Classes Session 1: May 17-20, 2024
Click on the + sign to see the class description. Click on the teacher photo or name to go to her bio page.
Learn how to use Tarot cards for crucial life decisions. Beginning with choosing an herbal ally and proceeding into the Tarot, class will include live readings, in dyads/trios. Please bring your favorite or your new Tarot decks, and pendulums — and Amity will bring some of her favorites too.
Connect deeply to the inner rhythm and love in your heart during this nurturing Cacao and Sound Journey. We will sing songs together welcoming the Spirit of Cacao to offer us guidance. Please bring a cup to enjoy this grounding and heart expanding Cacao from the sacred land of the Mayan Wisdom Project. Please bring anything that will make you comfortable as you will be invited to lay down and relax into the frequencies of sound and open to your inner journey.
After getting out of your vehicles, come and enjoy the beautiful welcome from the amazing green beings who open their home to us. Learn a bit of their magical attributes which they so sweetly offer us. Ground yourself in the peace and beauty of Black Oak Ranch.
Come visit our plant elders and experience their habitat and companion choices. We will discuss their preferences and needs. We'll also discuss their many gifts, and how sometimes their habitat makes them not appropriate for medicine making.
We will review the Black Oak Plant List Class at the back of the Proceedings Book. We will explore how to expand the list, using our loupes and The Jepson Manual of Higher Plants.
We will talk about and use castor oil packs. We might get messy!
We will meet mullein in the field and greet her sweetly. Mullein tea, mullein as a smoke, and mullein as a torch. We will see her in all her ways.
Cronies
Do you have an advanced care directive that will guide loved ones and medical staff in knowing your desires should you not be able to speak for yourself? If not, this class will give you important information needed to make informed decisions about how you want to be treated at the end of life. We will show you tools that are available to make your wishes clear as well as giving thought to what you want to have happen after you die. We Crones will be there to offer support to enable you to create documents that reflect your desires, values and wishes. We will share with you the California Advanced Health Care directive and the Five Wishes forms as a template to create your personal document.
The traditional Death Café’s are held all over the world. They give participants an opportunity to come together in a safe circle of sisters to openly talk about death. This format increases awareness about death in order to help folks make the most of the life they have left.
The Symposium Death Café is not a class per-se, it is a conversation. We can ask questions, find answers, share stories, explore fears and celebrate knowledge with love!
Our main objective is to learn what our breasts are communicating. How many times have you found a lump and immediately thought it means only one thing, cancer? If it is, early detection is everything. In more cases than not, it is a lymph node communicating with us, telling us something is not in balance. If your breasts are not getting enough blood flow they will be cold and tight (icy river water), if they are not receiving enough hydration, they can be fibrous and depleted (dry river bed). If inflammation is present, it is not uncommon to find a cyst (forest fire) and when there is excess fluid trapped in the breasts (dams in the river) it needs to be drained. In Ayurveda, the lymphatic system is called “Rasa” the river of life.
When healthy, the lymph river flows effortlessly to meet the bloodstream at the center of our heart space. This innate flow is considered our highest potential of vitality. Our immune system and lymphatic system are one in the same. The immune system and our hormones utilize the lymphatic river to get where they need to go to support our whole body’s health. When we get symptoms of pain, fatigue, and skin changes, it is our body’s way of telling us we are out of balance. By opening up the flow of our lymphatic system, we allow those built-up imbalances to be processed and removed or assimilated into the body as needed. This class is designed to teach us how to explore, map, and understand the terrain of our breast tissue.
Together we will be facing fear of the unknown while investigating our womb space with love, care, and curiosity. We will investigate our tissues and find solutions and remedies that work for us. As we re-awaken this deeply intuitive aspect of our bodies, and learn how to truly listen to what our tissues are telling us about our health, we will co-create a compassionate and safe space for everyone to explore their bodies and move through whatever may arise. The uterus is explored through the abdominal tissues, internal examination is not needed to find it or support it.
We will be learning how to identify if the uterus is out of alignment and how to gently bring it back into alignment. The uterus is our body’s internal compass, returning the uterus to its natural position can not only bring relief from painful menses, but can bring a deeper sense of embodiment and personal power. How amazing that in just 5 minutes the uterus can be massaged and returned home by gravity itself.
Herbal wisdom travels through space and time on the wings of words. Through story, a special magic and mystery of the green world enters our lives and enchants our everyday. Stories have the power to nurture human resilience, salve our grief, create places to share our joy and open doors to possibilities we might not see without them. Anyone can share a story, and through so doing, enrich life for themselves and others.
Whilst listening to plants for the last 60 years, they have given EagleSong some fine stories that she’d love to share. Are you ready? Let’s go!
In this hands-on workshop you’ll craft an amulet using hawthorn. Learn what an amulet is, how to use one in daily life and the importance of creating amulets for well-being using your own hands. Hawthorn wood, thorns, flowers, fruits and twigs and crafting supplies will be provided. You may bring special fabric, notions and/or hawthorn you have gathered to add to your personal amulet. Settle into this powerful process and tap into the magic and medicine of this enigmatic tree’s energy.
Join EagleSong on an adventure with Red Clover, Trifolium pratense, and her many sisters in the Fabaceae or legume family.
You’ll meet the clover sisters from the ground up, learn how they’ve traveled around the world, come to the table and finally, the medicine chest in today’s herbal realm.
We’ll dive into the art and craft of simpling, the idea of tea as community and how/why you might choose to bring red clover into your life in this playful romp around the meadow. Hint: Approach, fertility, hormones...
See you there!
Hands and feet are two of our most vital resources yet they are often overlooked in a practice of well being. Let’s look at ways to keep hands and feet happy and well protected throughout life.
Herbs for foot and hand soaks and baths, oils, salves and creams to moisturize and keep skin supple and simple maintenance strategies will be covered.
Whether for yourself or others in your life or work, these simple strategies pay big dividends in the long haul. Remember, goddess willing, your feet will go every step of the way with you.
In South American Folk Healing, Florecimiento or Soul Flowering is the experience of transformation and growth that comes from clearing stagnant past energies along with integration that allows us to experience a higher and wholesome expression of our spirit. Filled with joy, sense of expansion, beauty and peace, it’s a process of transmutation of all our experiences into the lessons, insights and wisdom, that uplifts and affirms our sense of self- worth, belonging and embodiment.
The practices offered in this class will grant the participant tools for performing rituals to support this process, and they include:
- Activated baths
- Shamanic herbal showers
- Spiritual perfumery
In this intro intensive, we’ll deep dive into ancestral re*membering and plant spirit wisdom for healing our health, family lines, relationships and our lives. Through this journey of courting and deepening our relationship to our inherited connections, we get to reclaim our sacred contracts and purpose. As we open up the portals to the ancient wise ones within our lineage we get a chance to learn intimately about ourselves and our families and also make right and heal areas that have been compromised, which may be impacting our health and thriving and potentially the wellness of those to come.
Discover the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda herbology and the realm of sense therapy as we explore the profound connection between herbs and the nine doors of perception. Engage your senses through hands-on activities, herbal formulations, and insightful teachings tailored to each doorway: eyes, ears, nose, mouth, anus, vagina, skin, mind, intellect, and spirit. Learn to harness the power of herbs to unlock the pathways to inner harmony and vibrant health in this enriching journey of self-discovery.
Make luxurious and organic products for the whole family! Our bodies are our vehicles through life, so why not treat them with the loving natural care they deserve? We’ll learn to combine time tested herbal wisdom with modern knowledge as we explore classic and exotic base oils and butters, along with eastern and western herbs. We’ll learn formulation strategies for making non-toxic beauty and personal hygiene products. We’ll discover how simple herbal preparations can deliver herbs from the garden directly to the body.
Salves are a wonderful way to use the healing properties of herbs. Learn how they can heal, soothe, and comfort as they offer a gentle and effective way to address many topical and internal conditions. Participants will learn how to combine the proper oils and herbs to formulate salves to treat indigestion, inflammation and for first aid application. We will create a salve in class and you will leave with the skills and knowledge to make many more at home!
Join Jaguar in a sacred ritual to celebrate and to activate our connection to the Element of Water as she flows through the sacred lands of our Mother Earth, our Inner bodies and our emotional landscape. Come together in a Prayer of the Body to honor our creativity, sensuality and the Beauty Way.
The Circle of Light Water Invocation River Ritual is a sacred gathering for the woman seeking to restore her self-love and her connection to the Divine. Each Circle is a Collective Ritual using traditional herbal medicine self-care practices to heal and activate our Divine Feminine Energy. The Circle is a spontaneous experience and co-created ritual of sound, breath, meditation and movement designed to release, balance and energize the feminine mind, body and spirit. No two circles are the same and each circle is a unique moment curated to address the needs of each woman joined together, holding space in the collective.
In this gathering, Jaguar will lead us in the “calling in” and activation of the sacred waters within our individual womban body, and within the sacred womb waters of the river that move through the land that holds us. We will also learn the history, technology and basic “how-to” of the WombSteam Ritual: preparation, process and prayer.
The intention of this shared moment is to deliberately synchronize the waters of our creation portals to each other and to Mother Earth to wake up the JOY and BEAUTY that is our birthright and learn how to protect and empower ourselves, our land, and our tribe on a physical, mental, and spiritual plane as a New Earth Consciousness is orgasmically born.
Come dressed in whatever makes you feel beautiful and comfortable enough to move your body. Come ready to lay down your burdens at the riverside with Jaguar Womban and anoint your body with the coconut oil and honey of the Goddess. Be ready to wiggle your body, giggle from your soul, hold silence in your heart, re-connect with your inner child, activate your outer goddess, listen and share the unique songs and stories that let your light shine!
Primal Rhythm playfully and seamlessly weaves yoga, African dance, plyometrics, primal & somatic movements.
Using these principles, we concentrate on deep abdominal toning and strengthening the pelvic floor through spiraling technique, hip opening, and meditation we awaken the Kundalini energy, that may lay dormant at the base of our spine. Through breath and movement we activate our natural unlimited energy through each chakra, invigorating, empowering and allowing us to connect to our abundant creativity, emotions, & personal power.
Jaynene is so thankful and grateful to be on this journey, and invites you to join us on this transformative path of opening, strengthening, and self discovery.
Peace. Love. Harmony.
Inflammation seems to be in the news frequently these days, but what does it really mean? How does it affect us, why does it happen, and what can we do to reduce it? Recent scientific studies have shed light on how inflammation is the cause of a wide variety of autoimmune disorders, as well as mental health conditions. There have also been studies that found how much our belief systems can affect how inflamed our bodies are. Let’s dive into what this mysterious culprit is, what we know, and what your lived experiences are with inflammation. Bring a story to share!
It’s been a difficult year. Let’s gather and talk about where we are at in our healing, or if not yet healing coping, and make some beautiful mosaic collages with Hebrew prayers inscribed within them. We will have some templates of prayers to work from, or if you prefer bring your favorite words or sayings from Judaism to incorporate into your piece.
Balancing blood sugar is a delicate hormonal dance. The hormonal system is our own personal team of first responders, responding to all the elements that make up life, allowing us to stay in balance.
Our blood nourishes every cell, feeds the brain, and has to respond to everything we eat. It’s influenced by and responds to all of our stressors, as well as the quality and quantity of our dietary intake. Blood sugar balance, insulin resistance, pre-diabetes, and diabetes is also a health epidemic. In this intensive, we will break down blood sugar balance using the principles and perspective of Whole food nutrition, Ayurveda, Herbal Allies, Self Care, Lifestyle Habits. Understanding the holistic, whole body perspective is key to finding balance, which leads to balancing hormones, cultivating right-size body weight, improving cognitive function, preventing cancer, increasing energy and better sleep, to name a few.
What we eat, our portion size, and the timing of our meals all play into the intricate dance of hormonal balance and how all the hormones play into supporting the whole system to regulate blood sugar.
Eating for hormonal balance is a different approach that gets better results It’s not about counting calories, it’s about honoring our metabolic hormones on a daily basis to allow our bodies to find their natural rhythm.
As human beings, in today’s modern world, we can’t loose sight that we are animals, and it’s always wise to bring ourselves back to basics.
The more we live our lives with the elements in mind, tuning into the rhythms of light and dark, adjusting to the seasons, connecting to nature, and creating habits that bring the body into balance, the more we can lower inflammation and create a life that includes health and vitality. Natures rhythm’s are a natural anti-inflammatory
Circadian habits are the habits of our ancestors and can be incorporated in our modern day lives. How and when we move, eat, sleep, breathe, and live all make up the whole of who we are and how well our body and spirit can function.
We’ll dive into ancestral habits that are aligned with our biochemistry and hormonal system. The more we can honor the rhythm of our hormonal system, which I call our own personal team of first responders, the more our body can find balance and homeostasis.
We’ll go through the hormonal system, both the physical and emotional aspects of it, and learn the circadian rhythms and habits of each gland to bring more ease and flow into our body.
Using habits, foods, herbs, daily practices, breath, and the intention to truly honor our amazing physiology for optimal health.
Inflammation is an immune response. When you begin to make these connections and understand how the immune system works, you’ll see how all the aspects of your life influence your immunity, and how you can lower inflammation.
Autoimmune conditions are on the rise, so learning how both diet and lifestyle impact the immune system is essential for keeping the body strong.
Since 70% of the immune system lives in the gut, it’s essential to make the immune connection to our diet as well.
Gain the knowledge and inspiration to care for your immune system in new ways, with a holistic, full body approach.
A healthy immune system doesn’t only support health and resilience, it also helps you feel strong on a daily basis, so you can have confidence in your energy, more easily tend to your responsibilities, and achieve your goals.
Everything is connected and a digestive system that is working well positively affects the other systems of the body. Therefore, it is imperative that you digest your food well so you can assimilate the nutrients and keep the other parts of your body healthy. In this class, there will be a variety of herbs discussed that aid the digestive system and in turn the whole body.
Children tend to be curious about the wonderful world of plants and experiment with them in their playful concoctions. This class will cover plants that are safe for children to nibble on and that work well for childhood ailments. We’ll talk about a child’s herb garden and remedies that you can make together.
It is always important to be prepared for circumstances that arise especially with children around. Having first aid supplies readily available helps with situations at home or traveling around the world. Michele will share her first aid kit that has traveled the world with her as well as stories in which she needed to use it. She will also guide you through putting together your own first aid kit. Beginning/Intermediate
Enhance your knowledge of common and less familiar garden herbs and how to use them medicinally in home remedies. Introduce medicinal plant conservation into your garden by growing some plants that are threatened in the wild by overharvesting and habitat loss. All
In this class, we will explore the art of hydrosol making and plant distillation using a copper alembic still. We’ll discuss what a hydrosol is as well as their myriad applications. We’ll also delve into the historical roots of distillation and its connection with alchemy and astrology. During the class we will perform a hands-on plant distillation from start to finish. All levels are welcome, and no previous experience is required.
We’ll learn traditional drumming and dances from Ghana, West Africa
Essences are infused vibrational waters that can create subtle, but very distinct, shifts in consciousness, enabling us to meet the moment in new ways. Come learn some of the less-often-heard aspects of making essences~ of plants, trees, rocks, planets, journeys, and more!
We’ll also experience and explore the ways that taking essences can support our bodies and beings in adjusting to and engaging with the shifting energies of these times. Prepare to be dosed!
Drill Holes & Make Fire! Rekindle ancestral knowledge by learning how to spin a long slender drill between the hands to create beautiful soapstone beads while also empowering ourselves to help make fire by friction. Gives a chance to both create a beautiful necklace made completely “by hand” as well as working together in small groups to make friction fire with a hand-drill.
Tap deep into our ancestral roots of storing energy in order to create a strong string or cord. Using pre-made twine and/or fibers extracted from the bark of plants, we will create beautiful and strong cords which can be put to use in whatever fashion we choose.
Crones
Crones, come share lunch with other Wise Crones. We will discuss loving life after menopause, finding joy, appreciation, and health in our Crone years. We will also discuss our part in the Maiden’s Rites of Passage Ceremony and our own Crone’s Honoring Ritual.
This is time to reflect and share our experiences of Cronehood and our love for our Wise Crone ways and bodies. Past menopause and into memorypause, we will tell our stories. A time to make a ritual Crone Broom will follow.
Crones, come share another lunch with other Wise Crones. We will continue our plans for the Maiden’s Rites of Passage and our own Crone’s Honoring Ritual.
Join us for a quiet honoring of the loss of an unborn child through miscarriage or abortion.
Young Women ages 12-21
Curious about poi spinning? Have you ever seen fire dancing? Poi spinning is good introduction to flow arts. Join poi-teacher Loreta to learn and master the fundamental moves and transitions of poi! Move your body while enriching your mind! Poi spinning is a beautiful art. If you ever wanted to try this, this is your chance. Or maybe you already know some of the moves and want to improve it, this is a class for you too. We will cover the basics, turns, transitions, stalls and other techniques. We will have some sets of poi to play with.
Want to learn a way to Manifest the day ahead?… Maybe bring more of those wonderful self care ideas, fun moments, and ways of feeling into your day?
We can all Manifest, but it can be a lot to try to make ourselves change, or even bring in a new routine.
There is a technique of Manifesting by creating your very own personalized Visualization- and it really really simplifies things.
The first step, which we will work on together is to think about our day tomorrow. What are a few things we would like to see ourselves do that we know would feel good? How do we want to feel when we do them? We will take some time to talk and some time to write it.
Once you have a plan for our very own personal visualization, then the only thing we have to make ourselves do every day is visualize. Twice a day. See it, feel it, bring some excitement and allow it to unfold.
This is a special technique that Jen learned that has created such a powerful shift in her life -and she feels she is gaining power to create her day and her attitude more and more the way she wants it to be.
In this class we will have fun together and share some of our favorite self care ideas. Jen will bring some frozen cucumber slices (her best hack for waking up in the morning , or mid-day, and feeling refreshed with a simple and almost zero cost cucumber facial.)
We all have lots to share. We can’t wait to hear your thoughts!
Welcome maidens, to the Circle of Women! Join us in celebrating the beauty and strength of this phase of your life, the time of your bloods. We will explore ideas and feelings, hear stories, make things to care for ourselves and prepare for the Maiden’s Rites of Passage Ceremony to be held Sunday evening at 6:30 p.m. Any young woman who would like to go through the Maiden Ceremony must attend this class.
Mid Kids ages 7-11
Faith Bardet
Come and let’s explore Earth materials. We will have clay to create pinch pots and creatures with, and a collection of rocks to explore and experiment with making paints to paint our faces.
Bring your favorite herbs and flowers to paint! Lavender, chamomile, sage, eucalyptus, and more! Together we will make beautiful watercolor paintings that we can hang in our rooms as soon as we get home! We will have herbs, paper, and watercolor to use. If you’d like to use your own materials, feel free to bring them.
Curious about poi spinning? Have you ever seen fire dancing? Poi spinning is good introduction to flow arts. If you ever wanted to try it, this is a class for you. Or if you already know some moves, we can learn more tricks. Come and learn and we can perform together during the talent show on Saturday night. We will have some sets of poi to play with.
Make beads from stones & nuts, twist hemp twine into string, play dice games and make twisted mini-rope friendship bracelets.
Young Children
Other Classes
Come join us for an evening under the late spring constellations. Guided by a green laser wand, you’ll learn to find your way around the night sky and the names of the stars and constellations, while hearing folklore from different times and cultures. We’ll meet the bright shining stars of the Twins, the Lion, Virgo, the Scorpion, and more… You will also be dosed with Essence Elixirs!
Early Morning Classes
Kameko Shibata
Intensives
1. Introduction to Hydrosol Making & Plant Distillation Using a Copper Still ~ beginning/all levels Sarah Bay
2. Lymphatic Breast Health - DeAnna Batdorff
3. Nutritional, Herbal, and Lifestyle Support To Balance and Optimize Blood Sugar Balance ~ all levels
Mary Sheila Gonnella, BCHN
4. INTENSIVE: Florecimiento- Rituals for Flourishing ~ all levels - Francisca Santibanez
5. INTENSIVE: Held by the Root- Ancestral Connection, Remembrance and Reassessing Our Sacred Contracts beginning-all levels -Francisca Santibanez