The Transcendent Path
Honoring the Sacred Traditions of Herbal Medicine
Deeply immersive herbal education rooted in ancestral plant wisdom, seasonal cycles, and embodied herbal practice.
Seasonal Immersion Days
Come for one day, or join us throughout the seasons.
Registration & Participation
Register for individual days: Each seasonal immersion day is offered as a separate registration. Attend one, several, or join us for the full seasonal cycle.
Open to all experience levels: Whether you are just beginning to explore herbalism or have years of experience, you are welcome here.
Ages 13 and older: Young adults are welcome when accompanied by a registered adult and when they have a genuine interest in learning herbal medicine.
Camping option available: When applicable, camping is an option upon request.
Guest teacher weekends: Some immersion days may fall the day before or after special gatherings with visiting teachers. Additional details will be announced as they become available for separate registration.
What to Expect
Embodied, experiential learning: These are more than an herbalism class. Each gathering is an invitation to cultivate presence, practice, and relationship with the plants and the natural world.
Learning on the land: We gather in the gardens and on the land, observing plants and fungi in their natural cycles and learning from what is growing, blooming, and ready to be harvested.
Seasonally guided experiences: Each day unfolds organically, shaped by the season, the plants, and the medicines and practices that are calling for our attention.
Hands-on practice: Expect to get your hands in the soil through direct observation, gardening, harvesting, ethical wildcrafting, and remedy making.
Traditional wisdom and earth-based spirituality: We explore the practical, cultural, and spiritual dimensions of herbalism, weaving plant medicine and magic into everyday life.
Skills & Learning Throughout the Seasons
Depending on the season and the focus of each gathering, we may explore:
Plant identification and relationship: Learn to recognize plants through direct observation, sensory experience, and time spent with them.
Gardening, harvesting, and ethical wildcrafting: Develop practical skills while considering our responsibilities to the plants, the land, and the communities we are part of.
Remedy making: Explore a variety of preparations, including teas, vinegars, cordials, tinctures, glycerites, electuaries, hydrosols, flower essences, infused oils and balms, poultices, and more.
Seasonal practices and traditions: Explore the cycles of nature, discovering how seasonal shifts and earth spirit holidays can inform our practices, intentions, and relationship with the living world.
Ethics and responsibility: Consider the importance of safe, accurate plant identification, ethical herbal practice, reciprocity, and respect for the traditions from which we learn.
The specific plants, preparations, and practices will vary with the season. Each gathering is shaped by what the land offers and what is appropriate to explore at that time.
Our Approach to Herbal Education
In-person learning matters: We prioritize experiential education because we believe direct observation, hands-on practice, and relationship with plants cannot be fully replicated through online instruction.
Safety and accuracy are essential: We are committed to sharing quality information and uplifting experienced teachers and practitioners whose knowledge, experience, and traditions inform their work.
Relationship over commodification: Our offerings are for those who approach herbalism with curiosity, humility, and a willingness to cultivate relationship over time. We value lived experience, ethical practice, and the sharing of knowledge in ways that honor the plants, the people, and the traditions from which we learn.
Rooted in place and remembrance: We honor the Munsee and Mohican peoples, whose ancestral lands we live and work upon and whose relationships with this land continue today. Our work is grounded in reciprocity, remembrance, and a commitment to tending our relationships with the living world, including our own ancestral traditions.
These gatherings are an invitation to a path of discovery, transformation, and belonging - cultivating a deeper relationship with the earth, her medicines, and the wisdom that unfolds through the seasons.
Private long term study apprenticeship or internship may be available on a case by case basis
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2027 Dates
May 29th or 30th
June 19th or 20th
July 10th or 11th
August 14th or 15th
September 11th or 12th
October 2nd or 3rd
November 6th or 7th
Dates are estimates, subject to change, and will be confirmed later this winter.
At Each Gathering...
Circles will be held on our land in the forest of Western Massachusetts.
(4.5 HOURS NORTH OF PHILADELPHIA)
The depths to which you take this apprenticeship is in your hands. Opportunities like helping out on our land outside of education days will provide more hands-on work with gardening, medicine making, learning about herbs and their actions, plant communication, constitutional prescribing, etc.
At each gathering, together we will:
Open and hold a sacred circle
Connect with the land
Work in the gardens, tending to and harvesting medicinal plants
Wild plant ID and forage
Prepare and make various herbal remedies
Build community and share wisdom
Gather in ritual and ceremony, and tend to a sacred fire
In the warmer months, we will have an opportunity to explore the sacred waters and lakes on the land
Seasonal Immersion Days
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May Seasonal Immersion Day
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June Seasonal Immersion Day
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July Seasonal Immersion Day
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August Seasonal Immersion Day
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September Seasonal Immersion Day
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October Seasonal Immersion Day
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November Seasonal Immersion Day
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December Solstice Circle
How to Prepare
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….you should prepare to stay a for a long day. Herbal medicine is slow, patience, still. Our classes will gather beginning at 10 am, and go until 4 or 5 PM.
Our dates may be followed or preceded by other offerings from guest teachers you can register for separately.
Camping is an option for the evening before class, or for extended weekend offerings.
*In addition to in person classes, there will be a follow up virtual meeting, usually for about one hour, that will allow time for integration, Q&A
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Herbal infusions, snacks and clean mountain water will be provided, in addition to all of the teachings and medicines I will share.
You need to bring your own meals, but we encourage community shared meals.
Please plan to bring a dish to share for a potluck style intentional and nourishing community meal for our lunch, in addition to anything else you need to be comfortable.
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What Else to Bring:
You should have good shoes, gardening gloves, shears, collection baskets, and any additional medicine making supplies you may want to use outside of what we make together in class.
We will provide more details on what you need for each class in the weeks prior to the gathering.
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We recommend those traveling from outside of the area arrive Friday so you can be on time for class Saturday morning, or plan to arrive promptly.
We will not wait to begin class for late arrivals and we appreciate your timely arrival. -
You may choose to plan to take care of your own lodging (recommendations provided) or stay on the land upon approval, (note: camping may not be an option for every circle and is rustic!).
Local lodging recommendations in under 30 minutes from us:
Vrbo or AirBnB are options as well - in Becket, Lee, Lenox, Pittsfield, Dalton, or Stockbridge
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Our home is sustained by a small septic system, and we’re grateful to share this land in a way that honors its natural rhythms and limits. When larger groups gather here, we invite guests to use outdoor facilities when possible, with respect and care.
A wash station will always be available and thoughtful accommodations are always made for those who are bleeding or have mobility needs, so that everyone feels supported and welcome in this shared space.
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May 29th or 30th
June 19th or 20th
July 10th or 11th
August 14th or 15th
September 11th or 12th
October 2nd or 3rd
November 6th or 7th
Dates are estimates, subject to change, and will be confirmed later this winter.
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Payment is due upon registration. You can choose to pay in full, or pay in installments through Klarna.
For the Full Program Only: If payment plans through Klarna are not available to you, please reach out and we can arrange alternative payment plans if needed.
Space is incredibly limited, and registrants will be accepted on a first come first serve basis.
Tuition includes all that is listed above, including teachings, infusions, supplies for medicine making, harvesting plants we grow here on our land, and all preparations made throughout the year together.
Work trade discount options are available on a very limited basis. Please reach out to us to inquire.
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75% refund if cancellation occurs up to 15 days before the program starts.
40% refund if cancellation occurs within the first 2 weeks days of the program.
No refunds will be issued after the first 30 days. However, we can discuss arrangements for making up lost time.
Contact Information:
For questions or more information about the programs, please email us
Work trade discount options are available on a very limited basis.
Our Commitment
It is our intention to provide you with the highest quality information about working with plants and the natural world to support yourself and your community.
Safety and accuracy are key, and this is why we uplift the voices that we do here, and offer mainly in-person herbalism classes. It is our belief that while online education is accessible, no completely online program, no matter how detailed, can replace the relationship, experience, and vital tools gained through in-person learning.
These experiences are imperative for accurate plant identification, plant relationship, experiential learning, and community, and you will find that in all the offerings within our community.
We honor the Munsee and Mohican peoples, whose ancestral lands we live and work upon and whose relationships with this land continue today. Our work is rooted in a commitment to reciprocity, ethical practice, and remembrance, honoring the original peoples of this land while tending to our own unique ancestral heritage and the relationships we cultivate with the living world.
Our offerings are for those who approach herbalism with curiosity, humility, and a willingness to cultivate relationship over time. We value lived experience, ethical practice, and the sharing of knowledge in ways that honor the plants, the people, and the traditions from which we learn.
This is a path of discovery, transformation, and belonging for those called to walk in deeper relationship with the earth and her medicines.
Come for one day or join us throughout the seasons. These gatherings are open to all experience levels, with a willingness to learn, get your hands in the soil, and immerse yourself in herbal medicine.
Our Expectations
You will get out of this what you put into it.
Our offerings meet you where you are. Each class has a focus on seasonal medicines, associated body systems and earth spirit holidays.
In each class, you’ll gain foundational herbal skills such as plant identification, medicine making, understanding body systems, and applying herbal remedies to everyday ailments. You’ll learn about plant synergy and energetics, diving into the rich, complex world of herbal interactions, and meet a beautiful community.
This work asks something of us beyond the acquisition of knowledge.
Herbalism is a practice rooted in relationship, reciprocity, and responsibility: to the plants, the land, our communities, and the traditions that have been carried forward through generations. The knowledge shared here is not simply a commodity to be collected, packaged, or leveraged for personal gain.
It is a living relationship that asks us to approach our learning with humility, integrity, and a willingness to be changed by what we encounter.
This program is for those who feel called to deepen that relationship, to practice with intention, and to carry these teachings forward in ways that honor their roots and give back to the communities and living world in which they reside.
If your primary interest is in building a personal brand, gaining influence, or using herbalism as a vehicle for profit or status, this may not be the right space for you.
We welcome those who wish to share their work with the world, including through their livelihoods, but we ask that the desire to serve, to cultivate meaningful relationships, and to honor the integrity of this work remain at the heart of the people we want to welcome into this space.
“The experience of the herbal apprenticeship program with Kim has been transformative in my personal, communal, spiritual and professional life.
The richness of the program’s offerings are in the informational, applicational and spiritual aspects that embody the heart and soul of the herbalism path.
Lead by a wise, experienced, heart-centered and integrity-lead facilitator, Transcending Roots program wholesomely accesses both skill/science and practice/spirit, making for a comprehensive experience for any new or experienced herbalist.”
- Lynn Gallagher, Third Year Student
"This was my first herbal apprenticeship, and it was such a beautiful learning experience. Kim really opened the garden door for me and helped me hone in and slow down, by getting to know one plant very well. I see the Earth with new eyes because of this apprenticeship. I see the lineage of my ancestors, and the TCM wisdom that is fading from my family. It is because of this apprenticeship journey that I felt called to dive deeper into the medicine of my ancestors. The community of women brought together through this apprenticeship is something I am truly grateful for as well. We all came from different levels of experience, different backgrounds, but centered around our gratitude and connection to the Earth. Kim's wisdom runs deep and her passion for the plants and their gifts are seen in how she teaches, through hands-on experiences. Making medicine, gathering flowers, spring greens, summer berries, I live more in tune with the seasons thanks to this apprenticeship. And she was so welcoming to my little 2 year old joining in and learning alongside, which was truly so so special."
- Steph, First Year Student
Welcome to the journey of remembrance.
The path awaits…Step into a living tradition of land, lineage, and reciprocity.
I look forward to walking this path with you and welcoming you to the herbal community.
You’ll build relationships that will last a lifetime.
"We all wake up with the same Sun, and fall asleep under the same Moon. We feel the weather changes as the seasons shift. The cold hard breeze of a winter afternoon, the crunch of the leaves under the soles of our feet, and the refreshing waves of the ocean on a hot summers day. Earth is always reminding us of her presence, and immersing myself with her medicine opened a door I never even knew existed.
This herbal apprenticeship brought Earth to life. When I’m outside, the world around me becomes more vivid. The songs of leaves dancing in the wind, the sun kissing the trees as it sets, the bees blissfully bathing in the pollen of flowers, and the plant allies that once were just “weeds” still mesmerize me. Every time I leave my home, I see and deeply feel the life radiating through the plants that encompass our surroundings. I can feel the Earth shift through the seasons, as this winter called for rest. When I make medicine for myself and loved ones, I feel our energies dance with each other as we work together to heal and support. My plant allies have taught me lessons that I never knew I needed, invoking a new level of awareness and balance. Plant medicine has expanded my capacity to experience life. I’ve learned that everything can take place at once. The euphoric, the suffering and the overcoming. Instead of running away, I now welcome the spiral of life.
So thank you for opening this door. Not only teaching me the ways of plant medicine, but gifting me the opportunity to create this enchanting relationship with Earth herself. I recommend this path to you all, and I leave you with this:
“Even a wounded world is feeding us. Even a wounded world holds us, giving us moments of wonder and joy. I choose joy over despair. Not because I have my head in the sand, but because joy is what the earth gives me daily and I must return the gift.” ― Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants"
- Genesis, Second Year Student