Permaculture for the Herbalist’s Path
PDC + Plant Medicine + Regenerative Living
October 2 – 29 , 2024
Lake Atitlan, Guatemala
Hosted at the Bambu Guest House of Atitlan Organics
and the Casa Curativa
This unique course melds two broad interdisciplinary studies, exploring the impact the health of our environment directly has on our personal well-being, specifically working with and alongside medicinal plants.
This 200 hour certificate course will cover regenerative lifestyle & design, integrated wellness and herbalism, community and social awareness by working with living plants and living people to cultivate resilience.
Topics Covered:
Adaptogenic Plants and Mushrooms for Personal Resilience
Anatomy & Physiology
Botany
Climates and Landscapes
Clinical Work
Community Organizing
Decolonization & Cultural Appreciation
Deep Ecology
Design for Disaster
Design Process & Methods
Diet and Conscious Omnivory
Digestion and the Human Microbiome
Earth Sciences
Earthworks
Ethics & Principles of Permaculture
Fermented Foods
Food & Herb Growing
Gaia Theory & Eco-Psycology
Garden Design
Herbalism as Activism
Home and Community Herbalist
Humanure and Waste Systems
Integrated Pest Management
Intro & History of Permaculture
Intro to Herbalism
Intro to Social Permaculture
Lunar Rhythms
Materia Medica
Medicine Making
Mycology
Observation and Map reading
Patterns in Nature
Perennial Polycultures & Regenerative Agriculture
Plant Care & Propagation Techniques
Plants and Mushrooms for Reproductive Health
Reading the Landscape & Site analysis
Resources & Scale of Permanence
Small Animal Care
Soil Science and Compost
Trees and Food Forest Ecology
Urban Permaculture
Water Systems & Hydrological Cycle
Wild Crafting Ethics
Zones & Sectors
Hands-On Practicals
& Field Trips:
Compost Making
Cultured Foods
Garden Project
Medicine Making
Seed Planting
Design Projects
Indigenous Projects:
Midwife Cooperatives
Bee Keepers
Natural Dyes
Qixaya Permaculture Community
Mushroom Cultivation
Meditations, Movement,
Rituals and Other Activities:
New and Full Moon Rituals
Plant Spirit Medicine Meditations
Sharing Circles
Plant Walks
Temezcal
Dances
Soul to Soil Meditation
Tarot Tale
Lead Facilitators
Laura ‘Lala’ Palmieri, walks with the shoes of the biologist, botanical explorer, herbalist, gardener, permaculturist, teacher & biotechnologist, with a life-long work with plants and mushrooms.She created Weaving Remedies, integrating herbs with medicinal mushrooms to strengthen the immune system, nourish the nervous system’s response to stress and balance our constitutional problems. This approach to health integrates the knowledge of many ancient teachers and traditions, as well as spirituality with Nature, science and alchemy through the transformation of the elements.
Her passion about community life led her to be part of Punta Mona and Fungi Academy for several years. Teaching and facilitating herbal clinics and programs in permaculture, herbalism, botany, fermentation, as well as medicinal mushrooms and cultivation, with a regenerative approach to the Earth and techniques that are accessible to most. She’s played a big role in the creation of the Envision and Cosmic Converge Herbal First Aid Clinics, relief Clinics in Guatemala for the volcano eruption and is constantly crafting remedies offered in Guatemala and Costa Rica, supporting many beings in their paths.
Sarah Wu is a clinical herbalist of 22 years, studying and practicing planetary eclectic herbalism with a foundation in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Wise Woman Reclaiming philosophy, focusing on food-based healing and local ethnobotanical traditions. Sarah leads trainings and workshops in herbal medicine, Permaculture Design Courses, Therapeutic Deep Ecology, Social Permaculture, field-to-the-plate holistic nutrition and herbal first aid. She is a passionate mentor and educator, who believes in the teacher’s role in unlocking the innate wisdom of the student. Sarah is the co-founder of the Village Witches project, and is a Co-Founder and Co-producer of Envision Festival.
Julia Bentley fell in love with plants and the practice of herbal medicine when she herself was sick. It was the first place she found not only hope for her condition, but a solid action plan that brought her long-term health. She is passionate about medicine making, and her goal is to cultivate the space for people to experience the healing power of plants in their own personal way. She also holds space as a doula and birth worker.
I love the way Sarah’s thorough wisdom animates the world and lifts the veil to perceive the subtle poetry all around us. Her lectures and creative exercises inspire a contemplative mood that opens the way for the vulnerable reflections needed for an insight to settle deep within us. Whether it’s about plants or the stars, she knows how to ground esoteric knowledge with the precision and discipline I want to fully trust their truth in my path. I really enjoy the way she weaves play and humor into her style, too! Sarah carries a lively, nurturing, thought-provoking presence.
By understanding patterns in the environment with a permaculture lens, I was able to see the unharmonious patterns within myself and through repetition of practice and observation, I gained confidence in working with, cultivating and studying plants.
This course (permaculture for the herbalist’s path) exceeded my expectations. Everyday I felt deep gratitude for all the knowledge and wisdom I was gaining. Sarah and Lala are genuine and knowledgeable teachers. I loved learning from them and the entire community. I feel so deeply in my heart that this course will change my life and the way I show up for the earth and my community.
I am so grateful I took this transformational program! Not only did I get to much education and information, but the experience with the people in the program and the beauty of Lake Atitlan was incredible
This was such a special course for me. All the content was great and so well organized, balanced with activities and class time. I loved how not only I learned about the material but about myself and who I am in community, where I am in my journey and where I am going. Thank you for holding this space of healing for us. I will always treasure this experience. I could feel how intentional everything was and that means the world. Please keep offering and sharing your gifts because it moves mountains.
Taking part in Permaculture for the Herbalists path was one of the best gifts I have ever given myself.
All of the the teachers facilitators are incredibly knowledgeable and share their experience with so much passion, making every lesson fun and informative. The course content is vast and goes deep into the world of plants, people and permaculture. Weaving them together beautifully through the concept of Human Ecology. I came in with a deep desire to learn and left feeling confident in my ability to continue growing on the path of herbalism and permaculture with integrity.
Through plant walks, medicine making workshops, ceremony, classes, open discussions and hands on experience we learned to better understand the language of plants as well as how to work with them and the earth in more harmonious ways.
Bambu where the course was held is located in one of the most magical places on earth, amongst the lake and volcanoes and hosted us lovingly with delicious locally grown meals, comfy rooms and a sweet caring staff.
The Venue
The Bambu Guest House opened in 2015 to serve as lodging for Atitlan Organics. At the time the farm had people coming from all over the world to visit, work, and study, but nowhere to put them! So we built an eco-guest house based on the principles of permaculture, sustainability, and regenerative living. We created the sort of place we’d love to stay in: natural, beautiful, comfortable, and inspiring.
The Bambu is made from natural, local materials including bamboo, wood, stone, and glass. It can sleep 24 people in four large and bright rooms, each one with its own private bathroom and hot water, balcony, WiFi, and stunning views. Our farm-to-table restaurant prepares three delicious, unique meals a day with fresh produce from Atitlan Organics and other local producers, and is open from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Two common areas–including a yoga deck–give guests space to connect over a meal, movie, board game or one of our daily yoga classes. We’ve also got a pretty incredible library.
Casa Curativa is a place for herbalists, nature lovers, and creatives to connect with the earth and allow nature to guide them on their path. A beautiful land project and hospitality service based on regenerative permaculture principles and herbal medicine.
Housing & Tuition
Register before February 1, 2024 using the discount code EARLYBIRD , and save $450 with Early Bird Tuition.
Tuition for Permaculture for the Herbalist’s Path is:
6 & 8- person Dorms $3,150 (14 spots)
4- person Guest Room $3,400 (8 spots)
All rooms have a private bathroom and shower
To reserve your space, we require a $700 non-refundable, non-transferrable deposit
Tuition for the 200 hr Permaculture for the Herbalist’s Path includes:
75 hour Permaculture Design Certification course + certificate upon completion
125 hour Herbal Studies course
All field trips, course materials, lecture, forum, and activities
Student manual
Weekly saunas
Cacao party and Plant Prom!
Accommodations at the Bambu Guest House with three omnivorous meals daily
Available for an additional price: Arrival and departure transportation, laundry service, extra items at the Bambu Guest House’s farm-to-table restaurant (smoothies, snacks, coconut water, etc.)
please write sarah@villagewitch.org for more info
Your Stay
We have teamed up with the Bambu Guest House to provide accommodations during your stay in Tzununa. The “Bambu” was opened
in 2015 as a site to house our permaculture volunteers and students. As such, it was founded out of a deep commitment to meaningful and sustainable living.
You will settle into the rhythms of nature during your stay at the beautiful naturally-built hotel nestled into the mountains surrounding Lake Atitlan. Wake to the sounds of running water from the nearby stream and enjoy sunrise over the lake and volcanoes from your balcony; nourish yourself with organic and farm-fresh meals made with love by the warm and attentive kitchen staff; stretch out on the beautiful new deck; hike 15 minutes to the farm at Atitlan Organics to check out Permaculture in action; unwind with a hot shower and catch up with loved ones over wi-fi (or chill out with a book from our extensive library); and if you’re lucky, catch a nighttime volcano show from Volcan Fuego.
Lodging is shared in light and spacious rooms, each one equipped with a private bathroom with hot water, a balcony overlooking the lake and volcanoes, and wi-fi. Communal space includes a comfy open-air lounge
and dining room and a breath-taking yoga platform. Three omnivore meals per day are provided.
Participants of Permaculture for the Herbalist’s Path have two room options to choose from:
Guest Room
The spacious and airy guest room sleeps 4 people comfortably and offers a private bathroom and shower with hot running water, wifi, and a balcony with chairs and a hammock. Beautiful views of the lake and mountains and the soothing sounds of birds and the nearby stream filter into the room, soothing you into peace.
Large Shared Dorm
Our large shared dorms sleep 6 – 8 people comfortably. Huge panorama windows let in incredible natural light, while the variety of bedding options gives everyone what they’d like. As with all our rooms, it has its own private bathroom and shower with hot water, wifi, and a balcony with chairs and a hammock.
