Root Wisdom, Bee Hive Medicine & the Alchemy Of Distillation: An end of week workshop

~ Friday and Saturday March 14-15th 2025 from 9 am to 5 pm ~

A Two-Day Immersive Workshop

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: "The soul that sees beauty may sometimes walk alone, but it is the roots that connect us to the earth and each other." 

Expert Faculty:

• Margareth Mayre (Regenerative Agriculture, Energetic Healing and Wild Animal Husbandry)

• John Montgomery (Apiculture Systems and Forest Stewardship)

• Alice Duvernell (Apitherapy, Distillation & Medicine Making)

Day 1: Earth’s Hidden Pharmacy

Location: Maggy & John’s Farm (Inverness)

Core Experiences

• Farm Immersion and introduction to the alchemy feminine principle in agriculture

• Roots: The power of earth and water medicine

• Ethical wildcrafting philosophy and archetypes

• Root Medicine Crafting

• Hands-on harvesting and processing techniques

• The difference between wild crafting and farming

• Creation of three herbal preparations

• Bee Stewardship

• Hive management fundamentals and  practices

• Steiner, biodynamics and the bee hive

• Medicinal hive, discovering the untapped powers of the honey bee

• Propolis, honey, beeswax, venom, bee pollen, magical allies for health 
  

Key Learnings

• Elemental connections between roots and earth/water systems

• Sustainable harvesting protocols for ecosystem balance

• Garden-to-wilderness interface
  
  

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Day 2: Botanical Distillation

Location: Biophilia Gardens (Petaluma)

Core Experiences

• Distillation Techniques

• Comparative study of steam vs hydro-distillation

• Full-cycle still operation practice

• Good manufacturing processes

• Extraction Science

• Preservation methods for maximum therapeutic value

• Sensory evaluation and discovery of local hydrosols and essential oils

Program Highlights

• Morning Rituals: Medicinal tea ceremonies with farm ingredients

• Take-Home Kits: Custom freshly made hydrosol + distillation handbook
  
  

What to bring:

• A note pad

• Water bottles

• Layers

• Sun hat

• Garden gloves (optional)

• A pitch fork

• A clean 8 or 12 oz mason jar (or other)

• 8 to 12 oz of raw unpasteurized honey

• Lunch and snacks for both days