What People Say
From Mentees
Pip has been my mentor in The Way of Council since 2020, when I first stepped onto the path to becoming a facilitator myself. Her constant, guiding presence has been and continues to be deeply supportive to me, as has the community of other mentees with whom we meet periodically to share our stories, experiences, challenges, and questions about our practice. The value of this time together with others also on the path is immeasurable.
Pip lives The Way of Council in her bones, and in this way she is able to model with integrity and humility what it is to be not just a good Council facilitator, but also a true leader in the world. Her deep honouring of the lineage is always present, as is her gift of holding space and offering guidance and advice that, whilst it can sometimes feel challenging to receive, is always given with love and respect. The growth I have made, not just as a Council facilitator, but also as a human being, since I have known Pip and been on this path, is immense. I feel hugely blessed to have her as my mentor.
— Caz Ingall, Leamington Spa, UK
Being a Council facilitator mentee of Pip’s for more than a decade, what stands out for me is Pip’s love, generosity and clarity in sharing her knowledge and experience of The Way of Council.
I have felt held with love and trust and, at times, challenged. I hear her honest wish for me to see myself and my work clearly, both when I need to tighten up and when I can be validated in my efforts.
Pip’s deep love for her work and her ongoing exploration of the mystery of Council humbles me. I am honoured to be part of this lineage.
— Malene Rose, Copenhagen, Denmark
I have known Pip for almost 10 years. She was my Vision Quest guide on a journey that changed the course of my life, and I experienced with her what it means to be deeply seen, heard and accepted. Her reflections helped me see myself with greater compassion and fullness than ever before.
For the past five years, Pip has been my mentor in facilitating Way of Council. I have sat in many Councils with her and experienced the depth, integrity and humility with which she carries this ancient practice. Pip listens not only to what is spoken, but also to what lies between the words, offering clear, direct and heartfelt guidance.
Her mentoring has given me the confidence and understanding to bring Council into my own community — something I could not have done in the same way without her generous support. Pip inspires, encourages and positively challenges me, always supporting my growth.
Having Pip as a mentor and guide is a great gift in my life. I continue to grow through our relationship, in my love and understanding of Way of Council, and in how I can use this beautiful practice to serve my community, my relationships and myself. Thank you, Pip. With love and appreciation.
— Shona Sundhair, Norwich, UK
Pip has guided me on the path to becoming a Council facilitator with such care, integrity, love and honest, helpful challenge. I feel that she has connected me not only to the practice, but also to the spirit, ceremony and deep lineage of Council as a human tradition.
— Keri Facer, Bristol, UK 2026
I highly recommend Pippa Bondy as a teacher and mentor for Vision Quests and for The Way of Council. Her wisdom and long experience bring depth and clarity to the work, and she is a true elder of the kind that we really need in these challenging times. Being mentored by Pip has given me the chance to go deeper and find my own way into these practices, in the presence of a generous and experienced teacher.
Anna Bjork Sweden 2026
From Participants
I am so grateful to have been guided by Pip and Eyri through The Way of Council and Vision Quest. Pip creates ceremony so skilfully and beautifully, drawing on decades of experience and a heart-song of passion and commitment to bring peace and healing to all.
This is not the Instagram paint-by-numbers version of ceremony, but a profound, invitational and raw container that embraces the sacred and profane in deep reverence and collaboration with the Welsh lands and all Beings that live on Eyri.
I have been seen, celebrated and invited to stand up in the most non-judgemental, accountable, expansive and fun way. Pip offers not just incredible experiences but a way of life, one rooted in deep listening from the heart—to oneself and to the Earth in everyday life.
When I think of Pip, my heart smiles and warms with admiration and respect for an incredible woman who really is walking the talk and sharing her gifts so generously. Thank you.
— Joanna Hall, Devon
Pip's devotion to the Way of Council supports the deep honesty of being human in every seeking heart. People talk about being grounded, but the Ancient Healing Ways take us and root us in firmly and lovingly.
— Caitlín Matthews recommends
Author of Caitlín Matthews - A Hallowquest Sanctuary
Pippa stands out as one of the most exceptional facilitators I've encountered in the Council World. I feel incredibly fortunate to have been guided by her and to have personally witnessed her profound connection to the spirit of nature. Pippa truly brings a unique and authentic wisdom as both a guide and healer. My experience of being guided by her has been nothing short of transformative, offering invaluable insights and support throughout our interactions. What truly distinguishes Pippa is her deep and palpable connection to the natural world; witnessing this firsthand has been both inspiring and deeply moving. This inherent understanding of nature's rhythms and wisdom permeates her entire approach, lending an extraordinary depth and authenticity to her work. As a guide, Pippa possesses an innate ability to navigate complex dynamics with grace and clarity, fostering an environment of trust and open communication. Her capacity as a healer is equally profound, creating a space where individuals can explore their inner landscapes and embark on journeys of self-discovery and growth. Pippa's contributions are not merely skilful; they are imbued with a genuine wisdom that makes her an exceptional and invaluable asset to the Council World and to all those fortunate enough to work with her.
— Carla Gómez Klein
Council III Facilitator
Snap Inc.London
It is no exaggeration to say that my time on a Vision Quest with Pippa was one of the defining junctures of my life. (And I was sixty-six the fall I travelled from America to Wales for that Quest, so a lot had already happened in my life!) I came with a hunger to mark a great shift in my life—the beginning of work as a hospice chaplain several years after an experience of profound grief—and to return to my deepest roots. My days on the mountain in the open fields and woods were extraordinary; my heart was open and I was in communion with my own soul in completely unexpected ways.
— Julie Gilmour - USA
I met Pip twenty years ago when I was in the throes of a tumultuous mid-life transition. I knew nothing about Vision Quests, The Way of Council, or nature-based work. I was a woman in crisis whose life was falling apart. Or so I thought. Pip supported me through the labyrinth of my breakdown and now, twenty years later, I count her as a dear guide and friend. Through Questing and being in Council with her and others, I have come to understand that life offers us numerous initiations into our own fullness, if we have the courage and humility to accept the invitation. Pip holds the space to explore this invitation with immense skill, wisdom, integrity, compassion and a profound sense of interconnectedness and Mystery. She is trustworthy. She is a woman whose principles and values are self-evident in the way she lives her own life. Her work is her calling, and for that I am, personally, deeply grateful.
— Anna Bianchi.
"I have known Pippa for 25 years - as teacher, mentor and Vision quest guide.
We met at the first ' Way of Council ' course she offered in Copenhagen, DK.
I remember feeling safe, and when the course finished, I left feeling profoundly seen and heard. I have since attended many courses, sat on many councils, and been on two vision quests with Pippa. I have repeatedly met her and seen her love, compassion, authenticity, courage, and ability to address difficult topics in groups and one-to-one. All shared in equality and the understanding that nobody is perfect. Her ongoing trust in me and encouragement to facilitate council on my own have been invaluable to me as a facilitator of council and still are.
She is passionate and has an insistence on sharpening and deepening the understanding of council / the spirit of council, which is a huge inspiration for all of us who share the love of council. "
— Malene Rose - Denmark
I first met Pippa nearly 30 years ago at a Way of Council weekend she held in Bristol. My inner sceptic was very much in attendance, as was my strongly held caution that something like this might be a bit too “woo-woo”. Very quickly, Pippa proved herself and the practice of ‘council’ to be very rooted and down-to-earth. Pippa’s love, passion, wisdom, and grounded authenticity enabled me to put my scepticism aside. The Way of Council gave me a way to access a sense of the spiritual as an expression of connection, compassion and communion with myself, other humans and the more-than-human world. Since then, I have worked with Pippa many times, attended many of her council offerings, both long and short, supported her as an assistant, and led councils myself over a number of years. I even eventually undertook a Vision Quest with Pippa, a challenging, profound and beautiful process of transition and transformation. My inner sceptic still lives within me, and sitting in a council circle very quickly quietens her as I connect with myself and those around me more deeply through the practice of sharing stories in the council way.
— Penny Mclellan
It was not what I expected, but it turned out to be far more. I feel like it shifted something for me. I feel lighter, less weighed down by shame. I found being able to speak about my trauma and being witnessed very powerful. It was as if it peeled away my layers of protection, and I felt actual tears for the first time in years.
Pippa’s way of holding the group and enabling the process with a firm but light touch is awesome.
— Jude Marks, Bristol, UK
Pippa created an extraordinarily safe, strong and beautifully held container for our Vision Quest. Her meticulous preparation, deep care and sensitivity to both people and place allowed me to surrender fully to the ceremonial process.
The experience was profoundly nourishing and transformative. Through Pippa’s guidance, the practices of Council, the medicine wheel, image, symbol and dream began to take root in me in ways I know will continue to unfold for years to come.
I left feeling deeply changed, more hopeful about the future, and with a renewed relationship to my body, food and the world around me. I feel I have been given spiritual nourishment that will last a lifetime. I am deeply grateful for Pippa’s gifts, wisdom and the extraordinary care she brings to her work.
— Emilie
I spent a weekend with Pip on a Way of Council workshop just recently. Thirteen of us—a very lucky number on this occasion—were fortunate enough to experience a truly special and important weekend.
We spent time with a woman of extraordinary skill who uses her knowledge, learning and lived experience with generosity, integrity, skill and humour. I found her completely trustworthy, something that is essential for me if I am to learn in an open and receptive way.
We were a hugely diverse group in age, background, inclinations and preferences. While I can only speak for myself, it was clear from everyone present that each of us took away rich treasures of companionship, connection, learning, practical information and, yes, transformative experience.
The vision Pip communicates of how we can be the change—the change that enables speaking and listening from our hearts, acceptance, goodwill and courage—is always inspiring, and never more necessary than it is at the moment.
— Harriet Spicer, September 2017
Out of your utter commitment to the human heart streams great healing, and I am so very happy and grateful to have been able to bathe in this these last days. You guided us to our own hearts so beautifully, and it was miraculous to witness the power of this transformative practice of listening and speaking, speaking and listening, and to feel it in me as a great peace—an oasis of peace amid the turmoil.
Witnessing others’ pains and joys makes one's own eyes clearer to witness one’s own pains and joys without the usual urge to fix, to solve, or to avoid. Heartfelt gratitude.
— Charlotte
The Council week was a truly wonderful and transformative experience. So much happened within me, and the process continued to unfold long after I returned home.
Through Council, I discovered a deeper way of listening to myself—not through trying to understand or rationalise, but by allowing images, imagination and experience to reveal their own deeper knowledge. This felt like magic. I found a new connection with my own creative imagination, with nature, and with the stories of my family and my roots.
The time in circle, the connection with others and the Council in Nature were profoundly moving, poetic and beautiful. I came away feeling lighter, freer and deeply changed.
— Bente, Denmark, 2013
I never imagined myself alone in the wilderness for four nights, not eating. I had many preconceived ideas about how it would be and what would happen. It was far from my ideas—challenging and amazing, the most real experience I have ever had in my 38 years.
The stillness was the great gift I received there, as someone with a hyperactive mind and body.
— Salomé, Portugal
For my part, I am continuing to learn and integrate a big lesson about slowing, presence and surrender—and less ego—courtesy of my bang on the head, which shows me there is no difference between the beauty of ‘there’ and the reality of ‘here’, because my head is right with me!
I am having to rest, rest, rest, learn to say no, and really put myself first.
— Sara Drew, Practice of Council in Nature, October 2015
It was an incredible experience. The weather was beautiful, and any sense of fear and loneliness was washed away by a feeling of acceptance. The clarity of thought returned; the celebration of self and nature, and the sheer solitude, were intoxicating.
The night sky had never been so spectacular—the solar system was exquisite. I feel complete. This has reinstated my intention and also laid new foundations.
— Gareth Clark, Autumn Vision Quest, 2014
The Way of Council is an extraordinary process that I’m so lucky to have experienced. It was a magical weekend—transformative and potentially life-changing: laughter, trust and new, vibrant movement all arising from such gentle and powerful work together.
A rich source of learning about so many things—love, death, shame, fear, nature, facilitation, paradox—I could go on, and have done to anyone who would listen. Profound!
— Bala Brook, Way of Council, 2012
Pippa’s introduction to The Way of Council created something beautiful over a weekend that will be with me forever. With warmth, humour and compassion, a safe and trusting space was created where people could speak from the heart.
It was a wonderful personal journey and also left me with new approaches that I could immediately put into practice in my facilitation and consultancy work.
— Steve Onyett, Bristol, UK
From the moment I committed to doing the Vision Quest, I felt Pippa’s unwavering support and honouring of the journey I had begun. In a very clear and intuitive way, she created the space within our group for me to make a deep transition from one stage of my life to the next.
She embodies the essential qualities of a midwife: compassionate, honest and able to listen and see deeply—a fearless guide between worlds. In the magical mountains of Snowdonia, this ancient ceremony comes alive, bringing much-needed healing and understanding amid the life changes of our modern culture.
— Sophie Style, Spain
I would like to take a moment to say thank you for all of the wonderful support you gave in the lead-up to, during and after my Vision Quest. Your facilitation and preparation for the Quest created a very safe container for me to explore something completely new within the context of my inner journey.
There have been many rich insights that I have taken from my time with you and on the mountain, and every day since, more has been unfolding. I will recommend the Vision Quest practice to my friends on this path and have the utmost confidence in recommending they do so through you.
— Greg Segal, London, UK
The teachings, healings and wisdoms I received from participating in a Vision Quest guided by Pippa have been too vast to put into words. I’ve been given the opportunity to take possession of my life and walk closer to my soul.
— Michael Blake, Wales, UK