"To learn to speak is to learn to say 'our river has its source in an Otherworld well,' and anything we say about the hills and anything we say about the stars is a way of saying 'A Hazel grows over the Otherworld well our river has its source in.'" ~John Moriarty
There is a well in the Otherworld, where all the waters of this world have their source, and where the Salmon of Wisdom dwells. To taste water and know that is has its source in that well is to remember that this world is alive. My life, my work, and my writing are dedicated to bringing the taste of those waters to all whose hearts seek their nourishment. Come, drink deeply.
Otherworld Well Hedge School
We live in a time when the language that speaks most deeply to our souls is forbidden. The culture around us tells us that the wild and the dead have no voices and cannot speak to us. Our bodies know otherwise. They know that the rhythm of our ancestors’ heartbeats echoes in our own. They know that the wind in the Pines and the scent of Spruce on that wind carry messages that speak of our kinship with them.
It is imperative that we remember the language, culture, etiquette, and stories of the wild.
This is the purpose of The Otherworld Well Hedge School -- to pass down some of what I have learned from plants, from ancestral traditions, from elders, about how to heal ourselves and each other and enter into deeper relationship with the living world.
Seán is a poet and herbalist living in western Maine in the shadow of a chain of mountains that stretch south to Georgia and north and east across the sea to Ireland and Scotland.
He guides individuals in finding better ways to connect with the living world along their journeys toward healing, insight, meaning, and liberation. With compassionate listening and deeply intuitive insights, Seán works with clients to identify the patterns they want to shift in their lives. Then, he shares perspectives and strategies with them for connecting with plants, ancestors, and the land as allies in transformation.
In the popular imagination, serotonin is the "happiness chemical." But this molecule is far more complex than that descriptor suggests. An ancient compound first created by bacteria at the time when life on Earth had just begun to breathe, serotonin is first and foremost a molecule of connection. Serotonin flows and synaptic networks branch in fractal patterns that resemble the patterns in nature. It opens the gates that allow sensory information to flow in, and helps us recognize complex patterns in the world around us. In this class, we will look at the roles serotonin and structurally similar compounds play in the plant and fungal realms, and how these insights can help us understand the true nature of this neurotransmitter in our own bodies.
Anxiety. Depression. Fatigue. Brain fog. Shortness of breath. Cardiovascular disease. High blood sugar. Almost a third of COVID-19 survivors deal with these symptoms and more for months or years after they recover from the acute infection. More still suffer in silence, not seeking help. Drawing from his own experience of recovering from COVID-19, and his experience helping clients navigate the illness, Seán will share herbal strategies for dealing with "Long Haul COVID." He will also talk about the relationship between Long Haul COVID and other conditions like chronic Lyme disease and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
Scent is one of the primary ways we experience the touch of the world upon our senses. Our bodies evolved to recognize the scents of aromatic plants as a sign that our wild kin are near and trying to speak with us. In this class, we will explore the roles aromatic compounds play in the lives of plants, and the roles they can play in augmenting the work of our immune systems and balancing our nervous and cardiovascular systems. We will also look at the differences between the light aromatic compounds common in the leaves and flowers of plants and the sticky, heavy aromatic molecules of resins. And we will explore ways of working with aromatic plants in magic and ceremony to purify spaces, open hearts, shift consciousness, and send prayers to the spirit realm.
Seán truly is a deep well. He has a way of listening and distilling such that a session with him is like having the heart of the world listening. His guidance has been for simple yet potent practices that have opened me into a profoundly deeper relationship with my own healing process and capacity. This is intimately intertwined with the potency of healing found in the earth around us, calling us all to a path of awakening.
Summer Starr
From the first moment I met Seán, I knew I could trust his guidance. I began studying drop-dose medicine with him, learning how to experience each plant toward my own deep healing. Seán is a pure channel of joy and a truly gifted herbalist. I feel forever grateful for all I have learned through him and for the ways in which I have healed my nervous system from old trauma. Seán is a teacher who truly understands the ways in which I learn.
Asaya Heart
Seán's work as a teacher and shamanic storyteller and herbalist is a beautiful gift for those who are blessed enough to be taught by him. I worked with him in Ireland and found his knowledge of Ireland and herbal lore and mythology to be truly profound. I would recommend him without hesitation!
Alan Cooke (Emmy Award winning filmmaker, philosopher, poet, and speaker)
I hold the most archaic values on earth... the fertility of the soul, the magic of the animals, the power-vision in solitude... the love and ecstasy of the dance, the common work of the tribe.
~Gary Snyder
Use left/right arrows to navigate the slideshow or swipe left/right if using a mobile device
choosing a selection results in a full page refresh
press the space key then arrow keys to make a selection
