Aroma, Psyche, Body - Creating New narratives (Friday Evening)

Join clinical herbalist, aromatherapist, and distiller Erika Galentin of Sovereignty Herbs for a 2-hour live workshop exploring the role of aromatherapy as useful tool for supporting our minds and bodies on our journeys to wellness.

We will take a brief tour of the inner workings of our sense of smell, how aromas are perceived, and their influence on our memories and emotions followed by a discussion on how emotions such as grief and shame can have significant impacts on how our bodies function. We will also explore how we can use aroma from plants to create new emotions and memories through the power of the myths, metaphors, and stories they can carry to the psyche.

You will learn how aroma from plants, including but not limited to the use of essential oils, can be incorporated into daily acts of self-empathy. Come ready to indulge your senses with different types of aromatic preparations and activities including a tea-tasting and sampling of artisan distilled essential oils and hydrosols.

Aromatic Distillation: A ritual journey of self-reflection (SATURDAY)

Join Erika Galentin, clinical herbalist, aromatherapist, and distiller of Sovereignty Herbs for a full-day workshop exploring aromatic distillation as a ritual journey of self-reflection and an empowering platform for the development of sacred plant-human relationships.

During this workshop participants will learn the nuts and bolts of aromatic distillation of essential oils and hydrosols using a traditional copper alembic still. You will leave this intensive with all of the knowledge you need to get started on your own aromatic distillation journey from harvesting and sourcing plant material to loading the still, monitoring the distillate, and so much more….

The process and tradition of aromatic distillation that Erika teaches is most certainly a spiritual one, involving both ceremony and celebration; the aroma of a plant is likened to the ‘Soul’ of the plant and aromatic distillation a ritual that beckons the soul of the plant to reveal itself.

In this workshop you will learn the aromatic distillation process as both an attempt to foster a deeper relationship with the plant kingdom, a relationship full of metaphor, story, and personal myth, but also deeper, more joyful relationships with ourselves. In this regard, during this workshop you will experience aromatic distillation as a platform for self-discovery and exploration of the natural world.

At the end of the workshop participants will take a bottle of the distilled aromatic hydrosol home which can be used for further support, inspiration, and guidance in our personal healing journeys.