April - October 2027
This rewilding apprenticeship is an unlearning process. An exquisite journey of co-creation, an opportunity to reconnect with your wild self; with the wildness of the world. You will discover bliss through biognosis as you travel deeply into the ecology of your soul, into the wild lands of Gaia.
"The apprenticeship is one of the best things I have done. The depth and variety meant I learnt so much about myself and the world around me. I couldn't recommend this course more highly. It has changed me and there is no going back." Bethan, yoga instructor & therapist
There can be no exact syllabus for this kind of deep dive; the wild does not work that way. We will seek its council, and as together we co-create, we will ebb and flow at a pace and in a direction that is right and true for all in our circle. The areas that together we will explore include...
shape shifting ~ plant consciousness ~ sensory acuity ~ deep ecology ~ wild food, medicine & mushroom foraging ~ shamanic journey ~ plant whispering ~ deep nature immersion ~ sacred plant medicine ~ visceral wakefulness ~ vision quest ~ conscious movement ~ entheogenic encounters ~ ferment making ~ herbal remedy making ~ medicinal mushrooms ~ cleansing ~ body wisdom ~ plant spirit communication ~ intuitive awareness ~ Gaian connectivity ~ kincentrism ~ earthing ~ forest bathing ~ medicine walks ~ direct perception ~ heart based cognition ~ personal shadow work ~ intuitive wisdom ~ zoopharmacognosy
"It was magical and wonderful. An indescribable once in a lifetime experience, and I can't even put into words the depth of what I have learned. It challenged and delighted me and I am so grateful...I do not take for granted what a treat and a privilege it is to learn from somebody with your depth, wisdom, integrity and pure magic." Kate, specialist dietician
Together humanity is facing an existential crisis. Modern lives and culture have created a huge great mess, we know this. My personal explorations and experiences over the last 3 decades have led me to understand the current consensus reality is in fact an altered state of consciousness. The response required, to bring us closer toward a more natural way of being, is to remember ourselves as living Earth, and all beings that we live among as kin, as intelligent, sentient, relations. This is what I am calling Sacred Ecology; and this is what will become embedded as you go through a process of personal rewilding, as my apprentice.
All knowing, all belonging, starts with the warm sweet soil. And so we begin from the ground up, quite literally. The sacred soil and the sacred water. The body of Earth, our own human body. On this apprenticeship, you will learn more than how to make plant remedies; more than meeting plant spirits and becoming tuned into the ongoing inter-species conversations that we are all embedded within. Fundamentally it is about empowerment in a time of polycrisis. It is about being part of a huge regeneration, part of something meaningful, part of something that you believe in and trust.
The cost of living is rising and we all feel it, in response I have created three different commitment levels, so that you can choose which suits you best, which is more manageable with regards to resources of both time and money. But let's backtrack there one moment - "the cost of living". Have you ever stopped to wonder about the true meaning of that phrase? It is little spells like this that are exactly why a paradigm shift is required. As among the rest of the natural living world, life is a celebration of abundance and relationship, an act of reciprocity; and that is exactly where I intend to take you.
Having been deeply touched by the magical unfolding that occurs on feeling the wildness pulsing through themselves and the rest of the natural living world, previous apprentices have found the confidence to change their lives, career paths, set up their own businesses. They have begun living the life that they came here to live, sharing the medicine that they came to share. They know exactly where they wish to put their energy both now and moving forward. Will you join them?
"I can't recommend Rachel's sacred ecology apprenticeship highly enough. Rachel's depth of knowledge, her authenticity, her passion and her ability to hold and guide us was breathtaking. I came out the other side with a feeling of openness, connection and deep clarity moving forwards. I very much look forward to continue working with Rachel, meeting and forging connections with new plant allies." Mary, breathworker
Our days typically begin with an early morning practice while the dew is still fresh and cool on our toes; and may not close until we rub our sleepy eyes in the moonlight and retreat from the glowing embers of the fireside. As much as possible our classroom will be outside in the sweet wild meadow, or perhaps cooling in the shade of ancient gnarled trees, or alongside the breeze ruffled waters. The classes will be experiential, you will learn (or unlearn), through what you do, what you feel.
This is the ecstatic path. Experience a personal evolution as you align with the wild parts inside, the wildness that runs through and connects all life. Re-inhabit your wildness as you reconnect with human instinct through using your senses, through direct perception, through feeling your way into the wild of the world. Empower yourself and become more resilient in these uncertain times. Reclaim Earth wisdom as you enter into sacred relations with Gaia as mentor, medicine, lover, self.
This apprenticeship will set you on a path of sacred relationship with the food you eat, with plant medicines, with your own sweet piece of nature; your body. Learn of wild nutrition, make medicinal elixirs and ferments, find and build relations with your plant ally. Work with the dark edges and strengthen your capacity to trust in yourself; develop and explore your intuitive wisdom. Through nurturing the wild and sacred, through engaging consciously with the natural world, you will find your home within the wild lands of Gaia.
You will not learn wilderness survival; navigation by the stars, or how to start a fire with flint. I am not Ray Mears or Bear Grylls! This is wilderness regeneration and integration. Finding it everyday, everywhere, no matter who you are or where you are. Let's witness each other shape shift through this process. Let's do this thing, let's co-create a better, wilder, rawer world.
This apprenticeship will give you the tools to begin to break through the outer layers of social conditioning that keep you tame and small, so that cracks appear and shafts of light from your essential essence pour through. And yes you may end up being a very effective healer, or a leader, or a wilderness guide, or a land steward; but I am not training you to be any of those things. This process, the apprenticeship, will help you find the unique thing within your essential wildness; your personal medicine for the world. I will not try to fit you into a certain mould, will not tell you what's what. But, I will be there to encourage you to pick the scab that Western civilisation has left on your soul; and hold your hand so that I may be witness to the beauties and riches that lie beneath. Those riches, that without the impairment of our civilised ways, will flow to the surface and issue forth from you as you learn how to share your wonderful medicine with the world.
There will be no diplomas awarded but what you will gain is what your soul has been yearning for. This is not a degree, or a license to heal, but a reconnection with the flow of Gaia, with all your relations, with the essential essence of you.
"Rachel is a courageous, wise and warm guide. She is bringing through the veils of our illusion, a practical, profound and much needed rebirthing back into our true, wild state – which we immediately recognise as connection to everything. And the gifts are enormous, as despite the casual devastation of human activity on all other kingdoms, there is a willingness to guide us back into our wholeness. This is not only crucial for understanding how to move forward without creating more chaos, but there is no other place to live our life from with hope, heart and warrior spirit." Andrea Bailey - Tai Chi Teacher
This is a healing journey for self and Gaia; there is no separation. As you heal your own personal ecology, the healing will trickle out and touch all that comes into your life: friends, family, more-than-human relations, local landscape. This apprenticeship is a journey which together we will co-create. A journey that inevitably will lead you to your core truth, the truth you were born with and as you acknowledge and integrate that truth, more of your path will be revealed.
Explore and let go of old patterns that may hinder the fulfillment of your potential.
Let the wild inform and lead as you discover your own personal medicine - the work you came here to do.
Align with the wildness that runs through and connects all life.
Embody your wildness as you reconnect with your own body wisdom; through conscious movement, effective use of your senses and heightened physical awareness.
Feel your way into the wild of the world by using, developing and fine tuning your sixth sense, instinct, intuition and direct perception.
Discover and develop personal relationships with your plant ally and other more-than-human beings.
Access wisdom direct from the heart of the world; biognosis.
Experience Gaia and every thought, feeling and action as sacred.
Develop and create your own authentic and Earth led prayer, ritual and ceremony.
Become empowered and more resilient as you learn of wild health and how to make food, remedies, ferments and sacred elixirs from the plants growing in your neighbourhood.
Learn how to care for the physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing of yourself and your loved ones through your understanding, use and relationship with sacred plant medicine.
Rewild your digestive tract with leaves, flowers and fruits of the field and forest as you consume them in salads, juices, ferments and remedies.
Become part of a rewilding, shape shifting, community. Sometimes life feels so hopeless in the face of the modern world; so joining with a group of likeminded changemakers is a hugely valuable gift.
The opportunity for continued community and training, post apprenticeship, by joining Rachel's "inner circle" of advanced students, for occassional meet ups and plant led wild unlearnings.
This apprenticeship goes way beyond learning a set of methods and techniques and way beyond "nature connection". It is a real becoming and recognising of self as nature, as wild. It's a home coming.
New for 2027
The Bones ~ first you will explore your wildness through soil, water, breath, body. Body of Earth, body of self. One body. There will be deep enquiry into sacred plant medicine and plant consciousness, leading to your solo wild immersion The final phase of this level, will be grounding and integrating the revelations you encounter on quest, to inform your onward journey.
Deep Grounding ~ this level includes everything in "The Bones" while adding in some spaciousness for deep practice. Time for bedding in your (un)learnings, while refining your medicine for the world & bringing it into being.
Multi-dimensional ~ this level includes everything in "The Bones" & "Deep Grounding". In addition you will be embarking upon an entheogenic enquiry. You will explore the plant & fungi realms more deeply through Velada, sacred ceremony; adding another dimension within which to deepen your own process and wild reconnections.
"Rachel has tended us throughout this apprenticeship as she would her most precious garden medicinal plants: offering us all her love and innate wisdom and deep connection to her wild self, meeting our unique needs, recognising and celebrating our talents and inner wildness. We were all so blessed in spending time with Rachel in this way." Susan, wild woman, shiatsu & energy medicine practitioner, West Wales.
22nd-25th April @ Slad Farm, Stroud.
20th-23rd May @ Slad Farm, Stroud.
19th - 24th June @ Cwm-coed-oeron, Crychan Forest, Wales.
23rd - 25th July @ Sladebank Woods, Stroud.
17th - 19th Sept @ Brook End, Somerset. *Deep Grounding & Multi-dimensional ONLY
13th - 17th Oct @ Cwmcynwyn Barn, nr Brecon, Wales. *Multi-dimensional ONLY
2x 1-2-1 calls, to be arranged between us.
Mon 23rd Aug (1930-2030 BST) - accountability (for those leaving the apprenticeship with The Bones only).
Deep Grounding & Multi-dimensional ONLY
Tues 17th Aug (1900-2030 BST)
Tues 24th Aug (1900-2030 BST)
Tues 31st Aug (1900-2030 BST)
Tues 7th Sept (1900-2030 BST)
Tues 14th Sept (1900-2030 BST)
Multi-dimensional ONLY
Thurs 23rd Sept (1900-2000 BST)
Thurs 28th Oct (1900-2000 BST)
10 participants.
I truly believe that when undertaking this important and sacred work, that each person attending needs to be witnessed and receive personal attention. With a maximum group size of 10, there is space and time for everybody.
Another essential element of smaller groups is that they are more intimate, making them easier to share and form bonds within. Some of my previous apprentices are still firm friends ten years after their apprenticeship completed. Personally, I remain in touch with almost all of my apprentices from across the years. This apprenticeship is beyond my job, it is who I am, our relationship does not have to stop just because the training does.
plant whisperer, medicine woman, author
I will be coordinating and holding the space for this process.
I have been immersed in the worlds of plant & mycelium consciousness since the mid 90's. In that time, I have learned directly from the land, the plants and my body. They together have guided me to a place of true belonging, bare feet embracing the warm sweet Earth, and direct communication with all my relations - from the bacteria that line my gut and colonise my skin, to the grasses and mosses I stand upon.
Hormone Alchemist and Seasonal Wellbeing Expert
Justine will be guiding an enquiry into medicinal mushrooms.
Justine Evans ND is a Hormone Alchemist and WiseWoman. With over 29 years in clinical practice she holds a degree in nutritional therapy and is a registered naturopath (ND), blending her disciplines with folklore, plant medicine, homeotoxicology, and intuitive healing. She is deeply passionate about regenerating seasonal living and empowering individuals to take control of their health naturally.
Yoga teacher BWY
Emma will be guiding us in a session on sacred and conscious breath.
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. Breath is integral to the practice of yoga. The synergy of mindfulness of breath, has naturally evolved into a practice, where every breath is a prayer. Emma’s teaching is built on a bedrock of dedicated Buddhist mediation practice, which continues to sustain.
Medical Herbalist MNIMH
Kamaldeep will be focussing 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.
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.
Bsc Traditional Fermentation, University of Kanazawa, Japan
Miki will be leading a fermentation masterclass.
After completing her degree in traditional Japanese fermentation in her homeland of Japan, Miki moved to the UK, where she now runs the Koji Probiotic Kitchen. Alongside producing a range of delicious fermented products, she hosts seasonal fermentation workshops.
Deep Grounding & Multi-dimensional ONLY
Three wonderful horses who, with a little assistance from their humans, Sarah and Kath, will demonstrate their own way of communicating with plants and plant medicines.
Our time together with these incredible, sensitive, intelligent creatures, will offer a window into zoopharmacognosy, and the merging of intelligences from three life forms - horse~plant~human.
22nd-25th April & 20th-23rd May
This family run farm in Gloucestershire is backed by wild woods, with sweeping views over the stunning Slad Valley. Our inside teaching space is a cosy yurt with a shady garden. Our outside space includes extensive woodlands and meadow. Evenings will be spent star gazing around the fire. Our time here will be camping.
19th - 24th June
Roughly translated as Valley of the Cool Trees, this beautiful site of rolling wild flower meadows set in the Crychan Forest (near Llandovery), certainly lives up to its name. The bubbling stream that crosses the site, is shaded by remnants of ancient temperate rainforest, rich with gnarled trees festooned with lichen. Here, our classroom is undeniably the wild land and all who call this place home. Once again we will be camping.
23rd - 25th July
This beautiful community woodlands, sited on the edge Stroud, is where we will come together in celebration. We are so lucky to be spending the weekend immersed within this 6 acre rewilding success story, the diversity of bats, moths, birds and wild flowers indicating the health of this land. We will sleep under the trees or in the roundhouse. Our evenings will be spent in the woodfired sauna, or around the fire, while our days will be in the filtered sun of the woodland glades. Our time here will focus on integration and the closing of the first level of apprenticeship "The Bones".
*Deep Grounding & Multi-dimensional ONLY
17th - 19th September
Brook End, a family run and owned permaculture small holding of 6 acres, is nestled in Avalon. Our classroom will be the mature orchard, meadow, woodland, Oak grove and 1700 year old Yew. There is a wood-fired sauna, stream and dipping pond. We will use this as a base for our field trip to meet the horses and their humans. Our time here will also be spent in deep communion with Mugwort. This weekend will be camping.
*Multi-dimensional participants ONLY
13th - 17th October
Cwmcynwyn is a converted barn, right in the heart of the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park (Brecon Beacons), mid Wales. It is located within an internationally recognised Dark Sky Reserve. The barn is sited on a working sheep farm, nestled between roaring river and mountain peak. The accommodation is single beds in a dorm, with a cosy living/ indoor teaching space, warmed by wood burner. Walks from the door are epic, prepare to be blown away on several levels!
"I've done lots of "nature connection" related courses but this one really supercharged my practice and took it to a whole new level, not to mention helping me gain HUGE clarity on what my gifts are and how to start bringing them into the world. I thought I was in touch with nature magic before but I had no clear idea how to connect with it - Rachel and the Apprenticeship really delivered me home to my full humanness, giving me the skills to develop my own relationships with the more-than-human realm and the confidence to trust my very real experiences. The vision quest was the most powerful and magical and meaningful experience of my life so far." Lizzy, Nature-connection guide, Birmingham
"This course exceeded all expectations. It's magical and educational and will open you up to connect to the natural world in all kinds of ways. Rachel brings so much knowledge and wisdom to the apprenticeship and shares it all in such an inspiring, gentle way, encouraging you to do the work and build a deep connection with Gaia and yourself. Totally recommend it to anyone wanting to go a bit 'wild'." Jane, Brighton.
Choose the option which suits you best in this moment...
Payment in full £2500
Early Bird £2400* book before 1st October
This includes:
17 days in-person meet ups
13 nights camping (own equipment needed)
all meals (except a single bring & share on each retreat)
2 x 1 hour 1-2-1 online coaching
1 x 1 hour group Zoom
all teaching, including guests.
all ceremonies & field trips
all materials for remedies, elixirs, ferments & other product making
Payment in full £3050
Early Bird £2925* book before 1st October
This includes:
20 days in-person meet ups
15 nights camping (own equipment needed)
all meals (except a single bring & share on each retreat)
2 x 1 hour 1-2-1 online coaching
5 x 1.5 hour group Zooms
28 day guided Mugwort feast
Mugwort Clan initiation
Zoopharmacognosy session
all teaching, guests, ceremonies, field trips & materials
Payment in full £3650
Early Bird £3450* Book before 1st October
This includes:
25 days in-person meet ups
15 nights camping (own equipment needed)
4 nights in a dorm
all meals (except a single bring & share on each retreat)
2 x 1 hour 1-2-1 online coaching
5 x 1.5 hour group Zooms
2 x 1 hour group Zooms
28 day guided Mugwort feast & Mugwort Clan initiation
Zoopharmacognosy session
Velada sacred night vigil
all teaching, guests, ceremonies, field trips & materials
A deposit of £500 will secure your place, whichever option you are choosing (your balance will be the remainder of your fee less the £500 deposit). Please note the deposit is non-refundable and non-transferable, so be sure before you commit. You can always book a 15 minute complimentary call with me if you are hovering over the "pay deposit" button! Use the call, to check if the apprenticeship is the right fit for you in this moment...
"This apprenticeship has been very special to me. I signed up on the basis that as a city girl at heart, I might have to "fake it til I make it", in terms of communing with nature. But during my first week I really started to develop a belief in the connection I had. Rachel's style is supremely nurturing. It was clear that everyone's contribution had something unique and special - and that's where we found the magic.
Very subtly my connection with the world grew stronger without me realising it. I learned techniques and with those techniques came BELIEF. I don't think any other programme can actually help you to believe in the way this did and I am forever grateful to Rachel. I'm now being asked by friends to coach them!" Zoe Ross, Believer.
"Being part of the apprenticeship has been a precious, life changing, consciousness-expanding experience. Rachel combines just the right amount of humour, practicality and whole-hearted passionate commitment to plant spirit work, and has been a wonderfully supportive ally during my introduction into the magical world of Gaia connection." Kelda , Homeopath.
"A beautifully crafted and lovingly held journey into the richness and bounty of the plant world and our own wild selves. Rachel is an expert guide and companion on this path that has such relevance and vital importance in these times." Gwinny, France
The Bones is the cheapest and shortest option.
Deep grounding includes everything in The Bones, with the addition of a 28 day guided online plant feast. This will conclude with an in-person weekend in Somerset, where you will be initiated into the Mugwort Clan. During our weekend in Somerset, we will also have a field trip to meet the three horses and have them guide us through a zoopharmacognosy session.
Multi-dimensional includes everything in both The Bones and Deep Grounding, with the addition of five days in Wales undertaking an entheogen enquiry, mushroom foraging and a Velada, deep ceremony. There are two additional Zoom calls that go along with this option.
Yes this can be arranged.
Best to contact me if you wish to explore this option further.
rachel@wildgaiansoul.com
You are welcome to book a complementary 15 minute call, there you will have a chance to get to know me and ask any questions that you have. Contact me rachel@wildgaiansoul.com and we can arrange a time and date that suits us both.
Once you have paid the deposit you will receive everything you need to know about paying your balance.
"I have immense gratitude to Rachel for leading this Sacred Ecology Apprenticeship. As she teaches us to look in reverance at all of nature, this has grown my self love and deepened relationships with plants and spirit. I now feel more clear in my purpose and gifts to offer the world and I have more tools for healing." Sarah, Stroud
"Rachel has a long, deep and sincere practice in re-wilding and shares it fully in an unpretentious and caring way. Through the techniques, knowledge and insights from the course I have explored my relationship with Mother Nature - my own nature - and feel empowered to develop this in years to come" Fi, yoga teacher.
"Rachel's Rewilding Apprenticeship has opened the door for me into the wondrous world of plant spirit and sacred ecology. Her teaching comes from a place of genuine, authentic wisdom and compassion. Reconnect with true treasures and do this apprenticeship." 60 year old wannabe wild woman.