HERBALISM FOR GRIEF + NERVOUS SYSTEM SUPPORT

detail from René-Antoine Houasse, Apollo et Daphne, 1677, Château de Versailles

A 10 part introductory course exploring community herbalist approaches to supporting grief + nervous systems, plant allies for grief and trauma, and herbal rituals + practices of care.

Upcoming Course Dates

January - April 2024

Tuesdays:

Jan 30, Feb 6, 20, March 5, 19, 26, April 2, 16, 23, 30

Cohort 1: 5:30-8:00pm EST - FULL

Cohort 2: 12:30-3:00pm EST - FULL

Recordings will be made available for those unable to attend live.

Herbal nourishment for those in grief

What if instead of tending to grief with the hope of its banishment, we tended our grief with welcome and nourishment?

In this class, grief itself is not seen as an illness or a "problem" to be banished. We are not trying to fix or cure grief, but to better understand the effects that grief can have on our bodies and nervous systems, and support ourselves and other grieving persons as we navigate grief.

This course is grounded in the understanding that humans have never really done grief alone, as individuals, or a species. Plants and communal care have been a part of human practices of grief care and death care probably for as long as humans have been around, and are incredible bringers of nourishment in grief.

An Invitation to Slow Down

Sinking into our relationships with plants teaches us so much about practicing the art of sensing, noticing, slowing down enough to give plants and our bodies and the places we live our attention. Remembering that we are already being held. Opening to nuance and not knowing. Opening to the possibilities of care and mutual aid between species, to being “stopped in our tracks in wonderment” of the ecosystems we find ourselves in and the beings we share them with (Queer Nature). And that noticing, remembering, opening, sensing, becoming re-enchanted to the world is in itself incredible medicine. This class is an invitation to embrace slowness and the possibility of enchantment as medicine, and see what doors that opens for grief support from plants— even when they are not in our grief formulas.

Course structure

There will generally be 1-1.5 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per class session, allowing space for participants to share their own insight, experience, and magic as we move through the course. There will also be regular space and invitations to participate in medicine making: whether making tea, tinctures, honeys, or herbal baths.

Community based learning

Coming from a background in community organizing and community based education, I see the classroom as a space made up of relationships, and relationships as the place where healing happens, as well as a place of deep learning. While there will be spaces where I am sharing in a lecture or workshop based format, much of our exploration of what is shared will be collective dialogue - rather than simply me sharing with you. While there is no requirement to share, this is a space where I hope all will feel that their insights and experiences are welcome and valued.

While each session is recorded, I think of the course as an invitation to be with each other in grief and our desire to support others in grief. All this to say, you’ll probably get more out of it and feel more connected to the course if you plan to attend most classes live- though this isn’t a requirement, and there are ways to participate via our discord for those unable to make it live.

a trauma, grief, + joy informed learning space

Every thing in our class is an invitation and optional, and choice is central. There are many ways to participate and no one right way. Listening to your body, your resistances, your excitement and interest, will be encouraged throughout our course.

Grief is given a place at the table in our class discussions and check ins, but also in the design of this course, which is designed for those us who feel profoundly changed by our grief. No one is expected to show up and be 100% “on” or to perform ideas of a good student. You get to be messy. You showing up however you are feeling is enough, whether you are attending live or via recording.

We will also be creating space to share about our joys, and to lean into those places in our lives where we feel nourished - to tend to the both/and of our grief/joy, and the relationship between the two.

This class is an invitation to really welcome ourselves and our grief however it arrives, emerges, and changes, and to let it be the vast, shapeshifting landscape of experience that it is.

"Joy is the capacity to do and feel more. As such, it is connected to creativity and the embrace of uncertainty...Joy is a process of coming alive and coming apart... It is aesthetic, in its older meaning, before thinking and feeling were separate: the increase in our capacity to perceive with our senses."

-Carla Bergman and Nick Montgomery, Joyful Militancy

Who is this class for?

This class is for the introductory herb student, or the herbalist looking to deepen their understanding of how grief impacts the body, herbalist strategies for grief support, and the stories and uses of plant allies for grief. This is a course for those in grief, looking for plant allies and supportive practices. This is a course for those who want to grow their toolkit for supporting community members in grief. This 7 part course is NOT a course that will prepare you to be a clinical herbalist. This is a course for those who appreciate moving at a slower pace, diving deep into the stories of plants, and a community setting.

What students are saying

“This course offers sweet ways to build relationships with our plant friends and our grief. Mara creates and holds such a loving and nourishing container in all of their courses. Every one of Mara's classes that I have attended has wrapped me in a warm, glowing hug.”

— Hannah, Herbalism for Grief Support & Community End of Life Care Planning student

“Mara’s Herbalism and Grief class was my first formal introduction into herbalism. I joined the group for the opportunity to have a grief container after a hard break up last fall. I was met with a wonderful group of people and a facilitator with an enormous skill set. Mara’s ability to join scholarship with community is truly like nothing else I’ve witnessed or been blessed to be a part of. Their passion for this work is so evident in every minute you spend with them. I walked away from this class with a working knowledge of the fundamentals of herbalist work as well as how it pertains to grief. I was so enamored by this course that I immediately signed up for their next available offering. Do yourself a favor and get into this class as soon as possible, you will not regret it!”

— Shawnee, Herbalism for Grief Support and Tears of the Gods Student

“Mara is a master space-holder, full of compassion and presence. In this course, you will enter the beautiful space they have created and journey with co-travelers as you explore grief and the powerful ability of the plants to support you in navigating it. Mara provides a great depth of plant knowledge as well as this gentle community container where I learned so much from my classmates. This course is truly invaluable, for both advanced herbalists and those with no herbalism experience at all.”

— Tiffany, Herbalism for Grief Support Student

“I am so, so grateful for this course. Mara is a skilled, thoughtful, and warm facilitator, and the gentle and adaptable pace of the course made it feel inviting rather than intimidating. I loved the opportunity to learn about herbalism for grief support, but more than that, I felt so welcome and seen by the cohort of fellow grievers. I don't have the words to fully describe how meaningful this course was to me. It made me feel hopeful that I can continue to find spaces where I can fully honor my grief and my human-ness. Thank you, Mara.”

— Geraldine, Herbalism for Grief Support Student

“Mara has a real gift for facilitating environments that are both educational and healing. Having spaces where grief is embraced as evidence of our love and of our magick cannot be overstated in its importance in recovering from the trauma of living in a grief and Death averse culture. Learning about the many plant allies we have to guide and support us in this endeavor is an incredibly helpful tool to have in our toolbox as we continue to move through collapse.”

— anonymous, Herbalism for Grief Support Student

“It has honestly been a life changing experience for me to spend time with such incredible, vulnerable, brave, insightful and caring people. It makes me absolutely stoked to re imagine what community could look like. Being met by others at such depth, playfulness, tenderness and joy and grief has been rad. To know my kind of people are out there is such a balm for this heart. Laughing and crying with people is the most amazing heart medicine. I am so excited for spring and all the amazing plants that are ready to support us again.”

— Diana, Herbalism for Grief Support Student

“Learning from Mara June has been such a delightful, and heart-opening experience. As a community weaver and facilitator, it has been joyus for me to receive and witness Mara, and the community they weave. I am so grateful for the ways in which Herbalism for Grief Support has gently ushered me toward rekindling my relationship to my plancestors, and brought new plant allies forward. I am also grateful for the ways in which this bi-weekly ritual has kept me in relationship to the grief right in front of me. If you are looking for a sustainable way to invite a loving practice of land stewardship, craft and ritual - I deeply recommend connecting to your grief in this way.”

— Azi, Herbalism for Grief Support Student

FAQs

  • The class is not tailored towards a specific cause of grief, and looks instead at the effects of grief, treating each experience as unique (without creating a hierarchy of loss). There are always participants grieving from things across a vast landscape of loss - whether the deaths of loved ones, loss of a home, miscarriages, relationships ending or being estranged from loved ones or family, ecological and collective losses, loss of self, identity, ability, etc. The approach is to support grievers of all kinds, without standardizing what that care looks like.

  • While attending live is encouraged, there’s no shame if you can’t make them, and no need to let me know ahead of time. Please feel free to watch at your own pace. All sessions are recorded, uploaded to our google folder, and posted in our discord. If you plan to mostly participate via recording, you can connect to other students through using our course discord.

  • I upload the captions, chat, and recording to our google folder within a day of each class, along with class slides. You’ll also receive a handout with reflection prompts and suggested activities for each unit.

  • You don't need to buy any of these things for this course, but for those who would like to begin harvesting and making herbal medicine, I would recommend the following (many of which can be thrifted):

    • Sieve/tea strainer with fine mesh

    • Potato ricer or cloth/ muslin bags for pressing / straining tinctures

    • Stainless steel funnels of various sizes

    • Tea pot/french press

    • Mason jars of various sizes

    • Scissors or knife for harvesting

    • Baskets for harvesting

    • Herbal drying rack/mesh net

    • Work gloves

    • Alcohol for tincture making (vodka, gin, or high proof grain alcohol)

    • Honey

    • Any essential oils you'd like to work with

    • A diffuser

    • Any dried herbs you'd like to work with (mountainroseherbs.com is where I buy mine if I can't find a local grower or place to safely & ethically harvest)

  • One of the course invitations is to work with and learn about a particular plant throughout our time together. You are each invited to choose a plant as a grief ally to focus on/love on/learn about during the duration of the course, and share about during our last class.

    These do not have to be formal presentations. In previous cohorts, some students did artwork or wrote poetry inspired by their plants and shared that with us, and it was beautiful. Others chose to do more formal presentations with slide shows. You can truly go anywhere you'd like with this. There’s no wrong way.

    Some sample questions you might explore:

    • How did your relationship with this plant start? evolve?

    • How does this plant make you feel when you're sitting with them, or using them in teas/recipes/etc.? Or what do you love about this plant?

    • Where do they grow and how did they end up there?

    • What does this plant need to thrive ecologically?

    • What peoples' and traditions is this plant important to ancestrally?

    • Is this plant a part of your own lineage?

    • How was common knowledge of this plant gained? (Thinking here about histories of cultural appropriation, versus cultural exchange, these histories being erased, and acknowledging the context under which we know what we know).

    • What folklore/stories are there about this plant?

    • What are the therapeutic properties or herbal actions of this plant?

    • What are the energetic properties or symbolism associated with this plant?

    • What are some of the ways you could make medicine with this plant?

Cost

This 10 part course is $600. Payment plans are available and can be selected on the registration page below.

Registration for this course is now closed and the cohorts are full! Click the link below to sign up for the waitlist to be the first to know when this course reopens!