~ A Year of Gaia Certificate Track~

Based on Gaia’s Year One Sacred Plant Medicine Apprenticeship

The certificate path is for students who attend live class lectures, and wish to go deeper into this course! The assignments will support you in journeying with the plants covered each module, and strengthen your knowledge of the plants through first hand experience and research. You will hand in your completed modules at your own pace, finishing in two years from the start of your course to receive a certificate. Sage will give you support and feedback around the first few module if you need it, and then notes once you have handed in all of your modules upon completion. If you have questions as you go, you are always welcome to ask for support!

Once you have signed up for the monthly live lecture series, you can join the certificate track if you like!

A printed certificate will be mailed to you after completion of the full course, and Sage will give you responses and support on the work you submit. You will have two years to finish the course work. The certificate mailed to you will be for the completion of the Year of Gaia course in traditional herbalism & sacred plant medicine. A certificate does not make someone an herbalist, since it takes years of practice and study. This can be one part of continued herbal medicine or holistic healing training that prepares you to offer plant medicine to your community!

If English is not your first language, please write your reflections and profiles in the language that is most comfortable for you. We will translate them so you can write in your own words.

Monthly Assignments

1 Journal Reflection
3 Tea Meditation Reflections
3 Plant Profiles
3 Medicines

1 ~ Monthly Journal Entry ~ 1/2 page to 1 page free write reflections on that module’s content. What did you receive or experience in reading and listening to that module’s content?

2 ~ Tea Meditation Reflections ~ Journal your experiences from 3 tea meditations with 3 different plants each month. Tea meditations are a way for you to introduce yourself to a few plants each month, and then you decide what plant you want to actually go deeper with and work with for a period of time. These reflections should be written down in a journal right after your tea meditation. They can be in the form of writing, art, poetry, video, audio, or journaling. You can type them or handwrite and photograph the journal entry.

3 ~ Plant Ally Profiles ~ Three profiles each module on a plant of your choice from that month’s module. We recommend profiling the plants from your tea meditations. These profiles are one page (or more) including research you have collected. Here is a template you can use, or create your own! You do not have to write in complete sentences, this is just a compiling of research you find for your own reference. Scroll down for more details. *** You do not need to do plant medicine profiles for the last two months of February and March.

4 ~ Medicine Making ~ Three medicines made each module with plants of your choice. These are simples using only one plant from that month’s module. I recommend it being one of the plants you profiled! Examples are vinegars, tinctures, glycerites, juices, steams, tea blends, oils, compress, salves, poultice, bundles or ritual items, body care products etc. Just make sure they are simples (only one plant in the medicine). In year two we work with blends, year one we create stock medicine in order to blend later. Please take a photo of each medicine and include a description of what it is. *** You do not need to make medicines for the last two months of February and March.

Go at your own pace!

Please go at your own pace, the homework for each module can be submitted anytime you like. You can submit multiple months at once if you like. Do not feel you need to hand in the work for each module by the end of each month when the next module releases. You can choose to finish them at your own pace, but the work will need to be completed for the course one year after the online course ends. *** You are welcome to add to your work after submitting them.

Detailed Instructions

Please create a Google Drive Folder titled with “ Your Name + A Year of Gaia 2020 or 2021" to save all your work in and share with Sage monthly. Within the main folder please create 12 folders for each month to submit your work.

Submit work only through saving the files to your Google Drive Folder. You can email Sage to let her know when a monthly folder of work is ready to view! Or you can wait until you have finished them all and notify her then. Sage will give you feedback on the first module’s submissions, and then again review them all together once you have completed the full year of modules. Please give Sage a couple weeks to send you any comments, and then check back with us to confirm we received your submission!

Monthly Homework Detailed ~

Here is a bit more information on what to submit each month. Remember each of these files should be uploaded to your Google Drive Folder. If you have questions or anything feels unclear, please ask in the Facebook group or send Sage an email at thegaiaschool@gmail.com. Have fun with these and enjoy the plants!

1. MONTHLY JOURNAL ENTRY ~

At the end of each module please write a reflection journal entry responding to the months module. Share what you have received, enjoyed, learned, gathered, experienced… Tell me about what you have been practicing and exploring related to that module. This should be 1/2 page to 1 page long. It is a free write, so you can write stream of consciousness! You can also record via video or audio your reflections. Let me know what you most enjoyed and received from that module. Any breakthroughs or take aways?

2. PLANT ALLY & TEA MEDITATION REFLECTIONS ~

Choose 3 plants from each month's module to drink as a tea, introducing yourself to them. These tea meditations are meant to just introduce you to new plants so you have a feel for their taste, and how they feel in your body. From introducing yourself to a number of plants over the course, you’ll find a few that you really want to go deep with over the course of the year. Think of the tea meditations as a way to just get a feel for new plants, in order to find your deep allies. Please hand in a journal entry on each of the plant meditations you choose for that month's module, sharing your reflections from drinking the tea. You can also include experiences during plant sits/communication, medicine making, or rituals with the plant. Each journal entry about these 3 plants should be a paragraph to 1/2 page, or longer. You can share photos here as well as journal entries of your experiences with each plant. Share what you experienced from them physically drinking the tea, energetically, emotionally, spiritually… Let yourself write free in any way that feels good to you. Poetry welcomed! Art welcomed.

3. PLANT ALLY PROFILES - 3 Plant Medicine Profiles / Monographs

Choose 3 plants from that month's module to research. Write a page or more on the information you most what to remember. I recommend choosing the plants you journeyed with in tea meditations! See instructions below for the information to include. Please do not copy and paste information in your plant profiles, the information should be written in your own words (but does not have to be in complete sentences. Think of these as taking notes on the research you find on each plant. Cite your references, either books or websites. Do not take information from websites that do not have a clear author. You are welcome to add quotes, but you should have most of the profile written in your own words. Here is a template you can use, or make your own! *** You do not need to create plant medicine profiles for the last two months of February and March.

Plant Ally Profiles ~ 1 page long or more

Please include the following information for each profile. If you have already created herbal monographs, please add to them so you are continuing to learn and research! Do not copy and paste other people’s information unless you are adding in a quote. Please cite your sources at the bottom of each profile.

Latin name & Common name
Habitat & Where they grow in the world
History of Use ~ Through research (ethnobotany/history/culture) or memories the plant relays to you).
Herbal Actions & Western Classifications ~ (antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, expectorant, vulnerary etc.)
Energetics - Ex. Warming, moistening, drying, and elemental energies such as Fire, Earth, Water, Air... Yin/yang, etc. Or describe their energy in your own words and experience.
Systems/Organs/Tissues Strengthened ~ Share what primary systems and organs the plant supports.
Specific medicinal actions - This is where you want the bulk of the information on a plant’s medicinal uses to be. I suggest having this section be 1/3 - 1/2 of your whole plant profile (and does not have to be in complete sentences, but should be organizing for your easy reference). This is information about the physical actions of the plant on the body. I recommend having a section for each organ/system this plant supports or a specific action, so you can add information later as you like. For example with dandelion, a section on the plant’s effects on digestion, section on it's effects on the kidneys, a section on it’s effects on the liver, hormone balancing, or blood cleansing. Choose the sections you create by what you think are the most important actions this plant has on the body. Share your experience and what research you have gathered. Make sure the information is from reliable sources with a clear author! Please mention your sources at the bottom of the profile.
Dosage & Preparations - How can this plant be used and what are a few options for preparations and dosage? What are the dosages and preparations you enjoyed with this plant?
Spiritual / Magickal Uses - From what the plant shared with you, what you experienced, and what you have gathered from research/lore/history.

4. MEDICINE MAKING - 3 Plant Medicines per module

Simples (meaning each plant by itself) made each module from the plants you wrote about in your profiles and reflections. If you have already taken a course with me where you made simples, you are welcome to create blends. Year two will focus on blends, and year one is creating the simples from which the blends are later made! *** You do not need to make medicines for the last two months of February and March.

Please share a photograph of the medicine you made with those 3 plants you worked with this module. This could be a tincture, oil, vinegar, juice, oil, syrup, smoke, or glycerite from each plant. Anything beyond a simple tea. Or something you created with this plant that was a form of medicine for you! A bath salt, a ceremonial pouch, a blessing bundle to burn as an offering... Choose whatever preparation you are most interested in making for that plant. Please reference the medicine making module, which I will send a link to for the folks on the certificate path. You can also ask Sage for support in making any medicines.

Let us know if you have any questions!

Get creative in showing me how you are diving into the practices and content. Enjoy the process of learning and journaling what arises for you! Get as personal or as practical as you like. Let it be creative and playful... Remember the deeper you go with the plants, the more you will receive for yourself along the journey.

I am honoured to be on this journey of remembering our medicine with you.
Love and blessings,
Sage

Plants for the Year

Purchasing herb material

For US orders - Check out Oshala Farm, Pacific Botanicals, and Mountain Rose Herbs. You can try Jean's Greens, Zack Woods Herb Farm, Healing Spirits herb farm for local folks. Starwest botanical and Frontier tend to be lower quality, but we use them when there is no other source. Please buy organic and the more local farms you support the better!

For outside US - Sourcing might be more challenging. I recommend contacting a local herbalist to find out where they buy or source dry plant material from. You might want to focus on your local medicinal plants as much as possible!

Quantity - You might want to only purchase a few ounces of a plant until you get to know it. I buy by the pound, but I know I want a large quantity. If you want to make medicine from a plant, you will want 1/2 lb to 1 lb. The lighter weight leaves are a big bag at 1 lb. Nourishing herbs because we use them in high quantity I recommend getting 1 lb.

*** Note ~ There are more plants than this list, so you may end up wanting to get a plant that isn’t on this list once you’ve done that month’s module!

.

APRIL ~ Nourishing herbs ~ Nettles (Urtica dioica), Oatstraw (Avena sativa), Dandelion (Taraxicum officinale), Burdock (Arctium lappa), Red Clover (Trifolium pratense), Chickweed (Stellaria media), Linden (Tilia cordata).

MAY ~ Shifting Herbs ~ Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris), Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata), Blue Lotus (Nymphaea caerulea which is pricy, so you can just get a small amount or skip it) , and Blue Vervain (Verbena hastata), Wild Lettuce (Lactuca virosa), Damiana (Turnera difusa)

Blessings herbs ~ Spruce & Pine Resins, Juniper, Sage, Cedar, Sweetgrass, Copal, Dragon’s Blood, Myrrh, and Sandalwood. If you buy these herbs, Palo santo, or Frankincense make sure they are absolutely sustainably and responsibly sourced.

JUNE ~ Your local plants growing around you, especially edible plants and what you are growing! Work on plant identification. The app PictureThis and others are great for plant identification. You can also post photos to our Facebook forum and Sage can help identify them for you.

JULY ~ Your local medicinal plants, what is growing around you!

AUGUST ~ Immune herbs & Adaptogens - Astragalus root (A. membranaceus), Reishi mushroom slices (Ganoderma lucidum or G. tsugae), Siberian Ginseng root (Eleutherococcus senticosus), Schisandra berries (Schisandra chinensis), Holy basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum), Ashwagandha root (Withania somnifera), Elderberry (Sambucus nigra), and Maca root (Lepidium meyenii). We will discuss other immune supportive herbs like Ginger, garlic, echinacea, and calendula as well).

SEPTEMBER ~ Red raspberry (Rubus idaeus), White peony root (Paeonia lactiflora), Red clover flowers (Trifolium pratense), Vitex berries (Vitex agnus-castus), Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca), Angelica archangelica root, Cacao bean, Vanilla bean, and Hibiscus (H. sabdariffa).

OCTOBER ~ Ginger, Turmeric, Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), Sweet Orange peel (Citrus sinensis), Bitter Orange peel (Citrus x aurantium), Marshmallow root (Althaea officinalis), and Dandelion root and leaf.

NOVEMBER ~ Linden (Tilia cordata), Rose (Rosa spp.), Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca), Hawthorn berries, leaf and flower (Crataegus laevigata or other Crataegus spp), Gingko biloba, Cinnamon, Wild Cherry bark (Prunus serotina), Rhodiola root (Rhodiola rosea).

DECEMBER ~ Peppermint, (Mentha x piperita), Sage (Salvia offinalis), Elecampane root (Inula helenium), Mullein (Verbascum thapsus), Angelica, Calamus (Acorus calamus), Pine (Pinus spp.), and Evergreens such as Spruce species. Other options - Oregano, Basil, Hyssop, or any mints.

JANUARY ~ Oatstraw, Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora), Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata), Peach (Prunus persica), Blue Vervain (Verbena hastata), Salvia officinalis, Butterfly pea (Clitoria ternatea), Gotu kola (Centella asiatica), Valerian (Valeriana officinalis), and St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum). Adaptogens will be discussed again.

FEBRUARY ~ Elder Flower (Sambucus nigra), Holy basil (Ocimum sanctum), Rose (Rosa rugosa), Sage (Salvia officinalis), Jasmine (Jasminum officinale), Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata), Blue Lotus (Nymphaea caerulea which is pricy, so you can just get a small amount or skip it) , and Mountain tea (Sideritis scardica). Blessings herbs will be used this module, and any consciousness shifting plants that connect you to spirit.

MARCH ~ Your main plant allies from the year’s journey! Choose any 3 you have not profiled yet for the plant medicine profiles. Tea meditations should be with any allies you would like to journey with deeper as you finish the year.

Please send us post your questions to our Facebook group, or ask in person during our live zoom calls each month!

Enjoy a year of magick!

A Year of Gaia

Online Course Includes ~ 16 Sessions

Course Syllabus

Nourishing Roots - April

Session One ~ Welcome ceremony, and guided meditations. Offerings to the Earth & Spirits. The Wise Wo/man Tradition (Tradition of the Elders). Plant allies. Nourishing medicinal herbs. Restorative herbalism. Nettles, Oatstraw, Chickweed, Burdock, Dandelion, Violet. Making fresh herbal juices. Daily nourishing self care. Harvesting & preparing spring edible plants. 

Ritual & Offerings - May

Session Two ~ Offerings & Creating sacred space with earth spirits. Blessings herbs: Spruce & Pine Resins, Mugwort, Juniper, Sage, Cedar, Sweetgrass, Frankincense, Copal, Dragon’s Blood, Myrrh and others. Sacred Plant Conservation & Cultural Appropriation. Traditions of our Ancestors & Sacred smoke offerings. Grounding, blessing, and cleansing the body/spirit. Cleansing, clearing, protecting, and banishing herbs. Consciousness Shifting Herbs ~ Mugwort, Passionflower, Blue Lotus, Kava kava, Damiana, and Blue Vervain. Beltane & Spring Rituals. Meditation, brain waves & altered states of consciousness.

Harvesting & Wildcrafting - June

Session Three - Ceremony & Practice of Plant Harvesting & Wildcrafting. Plant Communication & Offerings. Harvesting herbs in an ethical, respectful, and sacred way. Wild foods and edible plants of the spring and early summer. Plant Walks and Talks. Endangered Native plant protection & care. Litha & Summer Solstice rituals.

Sacred Medicine Making - July

Session Four - Ceremony & Practice of Medicine Making. Hands-on folk herbal preparations. How to make tinctures, teas, infusions, and salves. Medicine making with the moon phases, incorporating blessings and prayers. Herbal constituents, extracts, and methods. Herbal energetics explored. Herb safety levels, dosages, & tastes. Yin/Yang, Four Element Theory.

Immune System & Root Chakra - August

Session Six ~ The Root Chakra journey. Rebuilding, nourishing, & strengthening. Honouring our lineages & Ancestors. The Immune system overview, protection and boundaries. Herbs for healing and strengthening the immune system. Adaptogens, Deep-immune tonics, Immune stimulating herbs - Astragalus, Reishi, Siberian Ginseng (Eleuthero), Schizandra, Holy basil, Ashwagandha, Elderberry, and Maca. Lamas/Midsummer Rituals.

Reproductive System & The Sacral Chakra - September

Session Seven ~ Sacral Chakra & Plant allies for the reproductive system. Endocrine system & Hormone balancing with phytosterols. Herbs for balancing androgens and estrogens. Herbal support for menstruation, fertility, pregnancy, and menopause. Genitourinary herbal medicine, prostate health and andropause. Transgender herbal health care & support. Herbal Aphrodisiacs & Pleasure plants. Red raspberry, White peony, Red clover, Vitex, Motherwort, Angelica, Cacao, Vanilla, and Hibiscus.
Mabon / Fall equinox rituals.

Solar Plexus & Digestive System - October

Session Eight ~ The Solar Plexus - Healing plants for the solar plexus. Solar plexus prayers, rituals, and healing practices. The Digestive System overview – Holistic & Herbal Healing. Healing digestive issues with plants. Sacred Plant Medicine for self-care and self love. Ginger, Turmeric, Lemon balm, Sweet & Bitter Orange, Marshmallow, and Dandelion. Samhain Rituals.

Heart Chakra & Circulatory System - November

Session Nine ~ The Heart Chakra ~ Healing & strengthening. Plant allies for the heart and circulatory system. Heart chakra prayers, rituals, and healing practices. Heart & Circulatory system therapies. Herbs for grief, love, and compassion - Linden, Rose, Motherwort, Hawthorn, Wild Cherry, Rhodiola, Gingko, Cinnamon, and Amla.

Respiratory System & Throat Chakra - December

Session Ten ~ The Throat Chakra ~ Holistic therapies to restore health. Throat chakra prayers, rituals, and healing practices. Herbal medicine the respiratory system. Strengthening plant allies for the lungs. Sacred plants for channeling, expression, & breath - Mint family, Sage, Elecampane, Mullein, Angelica, Calamus, Pine, and Evergreens. Yule / Winter Solstice rituals.

Nervous System & Third Eye - January

Session Eleven ~ Third eye chakra ~ Awakening the dreaming mind. Herbal medicine for nourishing and supporting the nervous system. Holistic healing for stress, depression, and anxiety. Adaptogens, nervines, herbal pain relief & muscle relaxants. Brain tonics for memory and cognition. Supporting left & right brain communication. Oatstraw, Skullcap, Peach, Blue vervain, Heather, Sage, Butterfly pea, Gotu kola, Valerian, and St. John’s Wort.

Plant Spirit Medicine & Consciousness Shifting - February

Session Five - Plant Spirit Medicine. Communicating and journeying with plant allies. Guided journeys & Meditations. Working with spirit guides and ancestors. Third eye opening, dreamwork, & dream herbs. Spirit/dream journeying and communicating with earth spirits. Crown Chakra & Crown Chakra plants ~ Holy basil, Elder flower, Egyptian blue lotus, Rose, Sage, Jasmine, Valerian flower, Meadowsweet, and blessing herbs (Copal, Frankincense, Sweetgrass, Juniper, Cedar, etc.). Imbolc rituals.

The Sacred Wheel & The Medicine Path - March

Session Twelve ~ Guided journeys & meditation with our plant allies. Offerings & thanks to our plant teachers. The Sacred Wheel / Medicine Circle in healing and magic. The four elements and directions - Earth/North/Winter, East/Air/Spring, South/Fire/Summer, West/Water/Fall. Journeying with the spirits of the wheel, gathering medicine and connecting with allies. Journeying with our elders and continuing the self care journey.

Bonus Lessons ~

Bonus lessons will be released throughout the year!

Flower Essences & Learning Botany

Bonus Session ~ Plant Identification & botany. Using a plant key. Learning Plant Families. Meditations & Healing with Flowers. Flower walk & Flower essence making. Communication with flowers. Flower ID & Plants for pollinators. Doctrine of Signatures.

Spellcraft & Magical Herbalism

Bonus Lession ~ Spellcrafting & Magical herbalism. Sacred Plants of the Witch. Ritual & magic for healing & transformation. Working with the spirits of plants & earth. History of Witchcraft & Magical herbalism around the world. Poisonous plants for protection & banishing.

Tree Medicine & Magic

Bonus Lesson ~ Communicating with Tree Spirits. Guided meditations & meeting tree allies. Medicinal uses & lore of trees. Wildcrafting and medicine making from trees. Outdoor Tree Walk and ID. Black birch, White pine, Spruce, Cherry, Peach, Willow, Elder, Hawthorn, Gingko, Linden.

Fall Roots & Seeds

Bonus Lesson ~ Harvesting roots & root medicine making. Eating, preserving, processing root medicine and food. Harvesting medicinal herb seeds & Seeds saving. Fall plant harvests & gathering our apothecary from the year’s harvests. Root harvesting of Yellow dock, Burdock, Elecampane, Dandelion, Valerian, Echinacea, Marshmallow and others.

Enjoy a full year of healing journeys, falling in love with Gaia all over again...