Sacred Ecology: A Rewilding Apprenticeship

I will be coordinating and holding the space for this process. I have a background in deep biophilia and have been immersed in the worlds of plant & mycelium consciousness since the mid 90's. In the early 2000's, I trained in sustainable land use, permaculture, plant spirit medicine and sacred plant medicine. I also learned directly from the land, the plants and my body. Together they informed me that to feel and know true belonging, I needed to use my bare feet to embrace the warm sweet Earth and to live in community with all my relations - from the bacteria that line my gut and colonise my skin, to the grasses and mosses I stand upon.

I am so excited to be your guide, to share what I know, so that together we may be part of the revolution that is to remember our wildness, to live from that place, and to be fed and nurtured by our wise and wild relations in all their forms.

I will be joined by a selection of guest tutors, all experts in their individual fields.

Kamaldeep will be presenting a series of sessions with the focus on rewilding the gut and gut health.

Kamaldeep has been practicing as a Medical Herbalist for 15 years and has since enhanced her skills in nutritional science and functional medicine. She now lectures on the BSc in Clinical Herbal Medicine at Lincoln University and is a Director of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists.

Kamaldeep specialises in working with women to improve health and longevity. She also has a specific interest in the gut microbiome, epigenetics and the critical impact of food, sleep, stress and movement on our health. 

Emma will be leading us in sessions covering sacred breath and conscious movement.

Emma has a passion for yoga which spans over thirty years. Yoga is her way of life. She first began her yoga journey during time spent in India in the late 80's and early 90's. Returning to the UK Emma went on to complete the British Wheel of Yoga teaching diploma and has been teaching ever since. The synergy of mindfulness of breath, has naturally evolved into a more mindful practice. Emma’s teaching is built on a bedrock of dedicated Buddhist mediation practice, which continues to sustain. 

Three wonderful horses who, with a little assistance from Sarah and Kath, will demonstrate how they how they have their own way of communicating with plants and plant medicines. 

 We will spend half a day with these incredible, sensitive, intelligent creatures. Our time together will offer a window into zoopharmacognosy, and the merging of intelligences from three life forms - horse~plant~human. 

Brigit will guide us on a journey where we will discover the importance of pollinators and the interconnection of all life.

Brigit writes, speaks, and campaigns to raise awareness of the importance of biodiversity, with a particular focus on the hidden world of native wild bees. Her debut book, Dancing with Bees: A Journey Back to Nature was shortlisted for The Wainwright Prize in 2020.

Brigit lives with her husband in Cornwall, on the southern edge of Bodmin Moor, where they are creating a garden for wildlife. When she’s not watching toads, grass snakes, insects, and other wild creatures that visit their garden, Brigit can be found sitting by the stream that runs through their village, watching the resident Dippers.

Natalie will bring her alembic still and guide us through making hydrosols.

Traditionally hydrosols have been made with flowers and flower waters, but Natalie works with all parts of the plant and has even made hydrosols from mushrooms. This distillation is an ancient alchemical practice which brings together the body, spirit and soul of the plant; working on the subtle vibrational levels as well as the physical.

Cwm Ivy is woodland bunkhouse neighboured by tidal saltmarshes and a two mile expanse of dune backed beach. Set in a nature reserve on North Gower, South Wales, it is surrounded by plenty of stunning walks and coastal wildlife. Our accommodation is a cosy bunkhouse, with living room warmed by a wood burning stove. It is in these magical surrounds that we will first meet in spring to begin our rewilding journey together.

Brook End, is nestled in Avalon a few miles from Glastonbury. It is a family run and owned permaculture small holding of 6 acres. It is furnished with a mature orchard, woodland, stream and pond; as well as productive herb and vegetable gardens, greenhouses and a polytunnel. There is a beautiful and cosy yurt for indoor lessons, compost loos, a woodfired shower and sauna, alongside a summerhouse kitchen to use in our break times. Our time at Brook End will be camping.

Cwmcoedoeron Farmacy, is a remote homestead undergoing a process of gentle, nature-led, rewilding, nestled in the heart of Crychan Forest, close to Llandovery, Wales. The 19 acre site is home to a tiny fragment of what remains of the once vast temperate rainforests of this land. This fragment, with it's moss and lichen festooned trees, hugs the banks of a gurgling stream. There are open wild flower stuffed meadows and great views of tree covered hills in all directions. Cwmcoedoeron is a true wild oasis. Facilities are basic as the site is entirely off-grid, but there are of course compost loos, a shower and camp kitchen for our comfort and sanitation. Our drinking water will be the wild fresh spring water gifted by the land. Once again we will be camping.