~ A 6 Month Mentorship Program for Spiritual Herbalists, Permaculturists, and Nature-Based Artists ~

Greetings plant lovers,

Do you long for that deeper connection with the plant world?  

If you’re reading this then your interest in herbal medicines goes beyond just “active ingredients” to actually communicating with plants.

Maybe some part of you yearns to believe those stories of people living so closely with the Land, being so rooted in the living world, that they commune with the spirits of plants, rivers, and mountains as a matter of fact.  

Deep down, many of us simultaneously want these stories to be true but also doubt they could be. 

You’ve likely already felt an intense connection with plants.  Perhaps you had a sudden insight or revelation that really felt like it came to you rather than came from you.  Maybe you’ve even tried a “plant sit” or some similar exercise(s).  

These practices are great!  They’re fairly simple to start with, and many people will find some insight, even without much guidance.  

But can you answer these two crucial questions:

1. How do you know that you haven’t made it all up?
     

2. And once you’re pretty sure you didn’t make it up, how do you trust it?
   

You will need to answer these questions if you’re going to build your confidence with these skills.  

Another way to say that …

If you really believe that these skills are not lost to history, if you believe those same powers exist within you today, then you must be clear about what the plants are telling you.  Your trust needs to be unbreakable (or pretty darn high).

My friend Sean Donahue points out that we can use our “intuition with laser-focused precision.”

Fortunately, most people read this and agree that we require BOTH our linear AND nonlinear faculties to do this work.  That’s how we develop clarity, confidence and trust.

With practice and guidance, you can develop mastery in how you communicate with plants.  You can learn to use all of your senses to more accurately interpret what the living world is ‘saying’.

There are steps before building confidence and trust, though...

The question of, “how do we connect with the plant world?” is a good one.

But here might be an even more important question we could ask, “Why do so many people think that the entire idea is completely ridiculous?”

The answer to that question is at the root of why, in these modern times, we all struggle to commune (or even believe it’s possible to do so) with … those who grow from seeds. 

It’s the narratives from science and the church that have sewn confusion and distrust in our place in Nature.  Ironically, these stories have cast spells over modern humans. 

3 Spells Disconnect Us From Nature:

Breaking the Spells

These spells that assert our separation from nature and from each other are everywhere.  

It’s this separation that justifies exploitation.  Without it there is no resource extraction, no environmental devastation, no colonization of indigenous peoples, no hoarding of wealth, no germ warfare, to name just a few.

But why do they need to continually bombard us with these narratives?  Why do we need to be so thoroughly convinced against our lived experience?

Obviously, it’s because it’s bullshit.  

Most of us have felt the touch of the living world at some point.  It’s just a question of, do you believe it or dismiss it?  

That’s why you’re here, isn’t it?  Because you’re not willing (or not able to) dismiss these experiences.  It’s time to honour your truth, the knowing that resonates deep inside.

Good news!  That means… You already broke the spell!  Their repeated refrain no longer has power over you.

You can trust in the wisdom of the earth and the intelligence of plants. 

Now, it’s time to learn how to make sense of it. And to uncover the resilience that comes with this connection.

Whether you’re brand new to herbs or you’ve been studying for years, the guidance in this program will help you develop your natural abilities to go even deeper into the plant world.

You learn a plant’s medicine when you make sense of the whispers, intuitions, and “feelings” you get from it.

Intimate Plant connections mean…

From this Mentorship Program, You'll Get...

• The Community Support you need to stay motivated, engaged and connecting deeply with the plants

• New Tools to sharpen your focus and increase your sensitivity so you can get more from your plant communications

• The Specialized Skills needed for you to go deep

• The Dedicated Time connecting with plants required to deepen your personal spiritual growth

• The Practices necessary to develop and trust your heart as an organ of perception

• New Plant Allies to give you more confidence and choice when treating people with herbs

• A Syncing of the Senses that not only re-wires the brain, but heightens the ability to understand

I am NOT a shaman!

Shamanism is specific to a time, a place and a cultural context.  This is not that time.  I don’t live in that place.  And I most certainly do not live in that cultural context.

I do consider myself a witch, but that term also has many definitions that can confuse the point.  

The most important point … these capacities are innate in your humanity.  

It’s as simple that ... you were born on Earth, therefore you are part of the web of life.  Which means you were designed to “speak” with all your Relations.  They understand you, now you will learn to understand them.

No need for entheogens or hallucinogens in this approach.

To be successful, most people need these 4 pieces:

1. Context. Remember that you’re part of Nature, not separate from it.  You’ve already got that piece, yes? 

2. Humility.  Humans are no more or less important than anything else.  When you really respect Nature, you can easily see and value the intelligence of every being.     

3. Curiosity.  How much more do you learn, when you approach it with openness and a willingness to be surprised?  

4. Community.  You can do this work solo, but you’ll get a lot further, a lot faster when you do it with other folks.  More than anything, this helps you get past the doubting mind.

Connect with the living plant

This is a key element to how I do this work.

There is a very special, irreplaceable communication that happens at the moment of “introduction”. 

As you approach the plant, there is a precise moment when your magnetic field touches the magnetic field of the living plant.  There is a great deal communicated in this first energetic “hello.”  And it makes it easier to unpack and understand while you remain in the presence of the plant.

AFTER you’ve been introduced, many people report that just the taste of the tincture or tea brings them back to that very moment.  It’s a physical, mental, emotional reminder of the living relationship you now have with that plant.

This is how you discover the gifts of new friends.

So why do people assume that plants are any different?! 

Why would you presume to know something about the unique gifts of a plant because you memorized a list of chemicals?  

It’s ok, though. Because we all need reminders that the world is alive and intelligent.

You Will Learn How To...

• Communicate with plants so that you can connect and learn from the spirits of plants directly (and not just the plants that I introduce you to)

• Maintain Right Relationship with plants so that you can develop Plant Allies and relationships that you can rely on

• Use your heart as an organ of perception to engage with, learn from and be healed by the plant world around you

• Develop Plant Allies that will help you find direction and provide insight into your personal struggles and growth

• Access the healing wisdom of local plants to sync your body, mind and spirit with the Laws of nature

• Use “dream journeys” to connect with the spirit of herbs so that your unconscious mind can access the nonlinear ways that plants use to communicate

How the Mentorship Program Works...

The structure of the program:

• There are 6 live, monthly calls

• 1 SUNDAY each month: - 10am(pst)/1pm(est)/6pm(gmt): June 6, July 11, Aug. 8, Sept. 12, Oct. 3, Nov. 7

• Please plan to attend the zoom calls in person.  Recordings will be available, but I’d recommend that you use these as references and not a replacement for the live calls.

• 5 virtual “Field Classes”, focused on plant connection.  Each call will focus on 1 plant.  This keeps things simple, and avoids confusion while you learn the personalities of each plant.

• The 6th call will be for review & integration, using a Q & A format.

• The Discussion Group is a place to post your questions, share insights/resources, etc. I do regular “office hrs” when I respond to questions (about 2 hrs/wk) ~ note: it’s not FB

Optional Additions:

It’s important to avoid overwhelm. Play is far more useful than pressure in developing these skills :) So, do these ONLY if/when you feel the space to do it.

• Nature Awareness Practices - done daily, weekly, or somewhere in between - have a similar effect as meditation. You might not notice anything profound the first day, but with consistency you’ll notice that your awareness has shifted.

• Weekly Buddy Calls give you a chance to share your experiences and progress with someone else who ‘gets it’. I suggest 1 hr calls where you set a timer and split the time evenly. Having someone ‘catch your story’ goes a long way to deepen your integration of the practices.

• Community Engagement. I’d like to make a strong request that you take some time each week to participate in the discussins group. This sense of connection is incredibly important - especially, in lieu of in-person contact.

What Will This Program Be Like?

In the in-person version of this work, we’d start out as a group.

I’d introduce you to both the plant and connection-exercise of the day, then you’d find a plant to “sit” with. Here, you’d quiet yourself, listen, practice the exercise and take notes.

Then we come back together to share our experiences in community. This will bring out certain themes that I will help to make clear.

And once you’ve got a budding relationship with this plant, only then do I “teach” about its medicine. This way you develop confidence that you didn’t “make it up” because you didn’t know anything to make up in the first place.

In this virtual format, it’ll be similar.

This Program is a Good Fit for You if:

• You feel a certain reverence for plants, whether it’s brand new or it’s always been there

• It doesn’t feel quite right to learn about plants by memorizing information  

• You already feel some connection with your intuition or spirituality and the plant world

• You just know that the solutions for challenges of these times are found in Nature

• Your relationship with plants is new - intermediate. 
  (“Advanced” students can have a harder time setting aside preconceptions about the plants.)

• You can find at least 4 of the 5 plants near you (within 1 hour of your house)

• You can attend at least 5 of the 6 monthly calls

What sets this program apart from the rest?

In the 15 years acceptance of this worldview has improved.   There’s a resurgence of this idea of Plant Spirit Medicine.  It isn’t quite mainstream, but it’s no longer just on the fringes.

This expansion has benefits and drawbacks.   It’s a good sign that people are opening (again) to this reality.  It’s really wonderful that so many more people are sitting with plants!  

But it also has given rise to a perspective that ‘there’s not that much to it’.  This is where it gets a bit tricky.  Because there is a simplicity to these exercises.  And people are learning to trust their “intuition” more (though I’d believe that it’s a lot more than trusting “their hunches” as the word implies).  And people are finding value, insight and inspiration in these practices, even when they’re unaware of how much deeper the rabbit hole goes.

Here’s a quick story to highlight:

An herb teacher was doing a plant walk for her students.  She stopped in front of a big stand of these radiant, yellow flowers.  She invited people to get close to the plant.  “Lean in and take a good look at the leaves,” she said.  “Do you see that depression in the centre?  That means that St. John’s Wort is good for depression.”

Now, here’s the thing… St. John’s wort is actually great for some types of depression.  And it could very well be that the little divot in the leaf was how the plant provided that “non-verifiable insight.”  BUT this is not sufficient to conclude anything about the medicine of the plant.

When I first heard this story, I rolled my eyes so hard that I thought they might get stuck back there.  I still shake my head when I think about it.

To do this work well, you must avoid jumping to conclusions.  In fact, avoid conclusions altogether.  

A wise healer must balance two mutually exclusive perspectives:

1. Take action with confidence and sureness or your actions will have no power at all.

2. Always be prepared to acknowledge that you might be totally and completely wrong.

The willingness to see the plant for who it is and not just how it can be used, that’s a foundational perception that sets this work apart.  

Also, the bar that I set for myself in this type of work is that it must be practical.  I apply what I learn from plants in the healing process with myself and my clients.  That means that it has to be honed and polished.  I need to be sure enough to act on it.  

And that’s more important than all the various theories and approaches that I could list!

The Flow of Plant Connection Calls…

The first steps you take on your own, with support:

1. You’ll need to find plants growing somewhere near you before the call for that plant.  And yes, I’ll offer tips on finding them and you’ll be able to confirm that your plant identification is correct well ahead of time.

2. Sometime during the few days before the live call, you’ll do a “plant sit” with the themed plant.  There will be a new mp3 for each call that helps you quiet the mind, open the senses and contains one new, Connection Skills exercise to practice.

3. These “plant sits'' will involve you physically spending time with the plant (sitting, standing, laying down, etc) for about 1 hr.  And making notes about the experience (especially the things you suspect are not relevant!  I promise many of them will turn out to be quite important)

The second part, we do as a group:

1. We’ll do our report back to the group on the 2 hr zoom calls. Each person will be able to share the highlights from the story of their experience.  

2. In hearing the experiences of other students, you’ll begin to see themes.  You’ll see that some (lots?) of the things you didn’t think were relevant, are quite relevant.  And you may find that you feel more comfortable sharing the more deeply personal pieces as you go.

3. Once the whole group has shared, I’ll chime in to highlight some themes and help with the initial interpretations.
   BUT, in this virtual format, I’ll keep this brief so that the calls remain a do-able length. An exhausted focus doesn’t learn well.

4. You’ll leave these calls with a real sense of the personality of the plant, some solid understandings, and maybe most importantly, that sense that you’re just on the verge of “getting it.”  It’s like when a word is on the tip of your tongue.  It’s frustrating, but full of potential.  You’re about to articulate something important!

LUNCH BREAK!

We’ll take a 1 hour break and then reconvene for…

The third part, Garliq’s teaching portion:

1. We’ll come back together for a 1 hour zoom call. This will be recorded separately from the report back so that you can save it for later, if you need a longer break.
   

   ** If you need to choose, please attend the live report back call.**
   
   

2. This is where I go deeper in highlighting what you’ve already learned from the plants and overlay that with “traditional uses.”

   I call on my 15+ years of practicing these skills that mix together Plant Spirit Medicine, the 5 Chinese Elements, the Ayurveda, hypnotic associations and more.

3. I tend to emphasize how I use the herbs because I find experience more valuable than theory. But I do share to some extent how western herbalism tends to use this herb, “materia medica” (herbalist have many words that only we use!)

And of course, the Private Discussion Group:

1. This way of learning from plants is a process that doesn’t end when the call is done. You’ll get more out of the learning if you continue the conversation.

You’ll be Connecting with these Plants:

1. Plantain -”Spoon leaf” (Plantago major) is common, but any species will do  

2. Willow - Salix spp. Weeping willow is common, but any species will do

3. Comfrey - Symphytum officinale

4. Mullein - Verbascum thapsus

5. Rose - Rosa spp. (any species)

A Quick Review of What’s Included in the Mentorship Program:

• 6 monthly, virtual calls: June 6, July 11, Aug. 8, Sept. 12, Oct. 3 & Nov. 7

  
  

• 5 virtual “Field Classes” + 1 Integration Call

  
  

• 5 mp3 Connection Skills Recordings for a deeper heart connection with plants

• Private Discussion Group of like-minded folks to aid connections and deepen learning

  
  

• Regular Office hours by Garliq (in the Discussion Group)

  
  

• (Optional) Additional Practices for those able and willing to take a really deep dive

Cost & Group Size:

The program is limited to 20 people, in order to maintain a deep level of intimacy and trust in the group.

Early bird price: $600 (until Sun. May 23)  

Payment plan available: 4 months x $150

Regular price: $700 or 4x$175 (after May 23)

I invite you to apply now, if this feels like it may be a good fit.

Let’s start a conversation about how you can deepen your connection with plants. I’d love to help with that :)

May the plants continue to bring healing and joy into your life, in the ways that most nourish you!

strength & wisdom.

garliq

Still have a question?