The Spirit of Herbs is a six day intensive workshop/retreat that focuses on an energetic and intuitive approach to working with healing plants that will help you to expand and deepen your connection to plants and Living World. The ability to connect and communicate with the many beings with whom we share the Earth—including plants—has long been considered one of the most important attributes of traditional healers. Through a variety of meditation and attunement exercises, you will experience a greater awareness of and connection with all aspects of the natural world and develop your ability to communicate with the plant people. This workshop provides the theoretical background and guidelines to help you integrate this knowledge and experience into your daily life. The Spirit of Herbs will help you on your own personal healing journey and to live in deeper relationship with yourself and the world. Whether you are called to work with plant medicines on a professional or purely personal level, you will find this workshop to be a life-changing and healing experience. Prerequisite: None. Required textbooks: None. Scheduling: The next offering of this workshop will be Saturday August 23rd to August 28th 2026. Location: The Seed Lodge (formerly Maple Sweet), Rocklyn, Ontario. The fee for the workshop includes the cost of meals and accommodations. The meals are mostly vegetarian and organic as much as possible. Indoor accommodations consist of shared rooms that sleep two persons. Occasionally single rooms are available. Tenting is also an option. Tuition: $1,100. All inquiries regarding the SOH workshop are to be made to Michael Vertolli (michael@livingearthschool.ca). Instructor: Michael Vertolli.

The Tree Spirit Medicine of Ash is “The Sacred Pause.” The sacred pause is a temporary cessation of inner or outer movement towards any goal or outcome. It provides the necessary respite after periods of expanded growth and learning for reflection and integration, when the path ahead is unclear, or when we feel overwhelmed and confused about what to do or how to be. The sacred pause creates a space of inner quietude and expanded awareness in which to rest until we are ready and able to move forward once more. Within the sacred pause is the potential for something new to emerge, to be known, felt, sensed, opened to, and created, as well as the release from entrenched patterns of reaction, resistance, and response. Through the Tree Spirit Medicine of Ash, the sacred pause can be accessed whenever needed so that inspiration, inner-knowing, and right-action arise naturally in their own perfect timing.


Location: You can attend this workshop either in person at Living Earth School of Herbalism in Maple, Ontario, or through Zoom.

Date: September 19th 2026, 10:30 – 5 pm.

Instructor: Monika Ghent.

Tuition: $100.

The Tree Spirit Medicine of Cedar is “Spiritual Protection, Safety and Purification.” Cedar medicine protects us from unwanted or negative influences and energy and purifies our spirit and emotions. This protective and cleansing influence of Cedar stills our mind and opens our hearts so that we may connect to the deeper mysteries of life in safety, openness, trust, presence and wonder. Location: You can attend this workshop either in person at Living Earth School of Herbalism in Maple, Ontario, or through Zoom. Date: December 5th 2026, 10:30 – 5 pm. Instructor: Monika Ghent. Tuition: $100.