Herbalism Apprenticeship and Retreat Info
2024 apprenticeship: 2 groups
Send your vision for the apprenticeship when you send your deposit.
Trillium
Every third Friday/Saturday, May-October
$1995 early registration through Fall Equinox
Chaga
Every fourth Friday/Saturday. May-October
$1995 early registration through Fall Equinox
You are invited to deepen intimacy with yourself and the living earth at Mt. Owen Forest Sanctuary. This spring - autumn offering with author, herbalist and co-steward Vanessa Chakour offers sanctuary in wild nature with monthly camping and an experiential dive into the practice of holistic herbalism.
Together, we’ll plant, wildcraft, make medicine, hike, explore healing rituals, and create a homemade apothecary to last through the seasons. Each time we gather, you’ll have space for self-reflection and solo time in the forest within supportive community. Plant and tend to your own medicinal garden on the land and nearby, enjoy swimming at Ashfield Lake or exploring the local farmer’s market.
We will gather in person from May to October, the third Friday-Saturday of each month in person and meet online the second Tuesday evening of each month to check-in. This experience is limited to 8 people.
Reserve your spot with a deposit and application.
This Experience Explores
Plant Identification and Ally Work
Learn the land and build intimacy with plants & fungi season by season
Ethical Wildcrafting
Gather plants with respect for the ecosystem
Species At-Risk
Protect and propigate of endangered forest medicine such as goldenseal and American ginseng
Plant Medicine
Explore the many ways plants have been used across cultures while learning new research about the ways they interact with our bodies
Medicine-Making
Prepare tinctures, infusions, decoctions, salves, and more
Ecology
Explore plant and fungi relationships to the environment as a whole
Ancestral Medicine
Dig into your own roots of herbal healing
Personal Guidance
Receive teachings and suggested practices for your unique path
Community Garden
Plant and tend to your own medicine
Storytelling
Creative writing, poetry, and sharing around the fire as a healing practice
Dates and Some Details
We gather one Friday-Saturday from May-October and will connect online, once a month between gatherings to check-in.
Arrive Friday at 3 pm, Depart Saturday at 1 pm. Most months, you’ll have the option to stay for one extra night to rest in nature or work on the land and in the garden.
The experience includes a lot of physical activity. Be prepared for beautiful, rustic camping and rugged hiking.
We will meet online in early May to get to know each other. Reading material and practices will be offered before we meet.
This experience is limited to 8 people.