The Heart of Moonfire

My name is Íris Ösp, and I’m the person behind Moonfire.

I have always been a child of nature. I grew up in the countryside, close to the sea, with my toes in the moss and my hair wild in the wind. That is where I learned to listen to stillness. To notice the small things life offers us, if we give ourselves the time to see them. But like so many of us, I lost touch with that from time to time. I forgot how important it is to stop. I got caught up in the pace of modern life, expectations, screens and endless things to do. That is human. But we can always find our way back. Slow down a little. Breathe more deeply. Listen. Meet ourselves with a little more kindness.

Moonfire was born from that longing – to create a space where we are allowed to slow down, reconnect with ourselves and remember what truly matters.

I am many things.

I am a healer, graphic designer, photographer, artist and yes – I am also a witch. Someone who believes in the power of intention, nature, the moon, symbols, ritual and creating meaningful moments that help us connect a little more deeply with ourselves. I create spells and rituals, including Mánagaldur – Moon Magic, where I work with the energy of each month, the moon, herbs, crystals, fire, words and inner work. To me, magic is not about controlling the world around us. It is about pausing, setting a clear intention and creating a ritual around what we want to nurture, release or see more clearly within our own lives. Perhaps that is also one of the reasons Moonfire came into being.

I have always loved bringing together the visible and the unseen. Art and intuition. Beauty and depth. A little bit of magic woven into everyday life. I am also a crafter, a lifelong student… and sometimes I tattoo people.

I studied graphic design and photography in Italy, and while living there I came to understand even more deeply how important it is to know how to slow down. To sit a little longer over a cup of coffee. To be fully present in a conversation. To notice the beauty in everyday life. Something we Icelanders could probably learn a little more about.

Today, my path increasingly lies at the intersection of art, healing, body awareness and wellbeing. I am currently studying for a Master’s degree in Arts and Welfare at the Iceland University of the Arts, where we explore how the arts can play a greater and more meaningful role within welfare and care systems. There, I get to investigate something that has fascinated me for a long time: how creative processes, experience, meditation and art can open a space for connection, presence and transformation.

I have also studied Yoga Nidra with Matsyendra Saraswati, trained in Kriya Yoga, and I am currently studying trauma-informed yoga, with a focus on creating a safe connection with the body, presence and the nervous system. Alongside this, I have undertaken a wide range of studies and training in sound healing and therapeutic sound, as well as approaches connected to art therapy and creative wellbeing.

All of this weaves its way into what I create through Moonfire.

I am also a combat instructor and teach mixed martial arts. It is simply another side of who I am – movement, strength, release and the power of the body. It gives me a way to sweat out the day, be completely present in the moment and connect with my body in a completely different way. And when stillness calls, I turn inward. Into meditation. Healing. Sound. Magic. Or my art. That is where I work from the heart.

Much of my art is about looking – both outward and inward.

In my photographic series Hringir – Circles, I capture details in Icelandic nature that are easy to walk past without noticing. Through a macro lens, I magnify patterns in moss, scars in tree bark, cracks, circles and tiny forms that remind us that beauty is everywhere – sometimes right beneath our feet – if we stop long enough to see it. And wow, nature is extraordinary!

In my three-dimensional works, Shadows of Our Existence, the focus turns inward. There I explore the parts of ourselves we do not always see, sometimes want to hide, or have learned to push away – fear, wounds, mistakes, contradictions and experiences that have shaped us. Our shadows are not necessarily something we need to get rid of. They also hold our story. When we dare to approach them with curiosity and gentleness, space opens up to see ourselves more fully. And to remember that in every shadow is light to be found.

The same philosophy follows me into my healing work. I do not see myself as the person who “fixes” others. Instead, I offer space, tools and presence that may help you slow down, listen and reconnect with what is already there within you.

My path as a healer has been both formal and informal. I studied Reiki with Svava Bjarnadóttir, but since then my journey has taken me further – through energy work, meditation, Yoga Nidra, Kriya Yoga, trauma-informed yoga, sound healing, creative practice, energy psychology, lightwork, shamanic energy healing, my own research and, not least, life itself. I do not believe that one single tool is the answer to everything.

Sometimes we need stillness. Sometimes movement. Sometimes a sound that travels through the whole body. Sometimes we need to create something with our hands. Sometimes we need to light a candle, hold a crystal and set an intention Sometimes we need to sit in silence and sometimes we simply need a space where we are allowed to be exactly as we are.

Perhaps that is the heart of Moonfire. A space where art, healing, magic, ritual, creativity and presence are allowed to meet.

If Moonfire can be a small light that reminds you to slow down, breathe more deeply, see yourself more clearly or reconnect with something within you, then that is enough.

From my heart to yours.
Íris Moonfire