The Society of Indigenous and Ancestral Wisdom and Healing present this lecture on Spiritual Crisis – Despair and Suicide: the root causes and remedy.

From an evolutionary perspective, it makes no sense that people should want to end their lives.  But at least one million people around the world self-destruct each year.  There are numerous reasons for them to take this drastic act, some of them understandable and others seemingly frivolous. The rate is alarmingly high among Native Americans and indigenous people who have lost their land, their customs, and their spiritual roots in the wake of colonization.  Tribal shamans recognize these issues and are trying to counter them in ways both ancient and modern.

Stanley Krippner, Ph.D.,Professor of Psychology at Saybrook University in San Francisco for many years. He is a pioneer in the study of consciousness, having conducted research in the areas of dreams, hypnosis, shamanism, and dissociation, often from a cross-cultural perspective, and with an emphasis on anomalous phenomena.

Please register in advance at info@shamanismconference.org.

Please join us for an evening of presentations to learn about our classes and programs. Meet our directors, instructors, medicine makers, and students who will share about their studies and work in the field.

Berkeley Herbal Center offers a wide array of short-term classes from a number professional herbalists and teachers throughout the country. We also offer a clinical training program in a 2- or 3-year format that consists of over 1,000 hours of direct teacher contact. Students who complete the program graduate with a profound understanding of how to create, promote, and manage a successful practice.

Berkeley Herbal Center’s programs focus on experiential learning. Our intent is to give students personal experience with the effects of plants using their own senses. They are educated on the use of plants across the spectrum of physical, mental, and spiritual healing. Programs are carefully designed to be exciting, intellectually stimulating, and fun.

This event is free and open to the public. Tasty treats and teas will be provided.

Please RSVP at info@berkeleyherbalcenter.org

This one-day program begins with fundamental principles of planetary connections to health and plant life. The learning objectives for the program include traditional astrological techniques in addition to original techniques that have been derived from clinical practice over 40 years with more than 40,000 patient visits.

Learners will build a working knowledge of medical astrology from the ground up based on the application of the following:

1. Identify and discuss the basic symbols of astrology as they relate to medicine: planets, signs, houses, and aspects.
2. Apply various cycles to herbal formula writing.
3. Use charts for the onset of a condition, and the consultation.
4. Explore Nicolas Culpeper’s approach to planetary rulership over plants.
5. Address concepts of sympathy and antipathy in planetary medicine.
6. Use the natal chart to analyze the constitution of the client.
7. Discuss and analyze astrological charts using the draconic method.
8. Charts from the participants who choose to will be used for the work.

 

Will gave his first professional astrological consultation at the age of 22, in 1977. He kept studying and decided on medical astrology as the focus, at which point, it became apparent that it would require the study of medicine. He was 35 by the time these two disciplines coalesced in a deeper way. Even though he was an avid supporter of early translational projects such as Project Hindsight, it was his work with Olivia Barclay in the early 90s that turned him out. He ran horary charts continuously in his clinic, racking up over 40,000 visits in that mode. He developed original contributions to the field in his 50s as a result of these experiences. He now teaches and writes about medical astrology, in balance with his consultancy practice. His current courses deal with astrology and herbal medicine, and astrology with sound as the healing agent using acu-systems. If he had waited, many of these events would not have occurred for him. His book, Cycles in Medical Astrology, is available on Amazon.

Pulse diagnosis allows the practitioner to see into the depths of the client. The blood which has run through the ancestral currents since the origins of humanity on this planet contains the whole story. We will, therefore, look at circulation as a totality: heart-arteries-arterioles-venules-veins and returning to source. In addition, the condition of the extracellular matrix is explored with lymph return. The assessments are simple, and effective.

In addition to the pulse, we will use the inside (intima) of the lower eyelid, plus the upper and lower surface of the tongue to assess the totality of the circulation.

As a practitioner, William believes that teaching requires a basis in both theory and practice. Thus, the course cycles between presentation, demonstration and guided practice so that learners are competent in the methods by the end of the program and able to use them immediately.

Will Morris has earned both a clinical and a research doctorate focused on pulse diagnosis. He is bringing more than 40 years of experience with more that 40,000 patient visits using herbal medicine. He studied at the New England School of Homeopathy and at Dr. Christopher’s School of Natural Healing before meeting his mentor, Leon Hammer, MD, with whom he co-taught pulse diagnosis of the Ding family lineage for seven years. Will co-authored two books with China’s largest medical publishing house. People’s Medical Publishing House, and is the author of Transformation: Treating Trauma with Acupuncture and Herbs.

Shamanism is somewhat of a misnomer incorporating the principles of many forms of indigenous wisdom – all of them valid – but differing somewhat. In this talk we will cover their universal concepts which arose initially on the African continent as used by the Southern African nyanga or sangoma and similarly in sub-Saharan Africa. 

My teacher P.H. Mntshali always said that; “This is the original medicine that arose out of nature that will never change.” We will review these diagnostic and therapeutic techniques to see how they can help broaden our own individual practices in accessing a non-local quantum field to help and to heal.

Dave Cumes M.D. is a Stanford trained surgeon and sangoma, born in South Africa, initiated in Swaziland in 2002 who practices both medicine paradigms in Santa Barbara.

An intensive class focusing on a woman’s life from puberty through menopause. In different phases of life women are challenged with a variety of discomforts and diseases. Women have unique issues to contend with, from menstrual irregularity to PMS, pregnancy, and childbirth to menopause. In this class, we will explain herbal strategies that can help with each phase of life. We will discuss how to make medicine for toning the reproductive system, improving fertility, and dealing with common menstrual and menopausal issues.

March 17th: Menses, PMS, and Women’s Health

March 24th: Pregnancy and Childbirth

March 31st: Menopause and the Wisdom Years

In this four-part workshop series, students will learn holistic ways in which herbs, food ingredients, and self-care practices can support healthy, vibrant skin. We’ll explore different forms of herbal preparations and their numerous benefits to the skin, both internally and externally. Discover which natural ingredients are best suited for your skin type, and use them to create your own custom blended face and body care products. Together we’ll make a variety of beauty products and herbal remedies, including facial steams, cleansers, toners, masks, scrubs, salves, teas, vinegars, and bath salts. You will leave with an assortment of products and simple do-it-yourself (DIY) recipes to share with family and friends. We’ll wrap up the series with a spa night, pampering ourselves with luxurious facial treatments.

At the end of the course, students will be able to:

Become familiar with natural ingredients that are used in common skincare products
Learn how diet, lifestyle, and self-care practices can support skin health and beauty
Select ingredients best suited to their skin type
Make their own custom blends of face and body care products

This 4-part class is for beginners who want to bring herbs into their everyday life. We will explore the many facets of herbs and herbal medicine. Class will cover basic human physiology and common herbal remedies for each body system. Students will learn to prepare a number of herbal products, including herbal extracts, salves, lotions, syrups and teas. This class includes an herb walk to a local natural area.

This 4-part class is for beginners who want to bring herbs into their everyday life. We will explore the many facets of herbs and herbal medicine. Class will cover basic human physiology and common herbal remedies for each body system. Students will learn to prepare a number of herbal products, including herbal extracts, salves, lotions, syrups and teas. This class includes an herb walk to a local natural area.

This 4-part class is for beginners who want to bring herbs into their everyday life. We will explore the many facets of herbs and herbal medicine. Class will cover basic human physiology and common herbal remedies for each body system. Students will learn to prepare a number of herbal products, including herbal extracts, salves, lotions, syrups and teas. This class includes an herb walk to a local natural area.