Treewild

Treewild, inc

Sacred Herbalism

Come dive into an extraordinary relationship with healing plants in this 100-hour training. Whether you will be working with clients, or just want a deeper knowledge of how to care for yourself and those you love, this course will open astonishing doors.

Sacred Herbalism meets from April 26-May 2nd 
and then again August 23-29. 
In addition, we’ll have virtual classes once a month over the summer, 
from 11am to 1pm on Sundays 
May 10, June 14th, July 12th and August 9th

In total, we will have over 100 hours of lessons, entitling you to a practitioner’s certificate.

application opens jan 10

The Curriculum

In this immersive training, we will turn to the wise plant teachers and nonphysical helpers to learn specific protocols and sequences to elicit a positive life change in ourselves, and in others. The practices will awaken self-awareness, and through sensitivity to subtle energy, we will begin to embody a higher tone of service.

Each week we will be making a number of medicines to take home; we will discover and practice plant-based healing rituals, and we will go inward for physical and spiritual journeys and reflections.

Most of our days will be spent outdoors. Our meals will intentionally deepen our relationship with the plants, each meal crafted with sensory delight and nutritious healing at the core.

This gathering will be an intimate, committed group who will hold space for each other to allow for deep transformational learning. While previous formal training is not required, the program is well suited for people with some prior experience working with herbal medicines. 

This is a time to take both your relationship with plants and your healing practice to a new level.

THE DAILY SCHEDULE WILL INCLUDE ACTIVITIES SUCH AS:
  • Yoga
  • Breakfast
  • Morning Lesson
  • Hands-on workshop
  • Lunch
  • Plant Walk
  • Afternoon Lesson
  • Practitioner practice
  • Meditation
  • Dinner
  • Sharing and reflections
  • Singing / movement
  • Support for deep sleep
THE WEEKS HAVE A RHYTHM, WITH A SPIRITUAL THEME TO CENTER EACH DAY:
 
  • MONDAY – Set the container
  • TUESDAY – Invoke safety, belonging and connection to the earth
  • WEDNESDAY – Ignite the fire
  • THURSDAY – Infuse with love
  • FRIDAY – Find and resolve obstacles
  • SATURDAY Immerse with light; Embody our highest self
 
Each day will have a guiding plant for that theme. 
For example, in the first week, the first day: Set the Container, will be guided by Lily of the Valley. 

For the first day of the week in August, the Container guide will be Calendula.
DURING THIS COURSE, YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT:
  • Ethics, agreements, non-judgment
  • Your own personalized herbal protocol
  • Tea ceremony
  • Fire sipping
  • Mudras to activate life force energy
  • Mantras to activate connection with herbs
  • Marma points to promote healing and safety
  • Agni (digestive fires)
  • Soma (immunity nourishment)
  • Spiritual authority
  • Intuitive plant communication
  • Energetics of flavors
  • Pernicious influences
  • Subtle plant energies
  • Working with Rasayanas
  • Nervines
  • Bitters and Diaphoretics
  • Using pendulums and charts to confirm intuition
  • Both topical, internal and aetheric application of remedies
  • Gathering back hidden parts of self
  • Ancestral healing
  • An invisibility journey to the unseen world with Fern

AND YOU CAN EXPECT TO MAKE:

  • Aqueous extracts
  • Infused oils
  • Syrups
  • Tinctures
  • Multi-spice churna
  • Oxymels
  • Flower essences
  • Liniment
  • Infused lotion
  • Infused soap
  • Living drinks
PRACTICUM
You will have many times to pair up with another participant to practice these skills as you would with a client (or with a family member or friend.)
 
CERTIFICATION
Students who complete the homework will have an additional 25 hours on their certificate; about 75 minutes of homework per week over the duration of the course.
Upon completion of this course, you will receive a Sacred Herbalism Practitioner certificate and have the competence to safely and effectively guide your clients through the healing and initiatory process that we will explore throughout our time together.

Meals and Housing

Sacred Herbalism will be held at the beautiful sanctuary land at Treewild, an artists’ residence. Meals will be crafted by a chef who is joining our course, and will design our food to amplify our learning, nourish our bodies and delight our senses. 
Treewild is an Air BnB with room for five to sleep without sharing a bed. These rooms will be reserved on a first-come basis. When the house is full, we will make recommendations for local places to stay. 
Camping at Treewild is also an option. People who live within driving distance are welcome to stay at home and attend as day students.

The Faculty

Syd-Henri Marquis

Syd (xe/xyr) has taught many aspects of herbal medicine to children and adults at the North Carolina School of Natural Healing, the Appalachia School of Holistic Herbalism, the Shanti School of Asheville, and elsewhere. Xyr main focus has been in integrative and energetic herbalism. 

Syd studied at the NC School of Natural Healing with Peggy Himani Ellis, who was a student of Rosemary Gladstar at the California School of Herbalism. Xe has clients all across the US and around the world. 

Alison James

 Alison (she/her) has run Enchantment Camps, a magical training ground for young wizards over the past twenty years, and supported those young people as they head out into the world. She is a children’s book author with over 150 books and translations published, including the picture book Maple and Rosemary. Alison has lived around the world, including Pakistan, Japan, Norway, Germany, England, Sweden, and Taiwan. She has led retreats for writers in the US and abroad. Alison lives in a grass-roofed cottage in Vermont, where she runs Treewild together with her partner Joplin, their two dogs Sal (Blueberries) and Pantelaimon, and two kittens, Gandalf and Galadriel.

Liz Resnick

Liz (she/her) is an experienced farm-to-table catering chef, careful to source local and organic food to create delicious and soul-nourishing meals. 

She has worked as a farmer, knowing the plants from the ground up, and is excited to craft meals that amplify our learning.

Practical Details

THE COMMITMENT

This course builds day by day upon the previous times, and every student will bring an essential element to the group. This is why when you sign up for Sacred Herbalism (barring an emergency) you are making a commitment to be fully present at all the sessions. We are creating a safe space for all of us to learn deeply, to trust and to transform with each other. 

THE WORLD ACCORDING TO TREEWILD

Treewild is inclusive. This training environment is explicitly anti-racist and LGBTQIA+ affirming. We support each other in our growth towards greater inclusiveness.

The one thing we discourage including at Treewild is germs. Feel free to mask if you’re contagious, or concerned about staying healthy. We have beautiful N95 masks to share. If you are actively sick, please sequester yourself and get well.

At Treewild, we honor the ancestral roots of the indigenous peoples who have lived and are still living in our region. As a small step towards reparations, Treewild has bespoke scholarships
for first nation peoples. We also support new Americans, and those who are living
with limited means. If you need a scholarship, please ask.

Treewild is a 501-c3 non-profit. There are not many places where your contributions go so directly to meet a need. Thank you in advance!

FINANCES

Sacred Herbalism is the equivalent of a year-long, 6-credit college course. Tuition for the full 100 hours is $1500. 

Tuition can be paid in three installments:

  • $500 upon registration

  • $500 on March 1st

  • $500 on June 1st

There will be a 10% discount for tuition paid in full by March 1st, bringing it to $1350

RESIDENTIAL ROOM AND BOARD EXPENSES

All meals are included in the residential weeks, from Sunday dinner through Saturday breakfast (and take-away lunch.) The cost of meals is $75/day for each six-day retreat

There are limited rooms at Treewild, 3 with double or queen beds, and one with twins. All rooms share a bathroom with a soaking bath and a sauna. The rooms have comfortable memory foam mattresses and there is a heat-pump air conditioner. 

The room cost is $100/night. A shared room is $100 divided by the number of people sharing, so a double would be $50/night. Camping is available at Treewild for $30/night

Treewild rooms will fill on a first-come basis. When Treewild is full, we can make suggestions for nearby places where you can also stay. People who live nearby are welcome to commute.

Room/Board payments will be due no later than April 1st and August 1st

  • Single Room / Board per week     $1050

  • Double Room / Board per week     $750

  • Camping at TW / Board per week  $630

  • Just Meals  (sleeping elsewhere)    $450 

Payments can be made by check to Treewild, 338 Thompson Road, Shelburne, VT 05482. You can also use Zelle or Venmo; please contact AlisonJamesVT@gmail to get the information. You are welcome to use PayPal, but be advised that you’ll be responsible for the 3% fee.

 

Register for Sacred Herbalism