1. Green Building/Green Herbs – What is the Connection and Why Woman Herbalists Should Care, beginning/intermediate
Taught by a Green Building Consultant and Nutritionist, green building and healing with herbs both require a holistic approach to look at a building and an individual’s health as one integrated system. Gain a basic understanding of what green buildings really are, the health impacts on both the building occupants and the planet and some basic “green” techniques that anyone can start implementing in their home.
2. Recipe for Disaster – How Food Production, Water Usage and Climate Change are Interrelated, all levels
How do current practices in food production and consumption and water usage contribute to and make us more vulnerable to climate change? How will food and water shortages affect global politics? What steps can you take in your daily life to tread more lightly on the earth and, if a health practitioner, how can you better educate your clients on choices they make? From Birch’s background in Nutrition, Sustainability and International Relations, explore these critical issues for you - personally and professionally.
1. Body Rhythm Goddess Dance Class all levels
Rejuvenate your Body and Soul With Dance and Live Drumming.
Express your Self while Enhancing your Health through Movement
Empower your Spirit as you Connect with your Inner Rhythms
Each class is a fusion of African dance, active healing movements and dynamic stretching. You will re-connect your body to its natural state of well being that is abundant with health and vitality. We’ll start off with a rhythmic warm-up to loosen up the body and prepare it for more movement. Next, you’ll learn an easy and fun African dance routine. Finally, we’ll end with a relaxation stretch. No experience necessary. Everyone Welcome.
Bring a sarong, or something similar, to wear during class and to lie on for stretching at the end.
2. This class will repeat
1. Ladies Sewing Circle: Create a Personal Amulet or Patch Imbued with Intention, all levels
Ever since people have been using bone and sinew to stitch material together, magical intention has gone into the crafting of personal wear. Using each stitch as a mantra, we'll create meaningful cloth images to stitch onto clothing or other items, wear as jewelry, or place on an alter. We’ll talk about traditional uses of color and imagery and their functions as intentional design elements. We'll do a brief visualization to inspire personal imagery. We'll spend communal time together in our sewing circle stitching our visions. Materials will be provided, including some special herbs which may be embedded into your creations. Bring along any special fabrics, beads, or small personal items you'd like to incorporate into your project. Bring scissors if you have them!
2. Create your own Moonbook, all levels
We’ll learn how to construct a simple sewn paper notebook which can be customized into a personal Moonbook, calendar, datebook, planting guide, address book, sketchbook, or journal. Keep track of your moon flows, organize planting and gathering times, take notes, etc. Beth has been making these little books for years; they can be as simple or fancy as you'd like; they make great gifts, too! Materials will be provided, but if you have any special images, photos, stickers, etc, you may bring them to incorporate into your book.
1. INTENSIVE: Sexual Health, intermediate/advanced
During this intensive we will cover not just physical reproductive health but also the emotional and spiritual aspects of our sexuality and how these three together create wholeness and balance. We will be learning about herbs for their physical and spiritual properties to support sexual health.
2. Prevention Begins Now, intermediate
Take a look at how your body falls out of balance; looking at family predisposition and current patterns we’ll strategize how to use herbs to keep you healthy and in balance and look at some of the underlying causes of ignoring our self-care.
1. Activating the Brain using Essential Oils, all levels
The olfactory, our sense of smell, receives pure plant fragrance and transmits the scent to the limbic system of the brain. We will experience around 30 different essential oils, their roles in assisting us move through emotional barriers and attachments. We will be reminded of how much the Great Mother loves us and is here to serve us. Using our sense of smell is the most direct means of communication and has a profound impact on our psyches. We each will create a blend for use in supporting our journey. We will experience the messages plant fragrances bring us through Activating the Brain. Bring journals, touch stones, an open heart and mind.
2. Medicinal Uses of Essential Oils for Common Problems, beginning
Essential oils are the concentrated essences of flowers, herbs, trees and plants. Modern scientific research has proven that essential oils carry potent and remarkable medicinal properties. We will experience at least 30 different essential oils while learning their medicinal properties and various applications. Common problems addressed will be for reducing pain, respiratory and circulatory problems, headaches, blood pressure balancing, anxiety, digestive, immune boosters, hormonal balancers, fatigue, poor memory and much more. This is an educational, interactive experience where you will create a personal medicinal blend.
3. Anointing and Blessings Using Essential Oils, beginning/intermediate
A spiritual practice so old that it has transcended time, beliefs and customs. Learn the power of intention, symbology of the body and hands for anointing and blessing, Experience the Infinite and Divine Goddess within. Let us create a sacred space. Bring your own personal "claiming" power totem (if using a crystal, please clear it first) and a "release" offering (i.e., fruit, feather, stone of which this item may not be returned to you), something comfortable to sit or lay upon, water and bowl. Dress comfortably. We will cleanse, honor, empower, release, heal, love, a rites of passage with gratitude. You will be bringing home with you a blend of your choice supporting your intention.
1. Low-Tech Food Preservation, with an Emphasis on the History, Nutrition, and Practice of Fermentation beginning
In this class we will discuss fermentation—the ancient practice of preserving and enhancing food by way of a simple dance with nature. We will also look at various techniques for preserving vegetables and fruits—including clamps, silos, cellaring, drying, and more. Mostly, we will look at how human culture and civilization is linked to fermentation, a glimpse at practices around the world, and an overview of the phenomenal health-giving properties of cultured foods. We will cover fundamental techniques for vegetables and beverages with a focus on spontaneous fermentation, with some hands-on activities and tastings. Find out how you can take your local food diet to a microscopic level, join the revolution against the war on bacteria, and increase your health while connecting to your ancestral heritage—through good food!
2. Low-Fuel Food Preservation & Fermentation, part 2
Drumming in the Round for Beginners beginning/all levels
Learn simple, short drum parts and learn to hold your own part while others play theirs. Please bring a chair and a drum if you have one. Megan will have some drums for women to play also. This class was created to help beginners feel comfortable playing in the Sunday evening drum circle. Some drum circle etiquette and basics will be covered. This is a no stress introduction to the wonderful consciousness altering power of community rhythm. Come ready to sing. All levels are welcome to come and share their talent.
1. Clean and Green, Have I Got a Sheen: How to Make Sustainable Body Care Products
2. A Sustainable You: An Everyday Guide to the Ingredients of Bath and Body Care Products
1. INTENSIVE: The Alchemical Allure of Herbology: The Copper Still and Hydrosols
Join us to make hydrosols and participate in Alchemy! We will fire up Mary Pat’s copper still and see what we can get.
2. The Goddess Loves Women Who Are Carpenters all levels
Empowerment is a great reason to learn carpentry. Creativity is too (akin to sculpture!). And economics make a big difference. And it's fun.
1. Post-Petroleum Transportation, all levels
Explore your choices in alternative transportation. Electric, ethanol, biodiesel, and veggie oil all lighten your footprint on the planet with cleaner emissions. They may also be produced locally which nurtures jobs, energy independence, and community. We'll cover the advantages of each, and discover what it would take for you to switch over.
2. Make You Own Biodiesel, part 1 all levels
Biodiesel can be made in your backyard out of used fryer oil from restaurants. We'll cover the basics of running biodiesel in your diesel car, boat, generator, and get under the hood to show you the fuel lines and fuel filter. Then, we'll have hands-on practice testing vegetable oil and making a small batch of fuel. Please plan to attend both parts of the class.
3. Make You Own Biodiesel, part 2 all levels
We will continue. See part 1 for full description.
1. Herbal Community Tour, An Herb Walk, 1
Come visit our plant elders as we look at their habitat and companion choices. We’ll discuss their needs as well as their gifts.
2. Herbal Community Tour, An Herb Walk, 2
This walk will repeat.
1. California Water Politics and Sustainable Solutions, part 1
The state of water in California is dire indeed. Sadly, current federal and state bills and bonds foster the privatization of California’s water rather than empowering people to create a more sustainable approach. This 3-hour class will explore California’s water issues and provide practical solutions that ignite the flames of change through the use of systems that integrate rainwater harvesting and the latest graywater technologies, reduce storm water runoff by slowing, spreading and encouraging water infiltration into the land, create rain gardens to act as sponges and promote native plant growth, save money on water bills, explore new sources of drinking water like atmospheric water generation, and replenish the water table through the efficient use of water.
2. California Water Politics and Sustainable Solutions, part 2
We will continue. See part 1 for full description.
3. Singing in the Key of Trees, all levels
If you go outside and close your eyes, you can hear the symphony of the earth. Being able to hear this amazing symphony depends on each person’s state of attention. Learning how to join your voice with this ongoing symphony can be a profound experience. This workshop plants the seeds of vocal knowledge to enable each participant to gain a strong understanding of how to use their bodies to sing. Each participant will be coached on singing their own soul song using a melody line from something they see in Nature. We will then each share our spirit songs with the rest of the participants.
I am the Drum: Medicine for the Soul, Open to all levels, all styles, all ages welcome to use our drums or bring yours.
For Millennia, as a species we have relied upon on the great tree and animal beings for vibrational medicines accompanied by animism and naturopathy. The drum has been instrumental in awakening and activating our primal voices and to traversing time-space continuum, led by devoted shamans who understood how these medicines worked together.
In this workshop, we have that same opportunity to set intention and actually re-align our body temples, and our home/work/garden sanctuaries in addition to creating vibrational forces in our environment that sustains transformational forces similar to our ocean body. Join us for exciting play of discovering our inner rhythmic vibrations. Dedicate specific intentions while drumming ancient rhythms that have been sustaining forces in our universe.
Afia will share aspects of her 20-year comprehensive journey of drumming, naturopathy, and animism, which has served as vehicles for her own healing along with the support of many wonderful women allies, and a deep ancestral connection to Oracle/Goddess Ma Ajuba (means miracle). Ajuba represents elemental beings revered across the planet as Mountain Mama who nurtures her planetary offspring with fierce humility and deep-hearted love.
1. INTENSIVE: Introduction to Beekeeping, all levels
Excited about Honey bees? Want to learn what you can do to help our planet? This is a class that will get you well on your way to understanding and being able to keep bees. Learn about what they need in their environment to thrive from plants to hives. We’ll talk about biodiversity vs. standard techniques of beekeeping. How to treat for disease. How to get bees to start your hive – catching a swarm vs. buying packaged bees. There is a lot to learn before handling bees, thus we will not be handling bees during this class.
2. Hand Tools and How to Use Them, all levels
A hands-on class using hand and power tools Guided by a woman with 30 years experience you will learn the basics that can be applied to any project in your home or on a construction site. Together we will build a small flower box encompassing the proper ways to work with tools safely including hammers, saws, drills, screw drives, squares and many more. Learn the basics to laying out a project and sorting through lumber. This is a class packed with information!
1. Feng Shui with a Magical Twist, all levels
Finally! Discover the feng shui floor plan of your home, what it means, and how you can incorporate it into your magical workings to create harmony, balance, and success in every area of your life. This feng shui grid, called the "bagua map," is derived from a mathematical construct commonly known as the “magic square” or “square of Saturn,” which appears in a number of ancient magical and metaphysical systems. In ancient China, it was discovered that this square effectively divides human life into nine life areas, and that when these areas are in balance, one’s life becomes characterized by true harmony and flow. This class is about self-knowledge and self-exploration, and will teach you gentle yet powerful techniques to clarify your intentions and transform your home into a magical tool that will help you to actualize the desires of your heart.
Magical Housekeeping/Sacred Space, part 1, all levels
Whether you live in a tiny apartment, a mansion, or anything in between, your home has so much potential. Not just to shelter and protect you, but to be a magical tool of manifestation, a haven of relaxation, a sacred space for healing, and a profound expression of creativity and self-love. Not only that, but cultivating a conscious relationship with your home brings you into the present moment, and awakens you to the magic within all things. When even sweeping the floor becomes a magical act, “everyday reality” becomes a joyful celebration and a scintillating conversation with the divine.
In this fun class, we'll talk about the spiritual importance of clutter clearing, take a fresh look at space clearing, create magical aromatherapeutic essesnce mists that we will pass around, and discuss the metaphysical and emotional significance of imagery and color in the home.
Magical Housekeeping/Sacred Space, part 2, all levels
In this sequel to the first class, we'll go a bit deeper into magical housekeeping, and discuss harmonious placement based on the feng shui map of the home, as well as rituals and spells to protect, uplift, bring abundance, call in romance, and more.
