Plant Medicine Apprenticeship 
Fall - 2011 Syllabus
BOSTON 

COURSE SCHEDULE:


Weekend #1

Saturday, March 5th  - 1. FIRST CLASS, NOURISHING HERBS
* Welcome Circle, opening meditation.
* Overview of apprenticeship, syllabus, booklist, journals, and optional assignments.
* Opening ceremony w/ talking stick and gifts.
* Overview of healing traditions and The Wise Woman Tradition. 
* Plant allies and nourishing medicinal herbs.


Sunday, March 6th  - 2. SACRED SPACE & BLESSING HERBS *** Arnold Arboretum
* Creating sacred space.
* Grounding, centering, and cleansing the body/mind/spirit.
* Basic ritual, drumming, and the four directions/elements.
* Blessings herbs: Sage, Cedar, Sweetgrass, Copal, and others.
* Cleansing & clearing herbs.


Weekend #2 

Saturday, March 26th - 3. HERBAL PREPARATIONS 
* Hands-on folk herbal preparations.
* How to make tinctures, teas, infusions, and salves.
* Preparing herbs in an ethical, respectful, sacred way.
* Blessing & ritual of medicine making.


Sunday, March 27th - 4. HERBAL PREPARATIONS & COMMON AILMENTS
* Herbs for common ailments (Cold/Flu, Allergies, Fever, Headaches).
* Herbal healing for the family.
* Herbs & Systems of the Body.
* Herbal flash cards & herbal wheels.



Weekend #3 

Saturday, April 16th - 5. PLANT SPIRITS, ALLIES, & DREAM PLANTS
* Spirit/dream journeying and communicating with earth spirits. 
* Meditation, Altered states of consciousness.
* Guided journey to meet spirit guides and plant allies.
* Third eye, nervine & dream herbs.


Sunday, April 17th - 6. TREE MEDICINE & LORE *** Arnold Arboretum
* Communicating with tree spirits, meeting allies.
* Medicinal uses of trees.
* Wildcrafting and making medicine from trees. 
* Outdoor Tree Walk and ID.


Weekend #4 

Saturday, May 7th  - 7. HERBAL ENERGETICS & TASTES 
* Herbal energetics, Ayurvedic, Chinese, & Western.
* Herb safety levels, dosages.
* 5 Tastes - Properties & Energetics
* Tissue states and treatment.


Sunday, May 8th  - 8. ELEMENTS & DOCTRINE OF SIGNATURES
* Doctrine of Signatures.
* Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Elements in plants.
* Yin/Yang, Four Element Theory.
* Herbal Actions & Constituents



Weekend #5 

Saturday, May 28th  - 9. THE ROOT CHAKRA & IMMUNE SYSTEM
* Root Chakra- herbs for healing our root.
* The Immune system, protection of the body.
* Herbs for healing and stimulating the immune system.
* Magical herbs for protection, grounding, and earth energy.


Sunday, May 29th - 10. IMMUNE SYSTEM CONTINUED
* Root Chakra- herbs for healing our root.
* The Immune system, protection of the body.
* Herbs for healing and stimulating the immune system.
* Magical herbs for protection, grounding, and earth energy.


Weekend #6

Saturday, June 17th - 11. HERBS FOR THE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM & THE SECOND CHAKRA.
* Plant allies for the reproductive system.
* The Second Chakra
* Herbs for menstruation, motherhood, pregnancy, and menopause.
* Herbal healing for men, prostate health and fertility.
* Herbal Aphrodisiacs.


Sunday, June 18th - 12. WILDCRAFTING & PLANT ID  *** Arnold Arboretum
* Plant identification & mother plant identification.
* Ethical wildcrafting techniques.
* Speaking with plants spirits, meeting plant devas and elemental spirits.
* Pressing, drawing, and photographing plants.


Weekend #7 

Saturday, July 9th- 13. HERBAL HEALING FOR THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM & SOLAR PLEXUS
* The Digestive System.
* Healing common digestive ailments with plants.
* The Solar Plexus, imbalances and healing.
* Herbs and stones heal and nourish this chakra.
* Herbs for Strength, Joy, Power, and Confidence.


Sunday, July 10th - 14. COMMUNICATING WITH PLANT & NATURE SPIRITS 
 *** Garden in the Woods
* Communicating with allies.
* Guided meditation with plant spirits.
* Plant Spirit Medicine practice.
* Plant ID walk. 



Weekend #8

Saturday, July 30th - 15. THE HEART CHAKRA & THE CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
* The Heart Chakra
* Heart & Circulatory system illnesses.
* Herbal healing for the heart and circulatory system.
* Herbs for love and compassion.


Sunday, July 31st - 16. FLOWER ESSENCES   *** Arnold Arboretum
* Healing with flower essences.
* Flower walk and essence making.
* Chakras & Flowers



*** CAMPING TRIP -  Green Mountain National Forest in Vermont

Weekend #9

Saturday, August 20th - 17. THE MEDICINE WHEEL 
* How to use the Medicine Wheel in healing and magic.
* The four elements and four directions.
* Plants, Stones, and Animals of the four elements and directions.
* Journeying within the Wheel, opening doors, meeting allies.


Sunday, August 21st - 18. HERBS FOR THE RESPIRATORY SYSTEM & THROAT CHAKRA  
* Herbs for the respiratory system.
* The Throat Chakra, imbalances and healing.
* Releasing grief held in the lungs.
* Opening the throat, herbs for communication.



Weekend #10   

Saturday, September 10th - 19. HERBS FOR THE NERVOUS SYSTEM & THE THIRD EYE
* Third eye chakra, healing & imbalances.
* Holistic healing for depression and anxiety.
* Herbs and stones for stress, nourishing the nervous system.
* Herbs, stones, flower essences, and magic for healing depression.
* Herbal pain relief & muscle relaxants.


Sunday, September 11th - 20. SHAMANIC HERBALISM, SPIRIT/DREAM JOURNEYING & CROWN CHAKRA  
* Shamanism around the world, shamanism for the witch/healer.
* Crown Chakra- Journeying, meditation, and spirit work.
* Working with spirit guides and ancestors.
* Gathering information, using the tools of the shaman. 


Weekend #11

Saturday, October 2nd  - 21. MOON, DREAMING, & OCEAN MEDICINE  
* Magic & Plants sacred to the moon & ocean.
* Healing herbs of the sea - Medicinal seaweeds
* Celebrating the cycles of the Moon with ritual, dreaming, and plants.
* Emotions, psyche, and dreams.


Sunday, October 3rd  - 22. HERBAL BODY CARE  - Celebration!
* Preparing herbal masks, scrubs, oils, balms, and perfume oils.
* Lavishing ourselves for 4 months of hard work with:
* Aromatherapy massages, herbal steams, facials, foot soaks, mud masks, and seaweed wraps!
* Be ready to get dirty!



Weekend #12 - 


*** THE FINAL WEEKEND - October 22nd & 23rd. We will have an early dinner together on the 2nd. The ending ceremony will take place after dinner, starting around 6pm.   Friends and family can join in the celebration on the 23rd, you can invite them to arrive around 2pm.

October 22nd- 24. CIRCLING BACK
* Presentations of final projects from each apprentice.
* Meditation and reflection on apprenticeship.
* Offerings to, and spirit journeys with, plant allies, spirit guides, and Gaia.
* Magical herbs for change and transformation.

Evening of the 22nd: DINNER & ENDING CEREMONY.
* Dinner 
* Meditations on Gaia, Rebirth, Plants, Learning, Journeying, and Making Magic!
* Ending ceremony & Womb lodge.

October 23rd -  GRADUATION GIFTS & CLOSING 
* Morning ritual, gifts, prayers, and massages.
* Family/friends arrive at 2:00pm for graduation ceremony to begin at 2:30pm
* Offerings, certificates, gifts.
* Celebration & Potluck


Blessings on your journey!



SUPPLIERS OF * Organic * HERBS:

Healing Spirits, 9198 St. Rt. 415 Avoca, NY 14809, (607) 566-2701. High quality well priced locally harvested herbs.

Mountain Rose Herbs,  www.mountainroseherbs.com. High quality organic herbs at a good price. Ask for the 10% discount as an herbal student.

Herbalcom.com, Really great internet site with very cheap organic herbs. Best place to get resins, jasmine, and hibiscus.

Avena Botanicals, Deb Soule, 20 Mill St., West Rockport, ME, 04841. (207) - 594-0694 Very good high quality locally harvested tinctures.




2011 Recommended Booklist

** = Assigned readings. The first four books listed are highly recommended for this course. 

* Recommended additional texts for course.


HERBAL HEALING:

** Plant Spirit Medicine, By Eliot Cowan

** Healing Wise, By Susan Weed

** Sacred Plant Medicine, By Stephan Harrod Buhner

** Herbal Rituals, By Judith Berger

* The Complete Floral Healer by Anne McIntyre

* The Essential Book of Herbal Medicine, By Simon Mills

Witch's Heal, By Billie Potts

A Modern Herbal, By Mrs. M. Grieve

Perscriptions for Herbal Healing, By Phyllis A. Balch

The Yoga of Herbs, By Dr. David Frawley

Planetary Herbology, By Michael Tierra

The Energetics of Western Herbs (Vol. 1 & 2), By Peter Holmes

Herbal Antibiotics By Stephen Harrod Buhner 

The New Holistic Herbal, By David Hoffman

Opening Our Wild Hearts to the Healing Herbs, By Gail Faith Edwards

The Book of Herbal Wisdom, By Mathew Wood

A Woman's Book of Herbs, By Deb Soule

Partner Earth: A Spiritual Ecology, By Pam Montgomery

The Herbal Medicine-Maker's Handbook, By James Green

A City Herbal, By Maida Silverman

Indian Herbology of North America, By Alma R. Hutchens


PLANT IDENTIFICATION BOOKS:

* Newcomb's Wildflower Guide by Lawrence Newcomb

* Peterson Field Guide to Medicinal Plants and Herbs, By Steven Foster & James Duke.

The New Age Herbalist, By Richard Mabey

National Audubon Society: Field Guide to Wildflowers



PLANT SPIRIT MEDICINE BOOKS:

* Plant Spirit Healing: A Guide to Working with Plant Consciousness by Pam Montgomery

Plant Spirit Medicine, By Eliot Cowan

The Secret Teachings of Plants: The Intelligence of the Heart in the Direct Perception of Nature by Stephen Harrod Buhner

The Lost Language of Plants: The Ecological Importance of Plant Medicines for Life on Earth by Stephen Harrod Buhner

Plant Spirit Shamanism: Traditional Techniques for Healing the Soul by Ross Heaven, Howard G. Charing, and Pablo Amaringo