lindera - a four season herbal intensive with herbalist jim mcdonald

this course is seemingly full at the moment...
unless we've talked please send any inquiries

overview...
The core focus of this course is on the foundational energetic principles of western herbalism. Yes, that sounds both somewhat mystical and perhaps a bit complicated, but in reality, it's rooted in relearning how we perceive health and illness, and the herbs themselves, so that we learn to recognize such patterns as excess and deficiency, hot and cold, dry and damp, tense and lax. I feel that this provides a much more useful and comprehensive understanding of herbcraft than knowing chemical constituents, the latest (and everchanging) results of scientific studies, or simply learning to associate the name of a problem with the name of a herb. To effectively use plant medicines, you'll need to understand the foundational properties by which herbs work, how the body's organs and systems function, how to use your senses, intellect & intuition to perceive the physiological, energetic and spiritual properties of herbs, and myriad other nuances that make for a solid foundation in herbcraft and allow you to develop a personal style and approach to guide your endeavors.

Classes will meet at my home in White Lake, Michigan and also will involve herb hikes at local parks, with discussions of habitat and harvest, properties, history, lore, current and traditional uses and my direct experience using these herbs. Basically, there are three aspects to the course: Initially we'll look at the energetics of western herbalism, and then we'll apply these concepts to the body's organs and systems, and to the plants we study on walks. Always, we'll be focusing on how to differentiate energetically between the ways a condition may manifest in different people, and how to use herbs effectively with this knowledge.

You'll also be involved in an ongoing & evolving group dynamic, which allows you to likely learn as much from each other as you will from me. The value of this could not be overstated.

If you're considering this intensive, please be willing to commit to coming to the classes and spending a lot of time outdoors with the plants, hiking (vigorous hiking up hills and down dales; you'll need to be physically able to spend a day out on the trail), dealing with bugs, perhaps some inclement weather (we will meet rain or shine), and above all be willing to put in the time outside of class to study and to find places near you that you can get out into and harvest your herbs from. This may be your yard, a neighbors yard, a community garden, a friend's property - wherever. You'll need to do the reading, most of which I've written, but including links to articles by other herbalists available online, and a few "required" books.

I record pretty much the entire course as high quality MP3 files, which are available to students. This helps not only as an info source for future reference, but also allows people to listen to any classes they may miss due to illness or unforeseen circumstances. I also set up an email listserve for participants to facilitate interaction and dialogue between classes.

Of course, there'll be quite a bit more covered as the class unfolds. I have answers to some frequently asked questions here. Please do read these.

about me, the teacher...
I'm an herbalist; I deeply love the plants I share this land with and one of the ways I give back to them is by teaching others what I have to offer. If you're considering taking a long term course like this, you'll want to feel in synch with the person teaching it. Ideally, you'll come to one of my classes before hand, but please also look around online and see what I've written and others have been kind enough to say about me.

I've tried to provide a lot of content so people interested in my classes can check it out and see what I teach like and where I'm coming from. Because people learn in different ways, I have different mediums to check out.

I have a lot of written material here.

There's hours worth of videos you can watch on YouTube here; many of these are directly from classes so they're a very good representation of how I teach.

If you'd like to see "a resume" of sorts, you can click here.

I'm also very happy to talk to you (and for sure want to!) and answer any questions you have about the course.

july
  saturday the 8th
sunday the 9th

august
saturday the 5th
sunday the 6th

and august
saturday the 26th
sunday the 27th

october
saturday the 7th
sunday the 8th

november
  saturday the 4th
sunday the 5th

november
saturday the 11th
sunday the 12th
(please note: this isn't a class weekend, unless something causes me to be unable to teach one of the scheduled weekends - like, maybe I get trampled by elephants in july and can't teach that class. It's a "make up" weekend, only utilized if needed)

Times will generally be 11ish to around 5:30ish, though it's probably prudent to state that I'll frequently run over if no one tells me times up.

cost...
The cost for the intensive will be $1050 if paid prior to March 1st, and $1150 afterwards. A $450 deposit will register you for the intensive and hold your space, and with the remaining balance due by/on the first class session.

Please be aware that the $450 deposit is non-refundable for cancellations made between the time the initial payment is sent in and the first class, when payment is due in full. After the first class, ***there will be no refunds for any tuition paid***.

In the last few years, some students have successfully used crowdfunding (eIther directly person to person or using sites like GoFundMe) to help cover some of the expense of the intensive. I really like this model, because I think it demonstrates a way that communities can support their herbalist, something all herbalists need to thrive.

local resources...
if you don't live near enough to commute each day, I've compiled a list of local resources I hope you'll find helpful with regard to procuring food and/or a place to stay.

travelling in from out of state?
I know that getting here from farther away adds extra travel time and expense. Though it depends on where you're coming from, a few years ago a student told me about the Mega Bus, which allowed him to travel in from Chicago to Detroit or Ann Arbor for just a few bucks (quite literally, just a few dollars each way). You would need to arrange travel up to White Lake, this may be possible by connecting with students living in those areas. Check into it and see if it's feasible for ya.

So...
If you have any questions, please just let me know and I'll do my best to further clarify my plans and intentions. If you're ready and rarin' to go, please proceed as follows:

Please fill out and email me the application found here. After I get it we'll talk to discuss any questions, particulars or whatnot that you or I may have. Please don't make payments until we talk.

Let me know when you send a check out so I can be on the look out for it. You can also pay via credit card through PayPal as a means of "financing" the course and making payments as you're able.

this course is seemingly full at the moment...
unless we've talked please send any inquiries