Fire: The Element of Transformation
Most people think the first step in creating a spagyric herbal extract is the separation of the volatile Sulfur of the plant. To translate that into something understandable, that means distillation of the essential oils. But I beg to differ!! To me, the first step in creating a spagyric isn’t distilling the essential oils, or…
One of the Most Important Ways to Learn Herbalism That Has Nothing To Do With Books
There’s one critical key to truly understanding healing & herbalism that has nothing to do with what you’ll read in a book. This foundational element will deepen your connection to herbs and your understanding of how they work, which overall will make you a better herbalist (which is what you want, right?!) But before I…
Plants, Planets and Evolutionary Medicine
The synergy of astrology and herbalism provides a truly holistic framework that unites the physiology, psychology and soul of the person, with the physical, energetic and spiritual properties of plants. The result of this synergy gives us as herbalists the ability to attend to every layer of the human organism through the power of the…
A Guide for Building your Herbal (and Alchemical) Library
We get asked all of the time “what are your favorite herb books?” – so we thought it’s about time we just compiled a list and posted it here for everyone to enjoy. It can be incredibly helpful while on the plant path to know where to go to get valuable and reliable information about…
The Art of Distillation
Distillation is one of the primary alchemical processes used in the production of true spagyric extracts. The 2 primary methods of distillation used are for essential oils, which extracts the Sulfur (Soul) of the plant, as well as for alcohol, which extracts the Mercury (Spirit) of the plant. The process of distillation can be…
Silvery Leaves: A Lunar Materia Medica (Renaissance Medicine Conference 2017)
From anti-spasmodics and nervines, demulcents and emmenagogues, there are a wide category of herbal medicines which are considered to be ruled by the Moon. As the Moon is the closest planet to the Earth, its effect upon our bodies and minds is oftentimes easier to recognize and become aware of than some of the further…
Spagyric Pharmacy for the Practitioner of Botanical Medicine
Many modern practitioners of herbal medicine have a calling to heal not on the body with plants, but also the more subtle levels of the mind, emotions and spirit. While many reach for flower essences to work on this vibrational level of the human, this form of preparation is lacking in the physiological attributes of the…
The Elements in People and Plants (Part 2)
In part 2 of The Elements in People and Plants, we explore some the Elemental patterns as they exist within the botanical kingdom. From the perspective of ancient traditions, everything in the manifest universe contains all of the four Elements of nature: Earth, Water, Air and Fire- that is, the only way something can physically exist…
Alchemy and Medical Astrology in Clinical Herbalism (lecture from 2016 Breitenbush Herb Conference)
This class covers some of the critical components in regards to how incorporating western alchemy and medical astrology can radically enhance your practice of holistic herbalism. When we talk about holistic herbalism, I often see the word holistic spelled “whole-istic”- to be truly holistic we have to think about the wholeness of people and plants.…
The Importance of Mineral Salts in Herbal Extractions (Renaissance Medicine Conference 2016)
We had a great time at the 2016 Renaissance Medicine Conference a few weeks ago hanging out with medical astrologer Judith Hill, renowned herbalist Matthew Wood, and the spiritual botanist/herbalist Scott Kloos. In this class I taught, I discuss the how crucial the mineral salts of plants are in their extraction, specifically oriented towards the…
