NORWAY RETREAT
MIDSUMMER WILD PLANT MEDICINE RETREAT
1st-5th August, 2018
Oppdal, Norway
There’s a special tune to the mountains of Norway. Stretching far and wide they sing the songs of the plants and animals that inhabit this often harsh environment of long dark winters, short days, and freezing temperatures. I invite you to listen and sing along.
About The Retreat
Come meet me in a cabin in the mountains in the middle of Norway, where I will teach you all about the magic and the medicine of the plants of my ancestral home. Whether you want to learn about the folk use and ancestral traditions or the science of the plant constituents, allow me to be your guide to the plants and landscape of Norway.
The Nordic summer allows for sunshine, lots of rain, and long days. The forests are flush with flowers, plants, trees and mushrooms that are breathing in the vitality of the light before the autumnal curtain once again draws a blanket over the landscape for another many months to come.
Midsummer in Norway brings forth memories of my childhood, sitting in the meadows of purple Monkshood flowers, the plants swaying tall in the wind. I can still clearly recall being told not to touch particular plants, and being warned that they were toxic. These warnings served to peak my curiosity about the plants. I would walk through fields of red clover, daisies, and violets, picking a bouquet for the table, seeing the bright pink hues of fireweed from afar. I did not know it then, but that was my initiation into plant medicine. Wafts of valerian, yarrow and meadowsweet remind me of the medicine they hold. The medicine of midsummer; of reveling in this time of peak summer. Allow me to engage your youthful curiosity and share the wisdom of this medicine with you.
This retreat will be taught in English, unless all participants understand Norwegian better than English, in which case it will be taught in Norwegian.
We will gather in a private cabin near the mountain village of Oppdal, near Dovre National Park, about an hour from the west coast.
ABOUT THE CABIN: We will be staying in a modern Norwegian mountain log cabin. There is electricity and running water, a flushable toilet as well as an outhouse, shower, full kitchen and two comfortable lounging spaces. There is a garden, a firepit and a lovely view.
The cabin sleeps ten people, but if you would like to find your own accommodation you may do so. Email me for more information.
Three organic gluten free gourmet meals will be provided daily. We will have plant meditations, instruction, class time and field trips from morning until dinner, and sometimes also in the evenings.
You will learn about:
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Nordic Plant Mythology and Folklore
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Plant Meditations
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Dreaming with Plants
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Flower Essences
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Practices of Western Herbalism
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Plant science: properties and constituents
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Medicinal Mushrooms
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Ethical Harvesting
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The Art and Science of Making Herbal Tea
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Herbal Medicine Making:
Tinctures
Oils and Salves
Vinegars and Honeys
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Plant Identification
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Tree Medicine
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Wild Weeds, Mushrooms and Berries
The Plants you will get to know
You will learn about the medicinal properties of these plants
Red clover
Trifolium pratense
Rødkløver
Red Raspberry Leaf
Rubus idaeus
Bringebærblad
Stinging Nettle
Urtica dioica
Brennesle
Elderflower
Sambucus nigra
Svarthyllblomst
Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
Ryllik
Dandelion
Taraxacum officinale
Dandelion
Juniper
Juniperus communis
Einer
Willow
Salix sp
Vier
Plantain
Plantago major
Groblad
Angelica
Angelica archangelica
Kvann
St Johns Wort
Hypericum maculatum
Firkantperikum
Mugwort
Artemisia vulgaris
Burot
Rhodiola
Rhodiola rosea
Rosenrot
Valerian
Valeriana sambucifolia
Vendelrot
Meadowsweet
Filipendula ulmaria
Mjødurt
Birch
Betula pubescens
Bjørk
Heather
Calluna vulgaris
Røsslyng
Chaga
Inonotus obliquus
Kreftkjuke
Birch polypore
Fomitopsis betulina
Knivkjuke
Red Belted Polypore
Fomitopsis pinicola
Rødrandkjuke
Violet
Viola tricolor
Fiol
Monkshood
Aconitum lycoctonum
Tyrihjelm
Horsetail
Equisetum arvense
Kjerringrokk
Shepherd’s Purse
Capsella bursa-pastoris
Gjetertaske
Lady’s Mantle
Alchemilla vulgaris
Marikåpe
Eyebright
Euphrasia officinalis
Øyentrøst
and probably many more…
To Register
To register email me at mailovaas@gmail.com
Please arrive in time for dinner on Wednesday evening at 7pm
Departure Sunday at 2pm
Getting To Oppdal
You can take the train to Oppdal; www.nsb.no
You can also fly to Trondheim or Molde airports;
and then take the corresponding bus to Oppdal. I can pick you up at the bus stop in town.
Cost
4 nights 5 days, lodging, food, herbs and all herbal medicine making supplies (jars, bottles, oils, alcohol, vinegars etc) included
US$ 665 or NOK 5400,-
If you choose to find accommodation elsewhere (meals still included):
US$495 or NOK 4100,-
To reserve your spot you may either put down a deposit or pay in full
For more information please email mailovaas@gmail.com
