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energetic folk herbalism...
Every year (for 25 years now!) I offer an early spring
through fall course on the practice of herbalism. While
I can't put everything I know into one course, lindera
is the thing I do that collects the most foundationally
important ideas and insights from which I practice
herbalism together into one offering.
If you seen (or read or listened) to me teach and it
clicked with you, read on...The core focus of this
course is on the foundational energetic principles of
western folk herbalism. I know (and egad!), that sounds
both somewhat mystical and/or a bit complicated, but
it's just about reframing how we perceive health,
illness, and the herbs themselves, so that we learn to
recognize the quality of what's going on, and in so
doing, what things we might do to move things back
towards balance. Traditional medicine the world over
recognizes patterns of "hot and cold", "dry and damp",
"tense and lax", each in overlapping but also unique
ways. We'll spend the entire course fleshing out what
these terms mean, what those ideas look like across
different systems of the body, and how qualities in
plants that you can smell, taste and feel with your own
senses can guide you to a more effective herbal
practice, whether that is for yourself, your family &
friends, your community, or your clients.
Linder includes classroom days which
will meet
in Commerce, MI at
Proud Lake State Rec Area as
well as herb hikes at
local parks on northwest Oakland County, with discussions of habitat and harvest,
properties, history, lore, current and traditional uses
and my direct experience using these herbs.
Basically, there
are three aspects to the course:
 Initially
we'll take a big picture look at the energetics of
western herbalism, and how certain underlying patterns
of imbalance are revealed in a person's constitution or
the way their symptoms are presented. From this, we can
initially determine the types of herbs that will best
restore balance before choosing a specific plant or
plants. In doing so, we'll explore the energetic system
conveyed by the tradition actions of western folk
herbalism.
After
this broad perspective overview, we'll dive further into
energetics, applying these concepts to the body's varied
organs & systems, and exploring how some conditions
uniformly require specific actions while others need to
be more personalized to the way that they're presented
by an individual.
We'll
also extend our exploration of energetics to the plants
we study on a series of walks. While these walks are
led here in the Great Lakes bio-region, many of the
plants covered have a very broad range of distribution
and the concepts covered extend to all the herbs we
could encounter anywhere (I've had students come from as far
away as Texas and Colorado).
My goal in teaching this information is twofold:
I
want to make recognizing and addressing energetic
patterns easier: less thinky and more reflexive and
intuitive. This is a craft that like many others
becomes easier to exercise with practice and
repetition. The course is intended to encourage this,
provide a solid foundation for future growth, and leave
you more energetically savvy upon completion.
It's
also super important to me that people enjoy my
teaching. I don't want my classes to just be
informative, I want them to be fun, because I believe
that when learning is fun it sticks better. So expect a
bit of zaniness: pool noodles and catapults and koosh
balls and floor rolling. There won't be any power
points, and I'll be more than just a talking head for
you.
You'll also be involved in an ongoing & evolving group dynamic, which
allows you to likely learn as much from each other as you
will from me. The value of this could not be
overstated.
If you're considering this intensive, please be willing
to commit to coming to the classes and spending a lot of
time outdoors with the plants, hiking
(vigorous hiking up hills and down dales; you'll need to
be physically able to spend a day out on the trail),
dealing with bugs, perhaps some inclement weather (we
will meet rain or shine), and above all be willing
to put in the time outside of class to study and to find
places near you that you can get out into and harvest
your herbs from. This may be your yard, a neighbors
yard, a community garden, a friend's property -
wherever. You'll need to do the reading, most of which
I've written, but including links to articles by other
herbalists available online, and a few highly
recommended books.
I record pretty much
the entire course as high quality MP3 files, which are
available to students. This helps not only as an info source for
future reference, but also allows people to listen to any
classes they may miss due to illness or unforeseen
circumstances. I also set up an email listserve for
participants to facilitate interaction and dialogue
between classes.
location...
Classroom days will be held at Proud Lake State
Recreation Area in Commerce, Michigan (north of Wixom
and east of Milford) at the
River Hawk Annex ,
which is an indoor space, with the exception of
August 2nd, where we'll meet in an
open air pavillion,
also at Proud Lake just of the other side of the road.
Of course, there'll be quite a bit more covered as the
class unfolds. I have answers to some frequently
asked questions
here.
Please be sure to read these.
about me, the teacher...
I'm an herbalist. I deeply love the plants I share this
land with and one of the ways I give back to them is by
teaching others what I have learned about and from them.
If you're considering taking a longer term course like
this, you'll want to feel in synch with the person
teaching it...
I want you to feel confident that the way I teach and
the way you learn are a good fit. Ideally, you have or
will come to one of my classes (in person or online)
before hand, but please do take the time to look around
and see what I've written and others have been kind
enough to say about me.I've tried to make a lot of
content freely available so people interested in my
classes can check it out and see what I teach like and
where I'm coming from. Because people learn in different
ways, I have different mediums to check out:
I have a lot of written material
here.
There's hours worth of videos you can watch on
YouTube here; many of
these are directly from classes so they're a very good
representation of how I teach.
If
you'd like to see "a resume" of sorts, you can click
here.
I'm also very happy to talk to you (and for sure want
to!)
and answer any questions you have about the course.
pic by lisa m. rose, from a class walk
dates for 2025...
Class times will generally
be 11ish to around 6ish, though it's probably prudent to
state that I have occasionally run over if no one tells me
time is up.
cost...
The
cost for the intensive is
$1450
if paid by February 28/29th (before March).
On
or after March 1st, the cost is
$1550.
A
$500
deposit will register you for the intensive and
hold your space, and with the remaining balance due
by/on
the first class session.
Please be aware that the $500 deposit
is non-refundable for cancellations made between the
time the initial payment is sent in and the first class, when
payment is due in full. One week before the class
begins, ***there will
be no refunds for any tuition paid***. If you
miss lots of classes or stop coming to lindera, this
will not result in credit for next year's course
(though we can add you to the online lindera
course).
local resources...
if you don't live near enough to commute each day, I've
compiled a list of
local resources I hope
you'll find helpful with regard to procuring food and/or
a place to stay.
POTENTIAL PANDEMIC CONTINGENCIES...
I know... I feel the same way about it. And, as
things stand right now, I don't see a high likelihood of
this manifesting. BUT... please understand that IF
a pandemic flares up again, and we
need to be outside, socially distanced, and in masks,
participation in lindera will require following these
guidelines (we are largely meeting on state land and
they do enforce state law). I will likely be able to switch our
indoor classes to the open air pavilion mention above,
which is in the same park, but if not, I will do my best
to find shelters within a short distance from Proud Lake
(likely at the nearby Highland State Rec Area). Likewise, although I don't expect it
to happen, in the unlikely event that gatherings of
groups is prohibited, we will rely on online classes
until we could meet in person again. Again, I am
not expecting this to be the case, but if you are
entirely unwilling with mask/distance/meet outdoors/meet
online if need be, it may be best to wait until the
pandemic is no longer creating uncertainties to take my lindera course.
Independent of a pandemic,
any
classes *I* am unable to facilitate because of illness,
injury, family emergency, or any other unexpected
calamity will be provided as online material &
discussion
So...
If you have any questions, please just let me know and
I'll do my best to further clarify my plans and
intentions. If you're ready and rarin' to go, please
proceed as follows:
Please
fill out the application found
here. After doing so, please call me to discuss any
questions, particulars or whatnot that you or I may
have. Please don't make
any payments until you fill out and application and we talk...
I want to be sure all your questions are answered
and you have a clear understanding of the course so you
can make a confident decision about participating.
Please
let me know when you send a check out so I can be on the
look out for it. You can also pay via credit card
through PayPal as a means of "financing" the course and
making payments as you're able.
(after we talk) you can also choose to send your payment to me
at:
jim mcdonald
4535
jozwik
white lake, mi 48383
Again, if you're interested, please let me know as soon as
you're able.
Thanks for your
interest and many blessings...
jim
mcdonald
~herbalist~
(248) 238-8733
(please note that this is not a cell
number and doesn't get texts)
jim@herbcraft.org
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