Growing Community: How to Start an Herbal Study Group

Meeting up in-person, getting together for a chat, and spending time learning in community are vital to our individual happiness and collective wellbeing as a species.

My own journey as an herbal student was a mix of in-person classes, online courses, and self-guided study, with a mix of great, middling, and frustrating learning experiences. I've also been teaching in-person for over two decades and online for over a decade - and I've had my mix of experiences as a teacher from plenty of beautiful gatherings and plenty of clunky mistakes (like trying to teach when you're totally burnt out!). As someone who happily spends a lot of time contributing to the online library of resources for herbalists, healing practitioners, and magickal folk, I am also more committed than ever to making sure that the knowledge of how to host good gatherings and facilitate in-person learning spaces that leave people feeling inspired gets passed on to the next generation. I learned what I learned from what was shared with me by my own elders (including things I won't be replicating), including formal community organizing trainings, and from all the in-person learning opportunities I've been able to attend and host over the years.

So I’ve put together a little guide for hosting your own herbal study group or similar gathering, based on my own experiences of hosting these types of events. While it’s not an exhaustive guide, it’s a good starting point and I hope it’ll be helpful to those of you wanting to start an herbal study group or similar event but not knowing where to start.

The landscape of what sort of classes folks are able to access has radically shifted with the dominance of online social spaces and if generations who experienced life and gatherings pre-social media internet are not intentional about passing on knowledge of how to be in physical space together, that social muscle risks atrophying. Fortunately, it's a relatively easy fix and I hope that the following guide helps inspire folks across generations to strengthening our social muscles together.¹ As herbalists, we need these in-person get-togethers because I believe that plants speak to us as much as they speak through us, and learning about healing practices is as much of a community affair as the act of healing is.

So how do you host an herbal study group? Who's qualified to do it? What sort of resources do you need? Let's explore all these questions and more, complete with a sample outline for your first herbal study meet-up, and help support and inspire your own herbal community gathering in your part of the world. 

Before You Gather

image via @pmpietsch

Get Clear On Your Goals

You don’t need to be a practicing herbalist or even a senior herbal student to host an herbal study group, but you should have some clear intentions and goals. They don't have to be fancy or complex, but it's good to know your intentions for hosting an herbal study group and to set a goal or two to help you keep focused. These intentions and goals will also help you avoid trying to do too much at once or have other opinions drag you into work and commitments you don't want to make. Essentially, your intentions and goals are the soil of the gathering, helping your project grow strong roots and bear good fruit.

Starting with our intentions we can begin to understand what our goals are. Here are some sample intentions:

• I want to meet other like-minded folks interested in herbalism

• I want to share my experiences as an herbalist in a casual, low-commitment way (as opposed to offering formal classes)

• I want to study plants beyond just reading about them in books or making recipes on my own

Building off of those intentions, you can make some goals:

• Making herbal friends and having a regular herbal study group meet-up.

• Finding other teachers / experienced students I can collaborate with for future events.

• Creating an herbal collective that works on mutual aid projects together.

Of course, goals and intentions can change, but I always think it is better to start with something than nothing. Another way of looking at intention-setting and goal-making is that they are one of the ways that we set boundaries, which are essential to any sort of community resource-sharing practices (like a super cool herbal study group). 

Some boundaries you might consider, include:

• I can commit a total of 2 hours to a study group meetup.

• I can't provide free materials to the meetup, but I'm happy to share links to resources that folks can gather themselves.

• My skills are reserving and setting up spaces, but I'll need other folks to help with online communications.

Embrace Reciprocity

In-person gatherings, like an herbal study group, remind us that there is enough knowledge, inspiration, and energy to share amongst all of us. Decades of transactional-focused social media has created feelings of scarcity from feeling like we're constantly missing out, don't have enough followers or stuff or likes or influence, and pushing us into increasingly limited information spaces with algorithms meant to keep us scrolling, not informed or connected. When we feel limited in our resources it can be easy to fall into the trap of viewing everything as transactional, including our relationships of all kinds. 

I encourage all of us to embrace a spirit of reciprocity when it comes to hosting events. While there needs to be healthy boundaries, which can adapt and change as we adapt and change, the spirit of learning in spaces like herbal study groups thrive when their purpose is grounded in an open offering of knowledge. Let the transactional machine of social media stay online and let your gathering be held in the spirit of interdependence and free-flowing exchange. In-person conversations are much more nuanced, complex, and interesting than online ones, and its important that we protect our social ability to be in experience with others instead of being stuck in a place of constantly seeking a transaction. Reciprocity is also less-stressful and more fun than a transactional worldview, so let yourself shift your perspective and feel it out for a but.

image via @heftiba

Find a Place to Get Together

A place for an herbal study group should offer shelter from the elements (like a shady spot in a public park or a well-ventilated indoor venue), a place to go to the bathroom (whether public or private facilities), and somewhere that is accessible enough for your needs. If your study group is happening with a group of friends, then hopefully you'll be able to meet in your homes, but if you're hosting an event with a mix of peers and unknown folk, that isn't always going to be an option. 

Most free space options are going to be outdoor, like public parks (which is a great option for plant-loving herb folk), but sometimes local libraries or community centers offer facilities to reserve for free. Librarians are incredible matchmakers for finding free resources in your community, so show them and your local libraries love, and work with them when you can.

Holding a meet-up at the same time as a community event, like a weekly farmer's market, can be a great way to call folks together, where there are lots of opportunities for community-building (and buying your week's grocery while listening to the grooviest local jazz quartet) in addition to your gathering. 

Low-cost options include local coffee and tea shops, where often the price of either officially or unofficially using their space with the rest of the public is making sure all attendees purchase an item off the menu. If you have a local apothecary or metaphysical shop, they can also be low-cost options if they have classroom space to use. 

Yoga studios and similar centers can sometimes offer off-hours low cost rental opportunities, and they might be more interested in keeping a rental cost low if you're already a member of their classes or will be offering the study-group for free or donation-based. Other spaces like food co-ops with classrooms, local bookstores, and similar businesses might be open to your group using their space.

If you know that a local herbal study group is trying to find a space but is struggling with being able to afford to rent a spot, and you have the financial means to help out, go for it! I try to do this when I'm able to because I was modeled this by communities I've been a part of where folks recognize that we all bring what we can: from folks who bring amazing jugs of tea to share and others who know how to guide everyone through a plant ally meditation and those who help out by pitching in financially. Collaboration in the spirit of reciprocity!

image via @sir_jarvis

Who's Invited

If you're inviting folks you know, you're all set! For those of you opening up your meeting to acquaintances and strangers, there might be a few things to consider. You can do an open invitation to your complete social network, focus on in-town advertising at community hangouts or rely on your friend-of-a-friend network for inviting folks.

If you're nervous about complete strangers showing up to your study group, you don't need to make it an event where strangers are allowed. Stick with your comfort level and remember that just because you want to host a gathering, doesn't mean you're obligated to open it up to anyone beyond the folks you already know.

If you don't mind it being open to the public, but also don't want to find yourself feeling like you're stuck in a room full of strangers, hold your gathering next to an already happening event (like a farmer's market or bustling coffee shop), where it's open to the public while being in a public space with some good social norms in place (farmer's markets and coffee shops tend to be mellow spaces which can bring a desired mellow energy to your own gathering). 

You can have pre-signups available - especially if there are space limitations - which can also act as an initial filtering process, where you can share more about the event and social expectations.

Let People Know What's Up

So you've found the spot you're going to meet-up, chosen the date and time, and now it's time to invite folks!

When you are advertising your event, whether in a public forum or in a group chat, let folks know all the basic details of when and where an event is happening, but also be sure to include all the details that make it easier for folks to show up.

Part of intersectional and inclusive practice is creating access through information-sharing including letting folks know:

• If the space is or is not accessible (if it is in a room on the second story without an elevator - let folks know!)

• What public transportation lines (if any) exist nearby

• What the parking situation for both car and bike is

• What signage for the event will be up to let folks know they are in the right place (super important for events in large outdoor spaces)

• How to navigate a space if the entrance is not obvious

• Community etiquette whether that's not wearing heavy scents, no filming or photos, etc.

• Age restrictions and/or childcare

The list can go on depending on your community, the space you're holding the study group in, and so on. If the event is free, but you're planning on passing the hat for donations (whether physically or digitally), let folks know. If you're wanting to share food in the space or no food is allowed, let folks know. It's not about making unnecessary rules, but giving folks a big-hearted invitation with all the details to make it easier for them to show up.

Once folks get there:

• Let them know where the nearest bathroom is

• If folks are filling out nametags, point that out

• If there is water and food, point that out

• Let folks know who is leading/organizing the class

• Show them where they can sit and get comfortable

Of course, these things are going to shift and change if it is just a gathering with folks you already know really well, but I think every gathering benefits from there being a feeling of being invited in through letting folks know what is what. When I am able to for my own classes and events I love to have someone who is specifically in charge of welcoming folks into the space and helping them get settled. These welcoming practices makes a difference, especially with the increase anxiety so many folks have about showing up for in-person gatherings.

image via @naopp

Troubleshooting

Unwanted Encounters

I'm not going to lie, the rate at which (mostly, though not entirely) younger generations have been indoctrinated into surveilling and filming everyone without consent for the financial benefit of insatiable advertising-driven algorithms is intense and has changed the way that I think about public gatherings. And, I've also been against filming classes since I started teaching them because I want people to know that their private learning experience is not going to be broadcast for public viewership (a choice that I experienced a lot of criticism and outright hostility for over the years, but I've never regretted making it and still practice it for all my gatherings).

If you know that your study group is going to get bothered at the local public park, then it might be time to consider an indoor location (like a private room in a library that can often be rented for free). Try to see if one of your community members, that you know and trust, will let you meet up in their living room or backyard.

But if meeting in public is the only option, invite everyone into being aware of their environment and looking out for one another (including at the end of the event, making sure everyone's got a safe enough way home). I find that this practice of shared awareness helps to keep unwanted intrusions to the event at bay, but of course, work with your co-organizers to figure out what else you might want to put in place for the security of the event. 

Off Topic & Overrun

Having experience attending meet-ups with skilled facilitators is the best way to learn these skills, but If you find that folks in the meet-up are taking up too much airtime, getting off topic or overrunning the flow of the event, pulling everyone back to the outline for the class (see below) and reminding folks of time restraints (especially if you have a limited rental time) can often ground and center errant energy.

It's completely appropriate to be kind and direct when folks are taking up too much air time or otherwise derailing class flow ("hey, friend, we're going to let other folks have a chance to share their thoughts and ask questions now"). The best way I know to protect against disruption at events where structure matters, is to be clear on the class outline from the start which helps to lessen the opportunities for folks to overrun a meeting with inappropriate oversharing or any variation of over-explaining from a place of entitlement. In addition to having an outline for a meet-up I suggest letting folks know when the time for questions and conversations is going to be (I usually arrange for this to happen at the end of a meetup) and even use formats like small group sessions when there is a large group meeting so that there is more opportunity for more folks to speak up and share. 

Maneuvering all these issues comes with practice and you're not always going to get it right, but continuing to be curious about what it is you can do to change and adjust your perceptions and skills along with the expectations and energy of a meetup will help you grow in your skills as a facilitator. These facilitation skills will also help you as an herbalist, whether or not you choose to practice as a professional, and in any sort of activism work, so they are worth developing. These skills can also help to remedy some of the anxiety you might feel about in-person meet-ups and interactions knowing that you have a toolbox full of ways to work through more challenging interactions.

No One Shows Up

That's ok! Friends, this has happened to me and while it can be disappointing in the moment, it's not a big deal in the long run. You might need to change times and/or location, but sometimes you're going to have a no-show meet-up. That's part of the risk of putting yourself out there and I think that's a pretty fine risk to take, because other days it'll pay off and you'll have a great gathering of folk. Of course, making sure that your intentions and boundaries about the event mean that you're not engaging in burdensome financial risk (such as renting out an expensive venue without guaranteed attendees) or so much effort on your part that you’re burnt out.

It's Time to Gather!

image via @dienyportinanni

Setting the Tone

I love a good tone-setting for an event. In addition to everything from the Let People Know What’s Up section, setting the tone includes the way that you start and end the class as well as some of the social expectations you might choose to set. I love starting classes with a simple meditation to help everyone ground into the space and an acknowledgement of the land and those gathered. Class endings are quicker, full of gratitude for everyone whose been there, and making sure to let folks know of upcoming events and remind them of resources mentioned during class they might want to check-out. 

Sometimes it can be helpful, especially with a more informal meetup with a bunch of folks who don't know each other, to let folks know that this herbal study group is a great place to learn about healing with plants, but it is not a space to be healed by plants, receive medical advice or expect class discussions to be some for of group therapy. Not only does this respect the emotional boundaries of everyone present and help to protect the structure of the class, but it's also true. An herbal study group is an herbal study group and nothing more than that - what a relief! 

My goal with gatherings and classes is to celebrate that folks have been able to show up (no small feat!), to share my enthusiasm for our plant allies, and hopefully create a space for inspiration to flow between everyone present. In-person meetups are so much fun, in part, because of the real time enthusiasm that’s exchanged about a common interest - so feel into that!

A Sample Herbal Study Group Outline

The following is a sample outline that you can adapt for your own herbal study group and that I hope will hopefully boost your confidence when thinking about hosting an in-person event. 

🌼

It's the first meeting of The Plant Ally Club!

They are meeting on Saturday from 10 to 11:30 AM in a park outside a public library (complete with easy access to water and free bathroom facilities, nice!). The group facilitators, Rosa and Moss, know that there might be an extra half hour of conversation afterwards, but they're fine with that and even have a lunch place around the corner to head over to if folks want to continue talking.

The invitations to The Plant Ally Club were semi-open - they were shared amongst Rosa's and Moss' friend groups with encouragement to share with their friends. Moss has brought iced herbal tea to share with everyone (folks were encouraged to bring their own drinkware) and Rosa is going to be the main facilitator for the event.

The plant ally they'll all be learning about is Calendula (Calendula officinalis) and Rosa was able to bring fresh and dried Calendula plants to show everyone, as well some Calendula oil and tea to let folks sample.

10 AM: Welcoming In & Setting the Tone

Moss greets everyone and offers them tea. Then Rosa excitedly welcomes folks to the first meeting of The Plant Ally Club and lets everyone know the outline of the class.

10:05 AM: Creating Space Together

Moss leads everyone through a simple breathwork practice (three big deep breaths in and out), then everyone shares their name and favorite color as a simple (and slightly silly) way of settling into space together.

10:15 AM: Meeting Our Plant Ally

Now it's time for class. Rosa is a professional herbalist and does most of the talking - at future Plant Ally Club meetings, things are more informal and lots of folks jump in with their favorite facts and stories about the plant being learned about. At different points, Moss helps to pass around the Calendula plant and remedies that Rosa has brought so everyone gets to learn about Calendula on a sensory level, too.

At one point, a participant starts to interject and veer off topic wanting to talk in-depth about mushrooms, mycelium networks, and the 5D human microbiome - Rosa gently redirects by letting him and everyone know that they can approach him after class to learn more.

11:00 AM: Conversations & Questions

The group is small enough that questions are done altogether instead of small groups. It's clear that questions and conversations could continue on for much longer, but after a bit Moss starts to bring the conversation to a close as the end of their time together draws near.

11:25 AM: Grounding

Rosa leads everyone through a super short and sweet grounding exercise to help those gathered retain what they've learned and feel settled enough to continue on with their day.

11:30 AM: Opening Space

Moss lets folks know of future meetings of the Plant Ally Club and everyone takes a moment to write down the names or take pictures of some of the herbal resources people brought. And then the first meeting of The Plant Ally Club is done!

♡

There you have it! A sweet and easy outline for a sweet and easy gathering. In my imagined scenario, an experienced herbalist, Rosa, was present to help guide class, but you can easily use trusted references like your favorite materia medicas or plant profiles to help guide the study portion of the class. As you continue to meet, folks will show up with different resources and ideas, teas will be made, and abundance begets abundance in what is shared. 

🌿

I hope that you found this guide helpful and that you're feeling inspired to start your own in-person herbal study group. If you’re looking for more resources about charging for events (because renting space can be so expensive) but want to do it in a values-centered, access-creating way, I have some resources on the sliding scale for you.

I think we're do for a revival of in-person community culture and my dream is to look back decades from now and see all the ways some of these groups are still going, inspired resources like books and art and media were brought into being through others, and that there are a whole lot of great stories to share (like Moss' infamous bitter roots tea and all the behind the scenes stories of the portraits of young herbalists Barbara took all those years ago). 

Remember, that the people that created the herbal and cultural resources we love and rely on today are just people like you and me. So let yourself create and collaborate and gather with your kin - I hope to see you out there!

This post was made possible through patron support.
❤︎ Thanks, friends. ❤︎

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Footnotes

1 Also, some folks reading this guide from countries where third spaces are abundant, community centers still exist, human rights like access to health care and free education exist, might find this list quaint. And it is. Hopefully, though, the more we get together the more those of us who don’t have easy access to these basic human dignities can better understand just how different and better life could be.

A Might-Do List for Herbal Students

Whether you're enrolled in an herbal school, working as an herbal apprentice or pursuing self-study, there are so many ways to be an herbal student on the path to becoming a practicing herbalist. 

The life of an herbal student can feel exciting - I'm answering my call to be an herbalist! I love plants and people!

It can also be overwhelming - Woah! There are so many plants and people!

And at times confusing - There are so many plants and people and creatures and philosophies and techniques, oh no!

There are endless educational options for aspiring students as well as more and more culturally-informed herbal texts for all kinds of plant-hearted people to find their home within the shared garden of green wisdom.¹ It's exciting and it's a lot!

While I don't have the time and resources to match every herbal student to their ideal learning program (though, this does sound like a dream job to me), with over 15 years of practice I can offer what it is I wish I started doing as an herbal student and the practices I encourage in my own learning community that helps students to thrive in their studies. 

So what follows is my might-do list for herbal students, full of suggestions that you might (or might-not) do as part of your studies. As with all my might-do lists, this is meant to be a low-pressure, full of inspiration sort of guide, that you can easily adapt to your unique needs as a student whether for herbalism or any of the meaning healing paths out there. Enjoy!

image via @todddiemer

Get Down Low

While there are many ways to practice herbalism, our ability to practice our craft and work with plants as allies is only possible through this place we call home: our beloved planet earth. I encourage everyone who wants to work with plants to practice an earth-centered form of herbalism aligned with sustainable, land-aware, and kinship-attuned practices. It all starts with having a relationship with the land you live with, seeking out plants as they grow in wild or cultivated spaces, and slowing down and getting low with our original teachers of herbalism, the plants themselves.

One of the easiest ways to begin centering your practice and studies with the land we all live with is to observe plant life around you. Start by noticing the plants growing up between sidewalk cracks as you walk to work or what might be growing in your local park. After observation, noticing colors, textures, and scents, can come identification and then, if the plant is medicinal, learning how to work with it in your practice. In-between the spaces of observation, identification, and practice is building a relationship with our plant neighbors, introducing yourself, and noticing what other creatures are also in kinship with this plant.

For many modern herbalists who work with a wide range of plants that we don’t all grow or harvest ourselves, it’s important to create connection between the plants we are able to be with in-person to remind us that we are in deep interdependence with the herbs that are in our backyards as well as sitting in jars on our apothecary shelves. An earth-centered practice is a sustainable practice that helps us create sacred relationships with those we serve and the land we live with.

Name Yourself & Honor the Land

I'm a real fan of naming rites and rituals, where we take up (and sometimes let go of) names given and created to shape who we are in the world. Sometimes these namings happen after a big transition and sometimes during or just before one, like in the time of being a student, before we've gone on to do something with our studies. I encourage you to take a moment and write down your name as an aspiring herbalist, listing out what brought you to this path, and where you hope to go with your studies. It's ok for this naming practice to be as serious or as silly as you like! Here are a few naming examples:

I am Zinnia of Sweet Mountain,
Child of the Backwoods, 
Brought up in Oak Groves,
Descendant of Scotland and Mexico, 
Carrying a fire for change in my heart,
With arms full of plants,
I walk the green path of wisdom

🌿

I am Devon
Son of Marcus and John
Wild heart, star brow
Made of obsidian and quartz
Kitchen witch, game maker
Rescuer of strays
Plant friend, hex breaker
All of this and more
I am becoming

This naming practice can include naming your ancestors, your cultural and spiritual inheritances, gifts and skills you carry, and dreams of who you are becoming. No one ever has to see this poem or maybe it is something you do with your fellow herb students - the point is to spend some time naming yourself as a way to know who is pursuing this path of study and why you're doing it. It can be fun, at the formal end of your studies, to revisit this name poem and see if there is anything you would change about it or if it is great as is, perhaps with new meaning attached to what you'd written.

Following the naming of yourself, it can be powerful to write a personal acknowledgement of the land you live with, a love letter to the place that you are learning how to be an herbalist. You can read my land acknowledgement for inspiration, but your statement doesn’t need to be so formal and can reflect your relationship with the land, the forms and shapes that it takes (from rivers to mountains to oceans and valleys), and how it is that you are being present with the land instead of over it.

image via @tinymountain

Get To Know What an Herbalist Is

Considering that you want to be an herbalist, it might seem odd to spend time figuring out what an herbalist is if it is already something you know you want to be. But there are many ways to be an herbalist in the world and it can be helpful during your studies to explore all the many ways herbalists practice in the world. There are so many ways to practice as an herbalist including as a remedy-maker and manufacturer, clinician (whether at a community clinic or private practice), researcher, farmer and grower, teacher, apothecary owner, and all the ways that herbal work can be used alongside other modalities (like massage therapy, birthwork, etc.). 

Early on in my studies, I was drawn to making herbal remedies and that was what my first few years of practice focused on - making and selling remedies. I did this to the point where it was no longer sustainable for one person to do and I had to make a choice about whether I was going to transition my business to a more formal manufacturer or something else entirely. Having some familiarity with the many ways one could be an herbalist in the world meant that the transition was still challenging at times but it felt like I had options. I could now teach other people how to make the remedies that I was so passionate about making myself.

While you might start your herbal studies with one vision of your practice in your heart, it's important to keep exploring what it means to be an herbalist throughout your studies (and especially in the early years of your practice) so that you're able to pause and pivot, ebb and flow with the changes that'll happen in your life. It can also help you identify missing pieces of plant knowledge in your community by learning about all the ways herbalists can be in the world, and you might be led to fill those gaps once you're done with your studies (such as learning about the diverse ways a local apothecary can look like and developing your own to meet the needs of your neighborhood). Get inspired by others as you're developing your own vision!

Set One Small Goal

Having small and attainable study and practice goals, especially at the beginning of your students, will not only be a source of encouragement throughout your student days, but help you get through the more challenging aspects of your studies. No matter what form of learning you choose, there will be challenges from getting homework done, managing your other non-study responsibilities, and the huge amount of energy training as an herbalist asks of us. It can be tempting to write a long to-do list and write down all of your biggest dreams as a student and try to do it all. While making lists and dreaming big are important, I've often found that students (myself included) set themselves up to do far too much in way too little of time.

Instead, I encourage students (again, myself included), while having space to write down big dreams and set those aside, to focus on one small achievable goal at a time. It can be anything from, learning the growing conditions of Thyme (Thymus vulgaris). That's a small task, easily accomplished and one that leads on to other goals - perhaps you'll go to find a Thyme plant or seeds to purchase, learn about Thyme's medicinal uses, drink a cup of Thyme tea everyday for a week, and write your own Thyme plant profile. But you start small with the first step of learning how Thyme grows and then go from there. As a teacher I would much rather a student have worked slowly and steadily with one plant, getting to know them on a deep, relational level, than feel like they need to rush through learning about fifty plants in the same time period. Of course, different traditions of herbalism have different approaches, but I have found a lot of wisdom in working with a few plants deeply instead of trying to learn all the plants.

image via @zuleyhasarieyuboglu

Practice Simple Daily Care

If you want a long-lived and sustainable practice as an herbalist, and not find yourself burnt out early on in your work, adopting simple daily care routines can help cultivate such longevity. Taking your herbs on a daily basis, doing a five minute body scan to check in with how you're feeling, a breathwork or movement practice, a shared tea time with loved ones or whatever sort of care speaks to you, start practicing it now as a student. While I'm focused on daily care, you can of course add on weekly and monthly care practices from therapy sessions, bodywork, date nights, and more, but those small, simple daily care practices are essential for anyone in a service-based healing field.

As an herbalist you'll be recommending all sorts of daily protocols to your clients, why not begin practicing your own daily protocols now? Not only will it be helpful to your overall wellbeing, but you'll be able to spot the ways that your idealized recommendations may be too much or challenging to adhere to. These daily care routines can also help us learn about and experiment with herbal techniques that we find useful and can model to our clients and communities later on. 

Join (or Create) a Student Group

While some of you might have a student group built into your learning program, for anyone taking a more self-guided approach to herbal learning it can be harder to feel connected to community. Herbalism is not a solo endeavor, but a generations deep cultural inheritance, and our experience of the herbal community should be part of our student journey. Seeking out real-time community spaces, whether in-person or offline, can not only provide great spaces for practicing skills with fellow students, resource sharing, and the camaraderie that can only be formed through common pursuits. If there is not a student group that meets your needs that you can find, start one! It doesn't need to be anything more ambitious than having a regular meet-up time, maybe a topic of discussion, and some snacks.

image via @davidclode

Find In-Person Learning Experiences

My herbal education and now my practice has taken place both online and in-person - myself and my peers were the first generation in which this hybrid model was made available. While online learning spaces are a meaningful and legitimate way to become an herbalist (and especially ones that include a community component if you are just starting your studies), I believe strongly in the importance of in-person experiences as part of your training. Whether a clinic rotation, an herbal festival with lots of hands-on learning experiences, volunteering at a community garden or a weekend workshop, in-person experiences hold a special sort of energy that can't quite be replicated online. And I say this as someone who does a lot of teaching and learning online - you deserve to have at least one, and ideally multiple, in-person learning experiences as an herbal student. The energy of exchange, atmosphere, and opportunities for kinship that happen when gathered in-person are invaluable not only for herbal students,but all plant folks.

There are so many conferences, classes, workshops, community gardens, festivals, and gatherings of plant folk with a range of intersecting identities and specialties from mutual aid skillshares to culture-specific herbal camps to super casual study groups. While you should always do some research about the individuals and organizations behind a gathering and trust your gut if something feels off or ask a trusted friend or loved one to help you make an informed choice, there is a place of lovely folks out there who would love to have you join them on a plant-centered adventure.

Start Organizing Now

I'm actually making two suggestions here: the first is to organize the resources you're creating as a student and will continue to use and create as a practitioner and the second is to participate in organizing and activism work with your fellow plant folk. Both of these types of organizing support each other and let's start with organizing resources. There hasn't been a moment that I've regretted taking a moment to organize my notes, add all the information onto a label that needs to be there, or spending a few hours setting up a digital index that'll save me far more hours of work in the future.

The type of organization that you need as a student will be unique to you, but all keepers of knowledge meant to be passed on and shared with others need to practice some form of organization that allows for an easier transmission of wisdom. I include recitation practices for oral traditions, the inner organizing that occurs with meditative practices, and the organizing of social relationships and exchanges. If you're looking for more inspiration for organizing things like your materia medica, come this way.

The latter part of my suggestion is about organizing as an herbalist with other activists, plant folk, and community members. Whether it is participating in seed banks or community gardens, helping to organize a street clinic training, creating a student union or alumnae organization at your herbal school or any of the many, many ways you can help to create systems of kinship within your communities, do it! Not only will it provide countless opportunities to practice and develop your skills as an herbalist, but you'll be participating in the sort of community models that we all need to feel well and held and hopeful in our lives. If you come to any of this work with your own personal library of resources, organized and easy to distribute, even better.

image via @anniespratt

Follow the Desire Lines

A desire line is a path shaped by the footfall of people and creatures, unplanned and emerging with the need of those walking it. They often work as short cuts to get from one place to another quicker than by the formal established pathways, but they are also formed by creatures who follow a path that for whatever reason are drawn to walk it again and again. Even though herbalism is an ancient form of healing used by humans and other mammals, depending on where you are in the world, it acts more like an informal desire line rather than a formal path. Desire lines can be a source of irritation to city, campus, and park planners, but they can also go on to inspire creative answers to community needs. 

None of us have come to the path of herbalism without following the path of those herbalists who have gone before us. While some of us might be walking on a more formal, paved, and approved path supported by the society that surrounds us, many of us are walking along well-grooved desire lines, etched across neighborhoods by deep community needs and often by marginalized peoples. I know that my path of herbalism was only made possible by the countless generations of women and gender-nonconforming folk who saw how women's health was dismissed or made illegal over and over again and so decided to teach each other how to take care of themselves, find aligned medical practitioners, and demand social and legal change. Exploring the history of community health clinics and street medics, the struggles of herbalists before you in your cultural lineage or the history of herbalism in the lands you live with are all powerful ways of understanding how these desire lines that carry you have carried others.

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Whether or not you’re currently an herbal student, thinking about becoming one or a long-time practitioner starting out on a new path of study, I hope you found the might-do list helpful in imagining what it is you might (or might-not) want to do during your student days. If you’re looking for more student-focused inspiration you might like my seasonal apothecary series and my herbal student tarot spread for that extra bit of intuitive guidance.

May your student days be inspiring, your teachers kind, and your path bright with possibility!

This post was made possible through patron support.
❤︎ Thanks, friends. ❤︎

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1. This links to my ever-growing curated collection of herbal texts and purchasing any of these books through my bookshop supports my work. You can also find many of these books at your local library or request that your favorite local bookstore orders them for you.