Plant Medicine Apprenticeship 
Fall - 2008 Syllabus
VERMONT


COURSE SCHEDULE: 


November 22nd - 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.


December 6th - SACRED SPACE & BLESSING HERBS
* 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.


December 20th - 3. 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.
* Overview of chakra energies and plants.


*** Christmas/New Years Break


January 17th - 4. HERBAL PREPARATIONS  & COMMON AILMENTS
* 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. 
* Herbs for common ailments (Cold/Flu, Allergies, Fever, Headaches).


January 31st - 5. HERBAL ENERGETICS & SAFETY LEVELS
* Herbal energetics, Ayurvedic & Chinese energetics.
* Herb safety levels, dosages, & tastes.
* Doctrine of Signatures, reading the physical nature of a plant.
* Yin/Yang, Four and 5 Element Theory.


February 14th - 7. THE ROOT CHAKRA & IMMUNE SYSTEM
* Root Chakra- herbs & stones 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.


February 28th - 8. MAGICAL HERBALISM & PLANT SPIRITS
* Grouping herbs magically. 
* Magical herbalism & Spellcasting
* Meditations with Plant Spirits.
* Green Witchcraft & Lore


March 14th - 9. 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.


March 28th - 10. THE MEDICINE WHEEL 
* Weed walk, discovering local plants.
* 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.


April 5th - 11. 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.


April 11th - 12. WEED WALK & WILDCRAFTING
* Plant identification & mother plant identification.
* Ethical wildcrafting techniques.
* Speaking with plants spirits, meeting plant devas and elemental spirits.
* Pressing, drawing, and photographing plants.


April 25th - 13. 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.


May 9th - 14. COMMUNICATING WITH PLANT & NATURE SPIRITS
* Communicating with allies.
* Guided meditation with plant spirits.
* Plant Spirit Medicine practice.
* Plant ID walk.


May 23rd - 15. FLOWER ESSENCES 
* Healing with flower essences.
* Flower walk and essence making.
* Chakras & Flowers
* Flower essences & Homeopathic herbalism


June 6th - 16. HERBS FOR THE RESPIRATORY SYSTEM & RELEASING GRIEF  
* Herbs for the respiratory system.
* The Throat Chakra, imbalances and healing.
* Releasing grief held in the lungs.
* Opening the throat, herbs for communication.


June 20th ­ 17. OCEAN MEDICINE & HERBAL BATHING 
* Magic & healing of the sea ­ Medicinal seaweeds 
* Healing herbs of the sea, using salt and sand for healing.
* Water magic and medicine, rituals and spells with the ocean.
* Herbal bathing.


July 11th - 17. TREE MEDICINE & LORE  *** Camping Weekend!
* Communicating with tree spirits, meeting allies.
* Medicinal uses of trees.
* Wildcrafting and making medicine from trees. 
* Outdoor Tree Walk and ID.


July 12th - 18. MOON MAGIC & DREAMING.  *** Camping Weekend!
* Moon magic, lore, and love.
* Celebrating the cycles of the Moon with ritual, dreaming, and writing.
* Herbs, Stones, and animal spirits sacred to the Moon.
* Emotions, psyche, and dreams.


August 1st - 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.


August 15th - 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. 


August 29th - 21. HERBAL BODY CARE
* 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!


*** THE FINAL WEEKEND - will be two days in a row, with an optional overnight stay on the 12th. 
There will be a dinner made by all of us on the night of the 12th. The ending ceremony will take place Saturday night after the sun goes down.   
Friends and family can join in the celebration on the 13th.


September 12th - 22. 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.

After sunset on the 12th: ENDING CEREMONY.
* Meditations on Gaia, Life, Death, Rebirth, Herbs, Learning, Journeying, and Making Magic!
* Ending ceremony & Womb lodge.

September 13th - 23. GRADUATION GIFTS & CLOSING 
* Morning yoga, ritual, and massages.
* Henna tattooing
* Offerings, certificates, gifts.
* Celebration! 


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.




2007 Recommended Booklist

** = Assigned readings. The first four books listed are highly recommended for this course. 
* = 2nd most recommended books 


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

* Witch's Heal, By Billie Potts

* The Essential Book of Herbal Medicine, By Simon Mills

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 Pat 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:

* 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 and Stephen Harrod Buhner

** 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