Module 3: Expanding Sacred Gaian Herbalism (October 2021-March 2022)
• Dates: 10/8, 10/22, 11/5, 11/19, 12/17, 1/7, 1/21, 2/4, 2/18, 3⁄4, 3/18
• Class: 6-9 pm, digitally and twice in person outdoors. Optional potluck 5-5:45, mandatory cleanup from 5:45-6 pm.
• Module 3 prerequisites: Module 1 or equivalent studies/experience. Module 2 is helpful but not necessary.
Also available as a guided independent study
This apprenticeship takes place digitally and two times in person outdoors, and is designed for folks who have a basic knowledge of herbal medicine, and want to put their studies into practice, and explore their own lineage(s) and heritage, uncovering how your ancestors (from your own family all the way back to the Paleolithic) may have connected with plants, the Earth, sound, and the seasons.
Our main Green teachers in this course will be Trees and Seaweeds. We will dive deeper into making herbal formulations and assembling combination protocols, using ourselves as case studies.
We will cover more advanced preparations and diversify our methods of creating herbal foods and remedies. We will learn about pulse and tongue diagnosis, as well as practices to support mental and emotional health. We will continue to expand our knowledge of different forms of herbalism (including from our own ancestral lineages), and spiritual connection with the seasons. Outdoors, we will learn about the plants of Winter, especially trees. Indoors, we will learn about seaweeds, starting seeds, and designing our gardens for the following season so you can grow more of your own herbs and make your own remedies and foods from them.
In addition to hands-on practice (with some possible field-trips and guest teachers!), you will spend lots of time deepening your spiritual relationship with local and native trees through guided meditations and journeying, cooking with “sea vegetables”, as well as expanding on your knowledge of herbs from around the world, continuing to taste, smell, study, and commune your way through nourishing recipes, books, and herbal adventures!
Ready to join? Hooray!
Check it out below and read the Application Letter carefully. Due to the changing times, we have updated the course and contract with some changes as of 10/01/2020.
If it all sounds good, fill out this form.
We’ll get in touch with you to schedule a phone interview.
Upon acceptance into the program, you'll reserve your spot with full or partial payment, and I will send you a course list of required books and suggested tools and materials to begin your path as a Sacred Gaian Herbalist!
Tuition
I offer this program at a low cost with the goal of making this wisdom available to more people. In return, I ask participants to agree to share some of what they learn with others, (especially regarding where the plants and practices originate and which cultures are the traditional wisdom holders), to ensure the ethical knowledge of wellness spreads.
Guided Independent Study (In-person and/or Distance Learning): $700 per course (not including materials) includes up to 10 hours of direct training, support, project review, and mentorship tailored around your prior experience, needs, and learning style, with additional training available at $65/hour. In-person, digital, and/or phone sessions.
Single Apprenticeship: $600-700 (sliding scale) per course, not including books and materials.
Full Year Long Program: $200 discount, not including books and materials.
Social Justice Scholarship for Native Americans, People of Color, and Trans folk: Prospective apprentices who this applies to may apply for a 50% off scholarship. This scholarship seeks in a small but meaningful way to replace systemic injustice with the skills necessary to heal and nourish all community members.
Extra Benefits
Co-working: If you would like a quiet place to come and work on your own stuff (including homework) when I don’t have clients, you are welcome to arrange times to do so! I tend to work better with some quiet company nearby, as long as you’re self-sufficient, and we can occasionally break for a communal quick walk, some yoga, etc.
Garden/Permaculture/Carpentry Skillbuilding: Interested in getting your hands even dirtier and leaving your mark? Talk to me about helping out with infrastructure projects like making garden beds, building projects, laying trails, etc. Intrepid intermediate apprentices can request to take on a specific crop/area to cultivate, including silviculture.
My Library: you are welcome to arrange times to come and browse through my book collection. I do not lend them out, but you can curl up with them here!
Buying Books: The ones in the apothecary are always 10% off the cover price. Once or twice a year I place a large book order, and you are welcome to look through the catalog ahead of time and add to the order.
Materials: The apothecary is stocked with hundreds of freshly dried local herbs, spices, oils, beeswax, honey, bottles, jars, etc. for all your remedy-making needs! If you’re looking for something specific, feel free to call/text me and I’ll put it aside for you.
Vitamins and Supplements: Every few months I restock supplements through my distributor, Emerson Ecologics, and you are welcome to add items onto my wholesale order (typically they will be 50% off retail prices). You can see what they have in stock by signing up for a free Wellevate account, and you can also order supplements/vitamins directly that way. Wellevate is a professional program for practitioners (it is not an MLM), and I use it for my online dispensary because they ship directly to client’s homes so I don’t have to keep supplements in stock, and because they let me set a 20% discount on everything so more folks can afford their vitamins. Feel free to share the link.
Bulk Herbs: You can coordinate within the FB group to place a large order through Mountain Rose (we receive a 10% discount). I have a wholesale account with several organic (dried and fresh) herb companies and growers, and will typically place an order 1-2 times a year. Let me know if you are interested.
The New Hampshire Herbal Network’s Annual Herb and Garden Day: Volunteers work for several hours and can attend for free. Want to team up with other apprentices and have an apprentice table to vend your herbal creations? Let me know!
United Plant Savers: Blackbird’s Daughter Botanicals apprentices are eligible for a $20 membership through United Plant Savers Partners In Education Program. Simply let me know if you’re interested in the first class.