Into the Wild Wood: A Magical Herbal

A true herbalist is one who knows the secrets of the plants. We are called by many names: plant-wise, cunning folk, herb witches, wise women, and we have come to our knowledge through wandering the many serpentine paths of relationship to the natural world and its cycles. Deep contemplation and study, trusting the experiential intelligence of the body, planting seeds and tending gardens, being nursed by healing herbs, creating magic and medicine with the green ones, and connecting directly with the plant kingdom through intuition, trance-work, meditation, and dreams. Plants are teachers, ancestors, lovers and friends, they are kin whose wisdom reaches back to the dawn of time and deep into the very soul of the world, the numinous spirit of all things.

There is a rising interest for this sort of rooted knowledge, and as we move into an era of increasing conflict, instability, and disconnection it becomes more important than ever to build resilience through relationships of reciprocity that nourish our spirits while they nourish the earth. Plants are some of the most accessible allies on the journey back to the spirit, back to our magical selves, back to our power and inner knowing.

Into the Wild Wood is a class series focused on building personal relationship with plant spirits for magic, ritual and healing work. Personal relationship is foundational, and developing the intuitive and psychic skills needed for deep communication will be the core of this program. The scope and practice of plant magic is vast, as plants have been used by every human culture throughout time for a multitude of uses, but we will focus on the beautiful Great Lakes and Midwest bioregion and on the folk magic traditions of Europe. From love magic to plants for protection, a wide range of traditional applications will be explored and created together.

Topics covered:

-Gain an understanding of the basic tools and skills necessary for trance-work

- Begin to develop a personally fulfilling cosmology and deepen your spiritual practice

- Cultivate a rich network of relationships to plant allies to support your growth and well-being

- Study the folklore of over 70 trees and plants native or naturalized in this bioregion

- Learn how to craft a multitude of ritual objects and preparations for personal magical use

- Deepen your connection to the cycles of nature and to the landscape we call home

- Build community rooted in honoring an enchanted worldview and co-creating magic

 

This will be an ongoing series with each class building off of the skills learned in earlier ones. Classes held at a private residence on Saturdays from 9am - 12pm. Cost is $30. 

— Class Series Schedule —

July 31: Birch

August 14: Oak

September 4: Linden

September 25: Apple

October 16: Willow

October 30: Elder

November 20: Rowan

December 11: Cedar + Pine