Do you want to be a herbwife?

A herbwife loves herbs. She grows them, talks to them, harvests and processes them to make medicines to keep herself and her family as well as they can be. She watches the seasons, noting when everything sleeps and what is still available should the need arise. She keeps a full store cupboard, offering her remedies to those who come to her for help. 

She is not a qualified medical herbalist and she knows her own skills' boundaries. She shares her knowledge freely, not seeking personal gain but wanting to show others what she has learned, to pass on the wisdom of the ancestors to the next generation.

A herbwife is continually learning and growing through working with others either as an apprentice or by offering her own apprenticeship.

If you would like to be a herbwifery apprentice, you can apply now to become a 2017 Springfield Sanctuary Apprentice. The opportunity will close on Friday, 9 December 2016 and applications will not be considered after that date.

Expectations:
Each apprentice is expected to:

• choose up to twenty herbs to study during the year
• choose one herbal ally to study in depth during the year
• attend at least six of the fifteen workshops throughout the year (four of which must be at the Sanctuary),
• attend two out of the three work days designated during the year
• attend the Herb Festival held on the second weekend in September, helping with organisational tasks including setting up in the week beforehand and taking down on the Sunday afternoon/evening and contributing to content
• complete the tasks set by the mentor within given timescales
• work within the Sanctuary herb beds – digging, weeding, planting, harvesting etc., taking responsibility for a designated area.
• keep a herbal diary and/or online blog detailing activities and learning
• participate in online activities to feed back personal progress and contribute to discussions
• evaluate personal progress at the end of twelve months

Outcomes: Year 1
By the end of twelve months, the apprentice will have:

• improved knowledge and understanding of up to twenty personally chosen herbs.
• grown herbs from seeds, cuttings or divisions and taken note of their development using drawings or photography.
• shared in practical tasks to manage the Sanctuary herb beds.
• harvested flowers, aerial parts, berries and roots
• made teas, decoctions, macerations, syrups, infused oils, salves, tinctures, vinegars, flower essences and elixirs
• familiarised themselves with a variety of body processes such as respiration, digestion, circulation etc. and looked at several herbs which can help to balance these processes.
• participated in online action learning
• completed tasks set by the mentor and fed back the results to the other apprentices
• begun to share knowledge, enthusiasm and herbal extractions with family and friends

If you feel this apprenticeship is what you have been looking for, contact sarah at headology dot co dot uk .

Learning more about herbs

Many people want to learn more about herbs and there are many different ways of progressing both practical and theoretical knowledge. For those who wish to follow a degree course there are a number of academic institutions. Links can be found on the Herb Society education page.

Those looking for a more practical, self developmental approach to learning there are now various herbal apprenticeships being run in the UK. In the US, the apprenticeship movement has been flourishing for many years. Most of the respected herbal leaders such as Rosemary Gladstar, Susun Weed, Margi Flint, Gail Faith Edwards and Kiva Rose Hardin have been running practical or distance learning apprenticeships for many years. To my knowledge, this has not been available except on a very limited scale in the UK.

Anne McIntyre has been offering apprenticeships for several years and is looking to expand her placements. Anyone interested in learning with this wonderful teacher should contact Anne via her website

Sensory Herbcraft are offering their first herbal apprenticeships starting in September 2011. Their courses will be held in Cheshunt, Herfordshire and more details can be found on their website.

I am also offering apprenticeships beginning in January 2011. More details can be found here. If you are interested in discussing a place, please email me on sarah at headology dot co dot uk. If anyone knows of any other apprenticeships being offered in the UK, please let me know.

If you cannot commit to either a distance learning course or an apprenticeship, there are always local herb groups. More are being set up each year. Look in the Herbal Groups section on Herb Society website to find one near you or think about setting one up in your area.

Debs Cook and I founded the Mercian Herb Group which has now divided into an East and West Mercian Group. The East Mercian Group will be meeting in the Derby area and I am hoping we shall be holding meetings in Rugby, Leamington Spa and Birmingham for the West Mercian Group.