Though they are dormant now, when the Bears stir in spring, they will dig their medicine roots – which Matthew Wood notes are "brown, furry, pungent, and oily" like Bears themselves. Wherever people and Bears live in proximity, humans have traditionally followed suit, digging and decocting those same roots. We will explore the medicine and magic of those roots.
Gaia is the name of the Greek goddess of the Earth. It is also the name that James Lovelock and Lynn Margulis gave to their hypothesis that the Earth itself is a self-regulating living system. We will investigate the role psychedelic compounds play in this complex system, and the ways in which they can help humans connect with the mind of the living Earth.
With Valentine's Day approaching, we will delve into how herbs can help us deal with matters of the heart. We will speak of herbs for bruised and broken hearts, as well as herbs that can open the heart to basking in the joy of love.
Most modern approaches to magical herbalism focus on using herbs in spellcraft or ritual to achieve a particular result. Animist Plant Magic recognizes that plants are living, intelligent beings rather than means to an end. Come explore what it means to work with a plant as a magical partner.
All winter, the Earth is pregnant with life. And as the days grow longer, the quickening begins. The ancient Irish festival of Imbolc marks the midpoint of the dark half of the year and the approach of new life. In Ireland, wildflowers are beginning to bloom. But what does it mean to celebrate Imbolc in a place where the snows are still thick on the ground? Tonight, we will immerse ourselves in the medicine and magic of this season of promise.
Breath is a river that connects us with the ocean of life. It allows us to draw in joy and connection, to move through grief and pain, and to send blessings out into the world. In this class, we will delve into the role our plant kin can play in helping us breathe through our emotions.
Evergreens draw life from the sun, even in the dead of winter. Their scent opens our hearts and deepens our breath. Join Seán for an exploration of the medicine and magic of Pine, Spruce, and Cedar.
"Herbal energetics" sound complex and esoteric. But while energetics can indeed provide profound insight into the nature of a particular plant, all that is necessary to gain that insight is to use your senses! In this class, Seán will provide a simple, intuitive framework for understanding herbal energetics that will make sense to anyone who has ever cooked a meal.
Listening to a tree is a very old way of learning the magic of the world. In this first class of the New Year, Seán will share some simple practices for building and nourishing a connection with one tree in your world, and some of the ways building that kind of relationship can help to shift your experience of being alive in this world. All that is required is a beating heart and a willingness to listen.
In this class, we will explore the similarities and differences between COVID, RSV, and the Flu, discuss strategies for keeping yourself and your family safe during this "tripledemic", talk about herbs that can help mitigate symptoms of these infections, and look at the effects viral infections like these can have on the brain and the heart and ways of addressing these impacts.
For thousands of years, people have marked the dawn that follows the darkest night as a time of hope and renewal. Join Seán for an exploration of the myth and magic of the Winter Solstice, and the plants whose medicine bring brightness to the season.
In England, Wales, Scandinavia, and parts of Scotland, tales are told of an Otherworldly Hunter and his spectral hounds who rides through the night sky in the dark of the year, guiding the souls of the dead along the Milky Way and into the Otherworld. Join Seán for an exploration of the nature, meaning, and role of the Wild Hunt in its many forms.
