Blazing Star Herbal School

The End of an Era-

Goodbye typepad, hello www.tonyalemosarts.com

 

When I begun this space in 2008 it was a stand in for a website, my plan was to temporarily use it as a website until I built my website!

And just like that 15 years went by!

 

It's hard to believe that I have been running Blazing Star Herbal School since 2000! So much has changed since then, personally, in the field of herbalism and in the world around us. Over time this space stopped reflecting me or the business. I have known for a while that it was timer a change but struggled to find the way to move forward. This past Winter, thanks to a grant from "Digital Empower" designed to help small business in the Hilltowns upgrade their digital presence I was finally able to address this. 

First challenge was finding a web designer that understood my vision and was able to reflect that it a site. As a woman owned business I knew I wanted to hire a woman. So I reached out and asked my friends who they worked with and loved. I interviewed several women all over the country, but ended up deciding to stay local, and support a young women in the Hilltowns who was just starting her business. That was one of the best decisions I ever made!

Enter Sedona LeBlanc .

I wholeheartedly recommend Sedona (find her on insta @sedonalenblanc, her own website is coming soon ) She was super easy to work with, timely and professional. She was creative, independent and thoroughly understood the vision. I could keep on raving about her!

So today we are ready to launch my new online home

 

https://www.tonyalemosarts.com/

 

I will be taking this site down at the end of August, and moving everything over to the new site in an effort to streamline! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Two Botanical Art/Artist Book Making workshops this July

Two exciting workshops coming up.

Firstly Learn how to make a Flag Book!

Sunday July 23rd 10-3pm Conway MA
(Just 10 mins from Shelburne Falls and the Bridge of Flowers)                 
 $120

Invented by Hedi Kyle a flag book is a type of sculptural artist book. It is a great form to display some of your artwork and art papers. Based on a simple accordion book structure you will learn step-by-step how to create this innovative and stunning book. It is a versatile structure that allows you to attach drawings, photographs, text, fabric, or other materials to the flags in an open creative narrative

Gather up your eco prints, cyanotypes, paper scraps, photos, or cut up an old prints to create something new.

Each student will leave with their own flag book. All essential materials and tools are provided. Students will be asked to bring in photos and art papers to create their unique flags.

Email to register

 

If you would like to learn how to create your own eco prints to use in the FlagBook Making workshop consider signing up for Intro to EcoPrinting @lookyheregreenfield

 

Learn how to capture the beauty of natural plant material on paper.

 

Eco-printing(Botanical Contact Printing) refers to the act of using plant materials to directly apply color and printed marks to textiles and paper. No additional paint or colourant is used, just an alchemical process using the elements, fire and water which  express the natural colour pigments of the plants. It  is a simple and surprisingly beautiful art form. Eco printing  is a contemporary application of the tradition of natural dyeing. 

 

 During this workshop; participants will each create beautiful prints on watercolor paper. We’ll work with collected leaves and flowers and learn the simple tin can bundling process. Each participant will have the opportunity to make a print which transfers the natural colours and shapes of the plant onto paper.

 

More info on the eco-printing workshop here

 

 

2023 Teaching Schedule

at Blazing Star Herbal School,   Conway MA

 

Botanical Cyanotypes @New England Botanical Garden

 

🌿2023 Beginner/Intermediate Herbal Apprenticeship, begun April 25, rolling admissions until July 2023

🎨 Botanical Art In Studio Spring Session begins Friday June 2nd 2023

 

 

On the Road (listed by location not chronologically)

 

 

Tower Hill Botanical Gardens, Boyelston MA

🎨Intro to Eco-Printing on Paper , Sunday July 16, 1-3PM

🎨Intro to Eco-Printing on Paper Sunday August 13, 1-3PM

📔Artist Book Making: Flag Books Sunday, November 5, 1-4PM

📷Botanical Cyanotype Seasonal Cards,. Sunday, December 3, 10AM-12PM

 

Arnold Arboretum at Harvard University, Sommerville MA

📷Walk Up Cyanotype 

Sat July 22 , 12-3pm 

🎨Eco Printing Workshop

Thursday Oct 26, 3-5pm

 

 

Westborough Library, Westborough MA (made possible by Westborough Cultural Council)

📷Intro to Botanical Cyanotype   FREE July 13th 10-12pm

🎨Intro to Ecoprinting   FREE July 20th 5:30-7:30

 

New class!!!

Looky Here (Greenfield, MA)

🎨Eco-printing(Botanical Contact Printing)🎨

July 15th 1-3om

$50.00

28 Chapman Street

Greenfield, MA 01301

 

River Valley Coop

🎨 Intro to EcoPrinting *in person outdoors!

Wednesday, August 9th from 4-6 PM (rain date Wednesday, August 16th). 

 

 

Ashfield Belding Library  (made possible by Ashfield Cultural Council)

🎨Eco Printing, May 17th  6-8pm FREE

📷Intro to Cyanotype  June 24th FREE

 

South Deerfield, MA (made possible by the Deerfield Cultural Council)

📷Intro to Cyanotype  (date coming soon) FREE

 

 

MidWest Womens Herbal Conference, Almond WI.   May 26-28th 2023

Intro to Botanical Cyanotype Photography

🎨Friday, May 26, 2023 | 9am-12pm

🌿 Conference workshops on Pediatric Herbalism

 

 

I'm thrilled to have been awarded a deep ecology Artist Fellowship w/ United Plant Savers

🎨 UPS Artist Fellowship : on either July 24- August 5 / Oct 9-Oct 21 (I am not 1oo% sure which session I will attend yet)

 

 

Book Review: OPENING OUR WILD HEARTS TO THE HEALING HERBS

Book Review: OPENING OUR WILD HEARTS TO THE HEALING HERBS : A FLORILEGIA FOR THE WILD HEART TRIBE

by Gail Faith Edwards

 

❤️Now added to class texts for Year 1 Apprenticeship!❤️

 

From the opening dedication to her Grandsons and the opening Prayer of Forgiveness i knew I was going to love this book. In fact i already loved this book for I was a student when the original copy came out almost 20 years ago and have introduced this book to many a cycles of first year apprentices. The tone of this book is a perfect introduction to community herbalism accessible and user friendly, inspiring and respectful emphasizing the need to develop a relationship with the green world. The book also includes over 70 full monographs including traditional uses, scientific studies, personal experiences, magical and spiritual uses, directions for growing, harvesting and parts used, dosage recommendations, as well as cultural traditions from around the world, all rooted in ceremony and earth awareness.

I am also very pleased with the updates and what the author has chosen to include, her personal journey within the wise woman tradition leading to a more wild heart centered approach. "The Way of the Wild Heart speaks of the need for a conscious re-wilding of the human spirit and intentional cultivation of what I have long referred to as our wild hearts." Which seems super in sync with the "Heart Math" all my apprentices are introduced to.

I am also excited that Gail has chosen to include her "10 Fold Path for Becoming an Herbalist." and article i have been sharing with all apprentices just starting on their journey (Though applicable at any stage of the journey) .The article was originally written in response to Paul Bergners interesting paper entitled "How to Become a Master Herbalist in Thirty Years or More" You can read the original article here

In short Opening Our Wild Hearts to the Healing Herbs:A  Forigelia to the Wild Heart Tribe Student Handbook in engaging and I am so excited that a new generation of students will have access to this book!
 

❤️

Simple Prayer for Remembering The Motherlode

We do not become healers. We came as healers. We are.
Some of us are still catching up to what we are.

We do not become storytellers. We came as carriers of the stories we and

our ancestors actually lived. We are.
Some of us are still catching up to what we are.
We do not become artists. We came as artists. We are.
Some of us are still catching up to what we are.

We do not become writers, dancers, musicians, helpers, peacemakers.
We came as such. We are. Some of us are still catching up to what we are.
We do not learn to love in this sense. We came as Love. We are Love.
Some of us are still catching up to who we truly are.

 

Excerpt from The Contemplari manuscript ©2001 by CP Estés

❤️

Book Review: Abundantly Well The Complementary Integrated Medicine Revolution

 

I was recently lucky enough to receive a review copy of Susun S Weed's newest book "Abundantly Well The Complementary Integrated Medicine Revolution"

Here's what I thought

 

Finally a road map to navigating medical issues and feeling empowered through out the process whether the issue is minor or life threatening. Abundantly Well The Complementary Integrated Medicinel Revolution book by Susun Weed is accessible and useful to everyone whether a seasoned herbalist, or a novice to holistic healing. 

This is Susun Weed’s 7th book in the Wise Woman Way series which has spanned 30 years. In her previous books and teachings Susun has outlined the Wise Woman Tradition and the Six Steps of healing, now this volume adds detail and understanding to what has become the Seven Medicines (Steps 0-3, Serenity Medicine, Story Medicine, Mind Medicine and Lifestyle Medicine, Steps 4-6, Alternative Medicine, Pharmaceutical Medicine. and Deep Medicine.) Each chapter is filled with research, references, stories and practices. These Medicines, steps of healing form a path for navigating ones health care and beyond. They provide a framework or foundation for building a practice and protocol. The system is truly holistic and vast not limited to physical health but to addressing mental and spiritual health, the invisible as well as the visible. It also shows that there is not one clear straight path to abundant health, but everyone has the capability to create the path that is right for them starting exactly where they are at. It is the first book i have come across in which pharmaceuticals and alternatives are compared side by side- truly integrated medicine. 

It’s taken Susun thirty years to publish this book, her concepts and words now backed by scientific studies. When this book is released in October 2019 I recommend you buy yourself a copy as well as one for a loved one. It is not a book that will just sit of your shelf.

 

 

Introducing our newest practical guide

 

The Art of  Connecting with your Plant Ally

(A Guide to a Deeper Connection )

 

con·nect

/kəˈnekt?/ verb

gerund or present participle: connecting

bring together or into contact so that a real or notional link is established. join together so as to provide access and communication.
To become joined or united: two streams connecting to form a river. To establish a rapport or relationship; relate

synonyms: attach, join, fasten, fix, affix, couple, link, secure, hitch;

 

A 50 -page visual guide (in PDF form) covering the process of connecting and communicating with your Plant/Herb/Green Ally. Walking you through Sensory Immersions, Plant Sprits/Devas introductions, Practical exercises, Protocols, Worksheets, examples, and personal anecdotes'

 

A few sample pages

 

 

 

$25 

                                                                                   

You will receive this by email within 24 hours of purchase

Nettle Plant Spirit by Lucia Danielson

 

::The 13 Month Pilgrimage to Radiant Health Workbook::

Spring Renewal - It is the perfect time to begin on the Journey to Radiance 

Sign up this month and receive a bonus Spring Nourishment Recipe Section! For $60 you will receive the workbook and Introductory Consult by email and have access to the secret Facebook group where new recipes and inspiration is shared bi-monthly and where support is always a click away!

 

::The 13 Month Pilgrimage to Radiant Health Workbook:: 

 

As many of  you know, these past few years I have been busy developing the “12 Month Protocol to Radiant Health”  

It’s now ready for you all, sold as a workbook beautifully and artfully presented in a three ring binder,  so that you can easily individualize it, move around all the recipes, the body systems, the inspiration, the excercises to an order that works best for you!

Throughout its incubation period it has grown and changed...taken a life of its own so now I present to you

 

The 13 Month Pilgrimage to Radiant Health Workbook

::Pilgrimage:: A  journey towards something that is sacred to you.

So what is this 13 Month Pilgrimage?

It is a personalized journey to radiant health, a health pilgrimage which will lead you to a deeper understanding of your body and it’s workings, a deep rooted connection with the world around you, and a profound understanding of self care. The pilgrimage can be likened to an individual herbal health protocol arriving to you in a choke full  three ring binder, separated into monthly sections, named for the moons filled with recipes and grocery lists, kitchen witchery, love and inspiration.

 Everyone who purchases the workbook  will be welcomed to a private facebook page for additional inspiration and support (if they choose to)

Included you will find Monthly Support Sections on

Deep Nourishment

Digestion

The Heart

Immunity

Spiritual health

The Liver

Inflammation

Stress and Mental Welbeing

The Respiratory System

The Muscular Skeletal System

The Urinary System

The Reproductive System

 

In each of the monthly sections you will find information on Supportive Herbs, Star Players, Nourishment, Recipes, Inspiration and Self Care and Soul Care.  Plus herbal alchemy, sacred ceremonies and kitchen witchery for you to try your hand at! As well as links to articles that will deepen your understanding of a particular concept.

All herbal suggestions fall under tonic herbs therapy which is a safe and great way to begin using herbal remedies. Along with simple infusions and herbal condiments these suggestions are intended to nourish and build your tissues. By strengthening our terrain and tonifying tissue and building our blood, we can help lower disease potential, increase immunity and enhance the quality of your life. These recipes are safe to try when you are ready for something new and for the most part these simple recipes can be taken throughout life but they are just a sampling of possibilities ways we can nourish ourselves, physically, mentally and spiritually. We live in such a depleting time,  that it cannot hurt to strengthen our "shields and maintain our inner terrain. 

 

 

 The cost of the interactive  "13 Month Pilgrimage to Radiant Health Workbook"

$60 

 

13 Month Pilgrimage to Radiant Health Workbook

Early Release Cost $60.00 USD Option 2 $60.00 USD Option 3 $60.00 USD

                                                                       

 

 

 

 

 

 

Celebrate Juliette De Baracli Levy's 100th Birthday with new books!

Read on for discount coupons for our DIY Correspondence Courses!!!

I want to share with you a wonderful book by Juliette de Bairacli Levy, the Grandmother of Herbal Medicine - Summer in Galilee.  You'll find Juliette and her two toddlers irresistible as they explore the Sea of Galilee (in the modern State of Israel) together.  Summer in Galilee includes an herbal index by Susun Weed, photos fromJuliette's archives, and stories that will stay with you forever.  Timely, filled with historical tales and emotional adventures, Summer in Galilee is a classic that is passed from hand to hand, generation to generation.

And when you buy this wonderful and highly acclaimed book on Tuesday June 7th, you'll will receive dozens of wonderful downloadable bonuses that you'll love!  Go to: www.grandmotherherbalmedicine.com  learn about 70 partners who are celebrating the life and work of the amazing Juliette de Bairacli Levy, the grandmother of herbal medicine.

Join Juliette as she spends an eventful summer swimming in the waters, and the history, of the Sea of Galilee, in the modern state of Israel. Juliette trains her observant eyes, and lovely descriptive prose, on the people, places, plants and animals around her.  

You will hold your breath as Juliette dares to traverse the forbidden militarized zone around the Jordan River in pursuit of a personal communion with this holiest of lands.

You'll thrill as she and her children discover ancient treasure, be fascinated as she visits the tombs of  Jewish mystics, and, perhaps, scream in terror as she is visited in the dark of night by an enormous snake - only to breathe a sigh of relief when she is saved by her faithful Afghan hound. 

Juliette vividly describes her visit to a Bedouin village, and the trouble this causes, both in the kibbutz where she lives and among the Bedouins. But with keen wit, steely nerve, and kind heart, she manages to please everyone, including her readers, as she saves the day and mends frayed tempers.

And when you buy this wonderful and highly acclaimed book, you'll be offered dozens of wonderful downloadable bonuses that you'll love!  Including discounts on our DIY Correspondence Courses!!!! For over 70 gifts, go to: www.grandmotherherbalmedicine.com  and help us spread the legacy of this amazing woman, the grandmother of herbal medicine, Juliette de Bariacli Levy.

Self Reliance and Sustainable Medicine and Gratitude

“Emerging at the other end, we will not be the same as we were; we will have become more humble, more connected to the natural world, fitter, leaner more skilled and, ultimately wiser.”

Rob Hopkins, originator of the Transition Town Movement

 

Hamamelis virginiana in flower March 23rd Ashfield MA

We are not in Japan, Egypt or Libya or even Wisconsin. For this I have Gratitude. Even better we live in a small town full of like-minded people. More reason for gratitude. A huge portion of the food we eat is locally grown by farmers we call friends. The general mindset is one of DIY, fix it, and help your neighbors. Still like so many others these economic times have hit us hard in a little over a month we have to move, leave our home of 11 years and we have still not found a place we can afford.

 

Recently I got to thinking (again) about sustainability and ways of becoming more self reliant (next step chickens and beekeeping). Sticking point is still reliance on my vehicle!      This time I got to thinking about sustainable medicine, how so much as been said about growing/preserving your own food, eating local, seed saving, there has been less emphasis on locally grown/manufactured DIY medicine.  Thinking of your families health care as a skill that can be learnt as opposed to relying on professionals.  While we have talked about the benefit of using plants that are local and part of our home ecosystem, every step in the process of herbal medicine making from growing and gathering, to tincturing, to family care can be taken on as part of the family homestead whether urban or rural. It can is a project that the whole family can participate in, at the same time gaining skills in personal health promotion. Herbal medicines are not only a source for treating disease they are also a source for promoting health for your family and community health by reducing the number of trips to a family practice, travel time, energy consumption, pharmaceutical company support.

 

“Annually, about 7,000 children ages 11 and younger require a hospital emergency room visit because of an adverse reaction to one of these substances.” U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

 

 In solidarity with the sustainable farming movement, it is important that we begin to make local choices regarding our family health-care. Despite the cost, the commitment to grow or make our medicines or purchase locally and organically grown herbs is an investment in the health of the planet.  Remember Herbal medicine is the medicine if the People practical thrifty and fun, over 80% of the worlds population still uses herbs as their primary means of healthcare.

Here is where I see my role as a community herbalist to teach  people the art of herbal medicine, and to encourage the practice of community based herbalism. For this reason I am offering my new distance learning program at an affordable rate with the hope that families will jump on board and begin their journey to sustainable family health-care. 

 

 

Books that I am loving (in other words heavy rotation from the library):

Love this Homemade Living Series....I highly recommend it, great detailed starter info.

Homemade Living:Keeping Chickens with Ashley English

Homemade Living: Keeping Bees with Ashley English

 Backyard Sugarin': A Complete How-To Guide by Rick Mann and Daniel Wolf

 

 

An Herbal Summer Curriculum

An Herbal Summer

Exploring the World of Herbs with Young Children

 

 

 

It's true, I once again have copies to ready send out. This curriculum is choke full (125 plus pages) of activities, recipes, games and stories based on teaching children about the healing herbs and medicinal herb gardening

$25 (includes shipping)

 

                                                                               

You can also order by sending a check to Blazing Star Herbal School. 

 

(Please email [email protected] for mailing address )