Becoming A Bioregional Herbalist - Las Vegas

with herbalist, John Slattery

April 24-26, 2020

Workshop fee: $185

Early Bird Registration (before March 21): $145

Learning about the plants that naturally occur around us as food or medicine is part of an ancient pathway. Like many other ancient practices, it has become new again. Fortunately, this practice is a way back to our true selves, one which promotes insights, knowledge and care of self, and enlivens within us integrity and compassion.

Join John for this exclusive weekend workshop in the Las Vegas area in order to develop and deepen your skills for learning from and working with wild plants for food and medicine!

I call it bioregional herbalism. It’s not just about learning the facts of the natural world around you - it’s about relationship. Taking time to observe, listen, and contemplate, learning grows from a natural fountain of inspiration. Learning to embrace this practice is a way of coming home. 

Deep connection through continued observation is the foundation for becoming 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 occurring 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. 

I’m excited to be returning to the deserts and mountains of the Las Vegas area this spring to offer this weekend workshop. With the release of my latest book, Southwest Medicinal Plants, I hope to inspire more people to connect to their local landscape and become in-tune to the flow of the elements through the passing of the seasons.

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.

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

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In this 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 environment, 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 while utilizing our knowledge of our home landscape. 

We’ll cover several key areas of bioregional herbalism throughout the weekend. We’ll spend time going over the basics of field botany equipping the beginner to begin identifying plants in the field through sensorial characteristics. 

Throughout the workshop we’ll be delving into plant energetics. Core concepts and principles will be introduced and covered repeatedly. Experiencing the plants in their natural setting and exploring these concepts amongst others (and through John’s guidance) while also consuming small amounts of plant medicine in context allows one to acquire this knowledge readily.

Participants come away from these experiences appreciating plants in a whole new way, even when they already had a deep appreciation for plants.

Following are select comments from a previous participant:

John is breathing new life into an ancient way of engaging with plants. What seemingly begins as an outward exploration of the local bioregion, quickly becomes a profound study of the internal landscape, of one’s own capacity to be in dialogue with the intelligent, living medicines of the green world. John reawakens in each of us, our own ability to receive wisdom directly from the source- from the plants themselves- through his invitation into stillness, an open heart, the body’s felt sense, and other subtle impressions.

The Las Vegas area offers a fair amount of wilderness to explore and substantial plant diversity awaits us as we head up the mountain. We will dedicate a fair amount of our time to observing plants in their natural habitat. We will touch them, smell them, even taste some of them. We’ll discuss them in depth, and each participant will be challenged to feel into the experience of each plant we taste, thus fostering deeper relationships with the plants we meet.

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. 

When the opportunity presents itself, we may gather some herb for medicine making as a group. Mother Nature provides the classroom and is our Teacher… we will simply show up and follow her lead.

Bringing together concepts which are deeply familiar, yet widely applicable serves to lift the participant up into a new level of growth and learning.

Using our hearts and hands to interact with the landscape, we call Her beauty and healing ways back into our lives.

Join me 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. 

Arrangements are currently being made for the various locations of our workshop in the wilderness areas surrounding Las Vegas. Transportation is necessary, but carpooling may be available upon registration.

An option to camp for Friday and Saturday night will be available as well. More details to come.

Full details will be sent, once available, upon registration.

*All participants can purchase a signed copy of John’s latest book, Southwest Medicinal Plants, at the discounted price of $20 .

**Early Bird Discounts end March 21

John J Slattery LLC

Bioregional Herbalist

Tucson, AZ

© 2016-2020

www.johnjslattery.com