Thursday, May 14, 2015

Interested in plants? Study!


I recently returned from seminar at the East West School of Planetary Herbology and I'm now officially ready to start coaching herbal clients.



If you have a passion for plants and herbs (or for any subject, I suppose) you will learn a lot by joining with other people who share that interest and from teachers with experience in that subject. I've learned so much more in the last two years since I started taking courses than I had strictly studying on my own.

 Learning from an experienced teacher in your local area is invaluable for plant id and getting to know your local plant allies. Besides the course above, I've also done a year- long apprenticeship with Cedar Mountain Herb School ......

These courses are reasonably priced, although they require a commitment of study and time. Learning in group like this is lots of fun and everyone brings some of their knowledge into the fray.

 If you're just dipping your feet into the water, so to speak, or more of a weekend warrior, there are likely lots of one or two day workshops and classes in your area. Some great resources for those in the Seattle area are Dandelion Botanicals and Rainbow Natural Remedies . Individuals who give classes are also worth seeking out. I just took a wonderful workshop with Ravens and Rosehips in Port Townsend. There seems to be guided plant walks offered by various people regularly, sometimes free, sometimes for a fee. Bastyr University is having their annual public event in a couple of weeks, and Jenny McGruther of Nourished Kitchens will be one of the keynote speakers, Graeme Tobyn will be the other .

Another option for learning is in joining a like-minded interest group in your area. Here in Seattle, I belong to the Seattle Herb Society, which meets weekly for an activity. 

If you're more of an internet studies, when you have free time, kind of person, there's Herb Mentor , Plant Healer Magazine, which has a free sample from each issue, if you sign up for the newsletter, and of course the American Herbalist Guild, which also has informative magazines it puts out.

I'd love to create a page with resources for studying and workshops on the blog here. If you have local schools, stores with classes, or local groups or teachers; post them in the comments below to share with others, and I'll compile a page for them on the blog. 



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