A Year of Gaia

Sacred Plant Medicine
& Traditional Herbalism Course

Registration Opens
in December for 2025

Online with Sage Maurer & Guest Teachers
Includes Access to 12 Months of Modules
Recorded Monthly Zoom Classes

A Year of Gaia is a comprehensive year long distance course in traditional folk herbalism, based on the popular Year One Sacred Plant Medicine Apprenticeship we have run for 22 years. This is the foundational course we offer that has nurtured hundreds of budding herbalists and plant lovers over the years! A Year of Gaia will deepen your relationship to the world's healing plants, and provide a strong foundation in the herbalism of our ancestors. The plants we will be journeying with become intimate guides and teachers for a lifetime.

Go at your own pace, and join us live for monthly class lectures and guided plant journeys, or watch the recordings on your own time. Lessons will include plant medicine journeys, herbalism lectures, guided meditations, plant profiles, holistic anatomy and physiology, medicine making, and healing rituals that make up the roots of our practice at The Gaia School.

Course content will be accessed through a beautiful multi media Year of Gaia website. Each lesson includes 5 - 10 video classes, audio lectures, guided meditations, optional monthly live class lectures and tea meditations, written content, and handouts. You'll receive lifetime access to all course content, moving at your own pace through each lesson. All live meditations throughout the year are recorded, so no matter when you start you’ll be able to watch them from home on your own time. A Year of Gaia as well as all our in person courses combine traditional herbalism, ethnobotany, holistic healing, plant spirit medicine, and healing journeys with the spirits of Gaia.

Students who sign up for the class lecture series have the option of doing the Certificate Track for this course. This first year training focuses on learning the plants primarily through your own experiences in using them for your own wellness. Year one focuses most on self healing and building relationships with the plants yourself, while year two explores working with the plants to support others in your community. This first year training will deepen your herbalism path, creating new relationships with the healing plants that surround you.

LIVE ZOOM CLASS OPTIONS ~
This course includes 1 live guided plant journey & tea meditation each month via zoom.
Students can also register for monthly class lectures that are 3 hours long in length. Year of Gaia students will be able to purchase them in their members area at a discount rate of $300 for all 12 three hour live zoom classes after registering for this course.

Included in Course
Guided Plant Journeys & Tea Meditations ~ First Live Class Dates
April 17th 1-3pm EST
May 15th 1-3pm EST
June 12th 1-3pm EST

OPTIONAL CLASS LECTURE SERIES
12 Zoom Lectures for $300 Total ~Available for purchase in course members area
Students attending the lecture series can do the Certificate Track option.

All Classes Recorded for Future Viewing!

In-Depth Herbalism Education for All!

We price our courses lower than most because we believe in keeping herbalism training affordable. This course is priced with the intention of fighting the ever increasing high prices of herbalism and natural medicine training. We hope to ensure that plant medicine is available to everyone, as it is the primary and most ancient method of health care globally. Our offerings are in service and gratitude to all of our ancestors, communities, the plants, and this beloved earth. We hope all our alumni will also help keep prices for herbal education low enough for all people to access, and set an example for herbalism education to be accessible.

Learn at your own pace and join us for live zoom lecture classes!

Throughout this course you will receive Sage's mentorship through live classes, plant meditations, videos, audio recordings, and written content each month, as well as an online community of others journeying with the plants. Through our online class group you will be able to ask questions and receive guidance for an entire year. Please note that you only receive access to class recordings for the course year you enrolled (2024-2025). If you enroll anytime after the start of the course, you will receive all previous class recordings.

Relish a full year of plant magic and healing…

A Year of Gaia ~
Sacred Plant Medicine Course

Online Course Includes ~ 12 Modules & Live Classes

Course Syllabus

Includes Monthly Live Zoom Classes

Invitations to monthly online plant medicine journeys and tea meditations are included in this course. Students who want to attend live classes for this course should sign up for them in the course members area.
You are welcome to start this course anytime after the course begins and watch the modules at your own pace! Unlimited course access with all future updates.

Session One ~ Nourishing Herbs & Traditions of Herbalism
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. 

Session Two ~ Creating Sacred Space & Blessing 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 offerings. Cleansing, clearing, protecting, and banishing herbs. Meditation, brain waves & altered states of consciousness. Consciousness Shifting Herbs ~ Mugwort, Passionflower, Blue Lotus, Kava kava, Damiana, and Blue Vervain. Beltane & Spring Rituals.

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

Session Four - Ritual & 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.

Session Six ~ The Root Chakra & Immune System
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.

Session Seven ~ Sacral Chakra & Plants 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.

Session Eight ~ The Solar Plexus & Digestive System
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.

Session Nine ~ The Heart Chakra & Circulatory System
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.

Session Ten ~ Respiratory System & 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.

Session Eleven ~ Nervous System & Third Eye
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. Third eye opening, dreamwork, & dream herbs. Oatstraw, Skullcap, Peach, Blue vervain, Heather, Sage, Butterfly pea, Gotu kola, Valerian, and St. John’s Wort.

Session Five - Plant Spirit Medicine & Crown Chakra
Communicating and journeying with plant allies. Guided journeys & Meditations. Working with spirit guides and ancestors. 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.

Session Twelve ~ The Sacred Wheel & The Medicine Path
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.

Register for Year of Gaia

The Gaia School of Healing’s sacred plant medicine courses from home!

Join us for a full year of healing journeys, falling in love with the plants!

Bonus Lessons ~

Flower Essences

Bonus Session ~ Meditations & Healing with Flowers. Flower essence making and storing. Dosing flower essences. Communication with flowers. Our favorite flower essences.

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.

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. Poisonous plants for protection & banishing. Coming soon!

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. Coming soon!

Testimonials for Year of Gaia

" A Year of Gaia - The Gaia School of Healing & Earth Education and Sage L. Maurer is something extraordinary. I have learned so much about the plant world and myself. This is something of a magic carpet ride where you are fully supported and loved and cared for. Sage is the gatekeeper and the ancient wisdom holder. She does not just teach you facts, she encourages you to develop a relationship with the living world around you, especially with the plants… and from there on supports you in your individual journey. Even though it is online you really become an apprentice and you are given so much support. Witnessing Sage's relationship with the plant creates safe haven for you to ease into everything that comes naturally once you open your heart towards the plants. The support material, the videos, the playlists, the book recommendations, and the calls are really something that allows individual development. You can go as deep as you wish. So many people have asked me about my plant journey and I wouldn't recommend any other course than this. " - Amy Neuman

“The Gaia School of Healing and Earth Education's year-long course was a life-changing one for me. I do not usually enjoy online courses, but this material was delivered in such an interactive, self-paced, and beautiful formate that I was deeply absorbed in the material from start to finish. I had heard about the in-person course for years from many herbalists I know and admire, and had long dreamed of accessing this material, so registered immediately upon finding out that it was available online. Then COVID-19 hit, literally right before the first month of the course. I found myself becoming friends with the plants in my area: wild-harvesting nettles along the creek half an hour away with my nine-year-old son, wild-harvesting mugwort by the ocean at my sweetheart's home, scavenging huge trash bags of calendula flowers my friend had pulled from her garden as unwanted weeds and was eager to get rid of. I harvested elderberries along the nature preserve behind my home. And with all of this, I made healing skin salves, face oils, tinctures, cordials and other immune-supporting gifts for my friends and family. I've now devoted an entire area in my home to preparing, making, and storing herbal medicines. Sage also offered supplementary zoom calls -- recorded for those who could not attend -- which I have returned to time and again. Just tonight, I was rereading all of her notes on herbs for COVID-19 and sorting through the seeds I've ordered during this class, to be sure I will have a garden full of anything my friends and family may need in the uncertain months ahead.”

“I feel so deeply grateful for this course. I had a background working in natural food and herb stores, and had dabbled in gardening and in making some of my own skincare products in the past. But this course was so comprehensive, and so deeply addressed not only the mechanics but also the deeper body-mind-spirit issues so intrinsically essential to working ethically with plant medicines, that I learned more about plants this year than I have in the past 20 years. Sage's expertise and generosity with her knowledge are unparalleled by anyone in her field. Not only did I learn myself, but I became part of a thriving online community of budding herbalists who shared their own creations throughout the course. A lively dialogue ensued on the group's private Facebook page, and many meaningful friendships were forged. The plants in my area have now become my friends. I look forward to when they are up to be harvested, and have also begun to teach my children about the many powerful medicines growing all around them all the time. I feel deeply empowered to care for myself and my loved ones in a new way. And I am forever changed. Thank you, Sage! ~ Ellen Katharine Anderson

“The Gaia School of Healing came into my life as the most beautiful gift from my guides and the universe! To be honest I was not looking to be an herbalist and my guides were leading me on a journey to know my soul and awaken to who I truly am. Sage and the students are so open and welcoming creating a safe and welcoming environment. In Sage’ s presence I can feel her love for the Earth and us as students.  Her knowledge about the material flows through her and is truly beyond description.  The style and method of the way the lessons are designed and implemented surpassed my expectations. Sage guides us through ritual, meditation, and wisdom on how to connect with the spirits of the plants, the Earth, the land, our guides, our ancestors and so much more. The Gaia School of Healing has taken me on a healing journey I never expected and am so grateful to be on.  Since I started the courses in July the way I live and perceive the world has shifted! I wake up every morning and do a blessing ritual, go on a nature walk and talk with the spirits! I am connecting with the spirit of the plants through infusions, teas, and tinctures. Sage, I am so grateful for you and the experiential learning you have created through your school! Words cannot express my gratitude. Thank you from my soul!” ~ Cynthia Taylor

“This has been by far the most comprehensive class I have taken since graduating from college. Anyone who is interested in learning more about plants and plant medicine will get an outstanding education. There is so much valuable information here that I will be going through the course again to absorb all of the information. I appreciate that Sage provides so much information as well as tangible information (such as physiology, astrology, etc.) so that I get a holistic and world view of what I'm learning. Doing the certificate path was the right move for me because it helped me retain and learn more. Sage also brings a sensitivity to all beings and walks of life that you rarely find these days. What has been most incredible and profound for me is the healing that I have received doing this course. I am new to plant medicine and have found that I have a connection to the plants that has delighted me. I know that I will use plants in my tool box to support others. I feel confident with the materials that Sage has given me to go out in the world and do no harm.” ~ Julie Coraccio

“I experienced "A Year with Gaia 2020" as a profound soul journey to connect with the plant spirit world, expertly guided by Sage Maurer. Sage's depth and breadth of knowledge truly held the group beautifully. She shared so much of herself in this course with such ease and grace, teaching us with her patience and ability to navigate the technical landscape without stress. Sage is a rare selfless connected Spirit Guide and she has generously shared her insights in this course. It is an honor to sit in meditations and private zoom calls with her. Each session is filled with stories, teachings and embodied wisdom. I am truly grateful for her guidance.” ~ Lee Yen Anderson

“I have followed the school for a while but do not live local so I was so excited when it came available for online this year. While this year has had the very known widespread challenges of a pandemic, this was also the hardest year of life changes for me personally. I started this coursework broken hearted, disconnected, and unaware of my own magic. Each month I have found connection, to Mother Earth, to myself, I have found myself inspired, worthy, strong, and completely full of love. I have gained so much knowledge of plant uses, participated is beautiful rituals and ceremonies, and now a full, life changing library of books recommended throughout this course. More than anything, I have found true healing of the body, heart, mind, and soul. I couldn’t be more in love with this process, this course, Sage as the beautiful guide, and all the women who partake and share their experiences. Thank you.” ~ Issa Travino

“The Year of Gaia Online Course was so amazing for me. I have to admit that I haven't kept up with all the material, because Sage offers so much!! There are riches here for the mind, body, and soul. And Sage is so generous -- I will always have access to this course material. So, that's great. I can enjoy what I need in the moment. Some months, I just needed the tea meditation and to check-in. Some months, I dove deeply into everything I could read, and I feel the shifts happening. For me, Sage is a dear friend and a once-in-a-lifetime teacher who points the way to your own relationship with the Plants and your own healing and learning path. This course is a very personal program. Sage gives a lot of herself to her students, you get to know her heart for teaching and for the Plants. Thank you, Sage!!” ~ Rachel Heerema

“Taking a Year of Gaia is one of the best decisions I have ever made. The plant wisdom and healing spirit that Sage offers in this class will nourish me for a lifetime. The monthly modules of healing, plant medicine, shamanic journeys, and chakra attunements filled me to overflowing. Her classes are extremely well thought out and comprehensive, the website interface is easy and elegant, and there is pure beauty on every page with Sage’s poetry, journal suggestions, and stunning photographs. There is so much technical plant information I will be re-reading for years to learn it all. I have been a plant person for 35 years, and my plant life just got a whole lot richer and deeper this year, as well as my understanding of the physical body and it’s systems. Sage is a master teacher and healer and she not only teaches the brain stuff, but offers spiritual transmissions throughout her classes, so that you will find yourself evolving and opening into the radiant being that you are quite rapidly in her course. She also tirelessly shares her incredible community building skills on facebook and the zoom meetings so that you feel held and loved the whole year! I don’t know how she does this actually, but I’m humbled from it.  I could go on and on. What a gift to the world! Thank you Sage, keep teaching, keep writing, keep sharing your pure wisdom spirit!” ~ Beth Lenco

“In the uncertainty of the world right now, one thing for sure is the certainty of Mother Nature’s cycles of life and how we intertwine with her seasons. A Year in Gaia online program gives you the tools you need to tune back in to the earth’s rhythms and truly explore and understand the world around you. You can truly make this experience what you need it to be for your own journey, and that’s what I love SO MUCH about this opportunity! I have reclaimed my sovereign power; my overall personal confidence and the ability to rely on myself has drastically changed my life for the better. Not only has my personal growth been noticed but the improvement of communications with others and relationships have benefitted from it, as well. I am so thankful for the knowledge, guidance, patience, and love that Sage provides with everything she does in this course from how the class unfolds to zoom calls to nurturing our souls with books, playlists, and meditations that allow us to dig in deeper with ourselves and understand how we can heal from within. “Choose your own adventure,” is how I like to describe this course to people who ask me about it because you can truly take this in the directions which greatly interest and resonate with you the most! Sage and the other teachers are with you every single step of the way. You will be able to make new connections and friends that may last a lifetime too! It’s all up to you! So what are you waiting for? Gaia is calling you home.” - Maria Gigante

”There is so much to learn and when you take the time to really be with yourself; to be in this body, this form, and under your own skin, you realize that there is SO MUCH to be excited about and it is a great gift to be here ~ despite all of the difficult things that come with being a human being. The Year of Gaia program is more than learning about plants. It is about honoring yourself, your being, about remembering lost dreams and finding new ones. It is an invitation to move in this world in a new way, to see the plant beings as teachers and guides that have always been with us, it's just a matter of letting their whispers in. Once you meet the spirit of one plant, it's hard to ignore the spirits of everything that surrounds us. You will be amazed and see your heart and imagination as a portal to everything. Plant medicine is amazing and magical, but it is also practical. There are so many ways you can learn to heal yourself with plants ~ teas to drink for headaches and grief, teas to bring out your own inner lion... This course is broken out into different modules that teach you about the practical methods of the plants and the science and systems of your own body. Sage is an incredible teacher, she channels the wisdom of the plant spirits and is also incredibly smart, funny, and overall a wonderful being. I cannot recommend this course enough.” - Kim Tateo

Gratitude to our incredible Gaia family!