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This class is an introduction to the "how to" of using herbal medicine. We will cover proper preparation methods of leaves, flowers, seeds and roots. We will make an herbal salve and tea blend. You will be introduced to a few herbs you may use in your daily routine to strengthen, tone and support your system. Saturday, January 12, 2007. 12-4pm $25.00

The Community Herbal Convergence is an annual bioregional gathering co-created by herbalists and activists. We are committed to accessibility, diversity, equality, and sustainability within the fields of Clinical and Community Herbalism, and Herbal Education. The convergence is a celebration of honoring ancient roots and new traditions. With our elders, teachers, and plants as guides, we envision health care that moves beyond racism, classism, homophobia, sexism,
cultural appropriation, environmental degradation, and the corporate takeover of herbal medicine. This gathering is a space for creativity, sharing, education, gratitude, inquiry, healing, and empowerment. Our intention is to support and nourish diverse, inclusive, and reciprocal herbal networks in the Northeast.

Lodging: Camping available, homestay for teachers and attendees with special needs: cut off date for notification, September 15, 2007
For more info call Mary Blue at Seven Arrows (508) 399-7860 or email radherb@gmail.com

Herbal Convergence Resources & Information:

Click here for a registration form! Advance registration encouraged!
Ride Share - Catch a ride with folks from your local area
1.) Click "Groups & Events"
2.) Click "Search Travel/Event Listings"
3.) Enter "Origin State"
4.) Enter "Destination State"
5.) Select Group "Northeast Grassroots Community Herbal Convergence"

Donations of veggies, oil, and grains are welcome in the kitchen. We will collectively be preparing and serving delicious, healthy meals throughout the convergence. Please be prepared to pitch in! We will be asking for a small donation for meals. All proceeds directly benefit future Community Herbal Convergences. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

Standing From Left to Right: Lydia, Dana, Sandy, Rebecca, Danielle, Katie,and Mary Blue

* Northeast First Annual Grassroots **
Community Herbal Convergence
October 14 &15, 2006
Price: $15.00 to $50.00 (Sliding Scale)
Lodging: Camping available
For more info call Mary Blue at Seven Arrows (508) 399-7860 or email radherb@gmail.com

Herbal Convergence Resources & Information:
Class Schedule - Schedule & Class Descriptions
Event Flyer - Help us spread the word far and wide!
Event Registration - Advance registration encouraged.
Ride Share - Catch a ride with folks from your local area
1.) Click "Groups & Events"
2.) Click "Search Travel/Event Listings"
3.) Enter "Origin State"
4.) Enter "Destination State"
5.) Select Group "Northeast Grassroots Community Herbal Convergence"
6.) Click "Find Travel Matches"

Come celebrate National Herb Day in the gardens at Seven Arrows. Saturday classes throughout the day on the following topics and more:
* Plant walks
* Medicine making
* Common health complaints
* Herbal Activism

Live music, potluck lunch, merchants, food, kids activities, barter fair and more!

Sunday - Community Day
Volunteer to work on the medicine trail or participate in a community herbalist and activist round-table discussion. Topics will include; free clinics, strengthening the herbalist network in the northeast through herbal activism, and how to make herbal education more accessible.

Mission Statement
The Community Herbal Convergence is an annual bioregional gathering co-created by herbalists and activists. We are committed to accessibility, diversity, equality and sustainability within the fields of Clinical and Community Herbalism, and Herbal Education.

The convergence is a celebration and an honoring of both the ancient roots and the new sprouts of people's plant medicine. It is a forum to reclaim our healthcare so that we may better serve our families, communities and the Earth.

With elders, teachers and plants as our guides, we envision a world beyond racism, environmental degradation, classism, homophobia, sexism, cultural appropriation and the corporate takeover of herbal medicine.

This gathering is a space for creativity, sharing, education, gratitude, inquiry, healing and empowerment. Our intention is to support and nourish diverse, inclusive and reciprocal herbal networks in the Northeast.

A Spiritual Way to Healing
A special lecture on the teachings of Bruno Groening
Saturday - October 14, 2006
Time: 10AM to 12PM ~ FREE ~
Doctors and alternative medical practitioners of the Medical-Science Group (MWF) share their experiences of this simple and natural way to help and heal. An informative talk on spiritual healing through the teachings of Bruno Gröning.

~People who have been healed tell how they recovered from emotional, organic or even "incurable" illnesses.

~This invitation is extended to doctors, alternative medical practitioners and professionals in all branches of healing, as well as interested non-professionals and those seeking help.

~Medically documented healings are presented and commented on in an understandable way.

A Sacred Harvest Saturday - October 21, 2006
Time: 2PM to 4PM      Price: $20.00
Part of the eternal rhythm, each herb has it’s moment in the sun (and moon!). We will discuss responsible methods of harvesting herbs at their peak vitality. Detailed information on how and when to harvest leaves, flowers, seeds, roots and barks, with gratitude and loving respect. Presented by Kate Rakosky of Sagewood Herb Farm located in Kingston, RI

Aromatherapy Sunday - October 22, 2006
Time: 2PM to 4PM       Price: $20.00
By participating in this workshop, you will learn that aromatherapy is so much more than just lovely scents! Basic skills for using essential oils as therapeutic tools to enhance health and well-being will be discussed.
Presented by Lesley Wooler of the Herb Wyfe in Wickford, RI

It's Your Skin - But It's Your Only Skin!
Day/Date: Saturday - October 28, 2006
Time: 2PM to 4PM
Price: $20.00 + $6.00 material fee
This workshop will explore the many ways of enhancing the quality of your epidermis! When it is in perfect harmony, the result is radiant, glowing, healthy skin.  Susan's combined background in esthetics, herbalism and aromatherapy will provide some helpful information for treating a variety of skin types. Participants will learn how to create optimum balance through herbal therapies used both internally and topically, as well as nutrition and essential oils. Hands-on time is also included to whip up some delectable, skin specific products for at-home use. Presented by Susan Clements, former owner of The Herb Wyfe in Wickford, RI, and present director of Earth & Ocean Holistic Therapies where she has a private practice in esthetics.

Flower Essences Sunday - October 29, 2006
Time: 2PM to 4PM Price: $20.00
Flower Essences are herbal and flower infusions that bring about inner health and harmony. They address core issues of wellness, especially emotional, stress, mental attitudes, spiritual values and life purpose. Learn to use this tool to bring balance to yourself, friends and family.
Presented by Lesley Wooler of the Herb Wyfe in Wickford, RI

We are excited to be co-hosting SOLO and their training series in Wilderness Emergency Medicine with the Mass. Audubon Oak Knoll Wildlife Sanctuary here in Attleboro.

The courses offer nationally recognized certifications, and many are approved for continuing education credits.

For complete info on the world-class SOLO school visit their web site: www.soloschools.com

Designed specifically for groups and their leaders, this 16-hour program covers topics ranging from preparation and prevention to assessment and treatment. All SOLO instructors are experienced rescue personnel with extensive outdoor experience and have been selected not only for their expertise in emergency medicine and rescue, but also for their teaching skills. Classroom lectures and discussions are supplemented by practical work and problem-solving exercises. The emphasis is always on hands-on experience. Scenarios are an important part of this training.

Cost -$160.00 per student. $150.00 for Mass Audubon Members, and employees of Eastern Mountain Sports . Includes lodging and meals.

Wilderness First Responder - TBA

The Wilderness First Responder curriculum uses the principles of long-term care, improvised resources, and varying environmental conditions as the framework for learning. Now the most widely recognized and most often required outdoor leader certification, the Wilderness First Responder course was first developed and taught by SOLO in the mid-1980's. Created to provide outdoor leaders, guides, and rangers with the knowledge needed to deal with crises in remote settings, this 80-hour certification meets DOT standards for first responder with additional protocols for extended care situations. Like all SOLO programs, the emphasis of the WFR is on prevention and decision-making.
The SOLO WFR addresses the issues of medico-legal concerns, blood borne pathogens and infectious diseases. The Patient Assessment System, the foundation of the course, trains students to determine what is going on with backcountry patients. Other sessions provide instruction in traumatic situations as well as medical emergencies. Environmental issues such as hypothermia and heat injuries are dealt with in great detail. Practical simulations and labs provide practice in backcountry leadership and rescue skills.

Cost -$930.00 per student. $890.00 for Mass Audubon Members and employees of Eastern Mountain Sports. Includes lodging and meals.

Most of the following classes had to be cancelled due to poor registration, but these classes are close to our hearts. so we decided to put them in our archives!

Bonnie Kavanagh is a licensed registered nurse and practicing community herbalist living in Cumberland, Rhode Island. Bonnie has been involved in health care for over 25 years both as a nurse and an herbalist. She teaches herbal therapeutics to lay people and healthcare professionals throughout the northeast. She is the founding member of the Ocean State Herbalists Association, an active member of United Plant Savers, and owns an herbal education company called Cottage Garden Herbs. Bonnie is a graduate of Rosemary Gladstar’s Art and Science of Herbalism apprenticeship program. She combines her biomedical training with her plant knowledge for solution focused, nature oriented programs of health care and healing and has been a featured guest lecturer at many botanical conferences throughout the northeast.

Saturdays class: Wise Women, Wild Women & Herbs. Botanicals have played a role in the health of all people since the beginning of time. This class will focus on the health of women in today’s society and the role plants can have in achieving health and healing for all women. Science and the wise woman tradition are combined in this class. Daily herbal practices to enhance body, mind and spirit will be shared as well as botanical interventions for a myriad of conditions specific to the female reproductive system.

Sundays discussion will help a Community Herbalist determine if their client's condition is within their scope of practice or needs to be referred to a N.D., M.D., or E.R. We will learn to differentiate between CHF and an upper respiratory infection, signs/symptoms of a heart attack. What exactly do the numbers in blood pressure mean and how do you take a BP ? We will also cover medical terminology you may encounter from the allopathic world .

GuidoMase is a clinical herbalist, herbal educator, and garden steward specializing in holistic Western herbalism, though his approach is eclectic and draws upon many influences. He spent his childhood in Italy, in the central Alps and in a Renaissance town called Ferrara. After traveling the United States, he settled into central Vermont where he has been living since 1996. He works clinically and teaches as a professional member of the American Herbalists Guild, and is a part of United Plant Savers and the American Botanical Council.

Saturdays class will provide the student with an in-depth study of Mens Health and herbs to support them. Guido will focus on Cardiovascular system, Endocrine System, Genito, Liver, Nervous System and Digestive System.

Sundays discussion will focus on Guido's experiences in starting and operating these Community Clinics: Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism, Montpelier Herbal Health , Sage Mountain Free Herbal Clinic.

Transgender Health and Wellness Weekend

with Jacoby  Ballard

J acoby Ballard of Brooklyn, NY is a queer, working class, transgendered herbalist activist. He is also a community organizer, yoga teacher and an organizer of The Northeast Community Herbal Convergence.

This weekend workshop seeks to address the ways in which we can provide appropriate care for people of all genders/gender expressions in a gender progressive way.

Saturdays Class will cover herbal care to accompany hormone replacement therapy, the effects of HRT and the pharmacological components and physiological effects. Jacoby will share with us his experiences with herbs that will support and strengthen the body through the changes. We will also discuss herbs to prepare for and heal from reconstructive surgeries, and talk about some of the side effects: sarcomas, hematomas, loss of nerve sensation, and match them with effective herbal therapies.

Sundays Discussion will examine the language and intake forms we use in our practice. We will work to create an environment that is not just bearable, but welcoming of non- traditional, non hegemonic genders. How can we be more effectively treated according to our unique health conditions instead of being gendered in ways we do not choose? How can people be affectively diagnosed and healed if people’s unique gender experience is not acknowledged?

2008 Class Schedule

January 12, 13th

Saturdays Class: Lymes Disease Healing Protocol
with Sonya Boynton of Bluebird Herbals
http://www.bluebirdherbals.com/about.html

Sundays Class: Wilderness First Aid

Herbal Remedies and First Aid Protocols for the trail.

Sonja Boynton is a herbalist from Cape Cod, who runs a clinical practice. She has successfully treated human and non-human persons ("pets") with problems such as adrenal exhaustion, arthritis, asthma, allergies, cancer, heart conditions, insomnia, infections, kidney problems, kennel cough, Lymes disease, liver disease, sciatica and other back problems, skin conditions, and women's and men's health issues. In her class she will give us an understanding of Lymes Disease, how it works and its herbal protocols.

Saturdays class will cover Lyme Disease and other common co-infections. Lyme disease is becoming a prolific infectious disease in this country. We will spend the bulk of the class discussing traditional herbal treatment of spirochetal infections and contemporary, naturopathic and allopathic treatment options for Lyme disease and other common tick-borne co-infections.

Sunday's class will cover preparation and prevention to assessment and treatment of back woods medicine. Learn the basics of Wilderness First Aid and what the contents of an herbal first aid kit for the trail would look like.

March 15, 16

Saturdays Class: Herbal Alternatives to Antibiotics

with Robin Rose Bennett, of Wise Woman Healing Ways in NY
(http://robinrosebennett.com/) 

Sundays Discussion: Disaster/ Emergency Preparedness for Herbalists

with Mary Blue, Seven Arrows Herbalist

Robin Rose Bennet has taught herbal medicine since 1986 - in hospitals, medical schools, progressive learning centers, and most joyously, outside with the plants. She has a year-round apprenticeship program, a private consultation practice in NJ and NYC and has released her first book, Healing Magic: A Green Witch Guidebook.

Mary Blue, Activist, Herbalist, and Community Organizer is currently the Practicing Herbalist, Education Coordinator and Director of The Peace Gardens Botanical Sanctuary at 7 Arrows. She facilitates a 7-month herbal education and training program for budding herbalists and offers classes and workshops to gardening, senior and special interest groups and organizations. As an active member of NEHA (Northeast Herbal Association) she was a guest speaker at their 2006 annual retreat and contributes a column on herbal activism in their newsletter. Residing in her home town of Providence RI, she has been working towards reclaiming city green space by farming ¼ acre and developing urban sustainability practices in her home. She has been a founding member worked over the years to develop the following community groups: The Annual Northeast Grassroots Community Herbal Convergence, Farmacy Community Clinic and Urban Sustainability Project, and Providence Recycle-A- Bike. Her line of Tinctures and Herbal Products (Farmacy) are sold locally and distributed in the Community Clinic.

Saturdays Class: The over use of antibiotics in medicine and agriculture has led to a crisis of antibiotic-resistant infectious diseases. Antibiotics are also radical remedies with side effects. Fortunately there are a variety of teas, tinctures, topical salves and foods that can be used to prevent illness through strengthening our immune systems, and help us heal when illness is already present. Robin will teach us how herbal allies can help us regain and maintain our health.

Sundays Discussion will provide a forum for us to discuss possible disaster and emergency plans for alternative healthcare practitioners. Mary Blue , Seven Arrows resident herbalist will share her experiences as an herbalist working in the free health clinics in New Orleans post-Katrina. We will work together to discuss possible scenerios for these types of situations that we may come across in the future.

April 19,20

Saturdays Class: Children's Health

Sundays Class: Food Activism


with Tony Lemos  of Blazing Star Herbal School in Western Ma
 http://www.blazingstarherbalschool.org/

Tony(a) Lemos is currently running Blazing Star Herbal School. She studied Natural Therapy at Raworth College of Natural Therapies in England, where she spent most of her child hood. She has apprenticed in the wise woman tradition of healing with Susun Weed. As well as teaching at Blazing Star Herbal School and beyond, she maintains a clinical aromatherapy and herbal practice at the Underground Salon in Northampton MA. Tony(a) is also Vice President of NEHA (northeast herbal association) as well as a professional member of NAHA (National Association of Holistic Aromatherapy) and a member of MassNofa and UPS.

Saturdays workshop will explore how to raise healthy children and improve immune system function. We will cover long and short term treatment plans, appropriate dosage and methods of administration and creative medicine making.

Sundays Discussion will help us understand how eating has become a political act : every time we put something in our mouth we are making a statement. Most of us know little about the massive food experiments that are underway in our nations fields and supermarkets. Genetic engineering of crops and foods - the newest stage of the development of industrial agriculture threatens to shift the control of our food to a small number of transnational corporations whose first loyalty is to the bottom line. The environment, our health, and the rights of farmers and indigenous peoples are in jeopardy. All over the world countries are saying NO to genetically engineered foods. How we choose to feed ourselves is key.

In this informative class we will discuss the shocking realities of the production of our food and survey the worldwide impact of the latest political issues that exist around our food today.

"We have to keep defending our freedoms- as citizens, as scientists, as ecologists as producers and as consumers. Our alliances are our defense against the new bio-imperialism of the biotech industry. Our truth is our power." Vandana Shiva

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