The Wheel of the Year is the story of the birth, growth, death, and rebirth of the Year. Together we will discuss simple ways to honor and connect to each Sabbat and how to live more fully with the rhythms of Nature. Come learn ways to infuse the magick of the Earth and Season into your life.

We will re-visit maiden, mother, matriarch/amazon, crone archtypes and see them from an energetic view. We will then have a greater understanding how our physiological transitions give rise to our psychedelic selves – women with roots , women with vision.

“Stay moist and juicy.” Saint Hildegard of Bingen

What do you have control of? What you put in your mouth, how much you move your body and your thoughts. Genetics (pathogenicity) “The only way to change your DNA is with good nutrition. In order to receive the white light of your potential you must eat well.” Says Jeff Bland. Herbs for building your own stem cells begins the journey to remaining vital and living to your joy-full potential. Nature takes the stem cells where they need to go.

We’ll consider the common experiences navigated during pregnancy through the lenses of the three trimesters and discussing relative safety of of herbs as pregnancy progresses. We’ll taste some herbal goodies/preparations to support our confidence. This class is suitable to students with all levels of experience.

Join Ann-Marie for an informative mushroom hunt in the Misty Meadows forest. Ann-Marie’s experience and knowledge is sure to inspire!

Calling mothers, aunties, sisters, cousins &grandmas- those who are part of the village for the youth.

Our girls and daughters deserve to understand their menstrual cycle; each phase of her cycle, they can feel & know the “brilliance of being born in a female body”(Carly rae beaudrey).

Come chat with Julia, a Maidens & Menstruation facilitator, to explore ways that you can support the girls in your life to have positive and affirming cycle education and the herbal allies we can rely on during this time of transition from childhood to early adolescence

Julia hosts menstrual cycle education workshops for girls age 9-14 and their caregivers. Through arts & crafts, storytelling, intergenerational learning and nature reflection she aims to offer caring and grounded cycle education to the next generation. Please bring your questions, curiosity, and visionary energy!

In this remedy-making focused class, Maria will demonstrate three of her favorite calming and sleep support remedies: a tasty and effective relaxing Sleep Tea, potent homemade fresh plant Relaxing Tincture, Lemon Bliss Seltzer. She will also discuss the sealed simmered glycerite method, featuring holy basil and rose. Full recipes and attributes of each herbal ingredient will be shared and samples will be shared to taste. These herbs, recipes, and more are covered in ever greater detail in Maria's newly released book Herbal Remedies for Sleep. Maria will sign and sell her books after the talk.

Herbal medicine can help us nourish and heal the magical outer layer of ourselves that we call our skin. Our skin holds us in, and it creates the natural boundary that tells us where we are, as individuals, begin and end. Yet our skin is porous and highly sensitive to sensation, so our skin provides a portal to intimate connection with others. As time allows, we will explore some of the gifts that oats, calendula, plantain, St. John’s Wort, burdock, birch, red clover, dandelion and self-heal offer us for our skin care/self care.

I love to awaken others to this powerful tool for understanding ourselves and how we can harness our gifts and overcome our challenges while riding the rhythms and cycles f our neighbor celestial bodies.

My husband and I started Healing Spirits Herb Farm over 30 years ago, we love what we do, we love how we've been able to support ourselves in a manner that suits us. If you love being outside playing with the plants, listening to their songs and hearing their wisdom, then come and join me as I tell our story. Bring your questions!! We need so many more herb growers, we need more women playing in the dirt.

We’re so grateful to the beloved and revered Rosemary Gladstar for bringing her joyful love of the plants this weekend! Join her on this gentle, fun, magical, wisdom filled walk through the forest of Misty Meadows.

Limited to 20 people.

Essential oils have a long and profound use for relieving anxiety and the stress associated with it.

In this workshop we will first answer the question: what is anxiety? Then we will take a look at Are Essential Oils Effective for Relieving Anxiety?

Essential oils have a long and profound use for relieving anxiety and the stress associated with it.

In this workshop we will first answer the question: what is anxiety, how does it manifest in the body? Then we will take a look at what botanically available chemical constituents are effective in helping us take control and resolve anxious reactions. We will discuss how these biochemicals uplift the spirit and soothe anxiety in the process.

Once we have that information at our fingertips we will talk about the essential oils richest in those chemical constituents plus some of the other associated biochemicals that team up and help. Safety is part of this conversation and we will touch on essential oil use with kids experiencing anxiety. Since we know that compliance is the key to healing we will put the whole picture together with blends and recipes using the knowledge we've gained to resolve anxiety and stress.

Polyvagal theory emphasizes the role of the vagus nerve in regulating the body's autonomic functions. Increasing awareness of the autonomic nervous system states supports increased emotional regulation, connection to others, and resilience. This workshop will present an overview of the principles of polyvagal theory, somatic patterns, and practical embodied strategies toward nervous system regulation.

Nervous system states describe the body's inherent and brilliant adaptive survival responses. Like a fingerprint, each nervous system is unique and informed by life experiences and reactions to them, creating the individual's story. Maintaining flexibility and an internal balance is essential to navigating life challenges with clarity. Understanding the nervous system and discovering tools that help increase regulation can support physiological symptoms, emotional health, and greater overall well-being.

Let's have fun moving our bodies together... women have been gathering in circles for eons, it is healing, it is powerful, it is empowering. For all shapes, sizes and levels of dance experience, for all bellies, especially those that are full, jiggle, or scarred. I will introduce you to some muscles you haven't met AND we will give our bodies some love! 

The study of Ayurveda is vast and profound. Yet, understanding and incorporating even some of the key practices and teachings into our lives can make a strong impact on our health and well being. Learning about the energetics of herbs through an Ayurvedic lens can also help us understand herbal medicine more fully. Join Nancy as she introduces some of the simple and practical key teachings and practices of Ayurveda including some of the most revered Ayurvedic herbs.

Join me on a walk through the beautiful gardens of Misty Meadows! We will meet plants that thrive in the heat of New England's summer. Learn the best time to plant and harvest, along with some tips and tricks to keep your plants thriving. This walk will feature some of the Misty Meadows staff’s favorite herbs on the farm!

This class will focus on various diagnostic facial indications created while living in a human body. Knowing what the body has to say, we can learn how to prevent illness. Our hours together will consist of both lecture and hands on learning with ample opportunity for questions to understand what your body is saying to you. Each participant will have their face read with comments shared. Please arrive make up and nail polish free!

Learn how to make two different recipes of traditional pierogi. Participants will make potato and cheese as well as cabbage pierogi both with an herbal flare. Come prepared to work with your hands, get a little messy, and a couple pierogi. The recipes include dairy, gluten, and are not vegan. No alternatives will be offered at this time.

The sacred traditions of herb-craft have been passed down through generations as a means of healing and wellness. They have also been used as spiritual offerings to deity as well as being used by Witches, Shamans, Seers, and Oracles for millennia. Within this workshop you will learn the magickal aspects of this ancient art, be able to enhance your spiritual practice through working with our herbal allies. Learn to choose, blend and empower herbs for your magickal use. It will be a guide to making sachets, charm bags, talismans and incense.

This class is crafted to introduce holistic protocols and alternative approaches, addressing a range of common pregnancy concerns, from morning sickness to preeclampsia. Drawing from herbal wisdom rooted in indigenous and traditional birth practices, participants will gain knowledge that goes beyond conventional approaches. This session caters to a diverse audience, including healthcare providers, birth workers, expectant parents and herbalists of varying experience levels. One of our main objectives is to broaden the support professionals can offer to their clients by expanding their knowledge of herbal applications in maternal care and empowering expectant mothers and their supporters with information and tools. The workshop not only imparts information but offers self-care routines aimed at nurturing overall well-being during both pregnancy and the postpartum period.

My class is intended to teach participants the basics of how to select appropriate cultivars of cannabis, to grow and harvest their own, to make medicine including tincture, oil/butter, flower essence, salves and edibles. I emphasize the importance of testing your products and how to dose each in the most effective manner. I will have samples of edibles in class and to take away, but all will be non-psychoactive for legal purposes. I will also have samples of flower essence, tincture and salve for all who are interested. Come and learn from my successes and failures with this powerful and important ally so that you can add it to your medicinal toolbox!

As herbalists, our primary goal is for our clients to heal by taking back their power and responsibility as the learn to be in relationship with plants. We give so much of ourselves; our knowledge and skills, encouragement, love, time! We do this graciously and well!

Getting what WE need from our work in the way of personal fulfillment, financial stability and community respect can often be the biggest challenge we face, especially when first getting started. The first hurdle is to determine what that means to YOU. In this workshop, I’ll share things I’ve learned, discovered, tried. I’ll speak honestly about my successes and my failures, practice, burnout, and how I’ve built and grown Misty Meadows and kept it thriving, teeming with magic for 35 amazing years. I hope you’ll join me with your questions!

Herbal First Aid for Farmers

Self-care is something I have always struggled with and when seeking inspiration for my final project for the Level 1 apprenticeship program at Misty Meadows, I came to realize I was not the only one who struggles with this. It seemed in my herbal community that while we were more than happy to put work into helping and healing those around us, it was a different story when it came to ourselves. Taking small steps to care for ourselves every day allows us to be there fully when it’s time to help someone else. This thought led me to creating a first aid kit that made daily farming life a little easier.

We will discuss what it takes to create a well-rounded first aid kit. My full first aid kit contains 10 items which I have adjusted and added to as time went on, but we will discuss some of my long-lasting favorites including: herbal band-aids and ACV hydration infusions.

Join Helen on a different kind of plant walk. One which will bring awareness to the plants who show up in our backyards, exploring the medicinal gifts as well as the spirit medicine they share with us all as well.

Feeling frazzled? Afraid? Out of sorts? Confused? Come and learn how to create more space in that heart of yours and learn to challenge your reptilian brain!

We’ll be diving into the physiology of the reptilian, old mammalian and “higher” brains within us. Based on thirty years of scientific studies and research, you can expect to leave the lecture with an understanding of the evolutionary benefits , and drawbacks to operating from each brain level, along with techniques for engaging the “angel lobes” of the higher brain through most importantly, the heart. We will touch on techniques for moving away from or reacting out of the reptilian brain. We will discuss other methods for engaging our heart coherence space, and why it is so important to access this space as often as we can! Right. Now.

And of course, herbs to help!

Stress and anxiety take a toll on our health and quality of life. Let's explore the amazing herbs that support our minds, bodies and spirits. We'll discuss the best adaptogens for different constitutions, the nervines that meet the moment and some other unique plants for helping us strengthen our nervous systems and mental health.

Flower Essences are gentle spirit medicines made from flowering plants and magickal intention. Together, we will talk about the many ways to work with Flower Essences in our daily lives and how to tune into the subtle shifts they can bring.

Stories from our beloved herbal elders have inspired us for generations. Join Rosemary under the Linden Tree as she shares stories from her decades-long adventures with the plants, and the people and places that have enriched her journey!

Sleep is foundational to optimal health and wellbeing. In this class, Maria will cover a few of the most important tips to get a good quality night sleep and three core materia medica for sleep: chamomile, lemon balm, and passionflower, with some pros and cons about valerian. We’ll discuss each herb’s attributes, pitfalls, dosing, formulation, and growing tips. These topics are covered in ever greater detail in Maria's newly released book Herbal Remedies for Sleep. Maria will sign and sell her books after the talk.

Bitters are extraordinary plants that have many facets to their healing abilities. These most common weeds are often overlooked for more exotic treatments, yet they are relaxing, clearing, cleansing, building and enlivening. Traditional peoples use these cooling remedies for many conditions with heat or inflammation as every region has it’s favorite bitters. We ill travel along the bitter index from Arctium lappa (sweet) to the Artemesias and Gentiana and discuss appropriate clinical applications for each.

Learn about the global, traditional practice of vaginal steaming, a gentle and non-invasive healing practice that brings together the magic of herbs and warm steam for womb wellness and connection. Learn about the historical and present day cultural implications, the benefits, contraindications, and highlight a selection of herbs utilized for a variety of pelvic steaming applications.

Explore the wooded trails of Misty Meadows with our Harvest Manager Jessica Daigle and learn about the mushrooms we harvest!

Oral traditions are a form of shared history in Native American culture. Indigenous peoples have strong storytelling traditions to pass on the culture, histories, and spiritual teachings of the peoples. This oral tradition connects past, present, and future while tighten the tribe and family bonds. These story provide lessons on how to live in this world with all life, lessons on morality, lessons for how children are to behave. These stories can also communicate creation stories, cultural beliefs, and personal family or tribal history and experiences. Creation stories are sacred and always told through oral traditions. Language loss was part of the systemic destruction or assimilation of Native peoples. Elders believe if the language is lost, the people will be also. Teachers, elders, and linguists have been working together to capture the Cherokee language in written form and spoken word through on line classes and social media networks. The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians only has 150 native first nation speakers of the eastern dialect, and the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma with over 300k people only have 500 native first nation speakers of the western dialect. Once our language is gone, so will be our people…..

Have you always wanted to learn how to make soap? In this class you will learn basic soap making and how to make a simple herb and sea salt exfoliating spa bar. Participants will each leave with a sample soap created prior to class from the same recipe demonstrated.

Digestive issues are increasingly common and increasingly uncomfortable! Herbs can play a key role in helping us manage symptoms and improve overall gut health. Learn about incorporating essential bitters back into your diet and some of the key digestive herbs that support gut integrity, inflammation and nutrient absorption. Happy gut = happy life!

Beginning with an overview of the menstrual cycle, explore the connection between the hypothalamus, the pituitary and ovaries are impacted by the circulatory, lymphatic and hepatic function. From there observe what might be felt in the physical body and which plants would be supportive to the tissue states. We’ll discuss the energetics of hot/cold/moist/dry and primarily speak about Western Herbs.

Join the beloved and revered Rosemary Gladstar on another gentle, fun, magical, wisdom filled walk through the forest of Misty Meadows.

Limited to 20 people.

A gentle Beginner class.   inspired by my Sivananda training. Our class will include meditation, chanting, pranayama, poses and relaxation that will leave your mind and body feeling gently awakened refreshed.   

Many women today are faced with challenging questions about their cardiovascular health. The medicalization of our hearts is taking away our confidence in our ability to sustain our own health. This class looks at the myths of hypertension and high cholesterol. We will talk about cholesterol as our primary antioxidant for dealing with stress and look at the deep reaches stress plays in our world today.

In recent years, much has been discovered about the structure and function of the gut, not just as an organ of digestion and absorption but also as a barrier against the passage of pathogens and endotoxins. A healthy gut, with its tight junctions intact, effectively prevents the passage of macromolecules into the bloodstream. Any impairment in the modulation of the intestinal barrier can readily result in pathological increase in permeability of the intestinal mucosa, or leaky gut syndrome. An increase in intestinal permeability (IP) leads to increased absorption of intestinally derived endotoxins, antigens, inflammatory mediators and, in some cases, bacteria.

These agents can cause local and systemic reactions associated with a broad range of acute and chronic diseases. Increased IP is typically observed in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) but it is also seen in various conditions initially related to gut disorders, including inflammatory response syndrome, allergies, asthma and even autism. Infections, dysbiosis, stress and food intolerance represent major influences on the integrity of intestinal barrier and should therefore be key targets for therapy.

Research indicates that nutrients, plant compounds such as glutamine, glutathione, quercetin, licorice and cinnamon, as well as dietary factors may help to support intestinal mucosal health and promote normal healthy intestinal integrity. In this infographic we focus on this research and its relevance to the safe treatment of increased IP and impaired gastrointestinal function.

This Intensive will look and the structure and function of the gastrointestinal system and then look at specific herbal indications to help soothe, treat and cure this common health issue.

We will meet and discuss 5 plants that can be found in our area and used in healing and magick. Together, we will experience these plants and grow in relationship with them so that we can call on them in our healing and magical practices.

Looking back, I will share what I would have done had I known the importance of doing what I told others to do! We will touch on:

Meditation

Breathing tricks

Movement

Water

Schedules

Do bring your own offerings to share!

The path of the Herbalist in a clinical session is full of twists and turns. Find out how to approach each step with skill and intention. This course will cover best practices as well as clinical gems garnered from years of practice. For the intermediate or advanced herbalist.

An informative and magical plant walk through the Misty Meadows Gardens and all of our favorite plant allies. Meet Mullein, pet some Sweet Annie, and taste the Agastache amongst the buzzing bees with our very own Harvest Manager!

The overuse of antibiotics in medicine and agriculture has led to a crisis of antibiotic-resistant infectious diseases. Antibiotics are also radical remedies with side effects. Fortunately there are a variety of teas, tinctures topical salves and foods that can be used to prevent illness through strengthening our immune systems. There are also antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral herbs that can be used safely and effectively to help heal us when illness is already present. John Herbalist Robin Rose Bennett to learn how herbal allies from astragalus to zingiber (ginger) can help us regain and maintain our health.

Do you make your own herbal products? Are you dreaming of sharing your passion, herbal products, and knowledge with the community? Join Helen Ward to learn about the first steps of creating your own local, herbal business and what it looks like to share your passion in your own community. We will discuss how to assess your community needs, what plants are local (and possibly invasive) which are there to assist in healing your community, how to market your business, local farmers markets, creative ways to educate and share during these unprecedented times! We will also explore any obstacles which you may feel are hindering you or your business.

Helen advocates that we should have an herbalist on each corner, sharing wisdom and supporting the local community with herbal medicine.

Now that you know how to grow all the beautiful herbs, how do you dry them for the highest quality? How do you know when they are dry? I will go over all the different methods that I have learned over the years, what works well and what doesn't. Bring your questions! If you have herbs you have dried, and have questions, or just want to show off, please bring them along.

Culinary herbs and spices have a rich history and have been used for thousands of years to enhance the flavor and health value of our food. They bring zest to our meals, but also help build health and cure imbalances. Come spice up your life with Nancy as she shares historical tidbits, recipes, samples, and research concerning the medicinal qualities of common spices and how best to use them in food and for first aid.

Starting an at home garden can seem like a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be! In this class we will discuss the meaning of permaculture / holistic gardening and how to incorporate some of these practices on a small scale.

The second half of class will be spent walking around Misty Meadows to see some of the practices put in place to work towards a ‘closed-loop system’. We will see examples and discuss lasagna gardening, rain barrels, hugelkultures, how to use your existing landscape, and more! (If time and/or space permits a hands-on demonstration will be included).

Come explore the gardens and enter the woods in this interactive hybrid lecture on plant allies that can assist us during our most difficult times.