FAQ about EMS Herbal Courses...
Where do I start? The herbal world is overwhelming!
Deepening your plant medicine skills takes time. So just exhale any and all angst that definitely trips us up if we decided to carry it as our creative root. There is no rushing your work with the plants. While leaps often happen, the plants help this through us slowing way down. This world takes a more spiral approach to learning by making it personal and grounding the knowledge deep within. If I were to offer you a way to slowly begin or blow life back into your walk with the medicine plants, it would look like this commitment-wise so you can decide the pace and depth you're able to manage for your life:
-Monthly Herbal Councils at EMS - these are the lightest of commitment where we meet for about an hour/month in a virtual webinar dedicated to deepening herbal topics around medicine plants and health conditions the plants assist with. It's an easy, no-necessary-interacting, just let it all wash over you kind of thing. These are for 1 year and free if taking other courses at ElderMoon School
- Becoming the Roots Course - This is a 10 week course on making medicine products. This is a cornerstone, foundation building piece at the next level of commitment where we build your physical medicine making skills and your home apothecary. You have 6 months to work the content through our virtual classroom.
- Birthing an Herbalist in 13 Moons - this is the big step forward and is very content rich as we go deeper into a school of medicine that is our original medical system. We walk in a spiral way as we work the nuts and bolts of the science and journey through Earth Medicine skills building that become part of your healer tool kit. It's 13 Moons of content delivery with 2 years to work the material.
- Walking the Herbal Path The Earth Medicine Way - Level 1 - This is the live circle that meets once a month for 13 months and we work the Birthing an Herbalist content even deeper with ways that do not translate to virtual experiences. (Live Level 2 to unfold in 2018!)
How can one learn about plants in an On-Line Course?
Believe me you can! Pictures, audios, videos, and live streams bring much to imprinting your brain on how the medicine plants look and work. We start there. As an environmental biologist, it was common to come from the field and hit the books to look up plants or insects or diseases on plants. We are visual beings. So consider this a beginning or a freshening up if you already know some of the plants. You'll definitely be encouraged to deepen your connection to your local flora by sitting with trees and plants and being on the Earth. There is so much we can do to get you moving along in herbalism. It's a huge world too so remember it takes time to orient and get comfortable. You are learning a school of medicine and a steady, restorative pacing is part of the recipe for success here, just as we need be prepared and work steady to successfully hike a mountain or traverse a river. Once you complete this course, I encourage continuing your study for at least another year with a local herbalist who can take you out in the mountains, meadows and along streams to learn the landscapes the medicine keepers live in that are near to you. This will make you all the more ready and so comfortable to be out in Nature with them and speaking their language.
Do I receive a Certificate at the end?
Yes you can. Certificates are given with completed homework assignments in writing through email to me. This is optional but important for many. This is a huge accomplishment to finally get the fundamentals of herbalism honed within you. Building your confidence begins with your commitment and a steady pace, being a good record keeper, and knowing how to intuitively jump the tracks and trust where the plants are taking you. So yes! You will receive a gorgeous Certificate of Completion and I stay available to you as a part of your support structure as you head out into the direction of herbalism you're called to.
Can I start working as an herbalist after this course?
Yes you can. We visit the legal and creative business aspects of herbalism during our time together. As with all things, developing your skill takes time. We begin with self in this course and we cultivate healing within before we address healing others. The plants are always shifting and changing just as we are. There is a dynamic exchange with the natural world and you'll be inspired in new ways that may change what you think you are setting out to do. Or this time may strengthen your already envisioned self. It's a journey. What I do offer is my perspective in that herbalists who embody their Earth Medicine skills as well become something 'other' to their people. We become translators and facilitators for helping our people, the plants, and all of Nature to work together and be a collective healing force. We 'the herbalists' don't 'heal' anyone that comes for help. We simply help the healing process happen. And in return we get to do our own healing work.
What if I live far away and my local plants are different than yours? Can I still learn from you?
Yes you can. There are so many facets to becoming an herbalist. There are people who have whole careers working with the plants as medicine but have not sat with the plants they actually know. They come to study too. We can hone your skills here not only with how to seek good plant material and making all the products that have been traditionally called upon by our bodies, but also how to build a beautiful, well-functioning apothecary. We also hone the skills of listening to the plants. How to approach them and study while always keeping our reverence intact. How to be with them and learn from them in that intimate way that is ancient and actually innate within us all. These skills translate to all landscapes where the plants live. You will feel more at ease with your local flora for you will already have many skills obtained here that translate to all areas of herbalism calling to you.
Deepening your plant medicine skills takes time. So just exhale any and all angst that definitely trips us up if we decided to carry it as our creative root. There is no rushing your work with the plants. While leaps often happen, the plants help this through us slowing way down. This world takes a more spiral approach to learning by making it personal and grounding the knowledge deep within. If I were to offer you a way to slowly begin or blow life back into your walk with the medicine plants, it would look like this commitment-wise so you can decide the pace and depth you're able to manage for your life:
-Monthly Herbal Councils at EMS - these are the lightest of commitment where we meet for about an hour/month in a virtual webinar dedicated to deepening herbal topics around medicine plants and health conditions the plants assist with. It's an easy, no-necessary-interacting, just let it all wash over you kind of thing. These are for 1 year and free if taking other courses at ElderMoon School
- Becoming the Roots Course - This is a 10 week course on making medicine products. This is a cornerstone, foundation building piece at the next level of commitment where we build your physical medicine making skills and your home apothecary. You have 6 months to work the content through our virtual classroom.
- Birthing an Herbalist in 13 Moons - this is the big step forward and is very content rich as we go deeper into a school of medicine that is our original medical system. We walk in a spiral way as we work the nuts and bolts of the science and journey through Earth Medicine skills building that become part of your healer tool kit. It's 13 Moons of content delivery with 2 years to work the material.
- Walking the Herbal Path The Earth Medicine Way - Level 1 - This is the live circle that meets once a month for 13 months and we work the Birthing an Herbalist content even deeper with ways that do not translate to virtual experiences. (Live Level 2 to unfold in 2018!)
How can one learn about plants in an On-Line Course?
Believe me you can! Pictures, audios, videos, and live streams bring much to imprinting your brain on how the medicine plants look and work. We start there. As an environmental biologist, it was common to come from the field and hit the books to look up plants or insects or diseases on plants. We are visual beings. So consider this a beginning or a freshening up if you already know some of the plants. You'll definitely be encouraged to deepen your connection to your local flora by sitting with trees and plants and being on the Earth. There is so much we can do to get you moving along in herbalism. It's a huge world too so remember it takes time to orient and get comfortable. You are learning a school of medicine and a steady, restorative pacing is part of the recipe for success here, just as we need be prepared and work steady to successfully hike a mountain or traverse a river. Once you complete this course, I encourage continuing your study for at least another year with a local herbalist who can take you out in the mountains, meadows and along streams to learn the landscapes the medicine keepers live in that are near to you. This will make you all the more ready and so comfortable to be out in Nature with them and speaking their language.
Do I receive a Certificate at the end?
Yes you can. Certificates are given with completed homework assignments in writing through email to me. This is optional but important for many. This is a huge accomplishment to finally get the fundamentals of herbalism honed within you. Building your confidence begins with your commitment and a steady pace, being a good record keeper, and knowing how to intuitively jump the tracks and trust where the plants are taking you. So yes! You will receive a gorgeous Certificate of Completion and I stay available to you as a part of your support structure as you head out into the direction of herbalism you're called to.
Can I start working as an herbalist after this course?
Yes you can. We visit the legal and creative business aspects of herbalism during our time together. As with all things, developing your skill takes time. We begin with self in this course and we cultivate healing within before we address healing others. The plants are always shifting and changing just as we are. There is a dynamic exchange with the natural world and you'll be inspired in new ways that may change what you think you are setting out to do. Or this time may strengthen your already envisioned self. It's a journey. What I do offer is my perspective in that herbalists who embody their Earth Medicine skills as well become something 'other' to their people. We become translators and facilitators for helping our people, the plants, and all of Nature to work together and be a collective healing force. We 'the herbalists' don't 'heal' anyone that comes for help. We simply help the healing process happen. And in return we get to do our own healing work.
What if I live far away and my local plants are different than yours? Can I still learn from you?
Yes you can. There are so many facets to becoming an herbalist. There are people who have whole careers working with the plants as medicine but have not sat with the plants they actually know. They come to study too. We can hone your skills here not only with how to seek good plant material and making all the products that have been traditionally called upon by our bodies, but also how to build a beautiful, well-functioning apothecary. We also hone the skills of listening to the plants. How to approach them and study while always keeping our reverence intact. How to be with them and learn from them in that intimate way that is ancient and actually innate within us all. These skills translate to all landscapes where the plants live. You will feel more at ease with your local flora for you will already have many skills obtained here that translate to all areas of herbalism calling to you.
ElderMoon School's Annual Giveaway: One seat - and sometimes more - will be given away FREE each year to the on-line 'Birthing an Herbalist in 13 Moons' group as my gift back to my community. The drawing will be announced in December but you can submit anytime. The winner is drawn at dawn on the New Year's Day each year. Here's how to enter:
~Send me a picture that deeply moves you to "Ahhhh" of anything from art to people to places to bizzare.
~Include a note about what is moving you to deepen your skills as an herbalist. You can think as you write but please feel it too and throw in a bit of automatic rant from your soul if you can and forget judging it. Trust. This will be read only by me and released to the ethers and your name will be archived for entry in the drawing.
Send to: jcosta865@outlook.com labeled "GIVEAWAY" - Submit anytime and I archive them until dawn of each New Year's Day. Good Luck!!
2018 ***Congratulations*** to Cecilia G. - The winner of a seat in 'Birthing an Herbalist in 13 Moons' online herbal course. Happy you're joining us Cecilia xo-Jen
2017 *** Congratulations*** Winners are 3 seats to Amanda B., Andrea C., and Mackenzie T. Thrilled to be walking with all of you! xo-Jen
2016 ***Congratulations*** to Sue S. who won the 2016 seat in the 'Birthing an Herbalist in 13 Moons' course!! So happy to have you joining us Sue xo -Jen
~Include a note about what is moving you to deepen your skills as an herbalist. You can think as you write but please feel it too and throw in a bit of automatic rant from your soul if you can and forget judging it. Trust. This will be read only by me and released to the ethers and your name will be archived for entry in the drawing.
Send to: jcosta865@outlook.com labeled "GIVEAWAY" - Submit anytime and I archive them until dawn of each New Year's Day. Good Luck!!
2018 ***Congratulations*** to Cecilia G. - The winner of a seat in 'Birthing an Herbalist in 13 Moons' online herbal course. Happy you're joining us Cecilia xo-Jen
2017 *** Congratulations*** Winners are 3 seats to Amanda B., Andrea C., and Mackenzie T. Thrilled to be walking with all of you! xo-Jen
2016 ***Congratulations*** to Sue S. who won the 2016 seat in the 'Birthing an Herbalist in 13 Moons' course!! So happy to have you joining us Sue xo -Jen
Our Giveback Together To Our Sweet Earth....
We donate 5% of all on-line course tuition directly to TreeSisters in support of the reforestation replanting projects now globally funded and in operation. ElderMoon School is partnering as a 'Water Carrier' for TreeSisters to expand and provide resources so the trees can move through the hands of the women closest to where they are needing to be planted. Thank you for supporting TreeSisters through your herbal journey here at ElderMoon School of Herbs & Earth Medicine.