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.
Psilocybin, a miraculous molecule produced by Psilocybe spp. mushrooms, is showing amazing promise in helping people struggling with conditions ranging from depression and addiction to inflammation and chronic pain. This class will provide a clear and accessible introduction to the new science around how psilocybin changes our neurochemistry and the very structure of our brains. We will put this knowledge in the context of the biology, ecology, and spiritual presence of the mushrooms themselves, and explore what it means to work with this medicine in intentional and respectful ways.
An old Irish poem about the nature of health and wisdom speaks of a person being born with three cauldrons within their body: the Cauldron of Incubation that contains the spark of life, the Cauldron of Motion that governs our experience of the world and the ways we navigate it, and the Cauldron of Wisdom that is the source of poetry and inspiration. The ways in which this understanding guided the practice of medicine have long been lost, but we can use the poem as a starting point in beginning to reconstruct them in ways that make sense in our contemporary lives. In this class, we will explore the nature of each of these three cauldrons and speak about herbs that can help us tend to the health of each of them.
Our brains are forming new neural pathways all the time. Which pathways they form depends on where we place our focus. We will explore the science of neuroplasticity: how and why brains change, and its implications for how we can change our experiences, our habits, and our perceptions. We will look at how serotonin encourages us to form new neural connections, and dopamine determines which pathways we prioritize. We will explore living medicines that can support this process including Psilocybe, Bacopa, and Damiana, and strategies for combining these herbs with simple rituals for shifting our focus in desirable directions.
The blooming of the Hawthorn marked the coming of Bealtaine, the old Irish festival of the fertility of the land. The thorny tree with its strange scent, its shimmering blossoms, and its berries that nourish the heart, was long seen as a gate between this world and the Otherworld, the realm of the Daoine Sidhe, the Faerie people. We will explore the connections between the myth, medicine, and magic of Hawthorn.
People around the world have always celebrated cycles that mark the journey of the Earth around the sun and the seasonal changes they bring. Marking time in this way connects people with their ancestors and with the living land.
In this class, Seán Pádraig O'Donoghue will talk about how he draws on traditions of both his Irish ancestors and his connections with the plants and animals around him to craft rituals to mark the seasons in Maine.
Have you ever felt like your mind was clouded by a heavy fog, and you just could not think clearly enough to do what you needed to do? In this class, we will look at how inflammation, chronic illness, and mental and emotional overwhelm contribute to “brain fog.” We will talk about herbs like Calamus, Hawthorn, Tulsi, Bacopa, and Schizandra that can help get us free of that fog, and when and how to engage each of them.
Blackbirds fill the branches of the Alders as Spring arrives in Ireland and Maine alike. The catkins, leaves, cones, bark, and twigs of this tree that grows by the water’s edge offer profound medicine for cleansing the waters of the body.
And in Irish tradition, the trees provide the “shelter of the heart” – a sanctuary for the wild bird of the spirit. We will explore the magic and medicine of Alder.
As we come into spring, it is time to shed what our bodies and our spirits hold onto from the long, dark months of winter. What once serves us no longer does.
In this class, we will talk about common plants like Dandelion and Nettles, long used to help the body clear out the metabolic residues of seasons past, and other allies that can help liven our minds and spirits as new life emerges around us.
There is a lot of talk about dopamine these days – most of it negative, and most of it lacking important context. We hear a lot about how the dopamine release connected with everything from social media to junk food to alcohol is driving indulgent and addictive behavior. The missing part of the story is the purpose dopamine serves in our nervous system: generating motivation, meaning, and pleasure. What if our problem is not that we like dopamine too much, but that we are experiencing a deficit of meaning, and reorienting rather than diminishing our dopamine response is the answer?
