Spirit of the Hedgerow-following the Sacred Celtic Wheel of the Year.

This evening Jo and Adrian will take us on a journey through some of the trees and herbs associated with the hedgerows and the sacred Celtic Wheel of the Year.

The indigenous people of all lands hold deep reverence for certain trees, mountaintops, lakes, springs, plants and animals. Not all that long ago the people of the British Isles absolutely believed that the faery race inhabited the land. Old books relate stories about encounters with 'the Good Folk' who were not diminutive winged creatures at all. The Anglo-Saxons regarded elves with great respect and trepidation, with many spells devised to offset their elven magic.

As we explore these energies and learn from Jo and Adrian, we will understand how the pagan folk interacted with the physical and spiritual aspects of the forest in the pre-Christian era, and how we can bring the magic of the wild wood back into our lives today.

Jo Dunbar has been practising as a medical herbalist since 1999 and is the founder of Botanica Medica herbal apothecary. it was through growing and collecting herbs for her apothecaries that she developed a relationship with hedgerow plants and with trees. This love of nature led her to also follow the Druidic path, honouring all lifeforms on Earth as well as the cycles of the year. Jo grew up in South Africa where she first studied horticulture and worked with Xhosa men, a Bantu ethnic group who taught her about indigenous plants and how they are used magically and medically.

Adrian has facilitated and run camps and workshops across a variety of topics based around the Wheel of the Year, working with the masculine and feminine principles to bring the connection and joy we all seek. He is also very blessed to have acted as celebrant at several handfastings, weddings and baby-namings, as well as ritually marking the passing-over of souls.