Earth Medicine: Foundations in Herbalism
ELEMENTS, ENERGETICS & ETHICS
Earth Medicine:
One Year Foundation Course in Herbal Medicine
This course in herbal medicine is an in person year long foundation with an emphasis on elements, energetics and ethics when we are working with plant kin.
It is designed for complete beginners to intermediate herbalist students or practitioners and is non-residential but gathers together folk wanting to learn over 5 long weekends throughout the year.
Held in the calm embrace of a local therapy centre in Stroud, we will learn together, eat together and connect together and with rocks, water and many beautiful plant medicines. We will learn how to make remedies, how to understand plants and environment, the stories of plants and community and how to work with herbal medicines.
Each weekend is attuned to the season and will hold aspects of the 5 elements of Earth, Water, Ether, Air and Fire as we move through the year.
We will also have 5 online evenings where we share elemental, energetic or ethical herbal medicine discussions, sensory explorations and sharing.
Elements, Energetics & Ethics in Earth Medicine
This course offers an exploration into herbal medicine at a foundation level. Meeting in person and forming a community for the year ahead, and onwards as we traverse our own paths is integral to our studies. Sharing the knowledge we each hold and learn so that we all might receive new insights, wisdom or studies is part of the way this course is designed.
The course is very much experiential. Once a weekend we will be out of the therapy centre somewhere in the local landscape working with plants we have chosen for our studies - before or during the course - to get to know self and other. We will be feeling into how these plants affect us and how we connect.
We will also be learning about the energetics of herbalism in its vast context and finding the threads that resonate with us. Together we will weave a web of plant kin sharings and learnings and begin to embody the energetic wonders of herbalism.
We will feel into the seasons and elements and what they bring us, how they shape our landscapes - both emotionally and physically and how we choose to walk the land. Celestial beings such as the moon, the earth, the sun and the planets will be brought in at a basic and sensory level to explore in relation to herbalism.
Studies:
You will each choose a project based on elemental energetic connection and plants and through the course of the year deepen into your relationship with this choice (plant, plant family, genus, species etc.).
You will make your own wild apothecary and take home remedies and recipes.
You will create a journal of plant wonderings and wanderings exploring a map of your locality or a specialism (eg. gynaecological herbs and your connection, herbs of the moon, herbs of vitality etc.).
You will deepen your understanding of herbal medicine through both physiological understanding and energetic and emotional understanding. To encourage this we will use different ways of studying - with our senses, with our imagination, from books and resources and more.
You will build up a body of plant studies and herbal assignments to carry you through the foundation level.
You will receive a certificate on completion enabling entrance into professional trainings (tbc).
Earth Medicine Through the Year
Earth Medicine
Our September weekend explores the element and energetics of earth, with earth-based practice, grounding plant kin and nourishing and sensual plant medicine exploration.
Water Medicine
Our November weekend explores the element and energetics of water, with embodied practice of depth, flow and movement. We will work with cooling moistening plants and those that meet our watery-ness. Emotional medicine and changing landscapes will be mapped.
Ether Medicine
Our February weekend explores the element and energetics of ether and spirit, as we come towards the end of winter, we will feel into what this means for us and how herbalism is interwoven with spiritual practice and consider the spirit of plants. In the quiet of the emergent spring we will work with stillness and mystery.
Air Medicine
Our March weekend explores the element and energetics of air, with dispersive movement and warmth in the air. We will look into botany and the fecundant energy of Ostara. We will look at balancing the physical and energetic bodies with herbalism centred in this work.
Fire Medicine
Our June weekend explores the element and energetics of fire, with action and doing at the zenith of the solar year cycle. Celestial beings, ethical wildcrafting, listening midst the chaos of this fertile earth. Fire medicine brings much learning to consolidate the year together with our last remaining online sessions to come.
Online Sessions
We will have a 2 hour online session in October, January, May, July and September to complete the year. We will share our learnings and journey at the time with tastings and explorations into herbs that are congruent with the time of year.
Between sessions you’ll be asked to make plant studies and assignments on how herbs work, a story of herbalism, herbalism in the world, ethics of herbalism and therapeutics. You’ll also be asked to get to know our beautiful earth medicine with remedies, ponderings, creative expression and study which we will learn about together but that you will develop and deepen between sessions.
Investment
There are 3 tiers of investment and you can select which is right for you.
The marigold tier is the cost at which things will run and the usual price of the course.
The rose tier is offered in the sense of community to support those who would struggle to take this course without a concession (I appreciate this will still be a stretch for many)
The hawthorn tier is if you are financially comfortable and could afford and would like to subsidise someone else - like a pay it forward
Marigold £1750.00
Rose £1350.00
Hawthorn £1950.00
There is one ‘BIPOC’ scholarship at a reduced cost and one scholarship for anyone from a marginalised community at a reduced cost (you may be differently abled, you may be a certain neurotype and so on) - please enquire, these are usually very popular so do send details of your situation and what you are looking for in this course.
Dates:
September 12th-14th 2025
November 21st - 23rd 2025
February 6th - 8th 2026
March 20th - 22nd 2026
June 19th - 21st 2026
Online session dates to be confirmed
Included:
Earth Medicine Course over 5 weekends with refreshments
Certificate on completion
All study materials required though you may like to make or bring your own
5 x Online meetings
Refund policy: Refunds can be issued within 14 days of purchase
Booking is essential as spaces are limited
For any further info call Amaia on 07919 608738
Getting Here
The centre is beautifully structured with gentle curves and soft furnishings to make us feel held as we explore our herbal journey together. It is a 5-10 minute walk from Stroud (Gloucs) train station and there is also parking onsite for those driving.
Stroud is a beautiful mix of a town with artists, textilers, eco folk and all and any nestled in between hills where five valleys emanate outwards and each hill and valley holds a charm of its own. The therapy centre is just beside the Painswick Stream and has a lovely small lake at the base of the gardens.
There are plenty of lovely airbnb type affairs and B&Bs, hotels, inns etc. around the area. There are also a few campsites if you’d prefer to camp and coming from afar. If you need help with where to stay do be in touch.
