Spring Plant Connection
March 23th - April 13th 2023
Springtime is a great time to get out and reconnect with some of our local nutritive plants from the greens to the roots. Traditionally this time of year people would consume these plants to help the body cleanse out the stagnant energy of the winter. They are super-charged with minerals and vitamins, along with having gentle cleansing properties.
During our time together we will be focusing on deepening our connection to our local spring greens/roots. We will be creating our own relationship with these plants, forming a relationship with these beings is akin to making new friends. By focusing on one plant per week we can immerse ourselves in relationship with it and provide the time to settle into the energetic space and teachings the plants have to share.
A key part of our practice is intuitive plant meditation, which allows us to go deeper into their energetic medicinal properties. We begin and conclude each session with a sharing circle to discuss our experiences with each plant. We will also work with the physical, nutritive and cleansing actions with the plants- exploring these plants from multiple perspectives, integrating indigenous wisdom, ayurveda, western medical herbalism and folklore.
We will have two excursions to the forest to meet our plants in the wild, where we will get to witness their surroundings. You will learn how to harvest responsibly, by taking no more than necessary and giving thanks for their gifts. This practice brings the connection full circle and the medicine you make is more directly attuned to you and those you wish to share it with.
We will be working with 4-6 different local medicinal plants over 5 weeks. The first class we will set our intentions, discuss what the program will touch on and explore, learn how to use and make different herbal concoctions, and finish with a plant meditation.
Inspired by my time studying sacred plants in the Amazon, along with many years of Herbalism, Ayurveda, and Plant Spirit Medicine.
Some plants we work with-
Nettles, Cleavers, Miner's Lettuce, Chickweed, Dandelion, Yellow Dock, Western Aralia, Oregon Grape, Dogwood
These may change if another plant presents itself and is a better fit for us.
Thursdays evenings from 3-5 pm for 4 weeks with two plant walks on Sunday March 26th and Sunday April 2nd
March 15th- April 12th
Location: Mountain Rose Mercantile
152 W. 5th Ave Eugene, OR 97401
Cost: $300-$400
This covers-
Tinctures, Herbs, and facilitation
-Includes Herbal extracts and digital Materia Medica “Uses, Identification, Harvesting, Medicine making, etc” of all the plants
Home Apothecary Plant Immersion
May 4rd- June 22th
Growing our own medicine is one of the most empowering things we can do in our age. During this course we hope to inspire you to be able to confidently grow, harvest and process your own plant medicine- building your own home apothecary with homegrown plants.
The plants we will be connecting with during our time together have been specially selected, as they are all potent medicines, yet relatively simple to grow. Our hope is that you will foster relationships with several plants- based on your physical and emotional needs- and explore different ways of connecting through growing, tending and medicine making.
We will be working with 7 different medicinal plants over 8 weeks. In the first class we will set our intentions, discuss what the program will touch on and explore, learn how to use and make different herbal concoctions, and finish with a plant meditation.
We will work intuitively with the plants- we begin and end each class with a plant meditation where we use our senses and intuition to meet and learn from them.
We then dive deeper, our diverse way of working includes everything from practical demonstrations, exploration of folklore, history and the multiple perspectives on plant medicine. We will touch on western herbalism, indigenous practices, ayurveda and more. By working in this way, we learn primarily through our own process, the wisdom of the plants and how we can work with them. We can develop a deep ability to listen to the language of plants.
A key part of our practice includes sharing our experiences with the others in our group. Whilst our experiences during the week are our own, it is powerful to come together and talk about our process of connecting to the plants. It can be incredibly moving to witness the process of others and be witnessed ourselves. Our sharing circles create a supportive and non-judgemental container to aid our process of learning and healing, which we feel is integral to our path as herbalists and growers.
Plants we may work with-
Blue Vervain, Calendula, Yarrow, Ashwagandha, Wood Betony, Valerian, Hyssop, Chamomile, Spilanthes, Sweet Annie, Tulsi, Lemon Balm, California Poppy, Motherwort
These may change if another plant presents itself and is a better fit for us.
If possible we will visit an herb farm at some point, need to contact them and arrange once we know home many people are registered.
Thursday evenings from 3-5 pm for 8 weeks
May 4rd- June 22th
Location: Mountain Rose Mercantile
152 W. 5th Ave Eugene, OR 97401
Cost: $375-$475
This covers-
Tinctures, Herbs, Starts, seeds, and facilitation
To sign up please send an email to jameskeskimaki@gmail.com
Plant Spirit Medicine Herb Walks
Join me as we get to know our local plant friends through intentional communion. We will start our day with a tea ceremony to settle into our time together, and get to know one another. We will then start walking in silence to allow ourselves to connect more deeply with our surroundings. After about 30 minutes we will meet one of the plants or fungi. Here we will “sit” with a plant of our choosing. To “sit” with a plant is to connect with the essence or spirit of said plant. This is done by sitting next to the plant for a period of time, observing the plant, tasting the plant is it sweet, bitter, astringent or spicy, listening deeply, and what does it want to show you. There is a power and beauty when we surrender to the energies of the other than human life forms. By sitting, tasting, and setting the right intention you will learn directly from the plants themselves. After sitting we will share our experiences and I will share my own knowledge of the medicinal and spiritual qualities along with proper ID and harvesting techniques. We will continue this process with at least three or four different plants. You will receive the Materia Medica of each plant we work with, which includes all the information we will talk about and more
Think of it as forest bathing meets herbal education. We will also share different herbal medicines and teas of some of the plants we are working with to allow us to feel deeper into the plants and the region we are exploring.
Meet up at the designated location within 1-2 hours of Eugene at 10 am.
Each herb walk will be btw 4-7 hours so bring snacks and appropriate clothing.
Some of the Plants and Mushrooms we will get to know include-
Aralia, Oregon Grape Root, Red Belted Polypore, Yarrow, Hawthorn, Parrot's beak, Wild Ginger, St. Johns wort, Devils Club, Elephants Head, and more…
Almost :-) every 1st and 3rd Sunday starting in May through September
Cost- $40 per person
We will be following COVID precautions.