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GIVING GROUND 2012 Herbal Weekend Retreat/Workshop Schedule March - April 2012 March 19-21, 2012: Monday--Wednesday Beginning Herbology with an emphasis on the celebration of light and life of the vernal equinox! We'll listen to early music written by the first woman herbalist whose writings have been saved: Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179). We'll make medicines for you to take home, with your choice dictated by the plants available. Traditional Finnish sauna bath, talk of how to conduct a "spring cleaning" fast, if you would like; all meals, cottage beds all made up, heat and lights on. March 23-25, 2012: Friday afternoon-Sunday afternoon Spring Cleaning! We'll discuss how to conduct a spring cleaning fast of three or ten days' duration, how to do it safely, what the caveats are, when not to do it and when to discontinue it. We'll have an early spring - or late winter - herb walk, possibly still on snowshoes, breathing in the scents of spring that are there even if snow is still on the ground. We'll explore many ways to "take" medicines, and there'll be herbal products you make to take home, that are appropriate for Passover or Easter gift-giving. We'll have a traditional Finnish cleansing sauna bath, and make up some herbal masks and body massage lotions for during and after sauna. All meals, cottage beds all made up, heat and lights on. April 13-15, 2012: Friday afternoon-Sunday afternoon Intermediate Herbology: Teas! We'll explore the medicinal values - and caveats - of many different wild plant tea ingredients. I will have dried plant material on hand to work with. We'll practice several methodologies for formulating teas for specific health goals, and you will make up packets through the weekend for yourself. Herb walk, organic gardening discussions, wild-crafting protocols, first canoe trip of the spring, along an ox-bow stream, to identify bog medicines (if the ice is out and the flow is serene.) Sauna bath, all meals, cottage beds made up, heat and lights on. April 20-22,2012: Friday afternoon--Sunday afternoon Earth Day It's an Earth Day weekend and we'll celebrate. We'll discuss sustainable gardening and wild-crafting, looking to the earth's bounty to help sustain us in the old ways of the ancients and the early Americans. Edible flowers, butterfly gardens--we'll plan and study these, if the snow isn't off the ground yet! A sauna bath, all meals, cottage beds made up, heat and lights on. |