with Sean Donahue

September 21 — October 31

Sliding scale — $100 -150.  $50 deposit required by September 15

As autumn comes, the energy of the plants begins to move below the ground to the underworld traditionally associated with sleep, dreaming, death, regeneration, and transformation.

In this intensive, we will work with [...]]]> Plants and the Underworld Journey:  An Online Intensive

with Sean Donahue

September 21 — October 31

Sliding scale — $100 -150.  $50 deposit required by September 15

As autumn comes, the energy of the plants begins to move below the ground to the underworld traditionally associated with sleep, dreaming, death, regeneration, and transformation.

In this intensive, we will work with five plants traditionally associated with the underworld — Mugwort, Osha, Ghost Pipe, Eastern Skunk Cabbage, and Valerian — through trance journeys, personal reflection, and direct experience.

Participants are expected to have some familiarity with trance journeys and with grounding and protection, though we will review these basic skills in the first lesson.   Participants will also need to either be able to drum or rattle themselves into a trance or to have access to recordings of trance drumming or rattling — I am glad to suggest sources for these recordings.  You are also encouraged but not required to purchase or gather the herbs we will be working with — I will provide all participants with a list of reputable sources for these herbs.  Most of these herbs are contraindicated in pregnancy, so if you are pregnant and would like to participate, I suggest working with them on a purely energetic level.

To register, e-mail seandonahuepoet@gmail.com

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Sean Donahue is a traditional herbalist, poet, activist, and witch committed to healing and transformation through connection with the living Earth. As an herbalist, Sean works primarily with the wild plants of the forests and fields of New England. He views the plants as teachers, helping the body, mind, and spirit learn to correct imbalances that stand in the way of health. As a teacher, poet, and ritualist, Sean works to connect people with their own wild nature and with the life of the world around them. He believes that personal, community, and cultural healing are all deeply intertwined with the h

ealing of our planet. 

In the eighteen and nineteenth centuries, rural New England root doctors blended some of the energetic understandings of British folk medicine with what they learned from Native peoples about the plants around [...]]]>

TRADITIONS OF THE NEW ENGLAND ROOT DOCTORS
with Sean Donahue
Online, October 1 – December 1
$150

In the eighteen and nineteenth centuries, rural New England root doctors blended some of the energetic understandings of British folk medicine with what they learned from Native peoples about the plants around them and developed a system of medicine based on working with and supporting the actions’ of the body’s vital force. Samuel Thomson of New Hampshire condensed this system into a series of easy to understand principles and practices, and launched a movement that sought to empower people to take their health care back from the physicians of the day whose methods relied heavily on bloodletting and the use of toxic compounds like Mercury.

Building on this foundation, a later generation would develop the science of Physiomedicalism which informs many strains of contemporary herbalism. This course will explore the philosophy, energetic systems, and therapeutics of the New England root doctors and the Physiomedicalists, and look at how we can apply their insights today.

The world is alive and speaking to us. All we have to do is remember how to listen.

We are all born knowing this simple truth, and begin our lives in a world rich with meaning. But in our culture, the [...]]]> LISTENING TO THE WILD: AN ONLINE WORKSHOP
September 1 – October 1
Sliding Scale — $150 – 200

The world is alive and speaking to us. All we have to do is remember how to listen.

We are all born knowing this simple truth, and begin our lives in a world rich with meaning. But in our culture, the voices around us are quickly drowned out by electronic noise, and we are taught to ignore the bits of song we still hear on the wind or risk insanity. Eventually we reach a point where we no longer trust our own senses.

But for some of us the vibrant memory of the world we knew as children is stronger than the fear of madness.

The wildness of our souls can be recovered, just as a forest can grown from an abandoned field.

In this six week online workshop, we will engage in an intense process of connecting with the living Earth and awakening the wildness within themselves.

Through reading, writing, meditation, and direct experience of the natural world, we will explore:

– Our personal, familial, and cultural histories of relating to the land we live on and the beings that inhabit it
– Engaging nature through engaging our senses
– The use of the heart as an organ of perception (drawing from the work of Stephen Buhner)
– Developing and deepening relationships with the plants that grow around us

Participants will share their experiences with each other and build community through an e-mail discussion list.

This promises to be a powerfully transformational, and at times emotionally intense journey. My goal as a teacher is to provide a safe and supportive space for that work. But I am not in a position to serve as therapist or counselor for students. Please bear this in mind as you consider undertaking this work.

Payment for this class is on a sliding scale from $150 – 200. The price reflects the work that I put into preparing and teaching this course. The higher end of the sliding scale is intended for people who can regularly afford things like eating out, going to concerts, and attending workshops and retreats. For those who are deeply committed to this work but are not able to afford even the low end of the sliding scale I am willing to discuss payment plans and partial or full barter arrangements. If enough people pay at the higher end of the sliding scale, I may be able to offer a few partial scholarships to students who would not otherwise be able to take this course.

If you are interested in enrolling, please e-mail me at seandonahuepoet@gmail.com.
I would like to have a brief, informal e-mail exchange with potential students before the course begins to make sure everyone understands the intensity of this work. A $50 deposit is required by August 20 to enroll in the course.

• Learn about the major medicinal trees of North America o Ecology and biology o Energetic, medicinal and practical uses o harvesting, preparations, medicine making o Tree essences o folklore and more

• Make your own [...]]]> Talking to Trees: Exploring the Medicine of the Tree Nation
Sept 21, 2010 – Nov 15, 2010- 8 week online herbal intensive
$150-$200 sliding scale

• Learn about the major medicinal trees of North America
o Ecology and biology
o Energetic, medicinal and practical uses
o harvesting, preparations, medicine making
o Tree essences
o folklore and more

• Make your own medicinal oils, tinctures, teas and smudges
• Learn how to identify and work with trees unique to your bioregion
• Share experiences and learning with other herb students, herbalists and plant lovers.

Weekly lessons sent via e-mail, and group discussion on an e mail list forum is expected as part of the course. Some additional books and supplies may be needed.

Please register with a $50 deposit by Sept 14, 2010 by e mailing shamana.flora@gmail.com
Payment plans available, please inquire.

November 1, 2010 – October 31, 2011

Plants are our ancestors and teachers.

Throughout history, people have looked to them for healing, guidance, and transformation.

In this year long course, herbalists Sean Donahue and Darcey Blue French [...]]]> Medicine and Magic of Plants Apprenticeship: A 12 Month Online Herbal Course
with Darcey Blue French and Sean Donahue

November 1, 2010 – October 31, 2011

Plants are our ancestors and teachers.

Throughout history, people have looked to them for healing, guidance, and transformation.

In this year long course, herbalists Sean Donahue and Darcey Blue French will help you connect with the wisdom, magic, and living medicine of the plants growing around you.

Through online lectures and discussions, readings, meditations, ceremony, and direct experience, you will learn about:

* Listening to and learning directly from the plants themselves
* The art and ethics of wildcrafting
* Making your own herbal medicines
* Understanding the energetics of herbal medicine and of the human body
* Nourishing the body, mind, and spirit
* Therapies for chronic and acute injury and disease
* Working with plants in ceremony and magic

Students will receive twelve monthly lessons; eight mini-lessons exploring how the Equinoxes, Solstices, and Cross-Quarter Days provide us with opportunities to connect with the life cycle of the plants; and individual support and guidance from Darcey and Sean.

Tuition will be $75 a month (or $750 if you pay for the entire year in advance.) Students will also be expected to purchase herbs and books for the course.

Please register by October 25 2010- herbalists@brighidswellherbs.com

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STRESS: A VITALIST PERSPECTIVE an online seminar with Sean Donahue July 12 – August 30 $150

Our bodies have developed an amazing set of responses to help us respond to danger.

But life [...]]]> Join Sean Donahue for this new course on holistic and natural ways to deal with and mediate the stress of the modern world on our bodies and minds!

STRESS: A VITALIST PERSPECTIVE
an online seminar with Sean Donahue
July 12 – August 30
$150

Our bodies have developed an amazing set of responses to help us respond to danger.

But life in our fast-paced society puts many people perpetually on edge — and that constant stress throws us out of balance with serious consequences for our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health.

In this seminar we will explore herbal and nutritional strategies for supporting the body, mind, and spirit in times of extreme stress — and helping bodies that have been under stress for a long time remember how to relax into a natural state of relaxation that allows for healing and rejuvenation.

The emphasis will be on nourishing the body, identifying and removing “obstacles to cure,” and supporting the body’s natural healing processes.

Topics covered will include:

– The Biology and Energetics of Stress
– Nourishing the Adrenals
– Nourishing the Nervous System
– Understanding Adaptogens from a Vitalist Perspective
– Stress and Physical Tension
– Acute Anxiety
– Trauma and Anxiety

I am open to considering payment plans and thoughtful barter, but all such requests must be received by July 5.

To register, e-mail seandonahuepoet@gmail.com

We are also accepting new clients. We currently offer consultations in Keene, NH, Brookline, Lawrence, and Beverly, MA, and Richmond, VT. We also consider working with long distance clients on a case by case basis.

To arrange for a consultation, register for one of [...]]]> Darcey and I will be offering several online intensives over the coming months.

We are also accepting new clients. We currently offer consultations in Keene, NH, Brookline, Lawrence, and Beverly, MA, and Richmond, VT. We also consider working with long distance clients on a case by case basis.

To arrange for a consultation, register for one of our classes, or inquire about having us offer a workshop or plant walk in your community, e-mail herbalists@brighidswellherbs.com

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HERBS FOR THE RESPIRATORY SYSTEM: An Online Seminar, May 23 – July 13
 
Sean Donahue’s journey herbalist began when he was introduced to plants that could help his body recover from asthma and from the repeated bouts of bronchitis he would endure each winter.

In this eight week course, Sean will draw from his own experience as an asthmatic and as a clinical herbalist to talk about strategies for helping the body recover from both acute and chronic respiratory conditions.

The approach we will use will be grounded in Traditional Western Herbalism, working with an energetic system that looks at the role of heat and cold, moisture and dryness, tension and relaxation in illness, and a therapeutic system that works with the body’s own vital healing response. We will also explore dietary issues, ways of supporting host immunity, and the emotional and spiritual aspects of respiratory illnesses.

For those not familiar with these systems, this will be an excellent opportunity to learn them in the context of understanding respiratory illnesses.

For those with some background in Traditional Western Herbalism, this will be a chance to learn more about specific therapeutic approaches to respiratory illness.

While the plants discussed will primarily be the plants of New England, ample attention will be given to ways of finding similar plants that grow in other bioregions.

The course work will mostly involve discussion of the material presented via an e-mail list.

The course is offered on a sliding scale of $75-100. Those who can regularly afford “extras” like vacations or concert tickets or eating out should place themselves at the higher end of the sliding scale.

None of the information offered is intended for use in the treatment, diagnosis, or cure of any medical condition. As an herbalist. Sean works instead to help people support their bodies’ own healing processes.

To register, or if you have any questions, e-mail seandonahuepoet@gmail.com

GREEN MAN RISING: Recovering the Wild Masculine
An Online Intensive with Sean Donahue
June 21 – August 1
$150-200

The face of the Green Man, leaf-bearded god of regeneration, appeared etched in stone churches throughout Europe well into the early modern period. The stories surrounding him have largely vanished, but he is widely understood to represent the irrepressible virility of the wild — its rebirth in spring from the seeds that fall from dying plants in the fall, and its survival in the face of attempts to contain it and push it back. And he represents the vital force of the wild masculine — before patriarchy bound ideas of masculinity to ideas of violence and domination.

Any attempt to transform our culture has to take into account the need to redefine and reshape masculinity, to provide channels for masculine energy to flow that meet and match and dance with the incredible strength of the feminine rather than seeing to subjugate it.

In this intensive, we will work with myth, magic, poetry, and direct experience of the living world to re-imagine masculinity and reclaim our own relationship to the wild masculine within us and within the people around us.

This class is open to people of all genders, sexes, sexualities, and gender expressions. We will strive to create an environment of respect and openness where it is safe to take risks and to try on new ideas and identities.

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