Weaving the Wheel of the Year Program

"The mother of us all, the oldest of us all, Hard, splendid as rock, let the beauty you love, be what you do. There are a thousand ways to kneel and kiss the earth"~ Rumi ~

People often ask me what made me decide to “be an herbalist,” and I could tell them about the heroine of my favorite book I read when I was 12, or the countless botany classes I took in college, or even the vivid dream I had that illustrated to me in such clear terms a path I was to walk.  But really, it was the plants that made me an herbalist. It was the plants that beckoned me ever closer to the bosom of the Earth.  It was the plants that rooted me in ‘place.’  It was the plants that became my beloved friends no matter where I went.  I cannot express enough gratitude in words to these magnificent beings that live, breathe and inhabit our earth in an abundant blanket of green for bringing me here to today, for making me who I am, and reaching me so deeply, for teaching me how to walk on the Earth- with deep awareness, with open heart, with wide eyes, with unending gratitude.

    And so I sit with plants, on the Earth, almost every day. I watch their colors and shapes change through the seasons.  I celebrate their breaking forth from seed into fragile cotyledons, and rejoice in their fruiting.  I jump up and down like a child when I find the first dandelion flower, and cry with love and relief when I return to a beloved tree, who stands, waiting always, for her friend to sing her a song.  Time passes in our lives, and on the Earth, as she spins through space around our sun.  We have many ways of measuring time- watches, calendars, birthdays, anniversaries, women’s moon cycles, births, deaths, daylight, darkness, moon phases, constellations, seasons.  The plants have always been an exquisite and beautiful way for me to track the shifts in time- over the span of a year and the seasons, and over the longer time frames over years.  I await each spring with anticipation- to see the first leaf burst forth from the bud on the trees, and the shining faces of ephemeral wildflowers.  I feel the fullness of summer in the heavy weight of heat, and humid air- the expectation of summer thunderstorms, and the glorious release of bounty of fruits, plant medicines, wild foods, and garden produce.  I grieve as the trees let their beautiful leaves fall to the ground in autumn, and keep faith in the seeds that fall nestled in the safety of those leaves.  I know those trees do not mourn the loss of their leaves, for the shedding of what has passed, nourishes what is yet to come.  I feel the deep drawing inward in the dark of winter, and feel the sadness in the long sleep and little death that comes with the first snow- a blanket to protect the bare ground through the darkness and chill.  
  
   The world is always speaking to us, and the language I understand is that of the plants, the trees, the roots and seeds- and the visceral way I experience and sense the world in my body, in my spirit and my natural urges.  My body is of this earth, my bones made from the eons of mineral rocks ground to soil, my waters of the salty brined sea, my passions tied to the firey core of her, my breath fed from the respiration of the trees, my body nourished from each morsel of plant, animal and air that has existed.  When I feel the anguish of loss, the sharp knife of anger, the ecstasy of passion, the sweetness of presence and peace- I go to her. I give of myself to her.  She holds me- she makes me.  Earth. I am.


Weaving the Wheel of the Year



Do you feel the seasonal shifts of the Earth in your heart, bones, and spirit?

Are you yearning to find meaningful ways to connect with and honor these energies of the Earth and your spirit?

Do you have a sense that the power and magic of the Earth and the plants is something you could tap into for your healing and well being?

Do you notice the ways that certain plants seem to become more vibrant and powerful at different times of the year?

Would you like to learn practical and effective ways to nourish and prepare your body, your home, and your spirit to live in tune with these seasonal cycles and shifts through food, herbal medicine, ritual, and community?

Do you feel like a kitchen goddess, who enjoys brewing up pots of soup, creative meals, herbal brews, and magical potions for your family and friends?

Are you ready to dive whole-heartedly into all this and more?

Then join me on a powerful journey deep into the medicine and power of the seasonal shifts that our beloved home, Earth, moves through each year. I have spent many years as an herbalist wandering the wild lands of the west- the deserts and mountains, and the east- forests and fields, watching, sensing, and learning about how the seasons, and the seasonal shifts effect our biology, our spirits, and our life journey. I have sat with the plants and learned so much from them through personal experience and communion. They have shared how to spiral into the energy of each season with plant medicine, with appropriate foods, with ritual and ceremony, and nature awareness. My life has been deeply changed and fully nourished by sitting on the Earth and feeling her power and her moods. Now I would like to share this experience and journey with you- so that you too may be deeply nourished from Gaia’s healing plants, foods and energies.

In this unique program you will receive an in-depth, hands on and heart-centered lesson and herbal medicine for each quarter and cross quarter day for a full year. That is 8 lessons and 8 seasonally appropriate herbal medicines to help you balance and attune to the energies of the earth happening around you and within you. Plus access to a community of like minded spirits, and specific practices and suggestions for you from me as you explore!

You will recieve every 6 weeks (8 times per year):
  • 1 seasonally appropriate herbal medicine to help you attune and adjust to the seasonal energy (2 oz tincture, 2 oz tea, 1 plant or flower essence, 2 oz oil or salve)
  • 1 surprise gift for your ceremony, practice or celebration of each season
  • A lesson jam packed with information about the seasonal energies present at each quarter and cross quarter day, plants and herbal medicines that can support you in each seasons energy and work, seasonally appropriate activities to do alone or with your family, journaling questions and more.
  • Periodic emails highlighting special natural events, shifts, and resources as you work within the program.
  • Access to a private community web space to share your discoveries, challenges and inspirations and stay in touch through the years changes.
  • A private teleconference for participants only each 6 weeks with Darcey on a seasonally appropriate topic and Q&A session.
If you are ready to discover your deep and powerful connections with the rhythms of the Earth and her seasons through herbal medicine, healing foods, and time spent on the Earth, then join me today for this amazing journey!
Program begins on Imbolc/St. Brighid’s Day, February 1, 2012 and continues through mid January 2013. Space is limited in this unique and transformative journey, and will close early if all the spaces fill before the deadline!
Registrations accepted through Jan 15, 2012.
Early Bird Registration Bonus
If you register before December 15, 2011, you will receive a very special welcome gift perfect for getting you started on your path to deepening connection with the rhythms of the Earth. Don't delay! Spots are limited in this exciting offering! Save yours today!



Weaving the Wheel Monthly Payments

Weaving the Wheel - Full Payment



                                      


Elements of Wildness


In my element with dirt and stone, crow and madrone.
Feeding an inner flame that burns in everything.
I am no longer tame.
In every creature a wildness teacher.
Wind in the pine whispers to me that it is time
to shed the tears and break the bonds of fear.
When the wildness calls the flame won't be quenched,
it is fed with each and every breath.
Now my wild heart is burning, my being is yearning
to embrace the call
and dance with the wildness in all.


Blue Turtle Botanicals

Blue Turtle Botanicals is the the herbal home of Darcey Blue French.
She offers herbal education, private mentorships,long-term Natural Wellness Programs, and high quality, handcrafted herbal products and wildcrafted herbal medicines, and a year round herbal CSA.

The plants are a sacred gateway into the wildness and magic present in all of life and our beautiful home, Earth, and Darcey envisions a world based in healthy loving community and connection between the people, the plants and the land.  Join Darcey in any of the services, classes or offerings to find out more about this special connection available to everyone through the healing plants!


Step onto the path of a life long journey with the magic and sacred gifts of the plants and the wild Earth!

Herbal CSA

Blue Turtle Botanicals Herbal CSA

Do you like delicious freshly blended teas, handcrafted medicinal quality tinctures and elixirs, healing natural salves, luscious nourishing face creams and wildcrafted herbs? Join the Blue Turtle Botanicals CSA!


The first version of the herbal product CSA was such a hit, I've decided to offer and open up the CSA for future memberships!
You can sign up for a 6 month membership or a full year membership.  Each month you will be sent a package of freshly made herbal medicines- teas, tinctures, flower essences, creams, salves and more-made from ethically wildcrafted plants, organic or homegrown herbs, and lots of love by your herbalist, Darcey Blue.  You can elect a small share (1 product per month) or a large share (2 products per month) and pay each month with an easy subscription service through Paypal.  See the payment options below.

Selections will be seasonal- based on what is available and growing well and abundantly, and what inspires in the moment of connection between wilderness,  plant and herbalist.  You can expect such medicines as:
St John's Wort Tincture & Oil
Calendula Flower Oil
Lemon Balm Tincture
Peppermint Elixir
Green Healing Salve
Elderberry Elixir
Yarrow Tincture
Roots Vinegar
a selection of our delicious teas at Blue Turtle Botanicals
herbal face creams
and a whole lot more!



2012 Herbal CSA Membership






Space is limited in the CSA each year so make sure to act quickly before all the spots fill up!

Do you like delicious freshly blended teas, handcrafted medicinal quality tinctures and elixirs, healing natural salves, luscious nourishing face creams and wildcrafted herbs? Join the Blue Turtle Botanicals CSA!

Darcey Blue is the clinical herbalist, wildcrafter, plant whisperer, medicine maker and owner of Blue Turtle Botanicals.  In recent years,  the development of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA's) has blossomed all across the country.  In this unique partnership, communities support their local farms, business and ecosystems by purchasing a share at the beginning of the season, and are rewarded with rich, healthy, locally grown food and products for a specific amount of time.  

In light of this development, Darcey Blue has created a unique Herbal CSA!  Much like farming, earth centered herbalism is based on long term relationships with the land and the plants harvested, and the skill and art of making medicines, formulas and finished products from the raw plants.  Herbal products have become widely available in health food stores across the nation, allowing more people more access to natural plant medicines, but what is lacking from this model, is precisely what the Community Supported Agriculture movement has done for farming, and what it can do for herbalism!  It provides sustainable, healthy, locally produced plant medicines made by with the skill, knowledge,  intention, love and magic of your herbalist.  And now, the Herbal CSA!




The Blue Turtle Botanicals Herbal CSA is:

  • a year round program with potent herbal medicines delivered to your door spring, summer, fall & winter
  • delivery to your home each month through the mail- you never have to go anywhere to pick up your share
  • offers multiple share sizes, share lengths, and payment plans (see below for details)
  • affordable
  • provides the freshest, most potent plant medicine and products for your personal use (products are made seasonally, and fresh- nothing sitting on a shelf for months on end!)
  • supplies you with seasonally appropriate medicines and products (elderberry for cold & flu season, cooling tea blends for summer iced infusions, soup herbs to infuse your fall soups with healing plants)
  • offers a wide variety of medicines and product types for all tastes- including tinctures, elixirs, medicinal tea blends, infused healing oils, salves, luscious body care, flower essences, vinegars and more!
  • free e mail newsletter with educational information each month about each of the products included in your share, and suggestions on how to use the products
  • supports the skills, experience, knowledge, and heartfelt connection of your herbalist, Darcey, with the plants and land she works from


The Herbal CSA makes a wonderful gift to yourself each month, with a new product to nourish your well being arriving every month. It is ideal for the herbal enthusiast who would like to learn more about new plants and herbal products, the family building their natural medicine cabinet, the herbal student, and anyone who would like to use natural healing on a more regular basis, and those who support the local, sustainable and community based product model (like CSA's!)

Your options for joining the CSA are many:
  • 6 month or 12 month duration
  • Small share (1 product per month) or Large share (2 products per month)
  • Monthly payment plan subscription or pay up front for the entire share duration.





12 Month CSA Payment Options

6 Month CSA options