The air this summer feels thick and hazy with illusion – the kinds of illusions that keep us from seeing ourselves and each other clearly. Join us as we explore plants that can help us cut through the spiritual fog.
Midsummer Eve was once known in Ireland as "Oiche an tine cnámh" – "Night of the Bone Fire." As we gather on this holy night, we will speak about old and new ways of relating to the dead and the Otherworld at Midsummer.
Throughout human history, people have looked to their plant (and fungal) kin to help them to connect with and carry their petitions to the spirit realm. We will explore the ways plants aid in prayer and what it means to pray with a plant rather than simply "using" a plant in a spiritual context.
We are used to thinking of our bones as merely the scaffolding that gives shape to our form. But emerging understandings suggest that bones are complex living and changing organs that play a fundamental role in how we experience and move through the world. Come explore the science and magic of bones and the plants that work with them.
Contemporary herbalism and contemporary science often fall into the habit of looking at a particular herb in narrow and limiting ways. This class will be the first in a series that looks at broadening our perspectives on such herbs. We begin with Black Cohosh, looking at the plant's roles in working with the nervous, musculoskeletal, and cardiovascular systems – roles that we often forget about when we think of Black Cohosh only in relation to its equally important roles in relation to menstruation and childbirth.
People throughout history have experienced the world as alive. And they have looked to the plants and fungi we now call "psychedelic" as teachers. In this online class, we will look at the potential role of psychedelics in an animist revival and at animist ethics for working with these medicines.
Psilocybin accelerates the formation of new synapses in the brain. In this online class, we will put this knowledge into an ecological context, and discuss how, in the context of future legalization of psilocybin, people might work with this medicine to repattern their minds in healthy ways.
Humans have always told stories about Wolves. In Irish, the name for the Wolf is "Mac Tíre" – "Son of the Land." Join us as we explore the history, mythos, and magic of Wolves in the Irish tradition.
"The summer time is coming, and the trees are sweetly blooming..." Join us as we explore the medicine and magic of tree blossoms - Hawthorn, Elder, Linden, and more.
Bealtaine has always been a time for rituals to bring blessing, protection, and fertility to the crops, the animals, and the land. We will look at the traditions and lore of this festival that marks the beginning of the bright half of the year, and explore how they might guide us in dedicating ourselves to the healing and renewal of the land in a time of ecological crisis.
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.
