Exuberance is an expression of the joy of life flowing through people and communities. It is also inextricably woven with liberation. We will explore herbs that free us to allow joyful ecstasy to rise and find expression.
Our brains are constantly facing challenges from physical, chemical, mental, and emotional stress. We will explore herbs that can help the brain mitigate the damage.
The living world thinks in fluid ways. The culture around us encourages more linear and predictable modes of thinking. Recent work by Autistic scholars suggests that flow is the natural state of Autistic minds – and much of what Autistic people struggle with comes from trying to conform to other modes of being. At the same time, psychedelic research is showing that transformational psychedelic experiences involve “entropic brain states” where thought is more fluid. We will explore these insights and what they tell us about consciousness, healing, and transformation in a living, flowing world.
Elder. Yarrow. Linden. In the heat of Midsummer, white flowers bloom. They help to clear heat, soothe the heart and mind, and open us to the shimmering beauty of the season's magick.
Histamine both stimulates immune response and acts as a neurotransmitter. We will explore the nature of this molecule, its impact on the human brain, and the role of herbs in mitigating that impact.
Life in these times is physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually exhausting. And the rest we know is necessary is not always possible. So in this class we will talk about some of the herbs that can help to sustain us as we navigate immense challenges.
The Wild Redeemer is a mythic rhizome that runs through history erupting through the concrete of civilization, bringing forth expressions of resistance, liberation, and renewal. We will explore some of those expressions from Robin Hood to Ned Ludd to Earth First! and talk about ways of engaging the Wild Redeemer in our own time.
Divination is the art of reading patterns in the world. We will look at herbs that have traditionally been seen to aid in divination – with a special focus on herbs that work with the NMDA receptors, sometimes referred to as "synchronicity detectors."
The role of psychedelics in neuroplasticity -- the transformation of our nervous systems is well documented. Less well known is the fact that the receptor site that most classic psychedelics work on -- the 5HT-2A receptor is also involved in the reshaping of almost every other type of tissue in our bodies. We will explore the implications of this fact and its connection with shapeshifting in both its physiological and its mythic/magickal senses.
As we step across the threshold into the bright half of the year, we explore how life and healing flow from the Otherworld, and how traditions that connect healing with the Faerie Realm and the ancient dead can inform our lives and our deep work today.
Snakes and Dragons are connected with energies rising up from the Earth and the waters – and energies rising in the body. We will explore the medicine and magick of plants that share these qualities and have traditional connections with serpentine energies.
Hawthorn and Alder are both associated with the threshold where the dark of the year gives way to the bright season. They also each mark ecological borders – the Hawthorn the threshold of forest and field and the Alder the threshold of land and water. We will explore the myth and magick of these guardians of thresholds.
