Black Bear Herbs
Immerse yourself in the world of Herbal Medicine
Practitioners Page
Black Bear Herbs has heard from a number of Herbal Practitioners who are looking for mentorship or the opportunity to connect with other Practitioners.
This page is part of our response to these requests. We will be offering Herbal Practitioners workshops, as well as our Plant Exploration Intensives (see below).
The Herbal Practitioners Workshops and Plant Exploration Intensives qualify as Continuing Education credits for Herbal Practitioner Professional requirements.
Herbal Practitioners: Case Study Workshop
Black Bear Herbs will be hosting a Herbal Practitioners Workshop this Fall 2015. This inugural workshop will be Case Study Workshop.
The Case Study Workshop will be open to Herbalists who are wanting to connect with fellow Herbalists and who would like to have the opportunity to discuss and share case histories.
The Case Study Workshop will take place at Black Bear Herbs in Cumberland and will be a full day of meeting fellow herbalists, gaining insights from each others practice, and deepening our understanding of our plant medicines in a fun, warm and inviting atmosphere.
The morning session will open with a talk and presentation of a case history, followed by discussion of the case by the group.
We will break for lunch and a short walk in the Community Forest among the many medicinal plants growing there.
The afternoon session will be open to the participating practitioners to bring cases and/or questions that they would like to discuss with their fellow Herbalists.
For dates please contact us.
Location: Black Bear Herbs, Cumberland, BC
Cost $75 per person
To register please email us.
Please feel free to call if you have questions about the Herbal Practitioners Case Study Workshop.
The Case Study Workshop is open to all Herbalists who are using herbal medicines to help heal and prevent illness no matter what their background is. Black Bear Herbs offers herbal medicines in the Western Herbal Medicine Tradition so please be aware that the Practitioners Workshop will not include Ayurvedic or TCM approaches because that is not our area of experience.
Cumberland has lots to offer if you would like to bring your family with you. There is mountain biking, rock climbing, sea kayaking and walks on the beach to entertain them while you are busy. The village of Cumberland has a small museum and a variety of interesting boutique stores and cafes.
Accommodation is available at the Riding Fool Hostel and Stansburys Guest House. There are larger hotels in nearby Courtenay.
Plant Exploration Intensives
The plant exploration intensives are an opportunity for those with a keen interest in medicinal plants to deepen their knowledge, understanding and connection with the plants. Each Intensive session will explore one particular medicinal plant in its natural environment. In our first Intensive we will be exploring Devil's Club.
The plant exploration intensives are a richly rewarding way of deeply connecting with the plant we are studying. A full day is spent with the living plant or tree as we use many different modalities which involve all our senses as we seek to enhance our understanding of the plant.
The day starts with deepening our observational skills, both as individuals and as a group, as we study the living plant in its environment. The next stage of the day has us moving into individual study of the plant before coming back together again to synthesise what we have learned. The method of exploration is based on the works of Goethe who developed a unique approach to science that brings acute scientific observation together with the intuitive senses enlivened through the creative process.
The day will involve meditation, drawing, painting, music, poetry, dance and creating medicine as we allow the plant to weave it's magic through us.
For anyone who works closely with plants this is a transformational process where you will find deeper levels of understanding of the plants' medicine - even for plants you think you know well.
Introductory Session - Devils Club
Our introductory session will start with Devil's Club, a powerful medicine that is indigenous to the Pacific Northwest. Amanda Howe will be leading the Plant Study and she has studied Devil's Club in depth over many years making it the subject of her Masters Thesis. The day promises to bring greater insights and understanding of this remarkable plant that is sacred to the First Nations People of the Coast.
Our next Plant Exploration Intensive will be in the Spring of 2016.
If you'd like to be notified of dates please feel free to sign up for our newsletter.
Location TBA, Comox Valley, Vancouver Island.
Space limited to 6 participants
Cost: $125.00
Introductory Session - Special Price $75