We've been busy in the yurt welcoming our students one last time this year to wrap up their studies and celebrate just how far they've come in developing their herbal knowledge and skills over the past four seasons.
Our winter gatherings are a time of coming together - both as a community, as well as a culmination of knowledge.
Every winter, our students amaze themselves at just how well they know their herbs and their bodies, just how clearly their intuition speaks to them, just how much the way they live their lives and understand the world around them has changed.
And every year, I'm in awe of each and every incredible, intrepid soul who crosses the threshold of our yurt and chooses to embark on this journey, which is why it's so important to me to celebrate and acknowledge them.
A few of our community members had to miss out on the celebrations due to winter colds, but they were with us in spirit, and to each of them, I said this - There are no tests or exams or final marks on this course, but if there were, this would be the final test - listening to your body when it's telling you enough is enough and you must rest and take care of yourself. So for every student who made the difficult decision to stay home, rather than push themselves, no matter how many herbs they worked with to support themselves through it, they have absorbed and embodied the teachings of the journey.
Our third-year students will be gathering this weekend, and we are all prepared with tissues and a post-ceremony feast planned, but I know it's going to be bittersweet for all of us, especially as many of these wonderful women have been with me since our early seasonal workshop days.
And our second-year students, who have become a beautifully tight-knit group of friends with a penchant for laughter and stirring up trouble in all the best ways, swapped homemade gifts and goodies, passed round the card decks and the tissues and arranged a lovely feast out at a local restaurant. It was a celebration and a half!
We will all miss each other over the winter months, but we're all ready to tune into the season and take some time to rest and reflect - and spring always arrives before you know it!
And to all of my students this year - thank you. Thank you for trusting me to guide you in building your knowledge of herbal medicine. Thank you for the honour of walking with you on your journeys. Thank you for your open-heartedness and enthusiasm for learning. Thank you for choosing to become a ripple of personal empowerment, connection with the rest of nature, sound, grounded perception of the world in which we live and choosing to create a happier, healthier life. It has been my huge pleasure to be with you this year. For all of you - whether you are continuing your journey with me next year or following a new path that has opened to you - I am so thrilled for the adventures that lie ahead for you.
If our students’ journeys are inspiring you and you’re here in the UK, you’re very welcome to join us on our intensive herbalism course - Awaken Herbal Wisdom - which spans all four seasons. With up to three years of development available, our course gets herbalism both deep into your bones and your daily life, without either having to do a clinical degree or a traditional full-time apprenticeship. Although it is intense, it’s suitable for a wide range of herbalists, including beginners!
Be sure to join our mailing list to hear more about what the current cohorts are up to, learn some of the golden nuggets that emerge from our sessions and receive other school community updates. Enrolment opens after dates are announced each spring for the following year, and places are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. If you’re ready to join us on the journey, you can request an application to join an upcoming cohort.
Whatever your next step is with learning herbal medicine, I hope you enjoy the journey!
At the Heritage School of Herbal Medicine, our practice of herbalism is rooted in the belief that we must remember, reclaim and relearn our knowledge of our bodies, our autonomy and how to work with plant medicine in order to bring control of our own health back into our families and homes for a sustainable future for ourselves and the planet. Through our intensive herbalism course, we facilitate the development of confident, empowered herbalists, attuned to the messages of their bodies and the natural world. Living the deep wisdom of herbal medicine within themselves, their homes and their communities, they uplift themselves and others, creating a stronger society organically. We do hope you'll join us on your journey!
