Awaken Herbal Wisdom

An Intensive Herbalism Course
Year Three ~ Weaving through the Cycles of Life

botanical sketch advanced herbalist course

After our second year of attuning to the wheel of the year, in our third year, we walk the spiral of life. This is when we weave all the knowledge and skills you have developed into a finely crafted basket that will carry you through each stage of your life on this earth.

Our cadence is slightly different this year, spending four weeks in deep exploration of each of the six stages of life in turn - infancy and childhood, adolescence, adulthood, motherhood, menopause and elderhood - starting in the Spring and carrying all the way through to Winter.

As we take each step walking the spiral, we weave in the elements, the doshas, the tissues and the pathways. We weave in the seasons and the ebb and flow of their energies. We weave in our 24 old friends and our final set of 12 new herbal familiars. We weave in the common messages and imbalances that naturally arrive with each stage of life. We weave in the most suitable forms of herbal remedies and expand our formulating to include up to seven herbs. We weave in more intricate patterns of listening to others. We weave in our questioning of the status quo and what messages and meanings we've been told to accept and expect at each stage of life.

In weaving, you create and strengthen your own power. 

During the third year of our
intensive herbalism course you will:

  • Develop an intimate knowledge of a select group of 12 more medicinal herbs primarily able to be grown or foraged in the UK
  • Understand the six stages of life and their energetic qualities
  • Explore the interplay of the seasons and doshas with the stages of life to cultivate deep awareness of balance and health at each stage, beyond the labels and diagnoses commonly attached by allopathic frameworks
  • Question the status quo, meanings and messages society tells us to expect and accept at each stage of life
  • Refine your skills in listening to and understanding the messages of your body and of others who would like support with herbs
  • Advance your herbal remedy making skills from five- to seven-herb formulas
  • Create lasting bonds with your community of like-minded, curious and empowered souls
  • Expand your capacity to support your loved ones and community with herbal medicine
  • Solidify your foundation of herbal knowledge and skills upon which you can build a legacy of health of your choosing

What will the journey look like?

Your journey will follow a similar rhythm in the third year as the first two, opening and closing with the changing seasons at full day in-person gatherings at our cosy yurt tucked away in a small rural village in the East Yorkshire countryside, just one hour's drive from York, with twice-weekly live Zoom sessions in between.  

We will reconvene after the second year's Winter break in Spring to set our intentions for our third and final year together. Our first in-person gathering of the year will introduce the spiral of our time on this earth in the form of the six stages of life, focusing on weaving our well-known threads of the elements, doshas and seasons into this broader view of life. We will also advance our skills in listening to the messages of our bodies and those of others to paint a thorough and holistic portrait of current health to illuminate what support may be most appropriate for that person at this time.

We will then connect for an hour twice a week live online to explore the many aspects of each stage of life, spending four weeks on each and getting to know two new herbal familiars that have an affinity for them. Our Spring/Summer online sessions will explore the stages of life that align with these seasons - infancy and childhood, adolescence and adulthood. 

In the Summer, our gathering is an opportunity to bring your listenings of loved ones currently in these first three stages of life to discuss. We will explore crafting seven-herb formulas and practice formulating remedies to support the cases of friends and family brought to the session.


After our Summer break, we come together again in the Autumn. We shift our attention to the latter stages of life, on preparing ourselves to sift through the preponderance of societal messaging around these stages and to ground ourselves in our senses and all the knowledge and skills we have developed thus far. We will also have an opportunity to share and discuss the progress of any loved ones we have been supporting with herbs and explore any adjustments that may be appropriate for their remedies.


We will then resume our hourly sessions twice a week live online, spending four weeks each delving into motherhood, menopause and elderhood, getting to know two new herbs at each stage.

Our final in-person gathering will be in early Winter, when we revisit your listenings of friends and family in the stages of motherhood, menopause and elderhood who may like support with herbal medicine.

A few weeks later, we will meet as a group one last time in ceremony and celebration to conclude the course, as well as to recognise and reflect upon your journey across three full turnings of the wheel.

The course includes 75 live teaching hours across:

Four full day immersive in-person sessions at our beautiful yurt in rural East Yorkshire, just an hour's drive from York:
Spring - March/April - 10am-4pm
Summer - June/July - 10am-4pm
Autumn - September - 10am-4pm
Winter - November- 10am-4pm

Two 12-week seasons of hourly deep-dive sessions live online
Tuesdays and Thursdays each week​:
April - July
September - November/December

A closing ceremony and celebration at our yurt​:
November/December

There will be one third-year cohort offered for continuing students in 2025.

In-person session dates:
Spring - Sunday, 6 April 2025 - 10am-4pm
Summer - Sunday, 29 June 2025 - 10am-4pm
Autumn - Sunday, 14 September 2025 - 10am-4pm
Winter - Sunday, 30 November 2025 - 10am-4pm

Live online sessions:
Tuesdays and Thursdays each week from 11.15am-12.15pm​:
8 April - 26 June
16 September - 4 December

Closing ceremony and celebration​:
Sunday, 7 December 2025 - 10am-1pm

To facilitate your journey, you will also receive:

  • A fully interactive heirloom course book with all of the information we will cover across the four seasons, including in-depth plant profiles (monographs) of the medicinal herbs we will be getting to know
  • Recordings of every session to refer back to, with lifetime access
  • A private Whatsapp group for our cohort to discuss, share and ask questions
  • A few surprises along the way
chamomile sketch course in natural medicine

Practical topics and skills you will learn include:

  • The Spiral of Life - witnessing the evolution of each moment of life into the next as we travel through our time on this earth
  • The Six Stages - exploring both the nature of and common imbalances that arise at each stage of life - infancy and childhood, adolescence, adulthood, motherhood, menopause and elderhood
  • Applied Doshas and Elements - understanding the elements and doshas connected with each stage of life
  • Medicinal Herbs – develop an intimate knowledge of a curated set of core herbs and work confidently with them
  • Refining Formulation - expanding to seven-herb formulas and understanding the most suitable forms of herbal remedies for each stage of life
  • Advanced Listening, Observation and Enquiry - practising considerate and comprehensive conversation to gather a holistic starting point for supporting others with herbal medicine (commonly referred to as case taking)

'Meghan's courses in herbalism are the perfect way to learn the skills needed to feel confident in your use of herbs regardless of where you want to take your knowledge next.'

~Merryn

There are three options for joining the journey:

One-Time Investment
£1197
save £200
Split
Investment
£598.50
x 2 equal instalments and save £200
Monthly Investment
£349.25
x 4 monthly payments

Places are limited to 10 intrepid individuals who want to join in the journey.

The 2025 first-year cohorts are now open for enrolment!

So if you’re yearning to remember how to thrive together with the earth, if you’re inspired to reclaim power and sovereignty over your health, and if you’re ready to relearn the knowledge of your body and plant medicine, join us on this journey into herbalism like no other.

Reclaim your power to cultivate deep health.

botanical sketch herbalism school

Questions and Answers

Do I need to complete years one and two before I can begin year three?

Yes. We have students from all different levels of experience and places on their journeys join us on our course from the first year. Our second and third years build directly on the specific skills and knowledge developed in the preceding years of the course, not just from the perspective of the contents explored, but also how herbalism is learned, emphasising embodied, elemental and experiential ways of reawakening the herbal wisdom within each of us. Our cohorts go on this journey together, forming a strong bond and community, which we honour by upholding the continuity of the group from year to year.

How much time do I need to commit outside the course sessions?

As much or as little as you want! There are no formal assignments, papers to write, assigned reading to do or exams to revise for. We go through all of the knowledge and skills live together between our in-person gatherings and Zoom sessions, so even if you didn't read, do or make anything outside of that time (although I'm sure you won't be able to resist!), you will still get a deep and solid foundation in the knowledge and skills of herbalism. Whatever you feel inspired to read, do or make beyond our sessions together is completely up to you and very welcome for discussion and questions within the cohort. It's your journey! Still wondering about the time commitment? Read more here.

Which energetic systems will we be working with?

As the original medicine, herbal medicine spans all cultures, continents and civilisations. We are fortunate so many of these ancient lines of observing the natural world - both plants and people - are intact today and that we are able to explore and consider so many valuable perspectives that contribute to our better understanding of how all of nature can thrive together. Each practising herbalist finds their own inspiration and creates their own alchemy, and you will, too. On this course, you will have the opportunity to explore the energetics, concepts and terminology of both Western herbal medicine and Ayurvedic perspectives, intimately woven together in a way that facilitates embodied, elemental and experiential learning.

Is catering provided?

Yes! Catering for our in-person gatherings is included in the course fees, and there will be plenty of herbal tea available to drink when we are together.

When is registration?

Registration for the 2025 first-year cohorts opens to the waiting list 16th September 2024. If any places remain, open registration takes place from 1st October - 30th November 2024.

Can I pay in instalments?

Yes! You can split the cost into two equal instalments of £598.50 and still save £200 off the total cost or you can pay in four monthly instalments of £349.25 for a total of £1397. 

What if I can’t make all of the dates?

You are strongly encouraged to join in all of our sessions, as there is a tangible benefit to attending live and in a cohesive group. All of our live online sessions will be recorded for future reference or if missing any sessions are unavoidable due to life circumstances or schedule clashes. Plan to be fully present to your journey, but if there are a few small (or regular) diary clashes that are unavoidable, don’t let that hold you back from joining. You are still very much welcome! If you're still wondering about your scheduling and making the live Zooms, read more here.

Is there an opportunity to progress beyond the third year?

Awaken Herbal Wisdom has been created as a three year journey. You can explore what the first and second years of the journey look like here and here. After you complete the course, you are welcome to continue to be part of our community and attend events for alumni and current students.

Is this a certification/qualification course?

This course and its preceding years have intentionally not been designed as a formal qualification because we believe the wiser we become in ourselves, our homes and our communities, the more we are able to lift each other up to create a stronger society organically. There are many brilliant clinical training courses available across the globe; however, not everyone wants to complete 500 clinic hours, conduct a research project and sit exams. Whilst not everyone wants to become a clinical herbalist, many do want to develop a high level of skill and knowledge for personal reasons - and that's the journey of empowerment we love to provide.

For any further questions, do feel free to email us and ask.

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