Awakening to the Wild: A year long online course

June 1-2011 - June 1, 2012 (note change of date - - registration extended)

$50-75 a month (not including the cost of books and materials)

$500 if paid in full in advance or in two payments of $250

The world is alive and speaking to us. All we have to do is remember how to listen.

We are all born knowing this simple truth, and begin our lives in a world rich with meaning. But in our culture, the voices around us are quickly drowned out by electronic noise, and we are taught to ignore the bits of song we still hear on the wind or risk insanity. Eventually we reach a point where we no longer trust our own senses.

But for some of us the vibrant memory of the world we knew as children is stronger than the fear of madness.


The wildness of our souls can be recovered, just as a forest can grown from an abandoned field.

Through discussion, meditation and direct experience of the natural world, we will explore:

-- How our culture separates us from our wild selves and how we can reclaim them

-- Engaging nature through engaging our senses

-- The use of the heart as an organ of perception (drawing from the work of Stephen Buhner)

-- Developing and deepening relationships with the land where we live and its other inhabitants

-- Nourishing our wild selves

-- The healing power of the wild

-- Reclaiming space for wildness in our lives, our communities, our world

In the end though, our journey will take its own shape.

This course will be intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually rigorous. Please be ready to be challenged, opened, and transformed. A short interview will be required for admission.

To apply e-mail seandonahuepoet@gmail.com



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SYLLABUS -- SUBJECT TO CHANGE AS THE WILD WORKS THROUGH US


The syllabus is intentionally more bare bones in the later months, to allow us to flesh out the course together.



June-July
What is wildness?
What is civilization?
What do we fear in the wild? What wildness do we yearn for?
Uncovering our personal histories with the wild.



Text: My Name is Chellis and I am in Recovery from Western Civilization by Chellis Glendinning



July-August
Coming to our senses: taste, smell, sight, sound, and touch
Elements of life: earth, air, fire, and water in us and in the world
Text: The Earth Path by Starhawk
The Secret Teachings of Plants by Stephen Harrod Buhner (really more for the next month but it is dense!)


August-September
Centers of consciousness: Brain, Heart, and Gut
Heart-centered consciousness
Plants from a heart-centered perspective
People from a heart-centered perspective


Text: The Secret Teachings of Plants



September - October
Working with grief, loss, and alienation

Text: Becoming Animal by David Abram


October - November
Ancestral connections: How did your ancestors relate to the land?
Connecting with the history of the land

Text: A Language Older than Words by Derrick Jensen


November - December
The underworld journey
Stories of descent and return
Intimacy with death

December - January
Communities, human and wild

January - February
Ecologies of the body, mind, and spirit

February-March
Nourishing the body, mind, and spirit

March - April
Fertility and Ecstasy
Queering the Wild

April - May
Carrying wildness into the human world
Awakening the wild in others

May - June
Bringing it all back home

Herbal Allies for a Changing World

Peak oil. Wars, revolutions, and uprisings. Economic crisis. Earthquakes, storms, and floods. Nuclear disaster.

We are living in a world undergoing tremendous change -- a world giving birth to itself. And all of that is mirrored in our individual lives as well. The old structures are breaking open. The new ones have not yet emerged.

Now is the time when the world most needs us to bring our gifts forward. What can help us step up and accept the challenge?

Plants and fungi are our biological ancestors. They have lived on the Earth far longer than we have, and they can teach us how to let go of our grief, fear, and shame and remember how to stand in the fullness of our beauty and our power. And connecting with them connects us with the wisdom of the living Earth.

Sean Donahue is an herbalist, poet, activist, and witch who believes that personal, community, and planetary healing are deeply intertwined. In a six week series of teleseminars he will share his perspective on how we can work with plants and fungi to prepare ourselves for the roles we have to play in healing our communities and our planet -- the work we were born to do.

People are invited to take part in all six calls or just one. There is no charge for the teleseminars (except from your phone company for a long distance call) but donations are welcomed. Each call will begin at 7:00 p.m. EDT and run between 90 minutes and two hours with time for questions and comments. Calls will be recorded.

April 21 -- Grounding and protection
April 28 -- Working with grief
May 5 -- Cooling the head -- fear, anxiety, and anger
May 12 -- She changes everything She touches -- opening to change
May 19 -- Dreaming and visioning
May 26- Stepping into action

The call in number is (605) 475-4000 and the Participant Access Code is 355068#

Because questions may come up after the call is done, I have also set up a discussion group on Google. You may go to http://groups.google.com/group/herbal-allies-for-a-changing-world to subscribe.

These calls are free of charge. The only expectation is that you will use this knowledge to better do your own valuable work in the world.

However, the work of preparing and delivering this information does take a lot of time and energy. If you can afford to, and are so moved, I would greatly appreciate a donation. Be it $5 or $500, every gift sincerely offered is an important contribution to moving this work forward. Donations may be sent by Paypal to seandonahepoet@gmail.com or via the link below.

For those seeking personal guidance I am available for private consultations either by phone or in person in Portland, Turner, or Hallowell, Maine. E-mail seandonahuepoet@gmail.com

To listen to a recording of the first call go to:

http://www.seandonahue.org/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/groundingandprotection.mp3

To donate click here

Gaia's Gifts: April Giveaway: Artemis Elixir Tea and 20% off

Gaia's Gifts: April Giveaway: Artemis Elixir Tea and 20% off

and the winner is.....
Rachel of Aspiring Images!!!
(Rachel please contact me with your address so I can send you your tea and coupon!)


Congrats to the winner and stay tuned for a special Beltaine/May Day Giveaway next week!!!

Herbal Allies for a Changing World Teleconference Series

Peak oil. Wars, revolutions, and uprisings. Economic crisis. Earthquakes, storms, and floods. Nuclear disaster.

We are living in a world undergoing tremendous change -- a world giving birth to itself. And all of that is mirrored in our individual lives as well. The old structures are breaking open. The new ones have not yet emerged.

Now is the time when the world most needs us to bring our gifts forward. What can help us step up and accept the challenge?

Plants and fungi are our biological ancestors. They have lived on the Earth far longer than we have, and they can teach us how to let go of our grief, fear, and shame and remember how to stand in the fullness of our beauty and our power. And connecting with them connects us with the wisdom of the living Earth.

Sean Donahue is an herbalist, poet, activist, and witch who believes that personal, community, and planetary healing are deeply intertwined. In a six week series of teleseminars he will share his perspective on how we can work with plants and fungi to prepare ourselves for the roles we have to play in healing our communities and our planet -- the work we were born to do.

People are invited to take part in all six calls or just one. There is no charge for the teleseminars (except from your phone company for a long distance call) but donations are welcomed. Each call will begin at 7:00 p.m. EST and run between 90 minutes and two hours with time for questions and comments. Calls will be recorded.

April 21 -- Grounding and protection
April 28 -- Working with grief
May 5 -- Cooling the head -- fear, anxiety, and anger
May 12 -- She changes everything She touches -- opening to change
May 19 -- Dreaming and visioning
May 26- Stepping into action

A phone number and access code will be sent to each participant on registration. To register e-mail herbalists@brighidswellherbs.com Donations may be sent via Paypal to seandonahuepoet@gmail.com or by mail to Sean Donahue, 300 River Rd., Avon, ME 04966.

Sean is also available for individual consultations -- by phone or in person in Turner, Hallowell, or Portland, Maine. He and his partner, Darcey Blue, will also be offering individual and small group healing retreats at their home in Turner, Maine beginning in May. E-mail for details.