The School of Forest Medicine Immersion Course

Join me on this 9-month Odyssey traversing the vibrant landscapes of the Cascadia Bioregion. The plants will be our guides and the songs will be our vehicles as we weave our spirits with the forces of nature, restoring the connections between the human and spiritual realms through song, ritual, and prayer.

This program, focused on psycho-spiritual Plant Medicine Healing, will be firmly grounded in the basics of Ethical Wildcrafting, Medicine Making, and Plant Identification. It is designed to be a transformative, initiatory experience that will reawaken and strengthen our experience of deep plant/human relationships.

Each month we will explore a different landscape; immersing ourselves in the healing power and teachings of the plants. We will sit each day and commune with one or two of our native Plant Teachers, learning about them as we learn about ourselves and each other, participating in rituals that will open new channels of healing potential. These once-a-month trips will range in length from 3-8 days.

This course will offer a structure for each of us to do our own deep healing work and to hold space for others to do the same. As we deepen our relationships with the plants, we will not only be learning about ourselves but will aid in the process of reawakening and illuminating the beings who are responsible for giving us life.

In the first months, we will spend some of our time indoors acquainting ourselves with the basics. In addition to the field trips, there will be a Plant Teacher Circle every Tuesday night and mid-month special topic nights interspersed throughout the year.

Dates

February 26-28: Opening Ceremony~Investigation and Intention (indoor classes + 1 day excursion)

March 19-21: Purification/Cleansing (indoor classes + 1 day excursion)

April 16-18: Grounding in Relationship with Self~Columbia River Gorge (3 days)

May 21-23: Columbia River Gorge (3 days)

June 29-July 4: Siskyou Mountains (5 days)
Yerba Santa, Silktassel, Angelica, Aralia, and others along the Illinois River in one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world.

July 21-25: Wy'East (5 days)
Yarrow, Arnica, St. John's Wort, Elder, Mugwort, and Redroot.

August 24-29: Medicine Mountain Pilgrimage~Ochoco Mountains (5 days)
Ligusticum (Kishwoof/Oshala), Sweetroot, Baneberry, W. Peony, Werewolf Root (Dogbane) and others in a primal medicine mountain setting.

September 27-October 5: High Desert Odyssey~SE Oregon (8 days)
Green Ephedra, Juniper, Aspen, Sagebrush, and many others as we visit the amazing landscapes of the Eastern Oregon desert and its many shades of green. Serious healing work with the ancestors and soaking in hot springs under the stars. Steens Mountain, Pueblo Mountains, Hart Mountain.

October 16-17: Closing Ceremony (2 days)

Tuition

$1800 (there is a $200 discount if if paid in full by Dec. 15)

Refunds

You will be refunded in full (less the $200 non-refundable deposit) if you notify us three weeks before the first day of class. After that, we will give you a refund only if we can find a replacement from our waiting list. Once classes begin there will be no refunds.

Apprenticeships

There will be 2 apprenticeship spots available. The tuition will be half price for the apprentices. Duties may include wildcrafting, processing dried herbs, pressing and filtering tinctures, making copies, posting flyers, and filling, labeling, and delivering bottles for Cascadia Folk Medicine.

Caveats

Please be aware that we are not seeking comfort in the woods. We will be actively working to get ourselves out of our comfort zones to help open ourselves up for healing and learning. You may be expected to: sit in the hot desert sun for hours at a time, be in the rain for days, not get enough food, have your normal sleeping patterns altered, spend lots of time in cars driving on bumpy dirt roads.

Registration

To apply for the Immersion Course, please send your application to the address shown below. Contact us at 503.522.6906 or info@forestmedicine.net if you have any questions.

The School of Forest Medicine
P.O. Box 15007
Portland, OR 97293

You will be interviewed after your application is received. If you are accepted into the program, you will have two weeks to submit your $200 non-refundable deposit.