A YEAR OF PLANT INVOCATION
only when you stop
and sit for a while
among the wild hyacinths
do you know where desire
was leading you
on a stone beside water
listening to the water
and to something else
serious and delicate
playing behind the sounds
- from "The Grey Fold" by Thomas. A Clark
The road of Herbal Mystery School is lined with white birches; sappy, starry candles that we carry as lanterns into our months together. Birch gives birth to the forest in early spring; so birch is our first oracle, our first guide, our first shrine. Paper-skinned Birch is the flowering maypole of our village dance. For the rest of the year, with each spin around the maypole, we follow the bone-rhythm of Birch as the road opens to other plant initiators: we knot the lush green fiber of Nettle around our hips, we sing the harmonized, honeyed, hymns of Linden to the bees and we sip on the nectar of Roses to loosen our limbs and unfurl every petal. Other plants (who are to be revealed further along) will tie their magic ribbons to the birch and join us in the dance.
Each month begins with a plant initiation. We cross the threshold into a ritual cycle, opening to the mysteries of this plant. We are practitioners of devotional collaboration. The work of Herbal Mystery School is ceremonial. Our plant ceremonies emerge through divination, offering, meditation, trance, folklore, dream tending, poetry and art exploration. The work of Herbal Mystery School is earthly. We brew the tea, bathe with the plants, we drop tinctures into our water, we feast on the plants. Even though our cohort is not physically together, we hold each other in the web. A lot of our rituals and plant work may be personal, but when they are offered in the group they become stronger, part of our community folklore. Sometimes we forget to take the plants, but the other participants in our cohort invite us back into presence through deep witnessing, discussion and reflection.
This is a program that focuses on plant energetics and magical plant practice. In Herbal Mystery School we do not aim to define what plants do, rather we open ourselves to being in devotional relationship with plants. Each month with our plant initiation, magical practices are offered to accompany and deepen your time with every plant. We embody the mysteries of each plant through these practices.
May we be moved by mystery.
We work with one plant a month in Herbal Mystery School. Students will also be working on creating their own system of divination, writing devotional hyms to the plants and maintaining a consistent dreamwork practice. Additional readings and ritual practices are offered each month.
2024 DATES
Herbal Mystery School meets 3x a month on zoom.Our mandatory classes are held on a Monday and a Sunday of every month.
Sunday classes are our plant initiation days.
These classes are held in ritual space.
Each Sunday, Liz offers a teaching around a particular magical practice and tradition
to support the deepening of the expereince with the plants.
Mondays are our harvest days.
We hold our experiences together in the community cauldron and learn from one another
about our devotional time with the plants.
Monday classes (harvest sessions) meet from 12-2 pm EST
and Sunday classes (initiations) meet from 12-3 pm EST.
Please note that for our first month together, there is one additional mandatory class in March.
Monday, March 4 & Sunday, March 10
Monday, March 11
Monday, April 8 & Sunday, April 14
Monday, May 6 & Sunday, May 12
Monday, June 3 & Sunday, June 9
Monday, July 8 & Sunday July 14
Monday, August 5 & Sunday August 11
Monday, September 9 & Sunday, September 15
No class in October
Monday, November 4 & Sunday, November 10
Monday, December 2 & Sunday, December 8
Closing Ceremony - Sunday, January 12 2025
We have Plant Practice circles most months. These gatherings are not required towards attendence but are a space where we can be with the plants together. It is highly recommended that you are able to attend as many as possible.
Plant Practice Dates:
Wednesday, April 17
Wednesday, May 15
Wednesday, June 12
Wednesday, July 17
Wednesday, August 14
Wednesday, November 13
Wednesday, December 11
Plant practice circles meet from 1:30-2:30 pm EST.
A note on attendance:
Due to the intimate and participatory nature of this course, students are required to be present for the class sessions. Missing one or two classes for unforeseen reasons is understandable but
please consider that missing three or more classes greatly affects the group integrity and dynamic.
While recordings are available to you if you miss a class, your participation is crucial.
If you miss more than three classes, your participation in the program will be incomplete and unfinished.
INCLUDED IN CLASS REGISTRATION
~ A large parcel from Liz of tinctures, essences and dried plant material from each plant of our ritual year. This is a box of homemade medicine that is made with intention and care. This box contains over $350 worth of medicines as well as some other goodies for class.
~ An hour long one-on-one meeting with Liz that can be booked at anytime throughout the program to ask questions, receive support and further explore class materials.
~ A closing certificate and parting gift to be received upon completion of the program.
~ An online class hub (hosted on Discord) for checking in with each other, sharing our experiences with the plants and continuing the converstaion outside of class time.
TUITION
The tutition for the 2024 year is $2,000.
Upon acceptance, a $400 deposit is required to hold your spot. This deposit allows Liz to begin to prepare the medicines for the year ahead and cover for material supplies and shipping. This deposit is non-refundable.
Payment plans are available as follows:
4 payments of $400 due in March, May, July and September.
2 payments of $800 due in March and September.
At the moment, there are no scholarships available for Herbal Mystery School.
APPLY FOR HERBAL MYSTERY SCHOOL 2024 HERE
applications close on 12/15 at noon est