MEDICINE MAKERS
Autumn Equinox wildcrafting immersion
In the CHANGING aspens
ritual ⬪ song ⬪ wildcrafting ethics+practice ⬪ wildlands kinship
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Saturday, Sept 19, 2–6pm
Above Boulder, CO
+ Optional campout
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Or learn more about this day ↓
As the leaves and sunshine turn a deeper gold, let us celebrate the fruits and beauty of this harvest time. We will wildcraft juniper berries and leaves – a multi-faceted and delicious food and medicine – by mountain streams and amidst whispering aspen leaves.
We will deep-dive into juniper, the ethics of wildcrafting, and these wildlands who offer so much solace, kinship, and medicine.
Our day together will include:
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✵ Herb gathering
✵ Bundle making
✵ Magical aspens
✵ Picnic in the trees
✵ Seasonal cordial
✵ Singing together
✵ Autumn ritual
+ optional campout
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Throughout our time together, we will learn about wildcrafting and our very own wildlands while we gather juniper berries & leaves (read more below), make a bundle to take home, sip seasonal elixirs, picnic together, sing, and make ritual to honor the transition to autumn. (more details below)
In addition to the herb bundle you’ll take home, you’ll also be welcomed into the Medicine Makers Collective, a gathering space for tending our earthly ways – including tangible (and sometimes spontaneous) invitations to wildcraft on the land together.
May this gathering and these herbs warm our hearts and fortify us for the winter to come.
If this sings to you, I hope you will consider joining us:
Register
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We use the Green Bottle sliding scale by Alexis J. Cunningfolk (read more here) to support accessibility and shared reciprocity. Please choose the tier that most honestly reflects your current reality:
- $95+ / Full & Flowing – You own property, carry savings or investments, or can regularly afford travel, dining out, and concerts. Your generosity opens a seat for someone with less.
- $75 / Making It Work – Your basic needs are met, though perhaps with some creativity. Some breathing room, but not much. (Most common)
- $55 / Reaching to Attend – You’re navigating real financial precarity – food, housing, or healthcare might feel uncertain. (Reach out if even this is a stretch)
If you’d like to join the campout, please email Ariana to apply. Limited spaces are available and an extra fee will apply.
♥ Thank you for supporting the unfolding of this work!
You will receive directions, a preparation guide, and what-to-bring once you register.
Refund policy: Due to the care, materials, and preparation involved in each gathering, registrations are non-refundable.
More details + faq
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Where?
We will meet at a gorgeous spot on the Peak to Peak Highway near Ward, CO (a little ways above Boulder) and walk into the shimmering aspen groves where we will explore, learn, and wildcraft.
Why Equinox?
While juniper berries ripen throughout the year, I prefer to harvest them after summer’s sweetening heat, amidst changing and whispering leaves, in preparation for the winter approaching. This is just one ritual I make to honor the autumn, but it is a special one.
Can I join even if I’m not sure I like juniper?
Certainly! Our time will introduce us to wildcrafting principles and ethics, as well as simply immerse us in our very own high mountain wildlands. This will be a time of connection – with the earth and each other – and a ritual to honor the change of season.
Also, our preferences for different plant medicines shift with the seasons of the year and of our lives. So we get to know our plant kin in case we or a beloved might need them in the times to come. Read more about juniper below
Do I need to be a seasoned camper to join the campout?
You don’t need to be an expert, but at this time we don’t have the staff or gear to provide extra, so please come capable of covering your needs (shelter, warmth, food). Please email Ariana to apply to join the campout, as limited spaces are available and an extra fee will apply.
Please note: This is not an herbal training or certification, but a time of folk herbalism, earth connection, ceremony, and community connection. These immersions may not entirely fill our medicine chests: but will rekindle our capacity to…while reminding us that we are the medicine.
About me
singer • ritualist • naturalist
For all my time publicly as a ‘performer,’ behind the scenes what has most captivated me all along is my relationship with the land. Everywhere I go, I befriend the soils, the birds, the plants…
I am never more at home than while wildcrafting or medicine-making.
Mama Gaia has long been my primary teacher, and with her wisdom and inspiration as my guide, I am now excited to share my medicine path with you…
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If this calls to you, you are welcome:
Juniper
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Our herb of the day: sweet ripe medicine berry of the high mountains
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We all know junipers…or do we?
Common juniper (Juniperus communis) is quite often overlooked in our area because it tends to grow higher up in the mountains, rather than down in our foothills and plains like the cedar-leafed species. But according to Wikipedia, it “holds the largest geographical range of any woody plant on Earth” 🤯 ‘Common’ indeed!
The berries are perhaps best known for the flavor they impart to gin (which originally was a medicinal tonic), but have a wide variety of medicinal and culinary uses. Plus, they can be quite tasty! Common juniper is the tastiest, in my opinion.
The berries and leaves can also boost immunity, aid digestion, and can help clear urinary tract infections, among many other uses.
Get to know this wonderful plant neighbor of ours! More…
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Please note: The statements on this page and website have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These classes are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
If this gathering calls to you, you are welcome here:
Let us touch the earth together, coming home
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Medicine Makers is…
❖ A practice of craft, kinship, and beauty-making for mending our broken hearts and broken world
❖ A place to become the medicine – individually, collectively, and in relationship with our living world
Learn more about this path →
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