Sacred Plant Medicine Apprenticeship
Year Two
Advanced 9 Month Apprenticeship in Traditional Herbalism, Sacred Plant Medicine, Spiritual Ecology, Holistic Healing, & Journeying with Plants.
The Vermont year two apprenticeship is taught in Westminster, VT, running from April until November, 2023. Class will be held in Westminster, VT meeting over 9 weekend sessions. Click here for the online version of the Year Two course.
The Sacred Plant Medicine Year 2 Apprenticeship continues building on the training from our Year 1 course, deepening relationships with the plants and continuing your herbalism education. This course can be taken to prepare herbalists to work in their communities or to build your knowledge of restorative herbal medicine in order to care for yourself and your loved ones. Students will strengthen their understanding of healing plants, explore more advanced medicine making, and learning how to safely recommend herbs to support others.
Sage will share her 20+ years of experience working with others, continually learning through her partnerships with people and plants. Students will journey further with their plant guides and build on what they've learned from the first year training. Whether you are wanting to work with others in the future or not, this journey will continue building your relationship with our plant teachers.
The year two course gives budding herbalists a more in depth understanding of the systems of the body and physiology from a holistic perspective addressing patterns of illness. We begin with traveling around the sacred wheel through the elements, journeying deeper with the plant spirits. We then dive deeply into each system of the body from a treatment perspective, focusing on specific illnesses, strengthening organs and systems, as well as the emotional/spiritual energy centers of the body. Students will create herbal formulas, and build on their knowledge from Year One through continued practice and study.
Anyone who has completed our year one in person or online first year course is welcome to join us for Year Two in person!
Supporting our communities with healing plants.
Classes focus on weaving in sacred plant medicine, folk herbalism, and ancestral traditions into healing sessions with clients. Our advanced course also focuses on deepening knowledge of plant medicine through more advanced medicine making, materia medica, harvesting & growing, holistic anatomy & physiology, and continued journeys with the spirits of the medicine plants. In our second year course students take the personal relationships they have developed with plants in Year 1 into supporting others in their healing.
In each class spirit is blended with science, through meditation, lecture, plant walks, and hands-on learning. This apprenticeship is both a course in Western herbalism and in plant spirit medicine. We seek to unite Western modes of learning with ancient traditions of learning directly from the earth and from spirit. Focus is placed on healing from the heart, supporting continual wholeness, transformation, and nourishment of the self. Illness is explored for its gifts, lessons, and blessings - plant allies here to help support us along the journey.
Certification is given for 160 hours of advanced training in sacred plant medicine and traditional herbalism, given upon completion of the year two apprenticeship. Please take a look at our apprenticeship syllabus for a closer look at what this course offers!
The cost for the 9 month May, 2023 Year Two Apprenticeship is $2,200 - $2,500 sliding scale for 20 seven hour classes. Class will meet for 9 weekends total, for a total of 150 hours of class time. Students will also receive full unlimited access to our online version of this second year course.
We offer payment plans and a sliding scale based on income level. BIPOC scholarships are available. We ask that each student choose what they can afford, understanding that those who pay the higher end of the sliding scale are providing support for lower income students to attend as well. Work - trade is available for $300 - $500 off tuition cost.
Year Two Course Includes ~
Folk & Traditional Herbal Healing
Personal Ancestral Lineages
Materia Medica
Ethnobotanical research
Holistic Anatomy & Physiology
Plant Spirit Medicine in Healing Sessions
Herbal Consultations
Intake & Healing Sessions
Holistic Healing Strategies
Spirit Journeying & Ceremony
Restorative Herbal Medicine
Advanced Herbal Energetics
Formula & Medicine Making for Systems of the Body
Chakra Healing & Therapies in Sessions
Communication with plants
Plant Medicine Walks & Harvesting
Ritual, Drum, & Prayer
Creating Social Change & Sustainability
Herbalism in Social & Environmental Activism
Intuitive Healing & Plant Communication
The Gaia School's Plant Medicine Apprenticeships focus on both lecture and experiential learning through medicine making, journeying with plant allies, harvesting and growing plants. We are devoted to promoting personal, social and environmental justice for ourselves and our communities, decolonising herbalism and spiritual practice. In year two we move from a focus on personal healing to being of service to our communities as well, examining where the healing is most needed. Our apprenticeships focus on creating sacred community, supporting each other, and joining together to create needed change in the world through social, environmental, and inner healing.
The advanced course is designed to guide students in holding space for others on their healing journey, utilizing restorative medicine and herbal therapies. We focus not on curing illness, but on supporting individuals with a team of other practitioners and doctors. The advanced course continues to focus on the foundations of nourishment through herbs, healing foods, and nurturing holistic therapies. We understand that years of practice and experience is needed as we learn plant medicine, so students are encouraged to go at their own pace, learning through personal experience, research, and deepening their relationships with personal plant allies/guides month by month.
2023 Class Dates Below
View our Syllabus
2023 Class Dates ~ 9 Weekend Sessions
Saturday & Sunday 10:30am - 6pm
April 29th - May 1st (3 days)
May 27th & 28th
June 17th & 18th
July 15th & 16th
August 19th & 20th
September 9th & 10th
October 7th & 8th
October 28th & 29th
November 18th - 20th (3 days)
20 class days - 150 hours
Bonus full unlimited access to our online course A Year of Gaia!
*** Low pitched frame drum is recommended if you want to learn meditation/journeying using the drum. I recommend this one for all weather. You can also borrow a low pitched frame drum from a friend!
If you would like extra live mentorship with Sage, please register below. This mentorship option includes one live gathering every other month to help you get more support building your practice and finding your path forward. Sage will support you in creating your herbal business based on all she has learned in the last 22 years. Students will explore how to create and structure their unique offerings with authenticity and depth. She will support you in practical business wisdom, and help folks create and grow their desired herbalism practice they feel passionate about.
Tuition for the Advanced Sacred Plant Medicine Apprenticeship 2023 ~
The cost for the 9 month 2023 Apprenticeship is $2,200 - $2,500 for 20 seven hour classes. Payment plans available starting at $200 a month after deposit. Class will meet for 9 weekends for a total of 160 hours of class time from April to November. A $350 deposit (non-refundable) is required to register for the apprenticeship and is subtracted from the total tuition. Bipoc scholarships are available, see links below! Full payment is due by the first apprenticeship class meeting unless a payment plan has been arranged in advance. We ask that each student choose what they can afford, understanding that those who pay the higher end of the sliding scale are providing support for lower income students to attend as well. Payment plans are available for low income students, as well as VSAC grants for Vermont residents.
Each student should only miss 2-3 classes during the course, as it can disrupt the circle if people can not make classes regularly. The course will be limited to 20 people. Students are asked to hold supporting space for everyone in the class, balancing personal healing with collective community needs. Solitary study, practice, and assignments are required for the Year Two Course. We recommend planning 2-4 hours per week for your home practice, which may be less or more depending on each student’s goals.
We offer a BIPOC rate & scholarship option
for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.
Reserve your space to join us for 2023!
Professional Mentorship Option with Sage
25 Limited Spaces
If you would like extra live mentorship with Sage, please let us know. This mentorship option includes one live gathering every other month to help you get more support building your practice and finding your path forward. Sage will support you in creating your herbal business based on all she has learned in the last 22 years. Students will explore how to create and structure their unique offerings with authenticity and depth. She will support you in practical business wisdom, and help folks create and grow their desired herbalism practice they feel passionate about.
You can also schedule a one-on-one live mentorship session with Sage (2 hours long) to help you specifically on your personal goals. Email us to purchase the mentorship option or to chat about it. BIPOC scholarships available - please email us at thegaiaschool@gmail.com.
INFORMATIONAL ZOOM CALL ~ February 15th 1pm
A zoom invite will be sent to you via email if you let us know you’d like to be there for more information.
MENTORSHIP ZOOM CALL DATES ~ Wednesdays 1pm EST
June 14th ~ August 23rd ~ October 18th ~ December 13th ~ February 21st
Options to purchase these mentorship options are available to those currently enrolled in the Year Two Apprenticeship. Email us should you have any questions. BIPOC scholarships available.