WORKSHOPS & CLASSES
UPCOMING
spring 2023 classes
Afro-Indigenous Placenta Tree Planting
(w/ Sarah)
In this virtual 90-minute workshop, we will learn about different growing techniques for planting a placenta tree. This will include growing information on a diverse varieties of trees, and guidance to which are best to cultivate indoors and outdoors, and methods to bury the placenta with the best results for healthy growth and longevity.
We will also learn the shared and unique ideologies and ceremonies African and Indigenous cultures have about tree planting placenta ceremonies by exploring case studies from various tribal affiliations. In this class, we will refer to African, African Diasporic, Indigenous peoples of Turtle Island, Abya Yala, and Pacific Islands, as well as their historical connections. This workshop will be framed and taught from an anticolonial point of view, and center on the histories, goals, needs, values, languages, and perspectives of African and Indigenous people. Those Indigenous to Turtle Island or Abya Yala as well as those in Africa and the African diaspora are encouraged to register!
Jewish Herbalism & the Life Cycle
(w/ Naomi)
In this virtual 90-minute workshop, we will learn about how Jews have woven herbs into their rituals and ceremonies to welcome life, to beautify holidays and joyful occasions, to honor the dead, or to support grieving. First, we will explore Jewish herbal rituals across the diaspora to welcome babies into the world, to protect both the baby and the parent who has given birth, and to welcome in a new time or transition. In addition, we will also focus on herbs connected in Jewish tradition to death, on folk rituals and practices for honoring and remembering the dead, and on Jewish herbalism to support healthy grieving as well as related plant traditions that deal with remembrance or sorrow.
PAST CLASSES & WORKSHOPS
Sweetening the Spirits:
An Introduction to Sefardi Herbalism
(w/ Naomi)
Sweetening the Spirits: An Introduction to Sefardi Herbalism is a gentle and fun introduction to Jewish herbalism. While this class will emphasize Sefardi herb traditions, it really serves as an introduction to Jewish herbalism as a whole. This workshop will be framed and taught from an anti-colonial point of view, and center the histories, needs, values, languages, and perspectives of diverse Jewish people. All Jews are welcome!
Ahiyawoka Ke (Land, Speak to Us):
An Introduction to Taíno Herbalism
(w/ Sarah)
In this class, we will focus on creating and healing our relationships with Turtle Island plants in response to the colonization of the Taíno people and land. We will learn Taíno plants and their healing uses; connections to Taíno cosmology and spirituality; and create ancestral medicines together. We will also learn about the agro-ceramic (agricultural/ceramic) traditions that informed Taíno relationships to native plants as medicine and food.
African Herbs for Children's Health Workshop
(w/ Sarah)
In this workshop, we will learn about using solely African plants to create gentle remedies for children's health. Herbal remedies can provide safe and effective treatment for common childhood ailments ranging from diaper rash to teething to ear pressure. This workshop will give plant history, simple instructions, clear dosage guidelines, and in-depth examinations of over a dozen medicinal African herbs and remedies for children from infancy to early childhood. This is an especially great learning opportunity for those in African diaspora to get ideas and knowledge to help children in our community connect with their ancestral plant friends.
SOON AVAILABLE TO BUY STREAMING!
Introduction to Jewish Herbalism
(w/ Naomi)
This class will be gentle and fun exploration of Jewish herbalism and plant traditions. This space is for all Jews who are striving to live more in balance with the natural world by connecting to the folk traditions of our ancestors. In studying our richly diverse tradition of plant remedies and teachings that have been preserved and passed down through many generations, we may strengthen our connection to the plants we love and to the earth itself. While this class may be of particular interest to Jewish herbalists, farmers, and others who work with plants in diverse capacities, it also serves as an introduction to herbalism and to creating your own herbal remedies for Jews who do not have a background in herbal or plant studies but are interested in getting to know our plants more Jewishly.