Past Workshops
Transition Town Herbs, Thursday, 22nd July 2010
July Flower Riot (Or the peaceful protest of plants: “Please live & work with us!”)
July’s natural offerings can be so overwhelming that we’ve decided to start focusing our attention via a systematic approach. There will be a new progressive programme of learning with our plants that will take us through the Autumn & Winter and on to next Summer. The process remains the same: gentle building of our confidence, strong applied practical sessions, with added simple theoretical background (notes/handouts provided). The overall plan: In the morning session, one ‘body system‘ (eg digestive, respiratory), together with finding and working with some related herbs; in the afternoon, simple field botany and some case histories and other practice at finding/making remedies.
Please note new session times, giving equal weight to morning & afternoon.
So, welcome to Forest Row’s Herby Take Away! Herbs still in flower are likely to include: Elder, Meadowsweet, Hops, Betony, Woundwort, Guelder Rose, Couch Grass, Dandelion, Archangels, Herb Robert, Sow-Thistle - to name but a few.
Morning 9.30 - 12.30pm
Mini Lecture (20 mins): The Digestive Tract (handouts provided)
If we haven’t already done this outside, we’ll then get into the fields to find and taste some common herbs associated with the digestive system. We’ll make a field tea to help link us to the place and discuss further herbs that can stimulate, re-balance, relax and even slow down the digestion. Might tempt you with some butter-fried Sow-Thistle stems for lunch!
Afternoon 1.30 - 5.30pm
Identifying the useful plants (notes provided): A new look at leaves
Dandelion looks like Ragwort, doesn’t it? So, what exactly am I supposed to see, in order to tell the difference? The answer is very simple - when you start looking closely at leaves, this whole new world is opened to you. A load of green leaves will never be the same!
What’s more, being able to identify a dandelion could feed you for months - and sort out your digestion (as well as improving your resistance to illness and allergy)! A very practical session. Yum!
Thursday, 27th May 2010
WE SHALL GO A-MAYING
The open fields and woods will be our main playground for today. We will aim to pick enough herbs to both taste some in our lunch and set some in oil (for a later ointment) and use some straight away as juice or infusion for a fresh cream - with enough for everyone to take some home.
So, welcome to Forest Row’s first Herby Take Away!
The Sloe flowers will have given way to early May blossom, so I am looking forward to reconnecting us with many other herbs in flower:
Wood Sage, Ramsons, Town Hall Clock, Anemone, Oxalis Bittercress, Cuckoo Flower, Yarrow, Archangels Yellow, Purple & White Ground Elder, Ground Ivy, Selfheal, Bugle, Chickweed, Cleavers, Nettle Dandelion, Vetch (Common), Hedge Garlic, Herb Robert
- to name but a few. See, we already know SO MUCH!
Morning 9.00 - 1pm
Field Tincture & Field Juice
Mustard Oils & Blood/Lymph Cleansers
Aiming to get straight to the woods, we will forage for the MUSTARD OILS in Cuckoo Flower & Bittercress. We will make a FIELD JUICE with a plastic bag/bottle and a stone - and apply it to the skin. Then we’ll do the same with three common alternatives (chickweed/nettle/cleavers) - and taste them, saving enough for cream-making in the afternoon.
We’ll pick some Hogweed for frying in butter and some other fresh leaves (also from the trees!) for a Salad Rustique a la Madeleine.
On returning to Madeleine’s house we’ll set a COLD INFUSION of Herb Robert root to rest as an optional extra to our cream - for real TANNIN effect!
Afternoon 2 - 5pm
Working with Transition - Practising and Cream Making
Again out in the fields and woods, I fancy setting a little task to challenge your quest and raise our spirits! In small groups, we’ll have some more (theoretical) common ailments - with you foraging for the remedy!
Of course, we’ll learn from the sharing and feedback.
Rounding up back at base, we’ll set some herb in oil (if we haven’t already) and make some creams in small groups - again, with YOU DOING THE PRACTICAL!
Ben, The Barefoot Herbalist
£20 for morning or afternoon
£35 for all day
please bring your own lunch; drinks and bics provided
Please bring:
1 jar (small)
1 plastic bag (freezer/sandwich bag)
1 pair small scissors
1 small thermos flask (optional - for making a Field Infusion. 1 between 3 people should be enough)
Herb Walk: Spring Sprouting
Thurs, 18th March 2010
Early in the Spring though this is, there will be some very nutritious Cleavers, Chickweed and Nettle to be found. Just looking at these plants leading the way up into life is enough to feel good! The first Sloe flowers will probably be out, too - we’ll find whatever we can and make an Energy Smoothie. I’ll bring some sprouted seeds for us to try.
We can also plant some seeds of Marigold for our delight later in the year. Of course, when we plant anything with positive intent, we also plant a positive strength for our future. I’ll bring some compost, seeds and pots.
Morning 9.30 - 1pm: Fresh Herb foraging and Cream making We will first get out into the fields and find what herby freshness we can, collecting some herbs for preparation back at Madeleine’s. I expect we will juice some Cleavers and/or Chickweed - and test it applied to the skin and tasted. Then we’ll make a variety of creams, using different bases and emulsifiers (e.g. borax, glycerol, etc.)
Afternoon 2 - 5pm: Sprouting and Ointment making First we’ll set some herbs in oil for making ointments later, before we get outside to find and collect some fresh herbs. Then return to base to taste various kinds of sprouted seed. We’ll try them whole and juiced with other herbs into a Smoothie. We can also sow some seeds (say, Marigold) with Creative Intent. Then we’ll make various ointments (beeswax, Vaseline, lard) using our herby oils.
Hope to see you there! - Ben Fairlight
Sprout your own seeds for food. Try Sesame, Sunflower or Pumpkin seeds as a change from Mung beans or Alfalfa. You can buy a sprouting box - or simply use a jam jar with 10-30 small holes in the lid. Put in enough seeds to cover the bottom of the jar, then soak them overnight, before rinsing twice and leaving moist on a bright windowsill.
Thereafter, rinse at least once a day for 3-10 days or until the sprouts are 1-3 cm long. This is arguably the most energy-filled, healthy, bio-available way to consume seeds. Eat them straight from the jar, with salad, sprinkled on other dishes - or add them to your ENERGY SMOOTHIE.
“COMPARING NATURAL IMMUNITY WITH VACCINES”
A Presentation by
TREVOR GUNN BSc Hons LCH RSHom
Author of “Mass Immunisation: A Point in Question”, practising Homeopath and Graduate of Medical Biochemistry, Trevor Gunn has presented in the U.K. Ireland, Japan, Egypt, Lebanon, Iceland, Croatia, and on National TV and Radio
This is an opportunity to have all your questions answered!
PART ONE: WEDS, NOVEMBER 25th 7.30 - 9.30PM
PART TWO: WEDS, DECEMBER 9th 7.30 - 9.30PM
HELIOS CLINIC, 97 CAMDEN ROAD, TUNBRIDGE WELLS, KENT TN1 2QR
“Informative….enlightening…clear…confidence building…” General Public and Health Professionals
“I wish I’d gone to this talk before I made any decisions about my child’s health” The Observer
“I very much respect your dilligence in examining the literature and carefully considering the issues….” Dr Clements World Health Organisation
Short and long term effects of childhood and travel vaccines - evidence from orthodox and complementary health sources
Information that the authorities don’t tell you - making sense of statistics
Childhood illnesses - dealing with fear
Avoiding future problems - increasing health NOW
£20 FOR BOTH TALKS/ £35 FOR COUPLES concessions available
For more information and to book your place, contact Madeleine Grove 01342 826965
visit http://www.informedparent.co.uk/ for ongoing support and information
TRANSITION HERBS & AUTUMN FRUITS
Thursday, 1ST OCT 09
with Ben Fairlight Edwards, The Barefoot Herbalist
at Madeleine’s house: 7 Riverside, Forest Row, RH18 5HB
So, the glory of Autumn now offers us the fruits of our local plants’ Summer labours. It’s time to harvest the berries of elder, hawthorn and oak, and dig the roots of burdock, horseradish and couch grass.
Of course, you can do that on your own - but together we will talk about the benefits these and other herbal preparations will provide us with throughout the coming Winter.
We will also make some medicines - as well as tasting those tinctures we set in the Summer. Come prepared to get your hands dirty - and to promptly getting outside - and back into our nature!
Cost:
Morning (9am - 1pm) £20
Afternoon (2pm - 5pm) £20
Morning + Afternoon £35
For enquiries and to book, ring 01342 826 965 or email: herestoyourhealth@hotmail.co.uk
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^Transition Town Herbs II - Tuesday June 16th 2009
with Ben Fairlight-Edwards Medical Herbalist
at Madeleine’s house - 7 Riverside, Forest Row, RH18 5HB
Cost:
Morning only £20
Afternoon only £20
Morning + Afternoon £35
To book your place ring 01342 826 965
Morning (10am - 1 pm)
Tinctures (alcohol / vinegar / glycerol) for optimising active ingredients & ease of storage / mixing.
The plants now available will be more varied than just 2 months ago - and we will walk out, identify and harvest them. We will put some straight into jars (”field tinctures”!) and learn how and when to use them. We will even taste some of our medicine (!) - and leave some to steep for a month or two, until the next course.
Bring your own lunch - we can also add (very) fresh herbs/salad we have gathered during the morning…
Afternoon (2 - 5pm)
More Poultices and Practical Medicine, with case histories (learning games) and real experience at using the herbs.
An afternoon of putting into practise - and testing - our learning. If you feel you don’t know enough to do this, don’t worry! This will be fun - and it is a safe way to learn by doing and being gently challenged. We will work with some common health complaints and treat them only with herbs available around Forest Row - and with those we can find in the fields.
Ben will bring dried samples so that we can do everything indoors in case of Heavy Summer Showers.
Bring 2 clean jam jars with lids, and lunch for yourself^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^An Ear to the Ground: Healing in a Mythic Landscape
with Madeleine Grove & Ben Fairlight Edwards April, 2009
Crete’s Amari valley is a vibrant and ancient source of inspiration and healing. Its landscape continues to generate the powers of myth and medicine - ancient and modern - through healing stories, homoeopathic, herbal and flower remedies.Join us in the springtime, when the plants and herbs are luscious and abundant. We invite you to walk with us, to explore the Amari valley, to discover, harvest and prepare remedies picked fresh from the soil, engaging with their material and energetic qualities.We will make and taste herbal tinctures and potencies, and in doing so we will learn more about our own healing stories. We will share some of the myths still potent in this unspoilt land, and we’ll co-create a group story, weaving a living myth out of our experience….
The end of our week falls at Greek Easter time. We will have the option to take part in Amari’s Easter traditions including painting the eggs and joining the village in celebration of the Resurrection at midnight on Saturday.
More about what we’ll get up to…..
By close observation, drawing, touch, smell, taste, we will engage with the landscape’s healing plants. We will prepare herbal remedies, poultices, teas, tinctures. We’ll also learn about and make homeopathic potencies, using dilution and succussion - and in doing so we’ll explore the very real and magical threshold that transforms deadly poisons into powerful agents for healing.
To help us re-discover some of the stories and ancients myths that resonate so deeply in this glorious landscape, Ben and Madeleine will share tales - telling them to the group from memory in the timeless oral tradition. So sit back, get comfortable and just listen…… to the story of generous Demeter, Goddess of the harvest and her longing to be reunited with her daughter (there are some surprises when you discover the whole story…). In the Cretan spring sunshine we’ll remember Persephone’s joyous return to the earth. We’ll hear about the adventures of young Phaethon as he tries to steer his father Helios’ sun chariot across the sky… and the catastrophic climate change his foolishness brings to the earth….We’ll learn of the cave in Crete where Zeus, the King of the gods, was taken as a baby and how he was suckled by a she-goat. We may visit Pan’s cave and sit upon his cool stone throne…
In the light and shade of our plant studies, and with our imaginative juices flowing from the stories, we’ll give ourselves time also to reflect on our own journey towards wholeness. We’ll invite Intuition, Instinct and our Dreaming Selves to work with us through our time together.
You may also wish to keep a journal/nuital, to create a lasting record of your days and nights as they unfold. In exploring the deeper messages of the stories, the land, the plants, and our own senses, we’ll develop new stories, relevant to us today; and so re-connect to the earth’s teachings in our modern lives.
All this and music too……
Find out more about Amari - the village, the valley, travel (including green alternatives), accommodation, on http://www.friends-of-amari.org/
Book now for cheaper flights
Cost (excluding travel) is £440 or €490 per person. This includes tuition, accomodation and meals
For further information on this unique and exciting event email as above
Madeleine Grove has been working with healing for 30 years - as a nurse and homeopath, and for many years made remedies by hand at Helios Homeopathic Pharmacy. She practices at clinics in Kent, Sussex and London. She is an award-winning storyteller and in all her work explores the power of story to heal and transform.
Ben Fairlight Edwards has been a healer and reflexologist since 1988, a medical herbalist since 1992, psychotherapist since 1996 and a teacher for over 20 years - and in all that time he has learned from his students. Brought up as a musician, he now also works as a storyteller and singer-songwriter passionate about human connection with planet Earth.
Visit him online on: http://www.barefootherbalist.co.uk/ and http://www.songstory.co.uk/
OUT OF THE ASHES
with Madeleine Grove & Sue Hollingsworth
Earth, magic - very powerful stuff! Get on the list for the next session, email Madeleine and book your place today!
If Nature was once Sovereign what Royal Roads and dusty paths lead us back to her heart?
What connections nourish and sustain us through the harshest times?
What is the true nature of beauty?
How shall we activate the three-fold rhythm of transformation in our life and our environment?
How may we prepare positively to meet the masculine (our “Prince”) within us and the world? And where shall we learn the steps of the dance to be ready to embrace him?
???
A weekend workshop for women to explore the archetypal power and mystery of one of the great Grimm’s fairytales. At a time when we are increasingly aware of the catastrophic results of our disconnection from the natural world, and as the season turns into the sleep of winter, we will take a truly fresh and refreshing look at a much-loved and universal story. We will explore its ancient message of renewal, examine its relevance to us in the present moment, and allow ourselves to envision our future in the light of our discoveries
Sue Hollingsworth
co-carried the School of Storytelling at Emerson College from 1999-2005. She has an MBA, many years of experience in business at senior level and is the Director of Storymatters Ltd., a consultancy which takes the power of storytelling into the world of business
For further details please email Madeleine
Feeding the Female
with Corinna Mainberger & Madeleine Grove
Apart from seeing patients in our private clinics, we create and run workshops for women. These workshops combine our specialist knowledge in Homoeopathy and Nutritional Therapy with the imaginative world of storytelling and creative writing.
“Dense, rich, colourful and inspiring…”
There will be real food to sample, lots of
To share, to understand, to experience, what truly feed us on all levels - this is our vision: Feeding the Female literally and metaphorically speaking
Feeding the Female
Evening Course - 7 Weekly Sessions
We will take a Nutritional Story Journey from conception to adult life, looking in depth at the foods we encounter along the way: from egg to milk, water, grains, fruit and vegetables, flesh, sugar, stimulants and alcohol.
We will taste and experience foods through all our senses, and note how they influence our mind and mood.
The course is relevant to all women, and may be especially helpful to women who experience food as problematic.
Helios Clinic: 01892 510 950
http://healingbodyandmind.wordpress.com/ Madeleine Madeleine Grove LCH RSHom
Registered Homeopath: 01342 826 965
Deoora Clinic: 020 7487 4568
Helios Clinic: 01892 510 950
mailto:transform@madeleinegrove.com
“A thought, even a possibility, can shatter and transform us” - Nietzsche