Becoming A Bioregional Herbalist - Spring in the Sonoran Desert

with bioregional herbalist & forager, John Slattery

Catalina State Park, Tucson, AZ

March 23-25, 2018

Friday 4-6p    *overnight camping

Saturday  8a-5p   *overnight camping

Sunday 8a-3p 

Bioregional herbalism is a thing of the past. So old it is new again. It’s the way that people all over the country are seeking to engage with plants in their back yards to find inspiration and the tools for optimal nourishment for their physical body as well as their soul, and the tools to take care of themselves and their community members with integrity, effectiveness, and compassion.

Learning to become a bioregional herbalist is as simple as going for a walk. Many walks. Spending time observing Nature, looking at plants closely and talking to elders within your community whenever possible. Learning about plants which naturally grow and thrive around you by developing relationship with the place in which you live is part of who we are, each and every one of us. It’s simply time to wake up to this and embrace it.

Deep connection through continued observation is the foundation for a bioregional herbalist. Knowledge is derived from experience, and wisdom through continued practice and observation of Nature (people, place, and plants). Learning about the plants found naturally occuring around us, in their natural habitat, begins to deepen our relationship to place. Little by little, patterns begin to emerge which inform us as to how we can use plants for medicine. 

If you are called to develop relationship with the plants around you for food and medicine, but unsure how to begin, then this workshop is just for you.

Also, if you have been gathering knowledge about the plants around you, but would like to go deeper, this workshop is also for you.

In this 3-day workshop we will explore the fundamental aspects of becoming a bioregional herbalist: developing relationship with place and the plants within it. This endeavor leads us to the study of field botany, respectful wildcrafting and participation with our environemt, plant energetics, landscape observation, developing and exercising the senses (particularly the feeling sense), herbal medicine making, and applying these medicines for well-being and healing utilizing our knowledge of our homeland and plant energetics. 

This workshop will be comprised of several modules that will be conducted both in our camping area and out in the desert away from any development.

Field Botany Intenstive 

We’ll spend 2.5hr exploring the details and nomenclature of subtle botanical features of the plants we encounter on the trail. Becoming familiar with the makeup of a flower and its vocabulary, we can develop competency in learning the plants in our area through botanical science. 

Plant Energetics Intensive

What are plant energetics? This module will serve to explain the concepts and principles on which we’ll be relying to discuss the unique energetics and applications of our local desert plants. This discussion will continue throughout the weekend interwoven into each plant we observe, but the initial in-depth training provided will improve each participant’s comprehension of this complex and intricate subject.

Ogham - The Language of the Trees

How else do we communicate but through language? In this introductory module we’ll explore the ancient Irish language of Ogham and how it may relate not only to the trees in our midst, but also our ancestors, where we come from, how we learn from Nature, and how her mystery is communicated to and through us.

The remainder of the time will be spent on walkabout through the hills, mesas, and canyons of the beautiful and diverse Catalina State Park. The spring season is wonderful with cool nights and warm days, full of fragrant blossoms.  

Additionally, the exercises in this workshop will introduce the participant to a method of learning which is empowering, distinctly individualized, unusually contextual, and highly experiential. 

Join bioregional herbalist, John Slattery, for this intensive workshop to begin to transform your approach to working with plants. Starting in your own backyard you can become a master of the wild food and medicine that grows within arm’s reach. Then begin to branch out with the basic principles and practices learned in this workshop to continually learn more about your local environment including unique ways to apply the herbal medicines you learn about. Becoming equipped with a hands-on approach to field botany can open up many opportunities for gaining unique knowledge about the plants you work with, and support further research into the ethnobotany and scientific research of other cultures across the globe. 

Class begins Friday afternoon, and both Saturday and Sunday are full days of study held entirely at Catalina State Park. Participants are encouraged to set up camp prior to class on Friday, if possible.

The campsite fee is included in your registration. Be sure to indicate upon registration if you do not intend to camp so your spot can be passed along to someone else. Campsites can be chosen within our group area upon arrival, Friday afternoon. 

Single day registration for Saturday and Sunday is also available (see options below).

There is also a couple’s discount available.

All sale prices are through March 7, 2018.

A list of what to bring will be sent upon registration.

I look forward to seeing you there!

John Slattery, Bioregional Herbalist

Tucson, AZ

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