NOurishing rites

Mentorship

 

Hello and welcome!

This mentorship is designed as a hands-on beginner/intermediate herbal apprenticeship; covering plant identification, major plant families, local medicinal and edible plants, seasonal harvesting, foraging and making remedies. In addition, this mentorship will deepen your relationship with the Earth through nature connection, wilderness skills and spiritual practices.

This mentorship is available to 5 students and includes group classes, one-on-one sessions and an overnight retreat.

 

“This is one of the most rewarding things I've ever decided to do. Alex is extraordinarily knowledgable in the realms of herbalism, mindfulness and nature connection, but still leaves room to learn with you as a mentee. It makes the perfect container for work like this!” - Sarah

This mentorship is for you. I am here to support your path towards herbalism, self nourishment, wholeness and sovereignty. I am here to be a guide and to nourish your unique relationship with plants and the Earth. I encourage you to self study, work with other herbalists and mentors, to ask lots of questions, to be curious, to challenge what is generally accepted; to fall in love with the great mystery of life, with the “I don’t knows”, with chaos…and to find your own path to medicine and wholeness.

But mostly I encourage you to trust yourself, your mind, your sensations, your body, your heart, the plants. They are our ultimate teachers. 

By choosing to commit to this mentorship you are choosing to engage and participate in a lifelong relationship with green allies, ritual, magic and the Earth.

I choose the word “commit” intentionally: commitment is our ability to follow through with our desires with intention and purpose. Every commitment we make expresses both our desires and our limits. It is a contract with ourselves, the Earth and our mentor. 

The mentorship includes the following…

One monthly in-person Green Allies Day as a group:

  • Plant identification, folklore, botany, poisonous plants and plant reproduction 

  • Major plant families covered: mint (Lamiaceae), parsley (Apiaceae) , mustard (Brassicaceae), pea (Fabaceae), lilly (Liliaceae), aster (Asteraceae), rose (Rosaceae), and more!

  • In each of these families we will work with specific plants which grow locally and discuss useful plants which grow elsewhere

  • Green allies and nourishing rituals for women’s health

  • The Harvesting Medicine Wheel, how to work with each part of the plant through the seasons (leaves, blooms, roots, bark, berries, fruit, seeds)

  • Sustainable harvesting and foraging practices 

  • Making remedies: tinctures, salves, infused vinegars, oxymels, smoking mixes, burning mixes, infusions, decoctions, basic fermentation, infused oils, teas, herbal wines.

  • Nature observation practices including awareness skills, bird language basics, navigation skills, wilderness skills.

  • Working with the full medicine spectrum, understanding the different healing traditions, herbal actions and constituents

  • Location for each meeting will be determined based on the season, weather patterns and specific plants. The maximum driving range will be around 40 minutes from Chester, NY.

  • Full detailed curriculum will be distributed once your application has been accepted. Green Ally days are rain or shine.

One-on-one meetings, once per month, for 1.5hrs:

  • Q&A on reading materials, Green Allies teaching sessions, rituals, etc

  • Personal questions and consultations 

Weekend Celebration Retreat in Walton, NY (November)

  • Details will be shared once your application has been approved

Materials included:

  • Green Allies handouts for each class, includes plant monographs, herbal actions, instructions on how to make remedies and more!

  • Detailed curriculum (can change as we go along to better suit your needs and the needs of the group)

  • 3 books of your choosing from a list I will distribute, access to a full library of reference books

  • All materials used to make remedies, i.e. you don’t have to worry about bringing anything to class and you will leave with whatever you are making.  

Green Allies Dates

Saturday April 13

Saturday May 18

Saturday June 29

Saturday July 20

Saturday August 17

Saturday September 14

Saturday October 12

Weekend of November 8 - Weekend Retreat

If some of these dates do not work for you please let me know in your application

Mentorship Cost

The total cost of this mentorship is $1900, to be paid as follows: 

  • $300 deposit due by January 31st, 2024.  

  • 4 installments of $400, April 30th, June 30th, August 31st, October 31st. 

There are no refunds unless an event is cancelled. You can choose to stop participating in the mentorship at any time, in which case no future payments will be required, payments already made will not be reimbursed if you choose to stop participating in the mentorship. 

Payment options, work exchange and sliding scale are available.

Application process and timelines

Please submit your application by February 9th. You will receive an email with any further questions and instructions within 1 week of submitting your application.

“I'm so grateful to have gotten then opportunity to study herbalism throughout this year with Alex. This mentorship truly served to deepened my connection to plant allies, the Goddess, and my own sense of power. Alex has a way of sharing plants and magic in a way that captures a wealth of information but also a personal and intimate knowing that guided me into much more meaningful relationships with herbal allies. There was so much alchemy in working one-on-one with Alex as well as coming together with an incredible group of women walking this path together.”