Summer Intensive 2016:
Gathering Chaos, Weaving Power
The Red Thread Apothecary
Apprenticeship
Summer is the time of heather and fields and long days and nights of harvest.
In summer we reveal, we bloom, scorch, bask, fruit, seed and spread.
The magic is in air and action.
There is chaos, oh There is chaos.
In summer surrender falls deep to the beating of hoof and wing.
Necessary as the tumble of the sea.
The summer apprenticeship with the Red Thread is an opportunity to dive head first into the offerings of the summer in a hands- on, magic crafting, close coven/ peer group.
The Summer Apprenticeship will run the beginning of June through the end of August. We meet 6 times a month, and meeting dates will be tailored to the groups schedule and set by early May. Applications are due by May 8th.
The apprenticeship is capped at 7 folks. All Identities are welcome to apply, with full consent and agreement that we are working in a trauma informed and anti-oppressive framework which is to be respected and practiced throughout the apprenticeship.
Some of the plants you will get to work with directly and explore are: Yarrow, Saint Jones Wort, Rose, Elecampane, Fireweed, Golden Rod, Lavender, Calendula, Comfrey, Plantain, Uva Ursi, Hawthorne, Nettle, Wild Ginger, Devils Club, Mugwort, Doug Fir, Cedar, Dandelion, Agrimony, Valerian, Chamomile, Reishi and Turkey Tail Mushroom, lemon balm, oat straw, red raspberry leaf, feverfew, bleeding heart and much much more!!
We will 2x a week, 3 weeks a month. We will alternating Sunday afternoon/ Monday Morning and Monday Afternoon/ Tuesday Morning. These will be tailored around YOUR availability. Please take a good look at your schedule and priorities in order to give an honest answer of your commitment level.
Each month I will send out an email detailing our specific themes and events we’ll be working with. When you apply, please list any conflicting SUNDAY evenings, Monday’s or Tuesday’s you may have.
Each month will consist of:
1 Healing House Practice Day (Friday 10am- 3pm)
1 Wild crafting Work Day (Saturday 10am- 3pm)
1 Offerings Evening (Saturday 7pm- 10pm)
1/2 Garden Work Day (Sunday 12-3pm)
1/2 Kitchen Witch Work Day (Sunday 3pm-6pm)
Wilderness Practice Day (Wednesday 10am- 5pm)
1 Somatic Evening (weekday 7pm- 10pm)
At the beginning of September we will have a 2-day, 1 night retreat and initiation.
Cost:
$363
This comes out to about 20$ per day of learning.
This Fee covers the costs of 3 non potluck meals a month, gas and travel costs for the group, cost of learning and printed materials, supporting and tending the apothecary and rental costs, and travel and stay costs for the final retreat.
Payment plans are available if arranged BEFORE apprenticeship begins. Please contact me if there are any money concerns. We WILL try to figure it out.
In the past apprentices have made arrangements to include this apprenticeship in their contracts/ credits at Evergreen. Please include that in your application if you want to do so.
DESCRIPTION OF WORK DAYS
Work Days is your chance to engage in the many facets of running an apothecary/ practicing as an herbalist. These days we explore the creator/destroyer aspects of ourselves in active, production oriented days, which benefit the apothecary. Here you’ll learn ethical wild crafting and plant location and identification, folk based ratios and recipes of a wide spectrum of herbal medicines, garden and horticulture of herbs, as well as navigating licensing, labeling and creativity within the world of herbal business.
Wild crafting Work Days
Will consist of coming with me to many of my gathering spots around the PNW and harvesting plants for the apothecary. Along the way, you’ll meet many wonderful people whose properties we harvest from and get to see their way of life and land. Then we’ll take them to the apothecary and make different medicines from them and hang them to dry. You’ll take home raw plant material.
Garden Work Days
Will consist of getting to work planting, tending and harvesting cultivated herbs from the garden that I share with Cynthia Kennedy. We also may be going out to Rochester to harvest and work with our collaborators Blazing Yarrow Farm. There also will be opportunities to learn how to can and preserve food from the garden (and we might go blueberry picking ) We also tend our garden emotionally and spiritually, so we sing and spend time being creative for it.
Kitchen Witch Work Days
Will consist of spending an afternoon producing in our rented commercial kitchen, which allows us to meet Washington State compliance. Here we do all our bottling/ labeling/extracting and sealing of products to get them ready for market. Your will learn to make tea blends, make recipes, and find creativity within the production process. We may be joined by our production manager and graphic designer Sara Digby.
PRACTICE DAYS
Practice days are slow, deep and luscious days were we allow our selves to go underground, under the skin of the world and explore the heart of healing and medicine. We prepare for this by doing magical homework assignments throughout the month, reading inspiring healing text, and practicing honesty and creativity. These days are containers to share and heal in, and our less linear, goal oriented than our workdays. We practice listening, connecting with the plants, connecting with ourselves and our bodies, singing, speaking our truth, challenging our stories, raising power, casting incantation and making magical medicine. Developing self-love and capacity for wholeness are essential for our survival and thriving. Healer Heal Thy Self. Healer Heal Thy Self.
Main meal is provided for practice days and will be integrating food as medicine.
Wilderness Practice Day
This day we will go out in the wild somewhere, usually involving a hike or a drive (this day may occasionally run longer than stated hours). You will get to a chance to do somatic exercises and plant connection of all sorts with the plants, as well as have solitude time. Please let me know if you need any help acquiring basic hiking gear. We will wild harvest and make a custom magic potion to take home.
Building Your Healing Hut Practice Day
Will be an opportunity to connect with your peers around different types of stories and philosophies of medicine. We’ll take a critical look at the medical industrial system, seminar from the book “Healing Wise” by Susan Weed, and explore our own stories that want to be nourished. We will also spend time listening and gathering wisdom from the plants. One of these days we will do a sweat together.
EVENING SESSIONS
Our evening sessions are a chance for us to gather in the nighttime, and explore some of the undercurrents/-shadowed areas of our work. These will be opportunities to work deeply with intuition and practice within a community.
Everyone can bring a snack to share for this.
Somatic evenings
Will be deep explorations of the stories and memories of our bodies. We will somatically learn about different body systems (lymphatic, nervous system, ect.) We will also talk about providing trauma informed care, and learn about how different systems are influenced by our life experiences. We will so some partner touch work, experiential exercises, and art exercises.
Offerings Evening
We live in a world where we are not often taught/ allowed giving or receiving fully, wholly or with heart. We might be more practiced in one, and uncomfortable in the other, or we question our own value/ intuition when it comes to the present of being present. This is an evening we practice bringing an offering to the group, and also receiving one.
The 5 offerings are gift, song, ritual, story and plant share.
Please fill out the application on the website as well as provide any weekends you know you will not be available. Contact me if you have any further questions at
I look forward to being with plants and YOU!