The Northern California Women's Herbal Symposium

PlantWomen gather! The Tribe comes together!
Three times a year women from many backgrounds of life gather together in great celebration for four full days of inspiring Herbal and Sustainability classes, gourmet vegetarian meals, talented campfire capers, amazing handcrafted marketplace items,  Rites-of-Passage Ceremonies, powerful campfire drumming and dancing, refreshing swimming hole dips, and conversations with remarkable & inspiring women!

We meet together under the ancient oaks, douglas firs, and bay trees of Northern California. Our main gathering area is encircled by sixteen tipis with a large firepit in the center. All classes are held sitting on the ground under these majestic trees, or under shade tarps that we have set-up. At night we camp together, either in the tipis or in tents that we each bring.

During the days we are a gathering of women and children studying, teaching, learning, networking, and talking about plants, healing, and healthy lifestyles. When the sun goes down we become a playful and celebratory group, chatting, chanting, singing, showing off our talents, drumming and dancing into the night around the campfire.

We are a group of 350-400 women and children and we gather to learn from each other, to nurture and nourish each other, to take a break from our daily lives, to regenerate, refresh, dance, frolic, talk plants, and most of all, to have a REALLY GOOD THYME together!

Each session is a separate event. Do join us for one, two, or all sessions!

ASL interpretation is available upon request with advanced notice.

Location
We meet at Black Oak Ranch in Laytonville, California, in Mendocino County, a beautiful site nestled among the native trees and home to Wavy Gravy's circus and performing arts children's Camp Winnarainbow. There are wild areas to explore here and two natural creeks that come together, offering excellent and refreshing dipping holes.

Classes & Intensives
Over 50 classes are offered throughout each session, including several four-hour intensives, covering many different aspects of Herbalism and sustainable lifestyles. Topics include: Aromatherapy, Ayurveda, Chinese Medicine, Flower Essences, Herb Walks, Herbal Crafts, Herbal Cultivation & Propagation, Magical Herbs, Herbal Treatments for Specific Disorders, Women's Health, and much more. Session 3 also offers Sustainable Living classes, including: Alternative Vehicle Fuels, Natural Building Techniques, Permaculture, Solar Energy, and much more.

Each session offers different classes and different teachers.

Our Teachers
The majority of our teachers are Northern California women doing remarkable work in their field. We search out local women who's herbal and sustainability work is admired and appreciated.

Meals
We are served three yummy Gourmet vegetarian meals a day. What a delight! Vegan and gluten-free diets can be accommodated. Other dietary needs will need to provide their own food.

Children & Childcare
Children and babies are welcome at each session. Boys are welcome to age 8/9. It is necessary for us to limit the number of children attending, however, therefore all children must be registered in order to attend regardless of childcare needs. Unregistered children will be turned away. Spaces fill quickly, we recommend early registration. Childcare is available for potty-trained children during class times. Parents/guardians are responsible for their children at all times.

Marketplace
Sunday afternoon is Marketplace! This is a Grand Afternoon set aside to enjoy each other's creativity, artwork, and handcrafts. No classes are scheduled during this time and any participant who has hand-made something is invited to bring it and set it out in the tipi circle for sell, trade, barter, gifting etc....  Some very impressive and creative items always appear. A really fun and incredible afternoon!

Rites of Passage Ceremonies
Sunday evening we hold a large Coming of Age Rites-of-Passage Ceremony for our young women who have begun their bloods in the last year or two. A very moving experience. We follow with an Honoring of the Crones Ceremony, honoring our Wise Ones who no longer bleed. We then move to the firecircle and drum and dance into the night. A very powerful evening, indeed.

Wellness Center and Bodywork Circle
Inside the large Circus tent is our magical Herbal Wellness Center and Bodywork Circle, a place where we really get to see what plants and women can do together!

Proceedings of the Symposium
This is a collection of notes and articles from the classes presented. We bind them together into a book, using tree-free paper. Each session offers a separate collection. This is a very valuable resource to take home and use over and over throughout the year. Available for prepurchase at $20 each or at the Symposium for $25 each.

Community Work
In order to make this event more affordable, everyone is asked to donate two hours of community work sometime during the Symposium. Shifts are in the kitchen, serving food, in childcare, or in the Wellness tent. It is an excellent venue to connect with each other while working together for the common good.

Work Exchange and Scholarships
Several Work Exchange positions and Scholarships are available for women unable to pay the full regular registration fee. See Work Exchange and Scholarship links for details.

Cost and Payment
Registration fee is $280-$380 sliding scale. This fee includes all classes, meals, camping, and events. The sliding scale is designed to provide access to women of low income. We depend upon a percentage of high paying participants in order to meet the Symposium budget. We expect women with access to money to pay the full fee ($380). Please be honest. There are a limited number of spaces for young women, ages 12-20, and Elders, ages 60 and over, at a special rate of $125-$150 if needed. Children age 11 and under are $30-$60, or free if needed.

Cancellations and Refunds
If you cancel: If you cancel before May 1st for Session 1 & 2 and August 1st for Session 3, we will refund your full registration minus a $25 processing fee. If you need to cancel after this date, you will need to find your own replacement and work out the finances directly with her. No refunds are available after this date (call us for possible replacements if we have a waiting list).
All requests for refunds must be in writing. No exceptions.

If we cancel: NCWHS has full intentions of holding the Symposium rain or shine. However, in the event that we are forced to cancel before May15th we will refund as much of the registration fee as possible, to be determined at that time. If it becomes necessary for us to cancel after May15th we may be unable to refund any of the registration fee.

We do not offer credits for other sessions if someone is unable to attend at the last minute. She is welcome to find her own replacement.

Registration for each year opens on Feb 1st.

Questions?
If you have any questions please email us at: info@womensherbalsymposium.org, call at 707-824-1429, or send a fax to 707-829-4704.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Green Blessings,
Terri Jensen & Karen Aguiar
2008 NCWHS Organizing Team

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