In an act of collective resistance, the people set fire to what oppressed them.
Fire became a symbol of liberation.
We carry that history with us. It grounds us in why we gather, why we create, and why we believe that healing — personal and collective — matters.
Our Mission
Fire As Medicine offers a space to explore safety, belonging, creative expression, and embodied healing.
We are committed to a trauma-informed approach that values presence, nervous system awareness, personal responsibility, community care, and the wisdom of the body.
By honoring fire as a form of medicine, we gather in reverence for the flame, the land that holds us, and the people who stand beside us.
Together, we seek to cultivate:
Support for all races, ethnicities, genders, and identities
Respect for ancestral wisdom, nature, and the elements
Deep inquiry, vulnerability, and courageous conversation
Play, joy, artistry, and self-expression
Leadership, accountability, and stewardship
Why We Are Fundraising
Fire As Medicine is volunteer-run and community-powered.
As our community continues to grow, so do the resources needed to support safe, accessible, and meaningful programming.
Your donation helps support:
- Financial accessibility through partial scholarships
- New safety equipment
- Fire props and training materials
- Community rituals, gatherings, and performances
- Expansion of Fire As Medicine programming
- The continued evolution of a safe and inclusive fire arts community
Every contribution helps us carry the flame forward.
Whether you have attended a gathering, witnessed a performance, participated in a class, or simply believe in the power of healing, creativity, and shared experience, we invite you to support this vision.
Suggested Giving
✨ $11
✨ $22
✨ $111
✨ Or any amount that feels aligned
Thank you for helping us build something meaningful—one spark, one gathering, and one courageous step at a time.
With gratitude,
Angela Alfieri & the Fire As Medicine Team