January 21 – 28, 2024

Lake Atitlan, Guatemala

Hosted at the Bambu Guest House of Atitlan Organics
and the Casa Curativa

Join Lala & Sarah for a week immersion at Lake Atitlan in Guatemala, to share the good green wisdom of the medicine plants. Learn alongside the diversity and the beauty of Lake Atitlan in the quaint town of T’zununa, getting a the taste of Mayan culture. 7 days of hands on workshops and activities.

Activities:

• Medicine Making: Tinctures, Honeys, Oils, Vinegars, Flower Essences, Hydrosols, Spygerics
• Herbal Applications: Smokes, Tea Blends, Herbal Altars
• Mayan Abdominal Massage with a local Mayan Midwife
• Kitchen Witching: Harvesting and Preserving
• Plant Walks
• Field trip to San Juan La Laguna: Herbal Dyes and Medicinal Plants Coops
• 2 Temazcals at the Casa Curativa
• Sacred Fire, Cacao and Elixirs
• Mayan Cosmological Ceremony

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.

Location

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

Regular Tuition: $1400

EARLY BIRD $1200
Register Before November 1, 2023 and get $200 off the Regular Tuition

Tuition Includes:

Shared lodging in Bambu Guesthouse

3 organic omnivorous meals per day

All workshops, activities and materials

Field Trips

Course manual

Not Included but Available for Purchase:

Transport to/from Lake Atitlan from Antigua

Snacks & Extra Beverages

Space is Limited to 20 Students

Reserve Your Space Today with a $400 non-refundable, non-transferrable deposit

please write sarah@villagewitch.org for more info