Many are beginning to acknowledge that the loneliness of modern life has given rise to a public health crisis. But our loneliness comes not just from our disconnection from other humans – it comes also, and perhaps first, from our disconnection from the rest of the living world. On the eve of Earth Day, we will explore how making relationships with our plant kin can begin to heal that deep loneliness.
For tens of thousands of years, humans have turned to Yarrow for healing, divination, magic, and prayer. In Irish, the plant is called Athair Thalún – Father of the Land. We will explore the many gifts and mysteries of Yarrow.
The plants and fungi we call "psychedelic" have been shaping and transforming the consciousness of humans since the dawn of our species (and brought the same medicine to many species before us.) At the same time that contemporary science is rediscovering their potential for psychological healing, we are beginning to understand the ways psychedelics can heal the body. We will explore the ways psychedelics work to address physical pain and inflammation – and what that teaches us about the nature of healing.
At the end of a long winter, and the end of a long ordeal, at the end of a long illness, how can you rekindle your vitality? Join us as we explore plant allies that can help us to rebuild ourselves when we are depleted.
As spring arrives, snowmelt streams irrigate the land. Our lymphatic system does the same for our tissues – delivering immune factors, draining excess fluid, and carrying away metabolic waste. Join us as we explore how spring herbs like Cleavers, Dandelion flowers, and Alder catkins can help us move our lymph.
Aisling is an Irish word for powerful, prophetic dreaming – and one that has long been connected with visions of She who is the living spirit of the land. On St. Patrick's Day, we will speak of the role that the tradition of aisling poetry played in fueling Ireland's dreams of freedom and sovereignty, and what a renewed aisling tradition can offer in guiding us in ecological healing and cultural transformation wherever we dwell.
Across the Northern hemisphere, people have approached Bears with awe, reverence, and curiosity since the dawn of our species. As the Bears begin to wake from their winter dreaming, we explore the mythic and magical dimensions of how Bears, and the plants whose roots they dig, connect us with the mysteries of the living Earth.
Leaves kissed with silver moonlight, Mugwort is a plant of hedgerows and roadsides – liminal places. Mugwort helps those too anchored in this world open to dream and vision – and helps those who wander out into the ethers to ground back into their own bodies. Join as we explore the medicine and magic of this powerful plant ally.
Our kidneys are complex organs involved in the way water flows through our bodies. They filter out waste, regulate blood pressure, balance the minerals in our bloodstreams, and help to produce red blood cells. They also help maintain the health of our bones and our connective tissues. We will explore both the physiological and the metaphysical roles our kidneys play in our lives, and talk about herbs that can help nourish, support, and restore the kidneys.
The Nightshade family is full of plants that shift sensation and consciousness in ways so powerful that whether they bring medicine or poison, blessing or curse depends deeply on the ways we approach them. Perhaps none of these plants is more full of contradictions than Tobacco – a sacred plant of the Americas that became important in the folk magic of distant lands it was introduced to, but also has spurred a global health crisis. In this class, we will put judgement aside and try to speak of Tobacco on the plant's own terms. We will explore both responsible ways to work with the plant and strategies for navigating Tobacco addiction.
On this Sunday between Imbolc and Valentine's Day, we explore the medicine and magic of three plants which help us find joy and presence in embodiment: Kava, Damiana, and Blue Lotus. We will weave together contemporary science, folklore from the homelands of these plants, and understandings of the states and sensations they evoke to talk about the blessings they can bring individually and together.
At Samhain, blessing and fertility flowed down from this world into the Otherworld, beginning the dark season of the old Irish year, that will end at Bealtaine when life comes flowering back into this world, flowing upward from below. The festival of Imbolc marks the midpoint of the dark season, when the lengthening sunlight reaches down through snow and earth, and, often invisible to us, life begins to stir – like the moment of "quickening" when the mother first feels the child moving in the womb. Weaving together folklore and spiritual ecology, we will explore the meaning and the blessings of this ancient holiday.
