Becoming A Bioregional Herbalist - Sedona

Autumn & the Language of Ogham

with bioregional herbalist, John Slattery

Sedona, AZ

September 20-23, 2023

*Camping in Oak Creek Canyon

Workshop fee - $575

*Limited Space Available

Early Bird Price - $475

Where should one go to learn about plants for healing, but to the plants themselves!

Learning about desert plants as food or medicine is part of an ancient pathway. Like many other ancient practices, it has become new again. Fortunately, this practice is a way back to our true selves, one which promotes insights, knowledge and care of self, and enlivens within us integrity and compassion.

I call it bioregional herbalism. It’s not just about learning the facts of the natural world around you - it’s about relationship. Taking time to observe, listen, and contemplate, learning grows from a natural fountain of inspiration. Learning to embrace this practice is a way of coming home. 

If you are called to develop relationship with the plants around you for food and medicine, but unsure how to begin, then this workshop is just for you.

Also, if you have been gathering knowledge about the plants around you, but would like to go deeper, this workshop is also for you.

In this multi-day field study we will explore the fundamental aspects of becoming a bioregional herbalist: developing relationship with place and the plants within it. This endeavor leads us to explore many subjects including, the study of field botany, respectful wildcrafting and participation with our environment, plant energetics, landscape observation, developing and exercising the senses (particularly the feeling sense), discussion of making herbal remedies, and applying these medicines for well-being and healing utilizing our knowledge acquired from the land and the elements. 

We’ll touch on several key areas of bioregional herbalism in this workshop as we learn to follow the lessons set before us. I, as your guide and facilitator, seek to embark on a path of integrity that is challenging, enlightening, and revitalizing for all who participate.

In an uncertain world, the embrace of Mother Nature can remind us of who we truly are and who we are meant to be. The deeper healing potential of plants can be realized through direct relationship and interaction with these vital beings. To feel ourselves resonate with the living energy of the plants is where healing truly flourishes.

Deep connection through continued observation is the foundation for a bioregional herbalist. Knowledge is derived from experience, and wisdom through continued practice and observation of Nature (people, place, and plants). Learning about the plants found naturally occurring around us, in their natural habitat, begins to deepen our relationship to place. Little by little, patterns begin to emerge which inform us as to how we can utilize plants for medicine. 

What you’ll Experience in this Workshop

In this workshop we’ll also explore the core concepts of plant energetics while experiencing them directly through the plants we study. Experiencing the plants in their natural setting, while rooted in these fundamental concepts, and consuming small amounts of herbal tinctures and teas, in context, allows one to acquire this knowledge readily.

Additionally, the exercises in this workshop will introduce the participant to a method of learning which is empowering, distinctly individualized, unusually contextual, and highly experiential.

Participants come away from these experiences appreciating plants in a whole new way, even when they already had a deep appreciation for plants.

Following are select comments from a previous participant:

John is breathing new life into an ancient way of engaging with plants. What seemingly begins as an outward exploration of the local bioregion, quickly becomes a profound study of the internal landscape, of one’s own capacity to be in dialogue with the intelligent, living medicines of the green world. John reawakens in each of us, our own ability to receive wisdom directly from the source- from the plants themselves- through his invitation into stillness, an open heart, the body’s felt sense, and other subtle impressions.

The bulk of our time will be spent exploring upper Oak Creek Canyon, not too far from our base camp. Specific location details will be sent upon registration. 

Ogham - the Language of the Trees

One day of this workshop will be dedicated to exploring the fundamental concepts and some of the key plants featured in the Ogham language of the ancient Irish.

Although considered the “language of the trees”, Ogham is much more than that. It is ultimately a cosmology, an encyclopedia of the natural world embedded within a fluid system of sound, numbers, and a plethora of associations amongst all aspects of the natural world.

We’ll visit with trees and other plants featured in the Ogham alphabet growing right in the canyon enabling us to more directly connect with the energetic resonance of each tree/plant and its traditional role within this ancient cosmology.

Knowledge of the Ogham can help one relate more deeply to the plants, the landscape, and, potentially, one’s ancestral heritage. This knowledge can also be applied in traditional methods of divination which will be discussed briefly in this 1-day class segment.

Take advantage of this opportunity to explore the landscape amidst the transition from summer to autumn. Chilly nights and warm days mark our descent into autumn and make for a very enjoyable outdoor experience.

Join me for this intensive workshop to begin to transform your approach to working with plants. Starting in your own backyard you can become a master of the wild plants that grow within arm’s reach. Then begin to branch out with the basic principles and practices learned in this workshop to continually learn more about your local environment including unique ways to apply the herbal remedies you learn about in this workshop. Becoming equipped with a hands-on approach to learning about plants in the field can open up many opportunities for gaining unique knowledge about the plants growing around you.

Overnight camping is optional. Please indicate upon receipt of meeting details by replying to the email. Additional fees due for camping.

A list of what to bring will be sent upon registration.

John J Slattery LLC

Bioregional Herbalist

Tucson, AZ

© 2016-2023

www.johnjslattery.com